VenSeattle

No... Even auto-mags have compared Camry's ride similar to current Buicks. I think the base LeSabre was the last Buick that carried a suspension that could be considered softer than the Camry. However, don't fret. If you liked the previous suspensions I'm sure you'll like the current generation of Buicks... There's less road noise. There's more road feel and steering predictability without any upset to ride comfort. Can't speak for the Chinese-inspired Buicks yet... I'm waiting to find out myself.

Very nice pics. Thanks for sharing

Good taste... definitely try Woodford Reserve if you haven't already. I noticed several Jeeps in England. Not so much on the mainland.

Wow... that's a rare sight... However, I can sympathize with you. I understand being completely satisfied with a discontinued make/model.

Thanks PCS! You even got the color right! I still think their version of the LaCrosse would have sold better in the US than our own... Oh well, that mistake will be corrected in just a few short months. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all turns out... As for the plant visit, I don't think I could forgive myself if I failed to take advantage of the opportunity.

Well... I have a few words, but I'll keep them to myself. Although, I do understand the tattoo/nipple piercing dilemma better...

But... that's not what you said. LOL

Yes they have... several times. Too many times to count. Just pretend to know history. Okay? By the way... the reduction will happen regardless of this acquisition. Chrysler is collapsing under its own weight and Cerberus knows it can't save it in this market climate. Why else would Chrysler be pawned off by Cerberus after just a year of ownership? That's the reality. GM and Ford are suffering from a similar situation, but have global operations to fall back on. Even if NA operations go bankrupt, the international operations can step in and assume management in the reorganization. Yes, I know the financial mess has traveled globally, but you can't assume the results in the US are going to be the results elsewhere. Factors are different. Each region needs to be managed separately. But... But... But... aren't you the one who's been telling us for the past week that this is just rumor mill and media spin? Did you just catch up to the rest of us? We've been seriously gnawing on this situation for a while now while you've been in denial. We've been saying for a year that Chrysler was in the worst position of the Big Three while you've been trying to convince us we're wrong. Who's had "Automaker blindness"? Be glad someone is even considering them in today's climate. If I were GM or Nissan-Renault, I'd just step back and let them collapse.

Evan a bankrupt company has an opportunity to recover. An absorbed and dissolved one? Eh... not so much. Even though I can conceptualize the absorption of Chrysler, it doesn't mean I agree with it. I'd rather Cerberus turn Chrysler around or die trying. Well, at least be the one responsible for killing Chrysler. GM doesn't need the additional bad press.

Why couldn't the Ram be offered under JEEP as long as it's viable? Throw a JEEP grill on it and call it a day.

summing things up... this the plan? - 1 ) GM takes the money. 2 ) GM immediately eliminates white-collar redundancy between GM and former Chrysler LLC. 3 ) GM immediately stops all future product development for the Dodge, Chrysler, Pontiac, and GMC brands. 4 ) GM continues Jeep product development. 5 ) GM lets the Chrysler/Dodge/JEEP (CDJ) dealers wither and reduce their number by natural selection. 6 ) GM uses Chrysler minivans and plants to develop and produce (competitor) GM brand versions (circa 2010 debut-probably Chevy & Buick (GL8/Terraza replacement for the US & China. T&C equivalent-possibly keep the name too) 7 ) GM uses Chrysler LX/LY platform and plants to develop and produce (competitor) GM brand versions (circa 2010 debut-Chevy, Buick, & Cadillac versions) 8 ) GM uses Chrysler's hybrid technology and integrates it into GM platforms and brands. 9 ) GM slowly shuts down former Chrysler LLC plants as demand dries up for the various vehicles produced. 10 ) GM offers JEEP at remaining BPG dealers (between 2009-2011.) 11 ) GM offer Buick(new Buick LaCrosse, Regal, and Enclave) and Saturn through remaining CDJ dealers (between 2009-2011.) 12 ) GM offers Saturn at remaining BPG dealers (between 2009-2011.) 13 ) GM begins the phase out of GMC, Pontiac, Chrysler, & Dodge (between 2009-2012.) 14 ) Buick-Saturn-JEEP dealer chain completed around 2012.

Saturn Aura = Different exterior & interior = different car than Insignia. They are not the same size. The Insignia/Regal is on the SWB Epsilon II platform. The LaCrosse is on the LWB Epsilon II platform. Think of this in terms of the Acura TSX and the Acura TL. Same platform. Different Dimensions. Different car.

Great! Are you willing to go out and buy a new one right now? That's the problem. Regardless of the "respectability" Chrysler deserves, it's still lacking class leading products (or in some cases, any product at all) in most markets. That will not allow Chrysler to maintain credibility or market share until it can come out with more competitive products.

Uhm... well... Let the healing begin? Better get used to it, because that's all we'll be hearing for the next several months following the election.

So, do you see a three-channel sales strategy? Chevrolet-Chevrolet Trucks Buick-Saturn-Jeep SAAB-Cadillac

GM should just treat Chrysler like Daewoo... wait for Chrysler to fall apart (if it actually happens) and then buy the pieces it wants. Either that or just let Nissan/Renault deal with it (which is what I think will happen.)

I believe the topics in question have been restored.

Eh... wrong, wrong, wrong... The Camry, Accord, and Altima etc (mainstream midsize sedans) lack several features that the Lucerne has available and are not comparable in "luxury" to the Lucerne by any definition (whether you define it by power, NVH levels, available options and features, warranty, size, fit'n'finish, quality of materials, or a combination of such). Transmissions do not make a luxury car (if so, then ACURA is even behind Buick since the Enclave has a 6-sp.) Hybrid versions do not make them a luxury car either, unless you believe the Malibu Hybrid should be positioned over a CTS. Isolated '0-60' figures don't define a car as luxury or the Cobalt SS would be a god right now. I stated it in the original post and I explained it again in my response: I added BMW in for SMK's benefit since he has a very long history of actually comparing Buick sales to BMW sales. I never have or will call the 3-series a direct competitor to the Lucerne. By saying "Lucerne's direct competitors were the ones I'm actually interested in" it indicated the cars that mattered (as far as comparisons were concerned) within the list were the ones considered (by the market) as direct competitors... if you're actually that unfamiliar with Lucerne's direct and indirect competitors, I can highlight them in a future post. Would that help?

GM bought the RenCen with the intention of reselling it at a profit and then continue leasing it. I doubt they planned to do it so quickly though. I agree with CSpec... they wouldn't flip the property so quickly if there wasn't a good reason.

Well, I'm different since I've only voted for major parties. Yes, I know I've become one of those who fuel a broken system. I really thought I didn't have to worry about it this election considering how the past several years have been... But, oh well, both parties have let me down… One more so than the other. Depending which one wins might determine if I decide to invest effort into endorsing another party that better represents my perspective.

I like your friend already and I haven't even met him.

I'm willing to accept certain compromises in hope that certain things come or don't come to pass. Now is not the time to switch to a non-dominant party if your beliefs are that strong. That switch should come at a time when you can support the minority-party and assist to make aggressive decisions in preparation of the next election. If you haven’t done so already, then you’ve waited to see what the two dominant parties were going to provide. We all get what we wait for. Unfortunately for me, I had two people in mind (one for each major party) and neither made it to the ballot. Such is life.

I'm in the exact same boat, though I haven't read your posts in the political topics to know where you stand. I'm not happy with the names on the ballot, but I know who I will not vote for... unfortunately, I feel like I'm throwing my vote away if I don't vote for the person most likely to defeat those I will not vote for... the enemy of my enemy...

Rebuttal from Autoblog:

Jeremy Clarkson Review: Chrysler Sebring Cabriolet 2.7 V6 From The Sunday Times - October 5, 2008 Link to Article Many people imagine when they rent a convertible in America that they’ll be thumping down Highway 1 under a blazing sky in a throbbing Corvette or an evocative Mustang. Yum yum, they think. Freedom. Sunshine. A V8 bass line. Engineer boots, leather jackets and tight blue jeans. The American dream. Sadly, however, most tourists end up with a Chrysler Sebring convertible, which is almost certainly the worst car in the entire world. My journey in this automotive horror story began in Wendover. Famous for being a base used by the Enola Gay back in 1945, it lies on the border between Utah and Nevada. So half the town is full of man mountains emptying what’s left of their savings into MGM’s shiny and very noisy slots. And the other half is full of Donny Osmond. As you can imagine, I was in a hurry to leave and so I piled, along with my Top Gear colleagues, into the rented Sebring and set off for Denver. Immediately, I was annoyed by a nonstop whining sound from the back. This turned out to be Richard Hammond, who, despite being 8in tall, claimed that he had never been so uncomfortable in his life, apart from when he was being born. “Only that,” he said, “was more spacious.” After several hours of continuous moaning, he changed his tack. I’d selected a “classic vinyl” station on the car’s satellite radio and this did not meet with his approval. As a fan of Westlife and Girls Aloud, he didn’t see why James May and I were air-drum-ming our way across the salt flats to a nonstop selection of brilliance from Supertramp, Yes and the Allman Brothers. Eventually, Hocus Pocus by Focus drove him into such a frenzy of whingeing, we could take no more and drowned him out by turning up Steve Miller to the max. I can only presume that when Steve went from Phoenix, Arizona, all the way to Tacoma, he was not at the wheel of a Sebring, or the song would have been rather different. “I went from Phoenix, Arizona, to the other side of the city and then I went home again.” Certainly, we only got as far as Salt Lake City in our rented car before we ditched it and resorted to the services offered by Delta. It had been 120 miles of abject misery, and not only because of the unswervingly pissed-off Richard Hammond. Let us look, first of all, at the car’s only good point. The boot is bigger than the hangar deck of a Nimitz class aircraft carrier. However, the drawback of driving a car with an aircraft carrier on the back is that it doesn’t look very good. No. That doesn’t cover it. It looks terrible. Hysterically awful. Anyone thinking of drawing up a list of the ugliest cars ever made will be forced to put this one at the top. I have seen more attractive boils. And disappointingly, if you push the button that lowers the roof - and then push it again because it isn’t working properly - you will find that a) all of the carrying capacity is lost, and that b) with no roof in place, everyone can see you at the wheel. This is very bad. Some, for sure, give you pitying looks. Mostly, though, they point and laugh. So how much do you have to pay for the privilege of being a laughing stock? Well in the US, it’s around $29,000 (£16,400). You could buy a clown suit for less and achieve much the same effect. Here, however, a 2.7 litre drop-top Sebring is £25,100 and at that price, I simply don’t know how the salesman keeps a straight face. Power? There isn’t any. Spec sheets show that in Britain, a 2.7 litre V6 will do 121mph and 0-62mph in 10.8. But 10.8 what? Years? Let me put it this way. It develops 185bhp, which is pretty much what Volvo can get these days from a 2.4 litre diesel. I’m afraid I have no idea which engine was fitted to my rental but I can tell you that all it did was convert fuel into noise. Put your foot down hard and after a while of nothing happening, the gearbox would lurch down a cog and the volume would increase. That was it. Sadly, there’s more bad news. Turning petrol into motion, as we know, is an expensive business, but turning it into sound is even worse. We managed just 18mpg. Quite why anyone would buy this rather than, say, a Volkswagen Eos, I simply do not know. You’d have to be so window-lickingly insane that you’d be banned from handling anything other than crayons. A Sebring can do nothing well. It was hopeless in crosswinds and the only option you need on a twisty road are sick bags. I n t e r e s t i n g l y , however, while the ride is very soft, the suspension still manages to crash about like a drawer full of cutlery when it is asked to deal with a small pothole. And of course, being an American rental car, it came with a warped disc brake and steering that was so out of whack it kept making a beeline for Wyoming. But the worst thing was the overwhelming sense from everything you touched that it had been built by someone who was being deliberately stupid or who was four years old. Life inside that bag of crap plastic gave me some idea of what it might be like to be a boiled sweet. We see this with so many American cars. Dynamically, some of them are pretty good these days. One or two are even a match for what the Chinese are doing. And by and large they are still extremely cheap. But there’s a very good reason for this. They are simply not built to last. I spent most of my time in America this time in a new Corvette ZR1. It is a fabulous car. Mesmerisingly fast, good looking and amazing value. But after three days the damn thing was beginning to disintegrate. It made me growl with annoyance and despair. But I think I know the problem. Because America is a new country, the people who live there have no sense of history. And if you have no concept of “the past”, it is extremely difficult to grapple with the idea of “the future”. If you think a bar established in 1956 is “old” then you will not understand the idea of next week. So why bother building for it? We see this short-termism in everything from the average American house, which falls over whenever the wind gets up, to the way chief executives are treated. In Japan, you are given 25 years before you are judged on whether you’ve turned the company around. In America, bosses are given two months. And if there’s been no financial about-turn, they are fired. AIG and Lehman Brothers got caught out because they were being run by people who live only in the here and now. They couldn’t see that it would all come crashing down in the future because there’s no such thing. I suppose eco-mentalists would use this argument as a stick to beat the pickup driving masses. But how can Hank and Billy-Bob think about the world ending in a thousand years when everything they know, everything they are, began a week last Tuesday? And this brings me on to the war in Iraq. They went in there, knowing that pretty quickly they could depose Saddam Hussein. But nobody in power stopped for a moment to think about what might happen next. And there you have it. The insurgency problem in Baghdad and the wonky gearlever on the Chrysler Sebring. They are both caused by exactly the same thing. And the only cure, frankly, is time. Give them 2,000 years and they might just start to understand what I’m on about. Until then, do not buy a Sebring. Do not rent one either. Close your eyes, hum and, hopefully, we can make it go away. THE CLARKSOMETER ENGINE 2736cc, six cylinders POWER 185bhp @ 6400rpm TORQUE 188 lb ft @ 4000rpm TRANSMISSION Six-speed auto FUEL/CO2 26.9mpg / 248g/km ACCELERATION 0-62mph: 10.8sec TOP SPEED 121mph PRICE £25,100 ROAD TAX BAND G (£400 a year) RELEASE DATE Out now Clarkson’s verdict All that’s missing is the clown suit Chrysler Sebring Cabriolet 2.7 V6 (No stars)