Croc

World financial collapse, Japan earthquake, absent parent company...when is SAAB ever going to get a break?? I LOVE their new lineup.

I would have to agree with that. The Pontiac that was killed off attracted the same sort of buyers you could find shopping around Chevy, save for the G8 and Solstice. Whatever holes weren't filled hadn't been for years... The Pontiac we lost wasn't the Pontiac we loved. aaaaaaaaaand a +1 for you sir, as well.

Disagree. Your condescending attitude towards Pontiac is showing, and it's not helping the discussion. Remember when the LaCrosse was the bottom feeder Buick in 2010? Base price for a LaCrosse CX in 2010: $27,085. Base price for the 2011 Regal: $26,245. Expected pricing for the 2012 Verano: $21000-$26000 Yep, that be a downward trend I see. Buick moved right into Pontiac's price points. Also, take a look at the average buyer age of the oh-so-effing-hip Soul and Cube. Not that far off Buick's average buyer age. And take a good look at the person driving the next Soul/Cube you see on the road. Most of the ones I've seen are.....not young. What condescending attitude? I'm stating facts. Pontiac's only asset to GM was that it attracted a huge following among young buyers 16-25. Otherwise, nada. Also, saying that Pontiacs were little more than Chevrolets with cladding and spoilers is also a statement of fact. Now you bring up the Verano as evidence of moving downmarket. Uhhhhhhhh...no. Buick used to offer compacts all the way up to 1999, and then GM pretty much starved Buick for product since then. Buick is now returning to a segment they had previously given up. Also, you keep bringing up base price. That isn't really very useful. Instead average transaction price is a much better indicator. For example, the Cadillac CTS has a base price in the low-mid 30s, yet average transaction price is in the mid-upper 40s. And of COURSE the LaCrosse was the "bottom feeder" in 2010--BUICK ONLY HAD TWO SEDANS!! Finally, I don't give two $h!s about who is actually buying the Soul or Cube as it isn't relevant to the discussion--those two vehicles are being MARKETED to a young hip crowd. Never said they were a successful example. Finally someone who makes any sense. I really don't get what is so hard to see here--Buick is moving into Saturn's last territory. Hmmmmm let's put our thinking caps on here--Astra was a Saturn, now we're talking about bringing it as a Buick. Regal is a Buick Insignia...Insignia? Wasn't that supposed to have gone to Saturn as an AURA? Man I'm so confused here... Pontiac wasn't premium. It was at best on par with Chevrolet, and at worst...well just look at the Aztek.

Ed Welburn toys with the idea of a Verano GS It's pretty obvious that GM is using Buick (and Chevy to a lesser extent) to fill the hole left by Pontiac. Remember at one point the LaCrosse was to be Buick's bottom feeder. Now it's the (sedan) flagship. *various misinterpretations and assumptions of what I said in my post* Buick's buyer age has been trending down for the past couple of years, starting with the Enclave. Offering a Regal that starts in the mid-high 20s and a Verano that starts in the low-mid 20s will only continue that trend. If Buick isn't really going after younger buyers, why are we even having a discussion about turning this Astra into a Buick? Because younger ≠ "young" What have Buick pricepoints been in the past? Very, very equivalent to what they are today. What's the difference? They are actually driveable, so people younger than geezers are considering them. These new Buick buyers are in their 30s and 40s, not the adolescent boys who were buying Pontiacs at age 20.

Ed Welburn toys with the idea of a Verano GS It's pretty obvious that GM is using Buick (and Chevy to a lesser extent) to fill the hole left by Pontiac. Remember at one point the LaCrosse was to be Buick's bottom feeder. Now it's the (sedan) flagship. 1) Neither of those vehicles (btw--first one won't allow you to hotlink) are remotely targeting the "youth" market. That was Pontiac's strongest demographic--males, 16-25. That KIA with the hamsters? Nissan Cube? Those are going for a "cool" and "hip" target audience. Buick is targeting professionals and professional families. Lincoln, Acura, Volvo (lesser degree), etc. 2) Buick isn't doing anything to take over for Pontiac. Buick is refined, and has always been fairly tastefully-styled. Pontiac is practically an antonym for refinement, and there was no subtlety whatsoever in any of its styling endeavors. Just because Welburn used "GS" doesn't mean they're thinking of some stripper sleeper car. No, they're talking about a power boost. If anything, Buick is transitioning into the Euro-influenced premium segment that GM almost got right with Oldsmobile. As I've said before, the Regal is the first car to really grab my attention as a potential spiritual successor to my Aurora, and it stacks up very comparably numbers-wise, too. Pontiac was never premium. Buick certainly isn't going "downmarket" by my estimate. 3) For the last 20 years, Pontiac never offered anything that Chevy couldn't (and didn't) by putting on some ribbing and and a twinport grille. That's expressly why the division was shuttered. I don't see any evidence whatsoever that Buick is now trying to duplicate Chevy SS.

What giant hole? You mean the one immediately filled any time GM wants to put a spoiler and an "SS" on a decklid? I also don't get where you got the idea Buick is going for the "cool," "hip" demographic. They aren't. Premium refinement, timeless luxury seem to be the themes around that brand's marketing. I'd actually prefer not to sit on birds altogether, but I do enjoy the sounds of songbirds.

I don't have a problem with "Skylark" as a name. I actually really like it. It's way softer, more feminine than Skyhawk and frankly that's what Buick is more about. Classier sounding. Leave the hawks and screaming chickens for Pontiac.

Awesome. Yea, I'd recommend in that case converting your 403b into a Roth IRA and taking the tax hit now--when you make your final decision, of course. With the Roth you will have the flexibility to choose your own indices instead of being limited to your employer's options, and your future gains won't be taxed. By the way, I was completely retarded when it came to finances just a few months ago, but being out of college has made me think a lot about this stuff and so I've come a long way in a short time. My secret? I watch the Suze Orman show every Saturday and have read one of her books, and am looking into getting her newest, The Money Class. I like her, and her program is endlessly entertaining. She really does a good job of making complex stuff easy to understand and digest without sparing any of the details in the process.

So.........are you sure it's a 401b and not a 403b?? Basically you need to figure out if you're going to go back to teaching or not. What are the probabilities? I wouldn't do anything with your 403b UNTIL you make a career change, for sure. That being said, do you like your investment options within your 403b plan? Honestly, my first instinct is to recommend converting it into a Roth IRA, but I'm not familiar with the specifics of your retirement plan or the differences in the rules you mentioned. Consult a financial advisor?

Because very few people bought Odysseys, G20s or whatever else, and those who did just bought a mediocre-at-best vehicle that lost out due to poor conceptualization, not on abysmal quality and reliability. A LOT of people were burned by J-bodies. Also, weren't those H-body Skyhawks closely related to the Vega?? Yeah that's not anything to brag about...

Not trying to be argumentative, but Northstar's question isn't about what cars to look at, but rather trying to figure out what he can afford. As a result, any post not containing financial advice or numbers preceded by a dollar sign is actually more off-topic than a slight tangent on IRAs.

Roths definitely do have contribution limits--currently $5,000 annually, $6,000 if you're over 50. Check this Wikipedia page for a pretty good comparison of Roth v. Traditional IRAs. Honestly, if eligible, the Roth is the way to go in the vast majority of cases. As for the 401ks, only fund them if you're getting free money from an employer. Otherwise you're much better off in a Roth. And do a Roth IRA Rollover when you can on those employer-contributed 401ks.

You're not doing anything wrong per se, but you're keeping your margins tight. In this economy, that isn't what I would personally do. Instead, what I would do is try to go as low as you can and save the difference to start building an 8-month emergency fund that would fund your average monthly expenses in total. That way if you lose your job (you won't have seniority protections yet, obviously) or something happens, you have 8 months to play with minimum, more if you start living with austerity. Life is choices, and life is a crapshoot. You could be fine either way. My inclination is, in general, to live less like a baller now so I can retire earlier and more comfortably later. Of course, this is coming from someone who has yet to land his first professional job, and it's been a year since graduation. Boo.

Well I think we just found the first person who associates a positive connotation to "Skyhawk" instead of getting heart palpations thinking about that horrid J-Car.

Thanks. Northstar, remember: a car loses 20% of its value the second it's driven off the lot. If you MUST go new, then wait until September or October and snap up one of the last brand new 2011s because they'll be heavily discounted since the 2012s will be out. A brand new car for the price of a 1-year-old used car. And full warranty. Now Nick I gotta disagree with you on the traditional IRAs. I do not recommend the traditional IRA (or a 401k outside of an employer-matching one) because all of the money you put into it is tax-deferred. With a Roth IRA, the contributions are not tax-deferred, meaning you've already paid tax on them. Do you want to risk tax brackets changing unfavorably by the time you want to access your retirement funds? Would you rather pay tax before you even contribute to your retirement fund, or pay tax on the total value of your fund after all of your contributions and earned interest from whatever investment vehicles are contained within your IRA? When you withdraw your traditional retirement account, you will be taxed at your income tax bracket at the time of retirement. You do plan on being successful, don't you? Suze Orman does a great job in this article of explaining the benefits of Roth IRAs in comparison to traditional IRAs, even if the article is a couple years old and slightly dated (the maximum allowable contribution is now capped at $5,000 annually, not $4,000 like it was in 2005).

This is too funny. Yes, marketing is correct that they need LEDs to be competitive, but design should have known how to do it TASTEFULLY. Morons. It honestly looks like some dumpy middle-aged midwesterner thought "Hey, all the kids like Kanye, Kanye wears light-up LED sunglasses...let's make the taillights look like that!!"

Honestly...just swap the Opel badge for a Tri-Shield and add a waterfall grille. It could certainly pass for a Buick as-is, especially the rear.

Hey, if it's fun-to-drive, gets great mpg, fits people comfortably and can haul my stuff I wouldn't rule one out, but honestly something Cruze-sized would be more my cup of tea. The idea of having something so small that I can park along the tiniest lengths of curb is very tempting in a place like Los Angeles, but the safety implications of the laws of physics would always be in the back of my mind.

That looks seriously cool!!

I CAN!!

Agreed. It's really grown on me, especially after using one for a few days. Honestly, I liked it instantly. It may not set the design world afire, but the sheer number of features available, plus standard equipment, plus quality of interior materials, plus space, plus fuel economy...I mean damn the Cruze is truly world-class, and top of its class. Especially compared to the Cobalt and Cavalier. I cannot WAIT to see the Verano because psychologically I know the Buick will be "better" and I really want to know what GM is going to do to improve upon the Cruze given that the Verano logically will cost more than a Cruze, but less than a LaCrosse or Regal. I'm really waiting for that one!!

Honestly, how much does the LSS cost per month? Gas* + averaged annual maintenance? Also assume you need an extra 1-2k per year as an emergency fund for unexpected repairs. That's your baseline, so assume whatever you get you're aiming for less in terms of gas + averaged annual maintenance (always have the emergency fund). Next question is, how easily can you afford your baseline? I have no idea how much you spend per month on food/entertainment/shopping/etc. (keep gas costs under "vehicle costs" and not your non-housing general budgetary expenses). Don't forget to factor in savings. What kind of retirement plans are you likely to come across? You should ALWAYS contribute the maximum matching funds for a 401k** if your employer offers matching funds because that is FREE MONEY. Do you also have debt? Student loan payments, consumer credit card debt, etc.?*** Take an afternoon and figure this all out; you'll probably come up with a ballpark close to what you can actually afford, and you'd know far better than any of us what you're comfortable spending. It's like home buying--just because you're pre-qualified up to a certain amount does NOT mean you can actually AFFORD that amount. *Figure your gas budget as at least $0.20 higher than the current highest price of gas in your area times how many times you anticipate filling up per month. Don't forget to factor in potential new commutes. **If your potential employers aren't doing matching 401k contributions in these times, then look into Roth IRAs. ***When paying off debt, put priority on your student loans, then consumer debt, then any savings you want to set aside (down payment for a home, investments, retirement contributions, etc.). Student loans are insidious debt that can grow extremely quickly if you don't make your payments for whatever reason and they will find a way to get their money back. Credit card debt is unsecured, meaning that if you can't pay, they can't come and take your stuff back. The only possible exception to this prioritization is if you have a matching 401k, because again that is FREE MONEY. Hope this helps!

What don't you like about the Cruze?? I personally find it to be the most upscale-looking of all the compacts, along with having a great availability of features/equipment and cargo space.