MM's New Vehicle.....Yes, I took one home tonight.
08-05-12, 06:08 PM
#47
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Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: California
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Congrats on your new Verano. It is beautiful. My sister just got rid of her silver 2004 BMW 325i for a 2012 Nissan Juke S, also in red color. She traded in the bimmer because the air conditioner has stopped working and the car is 8 years old and she wanted something different so just went to a Nissan dealer. She is very happy now. Many new cars on the road recently I realize, why so?
08-05-12, 07:03 PM
#49
08-05-12, 11:55 PM
#50
Lexus Fanatic
Well, Ladies and gents.....after seven years, It's my turn now for a new car. Yep, I took home a new Buick Verano late this afternoon. I went to two different local Buick/GMC shops. Neither had exactly what I was looking for (but I test-drove a couple anyway). Then, at the second shop (which had an enormous showroom, they had a nice Crystal Red one in the showroom with two/tone gray/silver-cashmere Leatherette interior and without a sunroof (I didn't want a sunroof, for several reasons). I inspected it , test-drove it, decided I could live with the turn-key ignition (I had originally wanted the push-button ignition), and settled on it. I like showroom cars, of course, because they are usually detailed and as clean as a pin, and easy-to-inspect for any body or paint-defects.
It was 25K list, and I got a couple of thousand off between their dealer-discount and GM's Verano rebate. Of course, a lot of that was added back in state new-car tax (3.2%), processing-fees (hard to get around them in VA), and a couple of the usual little B.S. $10-20 miscellaneous dealer-fees that it's also hard to get around. I sprang for one service package that offered some BIG discounts on the synthetic-oil-changes that GM now requires for its cars...but no other of the after-sale "packs" (I consider most, but not all, of those packs that they offer you in the buisness-office to be unnecessary and a waste of money)
So, I wrote them a check (they were rather surprised to see someone paying in cash, even for a relatively inexpensive car), transfered all of my old stuff into the new car, spent some time on the radio-speaker phone in the dealer's service-bay with one of the GM On-Star agents (you speak back and forth to them right right through the car's audio-system), got On-Star-registered, and drove home.
Now I've got to spend the next week, with the Owners' Manual, trying to figure out the car's video-screen, though I did some simple functions on it before I drove home. Ah, the joys of technology.
Some of you are probably wondering......why did I buy a Verano?
There are a lot of other new cars out there on the market. Yes there are (and you all know, from my reviews and CAR CHAT posts, that I look at and drive a lot of them). I am aware that the Verano is still fairly new on the road (in the U.S. market), and it does not yet have a Consumer-Reports or J.D. Power reliability-rating. But, for the money, and considering its moderate price-tag, I found it one of the most pleasant cars out there to drive for the money. This car makes you feel like the bailout-money that went into GM actually accomplished something. On top of that, it uses, IMO, better materials inside than most other Buicks. The Chinese version of this car, the Buick Excelle, has been #1 on their sales-list ever since it was introduced there. The Buick Quiet Tuning, in this car, is more than just ad-PR....on smooth asphalt and on all but the most coarse surfaces, this car is noise-isolated like a rolling cocoon, although the ride-comfort, with the 45-series tires and 18" wheels is not traditional Buick-smooth. Still, the ride is comfortable enough for my tastes on all but the sharpest road-impacts. And, unlike traditional floating-barge Buicks, this one handles, and responds to steering input....it's Opel-derived chassis has German engineering. No, it doesn't have the wagon-room or raised-suspension/AWD like my Outback for easy bad-weather driving. But it does have traction/stability control and ABS, and I don't really carry bulky items much anyway. The last couple of winters in my area have had very little snow, too, though you never know when a blizzard could strike, and the winter of 2009-2010 did have record snowfall..
So, in short, this car does a lot of things well, and, though not entirely without faults (no body-side mouldings, manual hood prop-rod, temporary spare tire, etc.....), I found its relatively few faults easy to live with. I'll probably just get an aftermarket body-side moulding and stick it on myself.....I've done it before.
(These are Google-images virtually identical to my car, but not actual photos)
It was 25K list, and I got a couple of thousand off between their dealer-discount and GM's Verano rebate. Of course, a lot of that was added back in state new-car tax (3.2%), processing-fees (hard to get around them in VA), and a couple of the usual little B.S. $10-20 miscellaneous dealer-fees that it's also hard to get around. I sprang for one service package that offered some BIG discounts on the synthetic-oil-changes that GM now requires for its cars...but no other of the after-sale "packs" (I consider most, but not all, of those packs that they offer you in the buisness-office to be unnecessary and a waste of money)
So, I wrote them a check (they were rather surprised to see someone paying in cash, even for a relatively inexpensive car), transfered all of my old stuff into the new car, spent some time on the radio-speaker phone in the dealer's service-bay with one of the GM On-Star agents (you speak back and forth to them right right through the car's audio-system), got On-Star-registered, and drove home.
Now I've got to spend the next week, with the Owners' Manual, trying to figure out the car's video-screen, though I did some simple functions on it before I drove home. Ah, the joys of technology.
Some of you are probably wondering......why did I buy a Verano?
There are a lot of other new cars out there on the market. Yes there are (and you all know, from my reviews and CAR CHAT posts, that I look at and drive a lot of them). I am aware that the Verano is still fairly new on the road (in the U.S. market), and it does not yet have a Consumer-Reports or J.D. Power reliability-rating. But, for the money, and considering its moderate price-tag, I found it one of the most pleasant cars out there to drive for the money. This car makes you feel like the bailout-money that went into GM actually accomplished something. On top of that, it uses, IMO, better materials inside than most other Buicks. The Chinese version of this car, the Buick Excelle, has been #1 on their sales-list ever since it was introduced there. The Buick Quiet Tuning, in this car, is more than just ad-PR....on smooth asphalt and on all but the most coarse surfaces, this car is noise-isolated like a rolling cocoon, although the ride-comfort, with the 45-series tires and 18" wheels is not traditional Buick-smooth. Still, the ride is comfortable enough for my tastes on all but the sharpest road-impacts. And, unlike traditional floating-barge Buicks, this one handles, and responds to steering input....it's Opel-derived chassis has German engineering. No, it doesn't have the wagon-room or raised-suspension/AWD like my Outback for easy bad-weather driving. But it does have traction/stability control and ABS, and I don't really carry bulky items much anyway. The last couple of winters in my area have had very little snow, too, though you never know when a blizzard could strike, and the winter of 2009-2010 did have record snowfall.. So, in short, this car does a lot of things well, and, though not entirely without faults (no body-side mouldings, manual hood prop-rod, temporary spare tire, etc.....), I found its relatively few faults easy to live with. I'll probably just get an aftermarket body-side moulding and stick it on myself.....I've done it before.
(These are Google-images virtually identical to my car, but not actual photos)
In all honesty, conrats and enjoy your new ride
08-06-12, 09:08 AM
#53
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
I had originally wanted another Subaru, but the company, IMO, blew it on several design/marketing features on some of the newer ones....enough, IMO, to be deal-breakers.
Overall, I'm not really that terribly big of a Buick fan, but I liked a number of things about the Verano (more so than with other Buicks). The noise-isolation is superb....especially in my non-sunroof-model. The interior is extremely plush and well-trimmed for the 25K price. It's relatively small, compact-sized, and easy to manuver and park. It has enough power to get out of its own way, but not more than I need....or enough to waste gas. And it burns regular and anything up to E85.
It's not a prefect car, though, by any means...no car is. IMO, it could use higher-profile tires and a much less-complex audio/video-screen system....and, of course, the usual complaints...no body-side-mouldings, a temporary-spare, and a manual hood prop-rod. But, in fairness, despite the lack of a true spare tire, it does come with GM's On-Star, which will summon Road Assistance for a flat (or other problems) if you need it.
08-06-12, 09:11 AM
#54
Lexus Champion
08-06-12, 09:16 AM
#55
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
I liked it, but I acknowledge that buying one involves at least some risk.....it's a first-year model in America without a Consumer Reports reliability-record. It appeared, though, to be more solidly-constructed than other U.S.-market Buicks, especially inside, was reasonably-priced (25K) and was a real pleasure to drive. And the 4/50 and 5/100 warranties should take care of any problems.
08-06-12, 09:19 AM
#56
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Thanks.
Well, that's not a Verano to start with. It's a Lacrosse. And Shaq is admittedly a big guy......probably larger than me, though I'm pretty-good-sized myself (6' 2", 280, with a size-15 shoe) and wear a cap.
Hope it does not look this with you inside :LOL
08-06-12, 09:30 AM
#57
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Yes. It uses major parts of the Astra (sedan) platform. The instrument panel and door-trim is taken right out of the Astra (almost 100%)....with Buick logos/trim, some different equipment/option,s and ice-blue panel-lighting instead of orange (fine with me...I never liked orange). The engine is domestic-GM (Ecotec) with a 6-speed GM automatic (smooth as butter) and, of course, the tomb-quiet Buick sound-insulation. The Chevy Cruze also uses the (roughly) same platform, but has a different dash/door trim, less sound-insulation, and smaller engines.
In China, they sell a version called the Excelle...which, unlike in the U.S., also includes a hatchback version. I would have (considered) a hatchback version had it been available here.
In China, they sell a version called the Excelle...which, unlike in the U.S., also includes a hatchback version. I would have (considered) a hatchback version had it been available here.
08-06-12, 09:32 AM
#58
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
08-06-12, 09:44 AM
#59
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
I also plan to get and stick on an aftermarket side-moulding when I go shopping tomorrow for the rubber floor-mats. (Rubber/vinyl mats are something else I firmly believe in, but they are usually too expensive as dealer-accessories).
In all honesty, conrats and enjoy your new ride
The only real problem for me with this car is that, like with a number of other vehicles I review, the sound/audio/phone system-complexity is a mess (seems designed for computer-saavy people a lot younger than I am) ...but I'm finding ways to dial in and set the few things that I use the most.
08-06-12, 09:51 AM
#60
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Right now, I plan to keep this car about 5 years or so...but that could change either way.