Drew Dowdell

Here is my reasoning as to why Buick is where Olds was: 1. unloved minivan Terraza/Silloette 2. unloved SUV Rainier/Bravada 3. Luxury sedan and premium family sedan merged into one LeSaber-ParkAve->Lucerne/88-98-Aurora -> Aurora 4. A good, but not great W-body LaCrosse/Intrigue 5. A recently killed, high volume entry level car Century/Cutlass The only differences are Rendevous and Alero. Each sold well, but not well enough to hold up the entire division.

I think the reason for the downrating on the 3.6 in the LaCrosse is limitations in exhaust routing since it's a transverse engine.

Because BMW already is not known for it's reliability. It's not a Kia but it's not Lexus, Buick or Cadillac either. Two points: The 3-series is not a luxury car, it is a sport sedan in the same way the Altima is a sport sedan. The 3-series is a small sport sedan while the CTS is a mid-sized sport sedan. Two different classes, yet the larger, heavier CTS still keeps up with it's smaller competition.

The 330i at first gave them trouble with the push button start. Then the ABS light came on when doing braking tests. They spun the BMW at 70mph due to ABS failure <there's your legendary BMW stability> and after that the Airbag light came on. Now I'm not saying the CTS should have been first, but the BMW certainly should not have been. Most likely I would have put the order IS, G35/CTS <close one way or the other>, BMW, Volvo, Saab.

and the new Crossovers, Buick Centime etc.

Buick will be doing the same thing with combining LeSabre/Park AVe --> Lucerne. I just think some people remember what happened to Olds and see it happening again. Buick is almost exactly lined up like Olds was when the hatchet fell. I don't think the PT Cruiser is dying. I just think it needs a more major update then what it got.

Are other states like PA and NJ where the auto dealers cannot operate on Sundays? There are actually laws stating that you cannot sell a car in these states on a Sunday. What is the reason for this?

Go Chevy! I'm not really a Hummer fan, but a conquest sale is a conquest sale. Go Hummer! Note he said "Retail sales" and not "Fleet sales". Outselling the Regal plus Buick's second best seller combined! Go Buick! Overall! Go GM!

Toyota is the only one that fits what you say. Ford, BMW, DCX, VW/Audi all do it. Nissan just keeps throwing the VQ in everything north of the Sentra.

Most automakers do this. Toyota upgrades the engine about half way through body redesign phases. Ford is doing this with the 500. The M5 wasn't released until the regular 5-series was out about a year.

Chevy Pontiac Ford Honda Buick Olds Toyota Cadillac Lincoln in that order

I don't agree that the 330i looks way more modern then a CTS. To my eyes, the 330 is just a warmed over version of the previous generation with just a dash <thankfully> of Bangle. There is nothing ground breaking at all about it, it's about as much revolution as the 1998 E-class v. 2005 E-class.

The Generator also acts as an electric motor to boost the engine under heavy acceleration.

Biodiesel

I wouldn't say "kill it" All 3 are so close that in the end it comes down to driver's skill. Imagine us in 2001 having this conversation about ANY Cadillac compaired to an M3 or MB AMG.

I'm obligated to point out that they are still selling every CTS they build. The CTS may have come in behind the 330i in the latest C&D article, but at least it didn't give them problems, including ABS failure, three freakin times. It still has the looks, it still has the moves and it still beats the BMW dollar for dollar.

I just don't see it empowah.

And in another move, GM may not have been first, but the end up with the most graceful and cost effective answer. GM was slow to get VVT into their cars, but the finished product is such a simple design and the cost is minimal compaired to VVT-i, Valvetronic, or i-Vtec. I am confident we'll see similar results from the 6-speed auto.

6 5

They just should have never stopped building the Cutlass Convertible. It was a large convertible that had just as much trunk space as a sedan, with the 3.4 DOHC engine, it could embarass V6 Mustangs of the same vintage and keep pace with the V8s. It was a great car and even though I have the CTS now, I still miss it often.

You can't have it both ways. The ES330 also only had 225hp and 240 ft/lbs of torque. The CTS has 255hp and 252 ft/lbs of torque. That's a rather large sacrifice in power to gain 2mpg don't ya think?

what he said.

Then run biodiesel through them... they'll smell like french frys instead.

Toyota did it backwards. They started small where the least benefit was able to be realized. Woohoo! They made a 36mpg car into a 45mpg car. Trucks and SUV are more then 50% of all new vehicle sales. Making a 15mpg truck into a 28 mpg truck is a much more impressive accomplishment and makes a much greater environmental and economic impact. Remember, GM was doing hybrid technology since before WWII.

Martha selling Buicks to the 30-50 female crowd makes perfect sense. Who are the largest purchasers of the ES and RX? Women in the 30-50 age range of course.... In fact.. it makes "Martha sense.."