SW17LS

I think it likely cost you $4-5k to get the car you ordered...but my advice would be not to dwell on that now, its done and you got what you wanted.

MattyG

That's the thing, and of course, when you do decide to go for the next one a couple or six years down the road - you'll be trading in a 2018 with the newer transmission vs the 2017. It's a wash financially so as long as you're happy it doesn't matter. It's a nice looking car compared to others.

mmarshall

Won't necessarily be a trade.....we'll see what conditions are at that time. Besides, by my standards (even though I pay cash for my cars, and don't finance) this car is not cheap. As long as it is reliable, I want to keep it long enough to get my money's worth out of it.

Toys4RJill

Ok. So first impressions do far?

mmarshall

I've actually spent more time on phone and paperwork, so far, than I have driving it. I had to cancel my old Verano insurance and transfer the policy to the new car. Ditto for the GM OnStar account and XM satellite radio...I had to get them shifted over to the new car, and the reps kept pushing more things and features than I wanted, and I had to keep saying no, I only want this or that.....over and over again. Took a good part of the morning to get all that done. Then I had to figure out how to set up the Infotainment system for the radio stations I wanted, and figure out how to co-ordinate video-screen and dash-buttons for the climate control (it's quite different from the Verano's simpler system). I generally don't use cell-phones while I'm driving, so I didn't get involved with the Bluetooth or any of the phone-hookups....and I don't download music, so I don't use the MP3, IPod, etc.....

As far as the car itself, it seems to be in perfect condition, except for (possibly) a very slow leak from the right rear tire....I'm keeping an eye on that. Not a scratch on it....though, with kids and trees in my neighborhood, I suspect that won't last forever LOL.

Drives like exactly what it is.....a big (by today's standards) more or less traditional Buick. While comfort is paramount in the design, the suspension and tires still give decent handling even with the standard 18" wheels, though that stiffens up considerably with the 20s and Hi-Per-Strut suspension option (Buick can't give these cars away with the 20s....nobody wants them except for the enthusiast types in the auto press). The big V6, of course, is more refined and less-stressed than the N/A four in the Verano...but both cars have about equal sound isolation on a smooth road (by compact standards, the Verano is like a cocoon). I'm not a big fan of the non-defeatable engine start/stop system, but the reviewers are correct.....it is virtually seamless with the new 9-speed tranny. It sometimes shuts the engine off at idle and sometimes not...depends on several temperature and load factors. You can cheat the system if (conditions allowing) you simply slow to about 2 MPH or so instead of a complete stop...but, of course that's not always possible, and cops frown on that at stop signs or stop lights. The new 9-speed FWD tranny (so far) is an absolute gem....it's obvious why GM and Ford (co-developed) have some 60 different registered patents on its design. That tranny alone makes me glad I have a 2018 over the Aisin 8-speed used on the 2017 models...nothing really wrong with the Aisin unit, but it was sluggish on the shifts, could bog down at times, and just was not as efficient as the new 9-speed. Complex new transmissions, though, don't always have a good history of reliability, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed on not having any long-term issues with it....and Buick's 6/70 drivetrain warranty (same as at Lexus and Cadillac) helps out a lot there.

mmarshall

Respectfully, I'll have to disagree with that....probably not even close to 4-5K. But I DO agree that, though in my case it is impossible to precisely determine, yes, a 2017 would probably have been a little cheaper than the 2018....maybe $1000 or less. Buick did drop the base price on the 2018 models though, made the V6/9-speed an extra-cost option, and I got a better trade-in offer and lower dealer-processing fee than I had planned on. As you note, though, I'm not losing a single second of sleep over it....and I'm glad to have that 2018 9-speed. I'd do it again if I had to....though I would hope that this time, Buick marketing would get their s***t together LOL.

rxonmymind

Congrats. I've always liked the look of the Buick. Now could you SHOW us how many can fit in that trunk and sneak into the drive in. Unlike a 71-72...

mmarshall

Thanks.

This car's trunk is certainly not the size of the full-size Buicks from the early 70s. By the standards of those days, it would (barely) qualify as a mid-size car.

RNM GS3

Congrats on the Buick - I wish they would bring back the Riviera in RWD based on the Camaro platform but in luxury form.
I saw a 1965 Riviera at a a show last week - that design was amazing and timeless including the interior.

Buick has a lot of great history - just wish GM would hire a visionary leader and stop relying on bean counters.

mmarshall

I wouldn't mind seeing a new Riviera myself, but large, luxury-oriented coupes would be a very hard sell in today's environment, which is mostly centered around SUVs, trucks, minivans, and small hybrid/electrics. Heck, even a lot of larger sedans are having a hard time keeping their heads above water....including the one I just bought.

Yeah....I had a '65 Electra with almost the same drivetrain. The 1960s were the true Golden Age for Buick.....all except for the GS350/400 muscle-cars, which just did not have the same appeal among youth as the sister Pontiac GTO and Chevelle SS.

Gotta remember, though....back then (1960s), GM had over 50% of the total American market (at one point, close to 60%). Today, they struggle to simply remain competitive in a truly vast and global automotive business.

Toys4RJill

Is this stuff not all done before hand? How was the delivery experience?

LexBob2

It seems like a lot of this should be done at the dealership during the delivery process. For insurance I call my agent and give them year, model and VIN and they email a temporary card and mail an original.

Toys4RJill

Dealer has always done it for me. Just give them my insurance company. But I asked because perhaps his state could have different rules.

mmarshall

Some things the dealership can do (and does)....other things are the responsibility of the car buyer. The dealership can take care of the state registration, safety-inspection sticker, tag-transfer, title-forms, and at least part of the necessity of cancelling and transferring the old OnStar and XM satellite radio accounts (all new American-market GM vehicles come with three months of free OnStar, and (if the car is equipped for it) three months of free XM satellite radio....the customer takes over and pays after that. But I had to do my insurance-transfer, County registration (Virginia is very unusual in that it has both county and state vehicle registrations), had to assist and verify all the XM and OnStar stuff (the XM and OnStar reps keep trying to push more and more features on you that you may not want LOL), and, of course, had to go through all of my old papers and automotive files/records for the Verano, shred most of them, and set up a new folder for the Lacrosse. I save EVERYTHING....bill of sale, title, all of the sales-papers, service records, bills, recall-notices, service-coupons, you name-it (like a pack-rat LOL), so that I have a complete record of the car from Day One till the day I sell it. Unfortunately, in this case, I couldn't turn in all those records for the car, with my name and address on them, as I would to a new owner on a private sale...the dealership would not take them because of privacy laws. Besides, the dealership has the car's entire service history on their own computers. So, of course, I had to shred all of that stuff as well. The Finance Officer, when she wrote me up, forgot to ask me for the title for my old car (and I forgot to ask)......I noticed the title at home, in my records, so I had to take it back up to her the next day, and she gave me some sales-papers that she had also not given me the day before.

Other than that, the delivery went fine. The car was delivered in virtually perfect condition (I'm watching the RR tire carefully, though, for any signs of a leak), and very well-washed/cleaned. Tire pressures at delivery were within 1-2 PSI of recommended (tire pressures are something the PDI guys often forget). They took off all of the peel-off plastic film-covers correctly except for the two small ones that cover the clear/white overhead reading-light-switches....I noticed the omission and did it myself. I got a pleasant surprise when I static-inspected the car. I thought that the $140 rubber/all-weather floor mat option I ordered was only the front two mats......it actually includes all four (I also ordered the $80 rubber/all-weather trunk-floor mat). Those were the only two options I ordered, though (besides the V6 and the $395 Pepperdust paint color)...other than that, it is a standard Preferred model.

I did get one of the first of the 2018 Lacrosses shipped to that particular dealership (actually, the very second one, to be exact). The people in Buick Marketing, in order to compensate me for all the earlier screw-ups, long wait, and hassles I had gone through in the ordering process (and because I was a repeat customer), has promised a Expedite on my order, once it was finally official...and it looks like they kept that part of the promise.

That Pepperdust color, which is a light-to-medium smoke-gray with tiny gold/bronze-colored metalflake particles in it that shimmer in the sun, seems to be the prevailing color of the special-ordered Lacrosses (including mine).....most of the special-ordered cars were delivered wth it. I guess a number of people, like me, liked it, and weren't that impressed with the other colors. The Crystal Red looked nice on my Verano...but seemed to be out of place on the larger, more conservative Lacrosse. The Pepperdust and Dark Slate Metallic (a medium-to-dark purplish-gray) are the two colors that the Lacrosse is most often displayed in at the big auto shows.

Toys4RJill

surprised you didn't purchase door side mouldings as an option?