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The epitome of cruise-comfort. I would have gotten one when it was still in production, except that, outside of the durable drive-train, I wasn't impressed with the build quality or interior materials. Buick, after the 1970s, would not produce a vehicle with the build quality I was looking for until the Opel-based Verano of 2012.
Unfortunately, a car the size of there Roadmaster would just be unrealistic for the driving conditions I face today....even the Lacrosse I owned was somewhat too bulky for parking and manuvering in tight spaces. The Encore GX I have now is just about perfect in that regard.
Last edited by mmarshall; Apr 6, 2023 at 11:08 AM.
The Chevrolet version was known as the Caprice Estate (sometimes the Kingswood Estate), the Pontiac version the Safari Wagon, and the Oldsmobile version the Custom Cruiser.
Previous generation was better, my parents had one when I was a kid. The tailgate had a power window like a 4Runner lol
I remember the version with the window. Yeah likely better. I just thought the 1996 was interesting as GM was still building that while other brands were building newer more modern vehicles.
I remember the version with the window. Yeah likely better. I just thought the 1996 was interesting as GM was still building that while other brands were building newer more modern vehicles.
......and GM was building those full-size, BOF sedans and wagons for a reason. Police departments, taxi companies, airport-shuttle firms, and, yes, much of the public loved them.
......and GM was building those full-size, BOF sedans and wagons for a reason. Police departments, taxi companies, airport-shuttle firms, and, yes, much of the public loved them.
GM should have know when to fold it and develop better cars.
Instead of making this
‘GM should have been building a better this ^^
and this
and this
and this
Last edited by Toys4RJill; Apr 6, 2023 at 09:30 PM.
GM should have know when to fold it and develop better cars.
At the time, they were building exactly what the the police, taxi, airport-limo firms, and a substantial chunk of the public wanted.
The problem was that GM didn't have enough factory-space to build both those big BOF sedans/wagons AND the increasingly-popular truck/SUV category.....so GM management (a mistake, IMO) decided to convert the Arlington, TX plant from large cars to trucks and SUVs. And, by doing so, GM lost a significant chunk of their customers.....who converted to the Ford Crown Vic, Mercury Grand-Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car.
Last edited by mmarshall; Apr 6, 2023 at 09:37 PM.
At the time, they were building exactly what the the police, taxi, airport-limo firms, and a substantial chunk of the public wanted.
Not the public. American car companies have been notoriously behind the pulse of where the future of the industry is and being forced to play catch up when they get walloped by Japanese manufacturers when market demands shift and they beat them to the punch.
By the time this car was for sale, the market had long since moved on from this sort of vehicle, which was 15 years behind its time at that point. Sure fleet companies loved these, but consumers did not. GM missed the boat on minivans and luxurious SUVs by this point, when the Explorer was already in its second generation and minivans were at their apex for Chrysler...
Interestingly enough, thats shifted a lot in recent years
Actually, a significant, though not terribly large share of the public. The Caprice/Roadmaster/Fleetwood was quite popular with seniors for its noted ride-comfort and safety from its sheer size. You'll note that when GM dropped this line of vehicles after 1996, Crown-Vic/Grand-Marquis, and Lincoln Town-Car sales increased substantially. One of my uncles, at this time, in Indiana, got a new Grand Marquis, and a friend of mine, who was part-owner in a limo-firm, got a new Town-Car for the company at then-Cherner Lincoln/Mercury at Tysons Corner. I went along to help with the deal and check it out in a test-drive for any defects/problems upon delivery.
