davyjordi

i have no idea why you keep mentioning that you loved Buick land yachts when you were a young man/ teenager. You were clearly the exception and not the norm. Bringing this point up repeatedly justifies absolutely nothing. It's akin to me proclaiming that I liked prunes as a toddler and therefore there must be a large number of toddlers who enjoy prunes. The fallacy is clear; there is a lack of cohesion in your rationale.

mmarshall

One must keep in mind that, while modern tire and rubber-compound technology has greatly reduced the compromises necessary with different types of tires, there still is no such thing as a one-tire-does-all. In general, all else equal, a tire with a hard tread compound, with low-rolling-resistence, will last a long time (especially with proper alignment and rotation), have less road-noise, and deliver better gas mileage. But it will also have less traction (especially in the wet), longer braking distances, and less-precise handling/steering-response. That's why you often see low-rolling-resistance tires on small hybrids, where gas mileage is of more concern than handling or performance.

Toys4RJill

Like I said with out going on an educational sidenote, I used to be a big fan of Michelin, our 4Runner, LX450 and Matrix all have Michelins, but my new Corolla has Good Years. I am now a big fan of Good Year.

Toys4RJill

Buick for the longest time has been a brand that caters to old folks. Not sure the relevance of the older cars. Usually the price of a Buick was higher than what most people could afford. That said, cars like the Encore and Cascada very likely have a younger buyer than the traditional age most people who are getting into a Buick. The other Buick models I can think of are the Grand National and Rivera which very likely appealed to a younger buyer. But times were different back than. The market share of GM was so enormous tbat they truly catered to all segments across all ages. I must say, those late 90s Roadmasters would be cool to ride around in again. But times have changed.

mmarshall

I've mentioned it several times because people keep bringing up the same lame arguments, over and over, about Buicks being Grandpa-only cars. Though I myself, yes, was one of the exceptions, I could also cite a number of others, though (and not to mention Tiger Woods and Shaq O'neal LOL)....but I don't have time to write a whole book on every post I reply to.

(Oh.....and BTW......Gerber and other baby-food companies make a line of prune-juices for infants LOL)

LexBob2

One of the criteria for the success of a brand or model is new car sales. A fondness for used cars back in the day doesn't mean success some 40-50 years later. I'm older than most here and enjoy seeing cars from my younger days, but to me a totally different subject when discussing new cars.

davyjordi

The problem, though, is that Buick in the United States is a marque for older people. They have had some success lowering the mean age of the Buick buyer, but by and large it is still a grandpa car.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Yes it is.

mmarshall

True. For the most part (not totally), I think we can agree on that. But Lacrosse sales (a car often bought by older folks) are done so much this year that it may really skew the average-figures when we see them at the end of 2017. We'll just have to wait and see on that one....we won't settle that here.

BTW, did you get the Gerber comment?.........I thought that was funny.

Toys4RJill

Fair points. But Buick has increased their sales for I think 7 straight years. So the older folks are still buying them and new folks are getting in them too. My neighbour is 84 and just traded his Varano in for a brand new Regal Turbo.

mmarshall

84 in a Verano? Doesn't make me feel so old LOL.

Congratulations to your neighbor. Is he (or she) aware that an all-new Regal (still Opel-based) is coming in a few months? Probably got a better price, though, on the current one...and a higher trade-in on his old car, as it is still a few months newer.

Personally, I would have waited for the new Regal's V6 rather than go with a turbo four, but I respect your neighbor's decision......perhaps the engine was not an important factor in the purchase.

davyjordi

Yes, I did! You brought some comedic relief! Lol

mmarshall

China has been a big part of that, but yes, growth in the U.S. market has also been significant.

oldcajun

Strangely enough, the first GM brand was Buick. William Durant who founded GM was the owner of Buick at the time. The giant GM as most of us remember it dates back to about 1930 when Alfred Sloan added Chevrolet to the GM stable. Sloan's "Ladder of Success" was key to GM's growth. His concept was that Chevrolet was the entry point, then with added success the buyer would progress to Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, then finally Cadillac without ever leaving the GM family. GM somehow lost their way in the '60s with the idea that each brand should be a full line. Sloan must have turned over in his grave when Cadillac built the Cimmaron. Did GM have too many car lines? I think not, but each car line had too many overlapping models. Cadillac lost its luster as the Standard of the World, as did their formerly premium with rebadged compact Chevrolets posing as Oldsmobiles and Buicks. A Cadillac specific CT5 replacing 3 overlapping models seems like a good move to me. Dropping the full size Impala at Chevy to concentrate on smaller, cheaper, more economical models also seems to be in the right direction. I'm not sure where Buick goes, maybe just crossovers.
Steve

mmarshall

The nameplate, though, traces to David Dunbar Buick, a Scottish-born American inventor, who founded the Buick Motor Company in 1903. He left in 1906 when Billy Durant came along and made it the cornerstone of what was to become GM. At one time, Walter Chrysler worked at Buick before he left to start his own firm.


Well, market-pressures forced that. With the exception of the 50s' vintage Nash/Metropolitan, Crosby, and Rambler, the 60s were the decade that changed customer-perception, and compact and mid-size cars became firmly established in the American market. You pretty much had to have three sizes (compact/intermediate/full-size) if you wanted to compete. By the end of the decade, pressure was mounting for even smaller, sub-compacts...as witnessed with the disastrous Chevy Vega and Ford Pinto.