JakeRobb

Hey, I'm 26, and I drive both of my Buicks pretty hard. I know there are exceptions.

I also think that the first three years of a vehicle's life are a very poor indicator of overall reliability. Unfortunately, I don't think there's a good way to reliably gather a better statistic. By the time you find out that the typical Buick Lucerne dies at 230,000 miles (I made that number up), that particular model is no longer even for sale.

mastrdrver

People may dismiss Buick that their owners don't drive their vehicles hard, but how many Lexus' do you see racing down the road? They are all perceived to be owned by people who just want the world to know they have money. Similar to people who buy Cadillac, and look where Caddy ended up.

montytrmpt

... and by that time it's out-lived three owners.

Sorry, couldn't resist. I'm right there with you, three years doesn't tell you too much. If anything, I'd consider three years the INITIAL quality. My mother in law had a Park Ave with about 140,000 that was as reliable as they come, but she traded it for a "more reliable" Camry. I haven't had the heart to tell her Buick is rated higher than Toyota.

Threxx

Big congrats to Buick.

This actually made me go out and check out the selection of 2004 model buicks on ebay motors honestly with the intention of finding a decent used daily driver... but then I remembered what Buick lacks. Anything anyone remotely close to my age range would agree to drive for anything more than free.

I will consider them truly on par with Lexus quality when they manage to match Lexus 3-year reliability while producing cars that young and middle age people wouldn't be embarrassed to drive and have feature content (read: more things to break) on par with Lexus, too.

The (read: not 2004) Enclave seems to be a very solid step in that direction, too. The first Buick I wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen driving and nice feature content very close to if not exactly on par with the Lexus RX (which is be replaced very soon, but regardless...)

Before somebody tells me Buick isn't meant to compete with Lexus, well... that's not what GM says.

mdenz3

I was wondering what the Toyota nuthuger excuse would be.

3800 FTW

stereomandan

Well said. I think it wasn't until this year (in the last 20 years) that Buick put out a vehicle that looks great. (Enclave as you mention) I think the Rendezvous was the start of a the trend, and then the Enclave took over from there. GM has some seriously modern, sleek cars out right now.

The ones that come to mind that I see often...

C6 Corvette
GMC Acadia
Sky and Solstace
CTS
G6 GT Coupe
Saturn Aura

Dan

JakeRobb

FWIW... two years ago I bought a 1993 Buick Regal for $950. It's nothing special, but it runs like a top and is great in the winter (I know, that doesn't matter in Memphis). I have already saved more than $950 in insurance premiums simply by taking liability and collision insurance off the Camaro and keeping it in the garage during the snowy months.

AFAIK, the Lucerne (which, as you know, was not available in 2004) was the first Buick that GM marketing material specifically compared against Lexus. I might have missed something, but that's definitely the first time I caught such a comparison.

94FBIRD

I agree with the Crown Vic being a reliable car. I've driven them for hundreds-of-thousands of miles and the only really problem area seems to be the front control arms. They apparently bend when you hit a curb head-on at 60MPH.

mastrdrver

Sounds like Ford needs to do a recall, that is a safety problem

I think that most environmentalist would like to see all cars be all electric that would have to be plug in. This way it is easy to control the pollution out put of people by controlling it at the power plant.

guionM

I'm not the least surprised at Buick being rated along with Lexus. Nor am I even surprised at the Mercury line or Ford's Crown Victoria ranking so high. The point is that these cars aren't all that enticing.

I considered picking up a CHP Crown Vic a few months ago. Guy that used to work with me over in Monterey picked up a all black one, and proceeded to upgrade it with every performance part and agressive rims and tires he could find. The thing looked downright sinister. Thing was also about as tight as the day it left the assembly line, despite over 120,000 miles.

Buick has been at or near the top of every quality survey for the past decade. It's not that Buick drivers don't punish their cars (any damage from abuse wouldn't be covered by warranty anyway). It's just that the cars are made right. Ironically, other cars made on the same assembly line don't rate as high, and that tells the whole story:

US automakers CAN make cars that top Japanese models and plenty of European brands.... but largely won't.

There are plenty of pieces (the interior for example) that are made to different standards than, say, that of a Chevrolet or Pontiac that's sharing the assembly line. Although they are bolted, glued, snapped, or otherwise attached to the same basic structure, they are made with different quality and grades of materials.

Most unfortunate.

ProudPony

I hear you!
And should you ever need a new arm or any other part, they are plentiful in every junk yard in the country at dirt prices because the cars have been around forever. Another neat thing about owning/driving one personally.

Which makes it all the more stoopidous to drop the car from production.
It's been around so long it's got all of the kinks worked-out, and it's nearly bulletproof.
They should drop an entirely new carcass on the frame with a new interior and some newer technology (HUD, NAV, Entertainment system, etc) and let that monster ride. Even over the newer offerings like the Taurus and Fusion, it's got the size, trunk, and legroom that few cars can come close to these days. Throw in that the platform tooling has been amortized and paid for many times over, and you have the makings of a real cash-cow for Ford in the CAR market - a place where domestics have rolled-over and conceeded market share (and defeat) to the imports. Simply put, there is NO IMPORT OFFERING that is anything close to the CV in size, V8 power, ride, and price-point... none.

If Ford does neglect this car and let it fade into ugly oblivion, I will burn their ears at every opportunity.

In 2005, I did a track event in South Carolina. There was a guy there that had a 2003 P71 that was solid black with blacked-out 17s and tinted windows. Hed had put a Vortech on the 4.6, headers, and just about every other mod you can easily gleen from a Mustang catalog - and it all worked perfectly.
Found a pic of it... http://www.ponytales.org/Events/Driv.../cmp%20137.jpg
Despite being a 4000lb pig, that friggin' car was nothing short of AWESOME to watch on the track. While it was indeed bigger, it also boasted a long wheelbase (which helps deter the rear from stepping out on you) and wider track(which provides lateral stability) than the other cars, so it really held it's own in the corners - I was truely amazed. I think the tires were begging for mercy, but the car itself was a blast. I would seriously love to drive a car like that on the street for a while to experience the "wow" factor as you outrun and outhandle some unsuspecting goobers in rice buckets with fart cans, and even some unsuspecting sprotscars too. It could very well convert me from equine exteriors to European royalty.
Be careful of your tendencies... you may become intoxicated by cheap performance that seats 5 comfortably!!!

OutsiderIROC-Z

That's how it is around here too...

SSbaby

I choose not to believe such articles... yeh and ney sayers alike.

The article really doesn't go into detail what the 'problems' actually were. For instance, there's a big difference between a faulty glovebox and a faulty engine if each problem is treated equally on number alone.

It's good publicity for GM nonetheless.

OutsiderIROC-Z

They need it wherever they can get it...

97QuasarBlue3.8

Good read.

I've no doubt that Buick has some pretty reliable stuff. A lot of their vehicles use the same tried-and-true powertrain setups, and the majority of them are all front-wheel drive. The 3800 is a great engine, and the 4L60, 4L60E and 3T40 (older FWD models) have been around in some form for decades.

I wouldn't bridge the gap to say that they're built as well as a Lexus though, or at least with the same attention to detail. I've had a Lucerne and a Lacrosse as rentals before and to me they feel cheap. I'm sure the car would run forever though.

Good press for GM nonetheless...