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8612 messages, Last post on Dec 05, 2009 at 1:39 PM
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Replying to: xrunner2 (Jun 30, 2009 7:10 am) IMHO the Buick name in the US is too tainted for this to occur. The image is old and dowdy, and even a great car is not enough to change that. It's different in China.
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Replying to: tlong (Jun 30, 2009 8:30 am) I know Caddy has the CTS as its entry level, but that's a sportier car, that tries to go after the BMW crowd moreso than the Lexus crowd. The old/dowdy image wouldn't keep me from buying a Buick, if I still thought the car was good enough. But, I can understand the rationale that many people have for not buying them, and unfortunately the nameplate might have too much excess baggage associated with it at this point. I hope they can turn it around though. |
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Replying to: andre1969 (Jun 30, 2009 8:38 am) Old and dowdy? Feh! I've been buying Buicks since I was 16! |
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Replying to: andre1969 (Jun 30, 2009 8:38 am) Cadillac is still trying to re-invent themselves as sport-Euro-lux. Give them an entry-level what-was-intended-to-be-a-Buick and you destroy that. Not only that, you put them up against Lincoln, which is a bad tactical move in itself (as opposed to going up against Lexus, which is suicidal right now). Honestly, GM might be better off targeting some of the manufacturers perceived to be a bit weaker. Ford isn't: they have too much goodwill from not taking a bailout. Toyota is always the 800 lb gorilla. Acura is a bit weaker but their buyers are hugely loyal. Infiniti is a possibility, as is Mercedes. Maybe Audi too. They do need to become world-class, but they need to shrink first, so they can give enough focus to each model to MAKE it world-class. Until then, given all their trouble, they ALSO need to make sure they don't bite off more than they can chew. And competing in too many product lines is much more than they can chew. They'd be much better off just dropping Buick in the US, and concentrating on Chevy/Caddy. Provided they stick to trucks, GMC can probably take care of itself.
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Replying to: lemko (Jun 30, 2009 8:50 am) 
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Replying to: lemko (Jun 30, 2009 8:50 am)
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Replying to: bpizzuti (Jun 30, 2009 9:29 am) Agreed. Drop Buick in US, and make sure GMC is only commercial trucks. No more overlap with Chevy. Then you have GMC (commercial), Chevy (cars and trucks for everyman), Caddy (upscale vehicles). Viola! No more overlaps. Just not at all sure that they won't continue overlapping GMC with Chevy. Buicks could go to Chevy and even be the same cars. Give Chevy the LaCrosse, the G8, etc. |
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Replying to: iwant12 (Jun 30, 2009 12:36 pm) I'm not one that's been calling on them to keep Buick around but I'd be very happy if it worked out. two of my favorite cars in the family were Buicks - a 49 that my grandfather drove for pretty much the whole time both he and i were around and a 56 that the folks picked up for $600 in the mid 60s. Of all the cheap cars my dad picked up this was easily the nicest. I had a 56 Special for about a year as a hobby. It wasn't any better (or worse) when I sold it for the same amount I bought it for but it was a fun thing to tool around in.
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Replying to: fezo (Jun 30, 2009 1:31 pm) Have you gone to the buick Web site to look at the '10? It's pretty nice though I wish they would've gotten a little more aggressive with the front end. I do like the sculptured sides and the rear. I've been monitoring ebay, haven't seen any yet. |
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Replying to: andre1969 (Jun 30, 2009 8:38 am) Agree. But, the so-called dowdy image started being shed by Lucerne styling, then Enclave and now the Lacrosse. In my previous post, I included a lot of "IFs" on new Lacrosse. If those IFs were satisifed in my view, I would have open mind to go look at and test drive the Lacrosse in a year or two. This in spite of wife and I having 3 in a row flawless Acura TLs. She would probably be reluctant in trying a Buick being completely satisfied with all aspects of Acura quality/reliability, driving, handling, etc, plus outstanding dealer service. She will say, "Why switch"? Re dowdy image. Don't care what other people think about what I am driving. Similarly, some happy Buick posters here are are probably decades away from being golden seniors, are "self-confident" and are obviously not concerned about the past images of old people driving Buicks. On dowdy and soccer-mom image, our third vehicle is strictly utility and is a mini-van. I laugh internally when I see people struggling to get "stuff" into their "Fashionable" SUVs in big-box parking lots while my mini-van easily swallows most anything. Had a Suburban for many years and when time to get a new replacement, could not justify the thousands more for it over the Honda Ody we bought. Being I don't tow trailers, but just haul big stuff periodically, Suburban's strength of truck frame and V8 did not matter to me. The Ody, as well as Mopar offerings, easily trump the Suburban in cargo size carrying capacity. |
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