Aron9000

I used to like Cadillac until they introduced CUE and jacked their prices way up about 4-5 years ago. In some ways, they are the worst cars GM sells. Reliability sucks, CUE is harder to use than all the other GM infotainment systems, and depreciation is horrid. Best thing GM has going, the LS series V8, nope you can't get those in the ATS or CT6, only way to get an LS motor in a Cadillac is to spend $90,000 on a CTS-V.

mmarshall

Thanks for the input. I looked at both, and did a full-review/test-drive on the CT6 with the N/A 3.6L. I wasn't terribly impressed with the CT6, for several reasons. IMO, the new Lincoln Continental, its closest competitor, blows it away, except for the quirky electronic inside door release. Both, though, are a little large for my parking space.

I'm basically with Aron9000 on Cadillacs. In general, though I wouldn't necessarily say they are a waste of money, I don't think they offer the value that Buicks do. Buick not only beats them on price, but in reliability (especially with the Buick/Opel re-badges), and in customer satisfaction with dealer-service.

The ES is still an excellent car in its class....don't short-change it, though the ride is not as silky as it was in past generations, and the interior trim and hardware uses noticeably thinner, lighter parts now. Still a good enough car, though, that I'm seriously considering it....it's #3 on my list. It's well-built, and assembled with extreme precision...though the new LaCrosse is right on its heels in that department.

Money is generally not an issue with me. I could afford virtually any mass-produced vehicle I wanted. It's simply a matter of, IMO, spending one's money wisely, and not wasting it. I'm also somewhat size-limited by the size of the parking spaces where I live.

An AWD version of the 3.8L G80 is on my list...probably about #4 or 5. The 5.0L version is a blast to drive, but they don't do AWD with it in the U.S., and RWD, for me, is out.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

congrats on buying a new LaCrosse... oh, post too soon...

mmarshall

Don't worry, bit......when I come home with a new car, you'll know it LOL. I won't waste any time posting....and I'll try and get some camera-shots this time.

Test-drove another LaCrosse today, to try and get used to the shifter. Still shares #1 on my potential list....with the MKZ, but I still don't like the shifter, though I didn't have any problems in normal Drive, Reverse, or Park functions, though there were some quirks elsewhere.

SW17LS

Thats what you're going to use 99% of the time anyways...

mmarshall

Yeah...the main quirk I found today seemed more in the 8-speed transmission itself than the shifter. I had it in Manual mode testing the shift-paddles, then I got on an up-ramp to get on I-66, and shifted it back into D (regular Drive). For some reason, it kept revving in a lower gear around 4000 RPM, even after the ramp went level and the load was taken off the engine, and did not want to upshift for a time, then finally did after about 15 seconds. Next year (2018) the Lacrosse gets a new 9-speed automatic...they are tossing the current one that they used for only one year.

Remember my story of how I had a big Buick (Electra 225) when I was in college, 19 years old, and loved it? (used, of course...couldn't afford a new one then). Well, the salesman who got the key and plate for the one I sampled today told me he sold a new LaCrosse (with the easy-riding 18" wheels) just a couple of days ago to a 23-year-old kid. He said he couldn't believe it...so many kids at that age were looking at things like Subaru WRX/STIs and Mustangs, that he had never sold a LaCrosse to any one that young before. He was even more speechless when I told him I had a top-line Buick when I was 19 years old LOL. (Of course, to be clear, like most teens, I also liked the classic American muscle-cars of that era...and I owned a Plymouth Barracuda before I had my big Buick). Unlike most teens, though, I saw nothing wrong with some comfort, plushness, and a nice. easy ride.

SW17LS

I bought an ES when I was 23 lol. We're out there!

mmarshall

Were you a family man at that time, or single? Single people, of course, back then, were often less likely to look at sedans than coupes or convertibles...though that may have also been before SUVs achieved the popularity they have today.

SW17LS

I was not single, my wife and I weren't married but we were living together. No kids.

I've just always been a big luxo car kind of guy

imrankh24

Before pulling the trigger I think you should wait for the next gen es. See what it has in store. I don't wanna give any names (I'm not bsing btw not the type too) but I heard the new es is extremely stunning inside out and very luxurious. So any of your gripes that you have with the materials should be addressed. Just my 2 cents.

mmarshall

Thanks for your input. I also want to see the new 2018 Regal this fall...which, unlike the Lacrosse, is Opel-designed, with better overall build quality than the All-American Buicks. There are rumors, though (and Buick is still mum), that the new Regal will be only hatchback and wagon in the American market....I'm somewhat sedan-oriented, though there is no arguing the added usefulness of the wagon body style. All else equal, though, wagons tend to be noisier than sedans, because the large open area behind the rear seats allows more noise in from the rear wheel-wells.

The main reasons a Buick is in first place, though, right now, are the outstanding sales/service I've gotten from my Buick dealer (which, IMO, is better than I got from Lexus when I was an IS owner), and a long-attraction to the Buick nameplate that goes back to my teen/college years, even though they (admittedly) built junk-quality vehicles from the mid-70s up to about 5 or 6 years ago. The new Lacrosse, with the 18" wheels, also excels in ride comfort...I was quite pleased with the one I had today, apart from the E-shifter.

oldcajun

Mike
I drove an interesting car today - a Fusion Platinum Edition. Basic Fusion hardware with a really plush interior and better sound proofing. The 2 liter ecoboost is plenty of power and it is available in AWD. I thought it was a nice driving compromise for about $35k sticker with likely large discounts.
Steve

Mike728

My first car at 16 was a 1969 Buick Wildcat. That thing was fast and thirsty. 8MPG's on Ethel!

My vote for your next car is the ES. I haven't driven a LaCrosse since 2013, but after driving the ES, the Buick was no longer a consideration. At the time, the Azera was higher on my list than the LaCrosse. I know the Buick has been improved since 2013, but so has the ES. You said it wasn't about money, so it should be a "no brainer".

imrankh24

I'm with you mike! all the way

mmarshall

Yep.....I remember it well. 430 c.i. V8, 360 HP, over 450 ft-lbs. of torque. Stunning interior (Buick did some of their best interiors and dashes in the late 60s). Probably the most famous large Buick of that era, though, was the boat-tailed Riviera of the early 1970s.....but by then, though, the engines had started to be detuned and get poor drivability.

Thanks for the input. Opinion noted. I'm well-familiar with recent ES models. Several of my friends and colleagues (mostly older folks) own them. The Azera is not on my list at all. I'm not very impressed with the latest one, and it may not even be in American-market production much longer (if it has not already been dropped). Indeed, Kia did a significantly better job with the Azera's sister Cadenza The Cadenza is about #6 or 7 on my list, partly because of the exceptionally good service my brother gets with his vehicles at one of the local Kia shops here....much better than what is normally expected from a low-priced nameplate like that. (the dealer's owner also represents that district in Congress).