ponchoman49

They are built for those of us that are sick of bland genric slab sided Lexus and BMW cars that appreciate some tradition and chrome trim. Sure maybe some don't like the FWD aspect but for me it is a blessing in the climate I live in. The only thing I could ask for is a 6 speed automatic tranny and bolder rear end styling on this duo.

As I can't stand the fact that every car manufacturer is copying boring Lexus and BMW designs with plain generic slab sides, frumpy rear ends and no chrome or trim to speak of. This car is such a copy of a Lexus it's unbelievable.

If Lutz is so pleased with this mediocre effert then his expectations just made a turn for the worse. It's hard to believe all the things were giving up on this new model, Maxx, interior space, no fold flat passenger seat, lack of options that other cars get, V6 gas mileage, very bland styling etc. Sure the 6 speed automatic is nice and on paper this car looks good with a longer wheelbase and various refinements. It's too bad the final product didn't turn out better and some of the stupid ass flaws from the previous gen, G6 and Aura weren't corrected. I honestly do NOT see this car setting the world on fire.

Too bad we can't get them to ban Japanese cars here too because they are a total eyesore to our once lovely highways, with a few exceptions of course.

The new Malibu is as I expected, a 50/50 effert. And I find the exterior very boring and unoriginal save the front end treatment and the tailights looks like something from Korea. Did it have rear seat center armrest, air vents and overhead assist handles? It will need all 3 of these things to be taken seriously against some of it's competitors which have most of this stuff as std equipment.

Why did the Blandry finish so high in the rankings? C&D usually rates this turd at the bottom of the list because it is a bore to drive, a yawner to look at and has indifferent interior quality. I also find it really hard to believe the 0-60 time of 5.8 seconds for a vehicle with only 248 lbs ft of torque and the quirky shifting 6 speed automatic. Most other sources peg it at 6.2 - 6.5 seconds which sound far more realistic based on test drives in SE V6 models and seat of the pants feel.

Glad someone sees this overweight pig of a vehicle for the fraud that it is.

I knew it wouldn't take them long to turn todays nice looking Aura into yet another slab sided BMW clone!

I agree with Lutz. The China Park Ave is not better looking that our cars such as the Lucerne. The interior may be better but so is the price. The exterior is a total yawner IMO with very plain styling, no port holes, too little chrome, no bodyside trim or curves etc. This plain blah boring generic look as featured by Lexsucks has no business on a Buick and it worries me that that brand is the benchmark for such a great car division as Buick. If anything the great days of the 60's, 70's and even 80's needs to be revisted for some styling cues such and horizontal taillights, chrome and over sized Buick grilles. Leave Volkswagon taillights, blah Asian slab side styling, look alike cookie cutter cars etc to Toyota.

It looks like another Asian car ala Altima Coupe or G35.

Actually the 1996 Regency would only have the series II 3800 as the series I motor was dropped in 1995 from the LeSabre, Regal and the Dustbuster vans. The 1995 88, Regency, Park Ave, Riviera and Bonneville all debuted with the series II 3800 motor with 205 HP. And to answer the which one would I buy question: I would be very careful of the Intrigue because it WILL have the 3.5 Shortstar in the GLS models which had that engine as std equipment in 1999. The GX and GL had the 3800 as std and could get the 3.5 as an option in the first half of 1999 and then mid year they all got it as std. All 2000 and up Intrigues will have the Shortstar as std. I used to own a 1999 Shortstar Intrigue but the engine went on it at 36k with faulty pistons and bottom end. It all started as a light cold knock and progressed from there. I have started up dozens of these on dealer lots and they all have quite a cold knock to them which seems to be notorious on these engines. Excessive oil consumption is a big issue on the early year Shortstars and they seem to suffer piston problems with miles on the clock. That is not to say this 1999 your looking at is bad. It may have been a "good one" as the saying goes and could offer you many miles of trouble free service. I would go start that Intrigue up when it's cold and pop the hood and rev that motor up both fast and slow to see if it knocks and then get it up to temperature and test it then too. If it does have a cold knock, I would walk right away from that car at not look back. The Recency would be a better bet for reliability. But keep in mind that the 3800 series II motor does have the upper and lower intake issue and the 4T60 trannys in those have a limited life. Good luck.

The 3800 had no business in the 2006 Lucerne CXL models let alone the 2008 models! And Buick discontinued the lower priced CXL V8 so that you are now stuck with 40K CXS's which sit languishing on the lots for ages. The only model the 3800 should be in is the value leader 25K base version(now 27K for 2008) and it has no business in a 38K sedan. Lutz and crew screwed up hard on this one. Just think how much more seriously magazine editors and consumers would take this car with the 3.6 and 6 speed automatic, which is already available in the 24K Saturn Aura but not this 38K Buick. And GM wonders why it's in it's current predicament

Don't forget lean poisened Christmas tree lights with a Prop65 warning right on the back of each box claiming to wash hands after touching lights because they contain lead and that it can cause cancer. I imagine if you breath in the new car smell of one of these $h! boxes the same thing might occur.

After years of mostly mind numbing generic bland look alike sedans and me too crossovers, it's refreshing to see something with a bit of style from back in the day when car manufacturers knew how to style cars.

Cadillac needs to lay off the alphanumeric drugs! BRX indeed. LOL

Another mediocre ugly/bland effort from Toyo. Wonder if it will also have the new camless 5.7 liter V8 like the Tundra!

It looks too bland and generic and needs some more visual spice to the sides and round Cobalt style taillights.

It reminds me of a tired 5 year old design.

A lighted glovebox! Even a 32k Impala SS doesn't have that.

This doesn't mean GM can sit on it's laurels and let this duo wither and die like they do so much else. It's now going on 7 model years with nothing other than some chrome accents sprinkled about the interior and a few more ponies for the L6 since it's intro back in 2002. Oh and lets not forget a grille change on LT TB's!

XLR/SRX- never liked these 2 designs. Too flat, dull and generic looking couples with odd angular lines, no trim or anything eye catching in there designs. Also overpriced. DTS- My favorite Caddy sedan. It has style and presence that is so lacking in most other modern sterile bland rubbish out these days. It may be FWD only but that is very appealing to me with traction limiting snow belt conditions. STS- The most overpriced Caddy sedan ever and the most sterile, bland genric styling to ever grace A Cadillac. A 21K Saturn Aura has much better and sharper styling, chrome trim and eye appeal compared to this lackluster snore of a sedan. New CTS- much better for the front and rear end but the flat plain sides of the STS remain and are my biggest turn off here. The interior is also better than the STS and kudos for the DI V6. Escalade- The best full size SUV by a mile and makes the already lame duck Navigator look very dated by comparison and it looks so much more impressive than any boring plain looking Asian truck.

The DTS is my favorite Caddy sedan even despite the FWD. The STS and CTS are too plain and sterile for my liking. If only GM would install 6 speed automatics coupled to the 320 HP VVT Northstars, I would like them even more.

The Tundra is such a poser pussy mobile.

Too bad we can't have both.