GM News, New Models and Market Share

Replying to: xrunner2 (Jul 01, 2009 6:05 am)

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.
 
Not that I care either way, but that's not exactly a "past" image. I hardly ever see an Enclave on the road. I see way more LeSabres and Centurys on the road than I do Lucernes or LaCrosses...and I'm not totally convinced that the LaCrosse and Lucerne, in their current iteration at least, have shed that old/dowdy image for many buyers. A guy at work recently bought a Lucerne. I think he's close to 50 by now. One day he told me about how the car was a babe magnet because one of our co-workers complimented the car, and she's got to be well into her 60's. And the other night, Lemko almost got rear-ended by a senior citizen in a LaCrosse, who got the high-beam switch confused with the brake pedal! In general, if I see a Buick on the road, it's usually driven by a senior citizen. Today on the way in I saw a nice blue and silver LeSabre, that would just have matched the hair in Grandma's wig. (well, okay, it was actually a shiny red metallic, with whitewall tires, and it was driven by a white-haired old man)
 
Again, I don't care either way. If I like the way a car looks and like its comfort, I don't care if its typical buyer is a high school kid, or three days older than God. But that image is important for a lot of people.
 
I think Buick's biggest problem, though, is just what you stated in your Acura example. A lot of buyers have deserted Buick and GM over the years, and are perfectly happy with the brands they deserted to. They need a good reason to come back. There's a guy at work who used to buy Lincolns, until a 2000 LS let him down. Now he's Acura all the way. Although he trades them at around 50,000 miles, which he usually puts on in about two years, so I'm sure he pays through the nose come trade-in time!

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• cadillacmike (Jul 01, 2009 9:39 am)
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Replying to: xrunner2 (Jul 01, 2009 6:05 am)

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• fezo (Jul 01, 2009 6:52 am)
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Replying to: lemko (Jul 01, 2009 6:45 am)

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• lemko (Jul 01, 2009 7:01 am)
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    • cooterbfd (Jul 01, 2009 9:13 am)
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    • lemko (Jul 01, 2009 10:50 am)
• cadillacmike (Jul 01, 2009 9:50 am)

Replying to: fezo (Jul 01, 2009 6:52 am)

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• fezo (Jul 01, 2009 8:14 am)
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Replying to: lemko (Jul 01, 2009 6:45 am)

Well, in the 60's and 70's, lots of homeowners put woodgrain plywood paneling in basements, family rooms, and living rooms. So back then, wagons hauled 4x8 sheets regularly.
 
Now, homeoweners prefer to paint walls, so the need for hauling these sheets is rare.

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• lemko (Jul 01, 2009 10:46 am)
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Replying to: lemko (Jul 01, 2009 7:01 am)

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• lemko (Jul 01, 2009 10:50 am)

Replying to: fezo (Jul 01, 2009 8:14 am)

".....Of course now you get a trend of CUVs. Don't tell anyone they are wagons..... "
 
The more things change.............

Replying to: fezo (Jul 01, 2009 8:14 am)

Of course now you get a trend of CUVs. Don't tell anyone they are wagons.....
 
That's because they aren't. They're hatchbacks.