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GM News, New Models and Market Share

8272 messages,  Last post on Nov 24, 2009 at 5:33 AM

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#6770 of 8272
Re: Buick sales may rebound [lemko] by gagrice
Jul 02, 2009 (5:49 am)
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Replying to: lemko (Jul 02, 2009 5:35 am)

Well, if I really wamted to stand out on the west coast, I'd definitely buy a Buick rather than blend in with the sea of anonymous imports.
 
You would stand out in San Diego if you did not have a Marine Corps insignia on your Buick or Caddy. They are still popular with the retired military that we have more than our fair share. They tend to keep San Diego a bit more stable than the rest of CA. We are also more conservative and tend to Buy American south of the LA/Orange County line.
#6771 of 8272
Re: Buick sales may rebound [carstryke] by lemko
Jul 02, 2009 (5:51 am)
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Replying to: carstryke (Jul 01, 2009 8:15 pm)

Ugly? I think Buicks are drop-dead gorgeous! Bad reputation? How? They're bullet-proof reliable. If I had to escape Philly for a while and could take only one car to last me until I could return, it would be my girlfriend's LaCrosse. It's ultra-reliable, comfortable, durable, and delivers awesome fuel economy on regular gas!
#6772 of 8272
Re: 4x8? [andre1969] by lemko
Jul 02, 2009 (5:55 am)
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Replying to: andre1969 (Jul 02, 2009 5:46 am)

Well, you can tell a Buick engine from the time as it had the distributor at the front of the engine. Heck a Buick engine would be a major selling point in FAVOR of a car for me.
#6773 of 8272
Re: Buick sales may rebound [lemko] by andre1969
Jul 02, 2009 (6:02 am)
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Replying to: lemko (Jul 02, 2009 5:44 am)

It blows my mind how "old people" are disdained in this country when they are revered and respected in others. Heck, those "old people" didn't get to live so long by being stupid.
 
There's an old saying (I think it was John DeLorean that said it) that while it's easy to sell an old person a young person's car, it's almost impossible to sell a young person an old-people's car!
 
There's a difference between revering and respecting old people, and trying to imitate them!
 
Also, I think you have to look at WHY certain cars are driven by older people. Back in the 50's, 60's, 70's, and even part of the 1980's, often you'd see older people driving a Buick, Caddy, Lincoln, Chrysler, etc because they had finally gotten to that point in life where they could afford a car like that. Younger people may have been aspiring to that type of car, but just couldn't afford it yet. And that's why cars like the Chevy Caprice, Fury VIP, and Ford LTD came out...to give younger, less monied people who aspired to a Caddy, Lincoln, or Imperial a less expensive alternative.
 
Heck, I'd rather be seen as a doddering old geezer driving a Buick, than a pretentious poseur valueless yuppie snob driving the latest overpriced imported ego-mobile.
 
Well, I'd rather not be seen as either. We'll all get old eventually, so I'd rather not rush it! But at the same time, I'm not one to jump on the bandwagon and chase the latest flash-in-the-pan fad.
#6774 of 8272
Re: 4x8? [lemko] by andre1969
Jul 02, 2009 (6:11 am)
Reply

Replying to: lemko (Jul 02, 2009 5:55 am)

Well, you can tell a Buick engine from the time as it had the distributor at the front of the engine. Heck a Buick engine would be a major selling point in FAVOR of a car for me.
 
Yeah, if I had it to do over again, knowing what I know now, I might have bought that '79 Bonneville. It was white with a light blue vinyl top and light blue vinyl interior. The body was solid, and the interior was decent except for a rip or two in the seat. And the headliner had started sagging, so the owner had ripped it apart, and glued it back up piecemeal! It also had balding tires.
 
I remember also not being too impressed with its performance. Despite having a 350, it felt slower than my Grandmother's '85 LeSabre, which only had a 307. The Bonneville only had a 3-speed automatic though, compared to the LeSabre's 4-speed. And gearing was different. The LeSabre had a 2.73:1, while that Bonneville was most likely a 2.41:1. I'm sure the LeSabre was a bit lighter, too, as the B-body lost a bit of weight in the 1980 restyle, plus in that era Buicks and Oldsmobiles were often a bit lighter than Chevies and Pontiacs.
#6775 of 8272
Re: 4x8? [andre1969] by lemko
Jul 02, 2009 (6:18 am)
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Replying to: andre1969 (Jul 02, 2009 6:11 am)

Look at it this way, anything's better than the dreaded 301!
#6776 of 8272
Re: Buick sales may rebound [lemko] by bpizzuti
Jul 02, 2009 (6:24 am)
Reply

Replying to: lemko (Jul 02, 2009 5:44 am)

It blows my mind how "old people" are disdained in this country when they are revered and respected in others. Heck, those "old people" didn't get to live so long by being stupid. Heck, I'd rather be seen as a doddering old geezer driving a Buick, than a pretentious poseur valueless yuppie snob driving the latest overpriced imported ego-mobile.
 
Reinforcing the point that some people got old not by being smart but by being too mean and ornery to die.
#6777 of 8272
Re: 4x8? [lemko] by andre1969
Jul 02, 2009 (6:26 am)
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Replying to: lemko (Jul 02, 2009 6:18 am)

Look at it this way, anything's better than the dreaded 301!
 
Definitely true. Even there though, I think if I found an otherwise nice car that looked like it had been well-maintained that had the 301, I might be willing to take the chance. That caramel-brown '77 Grand LeMans sedan that was at the Carlisle GM show in 2007/2008 (but not this year) has a 301. Although maybe it finally blew, and that's why it wasn't at the show for 2009!
#6778 of 8272
Re: 4x8? [steve_] by buyamerican2
Jul 02, 2009 (6:29 am)
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Replying to: steve_ (Jul 01, 2009 1:05 pm)

Hey Steve, Fisher Body was like a division of GM. They designed assembled the bodies. Your 52 Buick frame and body were nothing like a Chevy or Cadillac. I own a '52 Chieftain and a '52 Caddy and the frames and body work are not the same at all. The only thing common are some nuts and bolts. The Cadillac is larger, more "heavy duty" and has a more sophisticated front suspension. That's what you got for the premium $$$.
#6779 of 8272
Re: 4x8? [andre1969] by fezo
Jul 02, 2009 (6:39 am)
Reply

Replying to: andre1969 (Jul 02, 2009 6:11 am)

Yeah, if I had it to do over again, knowing what I know now, I might have bought that '79 Bonneville.
 
Too bad you didn't. You really need another car.

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