Drew Dowdell

huh?

People LOVED the original Saturn.... they had the highest customer satisfaction rates at their dealerships in the industry. Saturn only failed because GM failed the brand with poor, late, or outdated product. Manufacturers inch up MSRP now. Dude though, if the plan had worked it would have spread, don't you think? Everybody wants customer satisfaction, it keeps 'em coming back. Does this then extend to the trade-in... one price for it no matter what? Plus a hotel room, restaurant meal and a telephone is nothing like a car. As far as the trade in - You submit pictures of your car taken with the app, front/back/left/right, odometer, interior seats, trunk, engine. They get back to you with a trade-in offer. As long as the car matches what is submitted at pick-up time, then the transaction goes through. The basic process is already in place now with some of the used car websites.

People LOVED the original Saturn.... they had the highest customer satisfaction rates at their dealerships in the industry. Saturn only failed because GM failed the brand with poor, late, or outdated product. Manufacturers inch up MSRP now. Dude though, if the plan had worked it would have spread, don't you think? Everybody wants customer satisfaction, it keeps 'em coming back. Does this then extend to the trade-in... one price for it no matter what? Plus a hotel room, restaurant meal and a telephone is nothing like a car. The existing brand dealerships are what prevented it from spreading. GM can't force a Chevy dealership into the Saturn model because the franchise agreement probably spans decades. They were only able to do it with Saturn because they were building a whole new dealership network from scratch. Toyota does it with SCION, but again, they were only able to dictate that because it was a new brand and new dealership network. I agree that a car is not a hotel room, but the transaction doesn't need to be as complicated as it is today due to the dealership model. If nothing else, let the Free Market sort it out rather than give special favoritism to a certain established way of doing business.

That time is fast approaching on our CR-V. It's going to cost $1000 just to get it to pass inspection* *Posted from the Honda Dealership

Northstars have always been oil eaters.

Why not replace the carb with a Holley or Edelbrock EFI kit? Why not put lipstick on a pig? The 307s aren't very tuneable. I'd get better start-up and maybe slightly better fuel economy, but no additional power.

Why do you use such thick oil? 20w50 is THICK stuff. Actually, I didn't even know they made a high mileage oil in that thick of a viscocity.That may not be the exact viscosity, that's what came up when I googled it...I remember the brand and that it was a high mileage blend (Jeep 4.0L w 162k miles) I think, don't quote me though, that the thickest high mileage oils are 10-40. Edit: I stand corrected. Castrol does offer a 20-50 High mileage oil. Personally, unless you beat on that vehicle really hard and have leaks.. I wouldn't go with anything that thick. I could see something with some age and miles using a 10-40 when it's probably spec'd to 10-30 but I couldn't justify using something so thick like 20-50. Using oil that thick is probably the only thing holding his Jeep's engine together at that mileage.

People LOVED the original Saturn.... they had the highest customer satisfaction rates at their dealerships in the industry. Saturn only failed because GM failed the brand with poor, late, or outdated product. Manufacturers inch up MSRP now.

The NADA argument also falls on its face that it "protects" existing businesses. Hotels have a dual model of franchises and brand owned, they compete just fine. Restaurants have a dual model of franchises and brand owned, they compete just fine. Apple competes with Best Buy and Target when selling their products. Why are dealerships such special flowers in the consumer landscape?

Just hook it up to a high tension line for 15 minutes...

We're a species of hoarders. I am genetically predisposed to the more extreme end of the scale, a number of family members being extreme hoarders. I have to remind myself to purge regularly so to not end up in the same situation.

Moving my Toronado from the wheezing old 5.0 liter V8 it has now to the 2.0T 4-cylinder from the ATS would be a welcome upgrade for me. I also wouldn't mind a 5.3 V8 in there, but that's the most powerful I'd go.

Happy Birthday BV.

No one likes the dealership models except dealerships. Customers do not like the dealership model because it places an annoying barrier between them and the manufacturer when issues arise. Customers do not like the dealership model because it increases the cost of the car. Customers do not like the dealership model because the experience is fairly inconsistent from dealer to dealer even in the same brand. Manufacturers do not like the dealership model because they do not have as much control over the presentation and pricing of the cars. Manufacturers do not like the dealership model because it adds a layer of bureaucracy to the overall process of selling and servicing a car. Manufacturers do not like the dealership model because it is hard to nearly impossible get rid of bad apples. Dealerships are NOT scared of having to compete with Tesla specifically.. Dealerships are scared of Telsa disrupting their business model. Because if Tesla does that, there is nothing to stop GM, Ford, Honda, Toyota, etc from doing the same thing... and then the dealerships might actually have to compete with the service levels that a manufacturer provides. A nationwide network of Tesla or Honda or Chevrolet stores owned by their respective manufacturers would likely have the same consistent look, feel, and level of service that shoppers are accustom to at Apple. Furthermore, dealerships are even MORE scared of the Amazoning of the car buying process. Think if you could customize your car from an app and have it delivered to your door and have your trade in picked up without ever even speaking to a dealer? I just bought out the lease on my Buick back in August and the entire process was done electronically except the title transfer which I handled at a AAA office. It was two pieces of paper total - the title and the statement from the credit union with the lien info with mileage statement. There is nothing stopping that process from happening to the entire car buying process except for the NADA. NONE of the consumer protections that the NADA cites as necessary and provided by the dealership model have actually proven to be true. The only reason Saab owners can still buy parts is because ONE company not related to GM nor to Spyker decided there was enough market for Saab parts to continue to source and manufacture them.... it is NOT because of the dealers. Suzuki owners can only buy parts because the parent company still exists and just doesn't sell cars in the US. Fisker owners are up a creek, dealers can't help them. So take Tesla out of the equation and look at what dealerships are really fighting against.... a more transparent, convenient, cheaper, and haggle free car buying process.

The light doesn't even come on till 10%, but I was noticing the crankiness at around 20%.

Visual differences I assume. It works for the Acadia Denali and Buick Enclave today. There is still enough "I'm too young to buy a Buick" mentality out there no matter how good Buick gets, so having GMC there to catch those people is a good thing. I had considered this. Note the next Nox will be just a little smaller but it should have the same or nearly the same interior room with better interior packaging. I like ours but the interior has a lot of wasted space due to strut tower intrustion and a dash that is overly large and takes up a lot of space. Like I said too this is short term import as they have not gotten the Ingersoll plant changed over and if they want to get a head start with this model a small group imported will give them that start. I suspect once the Nox enters production the Buick will joint it. Note I have heard the Terrain would be built on the same line as the XT5. Now if that is true could the Terrain also be a cheaper longer wheel base? Just a though here as I have nothing concrete. This two could keep the Buick and Terrain from competing. As of yet we really have nothing on the Terrain to this point. No mules and no real clues. I also have heard that a yet-unnamed GMC would be built at Springhill with the XT5. That could mean Terrain or it could mean another model is joining the GMC brand (which also wouldn't surprise me). With Springhill being the most flex production line GM has, I don't think the other vehicles being built there have any bearing on the wheelbase of the GMC though. It is entirely conceivable that there are short wheelbase and long wheelbase versions of the Terrain coming.

Anyone notice their car being sensitive to needing an oil change? I just did the oil on the Buick and it is noticeably quieter. It still had 5% left on the DIC oil change monitor.

I have a feeling, and this is just a hunch, that like the Volvo S60 Inscription that is built in China and the Regal from Germany before it, this will be a stop-gap measure for Buick. They are building it in China for now because they don't have a line ready in the US to build it on, yet they needed the model here 3 years ago and cannot afford to delay it any further. Once the 'Nox and Terrain replacements are up and running, I'm betting that Envision production for North American consumption will be shifted to this continent. I've been told this directly by a Volvo rep. The Volvo S60 Inscription is a one and done for Chinese production selling in the US. Once the new model comes, it will be built in South Carolina at Volvo's new U.S. plant. So think about that for a moment... the next generation of Volvos being sold here are going to be U.S. built, and Swedish designed, by a Chinese owned company.

I too vote for Voltec systems in Envision sized vehicles.

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Hate to break it to you, but without the $20 rebate, those prices suck. At regular walmart price, I get a 5 qt jug for under $25 (not sure what the exact going rate is right now) plus $8 for another qt. I get my ACDelco rebadged Mobil 1 Extended filter for $11 on Amazon. You'd think Costco could do better on the base prices than that! I just picked up oil for the Buick today, it was 6 quarts for $26 after rebate. My Costco doesn't sell oil filters tho.

But that doesn't automatically mean those RX buyers can afford GX. And what's the problem with buying American? People trading their RXes in for an Enclave are getting their automotive needs met with that move.

I believe the next Nox and Terrain will be downsized a bit to more closely match the direct competition in size. At the moment, they are tweeners that sit between CRV and (old) Pilot in size, yet still smaller than the other tweener from Ford, the Edge. This would give GM some room between the Nox and Traverse for a Blazer type vehicle.

Visual differences I assume. It works for the Acadia Denali and Buick Enclave today. There is still enough "I'm too young to buy a Buick" mentality out there no matter how good Buick gets, so having GMC there to catch those people is a good thing.

This will be priced differently than a Tesla, so the only comparison is really the range. Comparing the Bolt to the Model 3 is like comparing a Focus Titanium to a Mercedes CLA... yes they're both compact sedans, but that is about the extent of the overlap. I suspect the Model 3 will be closer to $39,995 by the time it's actually available for sale (and not with that range at that price).