IS-SV

Go Buick! 75 series wsw tires/pushrod low output engines/4 speed trannys might be the retro trend of the future.

A big part of the GM's motivation to retain Buick relates to its success in China. Without it's success in China, it's future as a profitable division would be in doubt.

IS-SV

Must of those sales are low profit rental car fleet sales, not sales to the geezers that like these cars in the midwest. And there is nothing wrong with being a geezer, I resemble that remark myself.

Doing "fine" and losing billions of dollars are not the same thing.

mmarshall

Next planned review: 2009 Chevrolet Corvette

IS-SV

Cool, sounds good and fast! No doubt they have a lucrative niche with this car, and a state of the art pushrod engine.

Let us know if they still rattle like crap and smell like cheap fiberglass in hot weather in the summer (like they did in early 90's).

Threxx

I see the current gen LaCrosse as an excellent used car buy. They depreciate pretty quickly so you can pick one up with ~40-50k miles for well under 10 grand. I'd never buy one new, but used it really is an attractive deal. Their reliability ratings are generally very high from JD Power (not sure about CR), and they're very inexpensive to fix compared to many other higher tech cars on the market these days. Best of all while that 3800 + 4-speed combo doesn't drive all that impressively compared to other cars out today, it's such a proven workhorse of a powertrain... those things will outlast most Honda and Toyota V6s in my experience.

Did you try closing the sun shade on the sunroof to see how that changed the wind noise?

What made you decide to review this since the all new (incredibly impressive looking) Lacrosse will be out in only 6-7 months?

Threxx

Have you driven the new Enclave? It doesn't quite lineup with anything in the Lexus lineup but it is a seriously quiet and smooth ride with a very attractive well made interior and exterior. I suspect the new LaCrosse will be much the same after seeing those preliminary photos.

CDNROCKIES

ZR1?.....please....pretty please?

mmarshall

Yes. it was a pretty cold morning. I wasn't about to drive around with a Arctic breeze coming in...and I believe I made sure that both the panel and the sunshade were tight. The salespeople said that a little wind noise was just a quirk with Buick sunroofs.....I'm not convinced.

There's been a fair (but not huge) amount of talk in CAR CHAT about the new LaCrosse and how it will compare to the old one. Buicks, in general, are not popular in CL, but there are some CL members who do drive them. And you cannot accurately compare the new car to it unless you know the old one as well.

It was the same with the old and new-generation Acura MDX, TL, and TSX. I got review requests for both generations of each vehicle.....and ended up doing both. The 2006 and all-new 2007 MDX, for example, I ended up doing just a few months apart.

Of course, however, I have more to get done in my life, even being retired now, than just car reviews. I do them when time....and my generally good health except for gout/arthritis....allows.

mmarshall

I'll do a ZR-1 if possible, but don't count on it....more likely, it will be a less-expensive model. Many dealerships severely restrict both the number and length of ZR-1 test-drives, even with responsible drivers like me. They are hard to get, as well, and are usually pre-sold (I won't review someone else's car, for obvious reasons).

I'm not going to write up a review on a car where all you are allowed to do is take it around the block for half a mile, if that, with a sales guy sitting next to you watching your every move.....that's not fair to either me or you, and I wouldn't give an accurate or complete description of the car.

So, yes, a ZR-1 if possible, but don't bet on it. And many people today simply can't afford ZR-1's, especially with the dealer mark-ups...the base model is more within their reach.

Jeremy Clarkson, BTW, has done a review/write up on the ZR-1 when he gave it his COTY award.....it is posted in CAR CHAT.

mmarshall

Yes, I have. Here's an older review for you. Back in those days, though, my reviews were not as comprehensive as they are now, nor did they include images. But it gives you a basic idea of what I found the Enclave like.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/car...e-cxl-awd.html

I was generally impressed with the looks of the plush, wood-trimmed, roomy interior (even the third-row seat is good enough for fairly large adults) but some of that impressive-looking plushness inside is, like on the Chrysler 300C, just the same old GM plastic with a thin layer of imitation-trim on top if it to make it look plush.