VenSeattle

Fine... I'll trade my Buick Park Avenue Ultra in on a Prius.

http://www.cheersandgears.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rotflmao.gif (I swear this is my favorite smilie... ever)

Great news about the Buick Lambda getting pushed up as a 2007 model. I can't wait to see the production vehicle.

I agree that the Rendezvous wasn't half-assed. GM gave Buick full range on styling and encouraged innovation. Pontiac was given the same. Buick succeeded. Pontiac didn't. Just comparing the two results show how much room Buick was given to succeed/fail. Buick put a lot of effort into the Rendezvous and the result was very well received.

The Rendezvous w/3.6l V6 is a great vehicle....

Then Mercury can make a Grand Marquis De Sade sport wagon to compete with it. Studded tires standard.

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http://www.cheersandgears.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rotflmao.gif

I love it!

Yeah... it doesn't look like much, but GM is about to cut 25,000 manufacturing jobs between now and 2008. That will push most of those to the "retiree rates" since the job cuts will be primarily through attrition/retirement. Not great, but better than it was.

The phase out of Oldsmobile was announced in 2000. The phase out consisted of each vehicle lasting through its own model life cycle. The last Oldsmobile did not roll off the line until 2004. It was a 2004 Oldsmobile Alero.

Wow guys... even with loan-gap coverage, the insurance on my Park Avenue Ultra is just around $100 a month (I'm 28).

It doesn't appear that the grille matches the headlights very well. Maybe they'll be better integrated or the headlights changed.

Croc, if you like Mary Kay, check out BeautiControl Cos also. Both are out of Dallas and both have excellent products. They're direct competitors. (considering your friend is a Mary Kay rep, she may have a different opinion though... lol)

It was axed due to slow sales.  It was very overpriced for what it was.  Plus, the early 90s GM was on the brink of bankruptcy.

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BINGO!

Sounds cool. It's also good to hear the Epsilon II is still expected to offer AWD/4WD

I like. I like alot. :cheers:

no body realy cares about nissans here,I think.

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Out of all the Japanese companies, Nissan(including Infiniti) is the only one I really care for.

As for the GT-R, it looks good. I'd like to see it in person.

how reliable is a stalled prius or a corolla without lights?  especially on a zero degree winter night with your kid in the back?

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Well... if stalled out on a hill, it should at least keep moving you forward :P :lol:

here are some pics that a friend of mine took at the Texas fair. Not impressive:

Don't be surprised, look for Super and Reserve trims down the road.

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Well... "Names" for trims are better than CX,CXL, CXS...

I'll have to sit back and see where this goes.

When was Reserve ever used? or is that one new?

I guess "Limited" and "Special" might be resurrected some day too.

So? The only reason any recalls gets wide media coverage is to alert owners of the problem.

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Hah! Don't kid yourself. That is not the ONLY reason recalls get media coverage. The manufacturers can do that by themselves.

That's like saying Bankruptcy announcements are only reported to notify the current stock holders.

The media is not that noble.

Whatever it is, they won't name it "Super" (thanks for askin').

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I have faith... and hope... that they won't.

You "Are you a Buick?"

Buick "I'm Super! Thanks for asking!"

Yeah... as much as it irritates me, the Ultra trim appears to be supplanted by the "Super" name which I don't think has appeared on Buicks since the 1950's (I could be VERY wrong with this but I can’t recall at the moment). I prefer “Ultra” as Buick’s performance trim over “Super” any day, but I’ll take almost anything as long as Buick continues to evolve and grow.

Really? Fantastic news. That definitely indicates mid-life update. It will be the Impala SS V8 no doubt. Any other changes? HID headlights? real wood interior? Navi? Was there an estimated price?

Before anyone starts, why would the Big Bad Media Ogre report on this? We don't hear about Opel recalls do we?

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This doesn't impact US buyers, but

1) The Toyota brand is sold in the US (unlike Opel)
2) Toyota brand is the most popular Japanese brand/company in the US
3) The world is currently turning its attention to Tokyo for the show, so any local breaking news will be exploited.
4) "Perception vs Reality" is under fire. Everyone is watching everyone.

The old Silver Seraph was around $200K, I believe.

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The Silver Seraph was from $230k-$270k (Silver Seraph & the Park Ward limo)
The Bentley Arnage was the one that started right below $200k.
Rolls still had the crown jewel Corinche at $363,000.

That was also 4 years ago... before BMW's direct competitor arrived on scene with Maybach.

The market was different just 5 years ago because there were only a handful of players between $100k-$200k. That market seems to have exploded now with still more players on the way.

Several people out here have been catching minor colds but nothing debilitating or requiring any bed rest. I've been fighting it for about a week, but I think going to gym and soaking in the steam room has helped.

Of course not, but this devil's advocacy is for a reason...

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Fine… I’ll use your comparison as the example.

The Corvette is Chevrolet's Halo. It's soooo much of a halo, it's actually a brand unto itself that Chevrolet cherishes deeply.

Rolls-Royce has been the Auto Industry halo for decades. THE FINISH LINE in life's journey so to speak. Bentley served as a more obtainable sister brand, and protected RR from having to go "down market"... but that is no longer the case.

In circumstances like these, the Halo should not move down market to fill the gap between itself and what's beneath it.

Scenario:

Chevrolet places a V6 into the Corvette so a $30k-35k "value" priced Corvette could serve as the bridge between the rest of the Chevrolet line-up and the legendary Corvette.

Heresy? Yes. It would ruin/tarnish everything that "Corvette" stands for. It would be more intelligent for Chevrolet to build another Chevrolet vehicle (Camaro) and push upward to help fill this gap instead of diluting the Corvette image.

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By Rolls-Royce moving down market, it dilutes the brand because it changes/destroys (they would prefer I use the word "expands" but no) what the brand stands for = Absolutely No Compromises.

The less expensive RR would have some compromises or there wouldn't be a reason for someone to eventually buy the Phantom. If Rolls-Royce makes them both equal, then the Phantom becomes "over-priced" because you can get everything for over $100k cheaper.

The Cheaper RR models would also be used in comparison tests against SC’d Maseratis, Mercedes V12 S-Classes, Aston Martins, etc etc... which are all quickly approaching the $150k-$200k markets because everyone wants a piece of that growing market. These are far less rarified brands that actually have a chance of WINNING because RR doesn’t have experience in this market and the others already have a strong & loyal clientele aspiring upwards. RR does not have an aspiring clientele moving downwards. Can you imagine a Rolls-Royce getting beat by a Mercedes or Aston Martin when this is said and done? That would be THE END of Rolls-Royce's legendary reputation. It would become just BMW's Ultimate Luxury brand instead of continuing as the Industry's Halo brand.

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So, it’s just in my opinion that it would be better for BMW to be in those competitions with a 9-Series sedan or 8-Series coupe serving as the bridge between BMW & Rolls-Royce. If sales don't meet expectations, BMW can easily absorb the image bruise and make that vehicle into a limited run. Rolls-Royce is too high profile to pull that off because it would leave it with what it already had… the slow selling Phantom.

It should, even if that means ditching the Buick.  I'd rather Buick concentrate on sedans and get a new Riviera coupe and convertible.

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I don't think GM needs to ditch any current Lambda program to include a Chevrolet Lambda-SUV variant. GM has the capacity. GM just needs to make sure they're unique.

I don't think GMC & Buick both need one though... but that also depends on how GM makes the Lambda SUVs different.


But another thing to look at, if Buick's version gets ditched, then that will leave Buick without ANYTHING NEW for 4 years. Buick needs the 2008 Lambda to keep something fresh in the line-up.

Chevy is the Volume brand.  It also has the largest dealer network of any brand in the industry.

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I understand that, but there hasn't been a program discussed for a Chevrolet Lambda SUV. "Is there one now?" is my question.