way2tall

We own a 2005 Chevy Avalanche. Love it. It's a great truck, and it's good for carting around the family too. But we hate putting gas in it. 15 MPG avg isn't bad for mixed city and highway driving, but it's still rough on the wallet. E85 is great, but the mileage is horrible and it's not that much cheaper than gas where we live. Therefore, E85 doesn't make economic sense for us. Chevy is doing a good job of retooling the lineup. The more fuel efficient, and high quality cars, the better. HHR is a favorite, but it could use a well done interior and some exterior redesign for 2010. The small windows and excessive plastic in HHR have to go. Chevy also needs a new minivan! I hate Sienna and Odyssey! This is somewhat off topic, but if Chevrolet plans to become a brand that can lure Toyota and Honda buyers into the showroom, there needs to be some clarification of the Chevrolet Brand. Chevrolet and GMC should not have commercial trucks and buses with the Chevy Bowtie or GMC logo. Car and light truck drivers don't want to be associated with a school bus, tow truck or cab-over-chassis truck. These commercial vehicles should be branded with a simple GM logo in the front, much like the one on new GM car door panels. For example, Ford uses the Sterling S and Toyota uses Hino to market their commercial vehicles. It's a vital adjustment that needs to be made to help improve brand impression.

1) A 2002 Buick Rendezvous, then traded in for a 2005 Rendezvous. The Rendezvous is a great car for our family and it's a shame that it was slated to cease production after seven years. It was the first of its kind in the small - midsize luxury crossover segment. I love the styling, and overall quality. The vehicle certainly could be revamped and come back as a winner. There are many Rendezvous driving around these days, and they're a hit used car purchase. Give it the same chassis and engine/trans options as the new Vue, and it would serve as an excellent younger sibling to the Enclave (which is way too big for us to drive and park around a large city where we live). 2) With the current line up, I'm afraid that another Buick wouldn't be on our shopping list. We went to find an American 08 model that would be a good replacement for the Rendezvous, and couldn't find one that we liked. If only there were a Mercury version of Edge and MKX! So we bought our lease. In the future, however, we may be looking for a car-- the Invicta is quite appealing. Buick has the capability to compete with the majority of Lexus and Acura models. It's the Mercury of GM-- and both Mercury and Buick need some help. If Cadillac is to be in the sports luxury segment that competes with Infiniti, BMW and Audi, then Buick needs to cover the middle ground. Of course, GM still needs to consider consolidating some brands. There are simply too many makes that no longer match the ideals of a car brand designed and marketed for every American.