By Andrew Dederer
April 25, 2008 -
There’s an often-repeated statistic: U.S. Buick dealers sell just four cars per dealer per month. It’s true, but c’mon; that was last year’s totals. In March, Buick sales slipped to three cars per dealer. Thanks to TTAC’s Frank Williams, I’ve had a chance to examine the exact dealer and sales stats for the Beyond Precision people. Having deconstructed the data, I can declare that this seemingly absurd three cars a month number, while strictly true, isn’t the whole story. The “whole story” is much worse.
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POWERED
April 26th, 2008 at 9:19 am
I don’t want anybody who knows me to faint, so you’d better sit down. I’m actually going to pass a complement to GM…
A friend had a Buick Skylark with the 3.3 Buick V6 (based on the venerable 3.8, which itself dates from 1962). On a vacation, he and his Mrs. had a wreck and so many weeks later, once their car was repaired, he needed a drive down to Ohio to pick it up from the body shop. I had a ‘99 Dodge Neon (POS).
He paid my gas there & back, and on the way back, we did the convoy thing… stopped for gas and he managed a phenomenal 40 MPG with his V6 Buick, which was significantly larger and more comfortable than my Neon. The Neon did 30 MPG. Obviously, we were travelling the same roads, the same speeds and at the same time. Needless to say, I was shocked and P!SSED at the Neon for not only being the POS that it was, but using 33% more gas than a bigger car!
I’ve heard you can get high 30’s in real world highway mileage with the 3.8 even in the latest Buicks. So, if you want a 3.8 Buick, you’d best hurry because the motor (and factory in which it is built) is due for the chop I believe at the end of this year.
Warning, however, as most of us know, buying a Buick (in the states) sends other folks a signal that a) you’re retired b) you probably don’t really care about cars much and c) you probably don’t live on the coasts.
April 26th, 2008 at 9:57 am
They still make Buicks??
–chuck
http://chuck.goolsbee.org
April 26th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Are Cadillacs ugly?
A couple months ago, or so, I pointed to the TV during a Cadillac CTS commercial and asked my wife, who is so not into cars, “Isn’t that the lady doctor from ‘Gray’s Anatomy’?” And her answer was, exactly, this:
“Yes. Isn’t that a hideous car?”
April 26th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
I take it as a good sign that the looks of Cadillac are polarizing. Better to elicit a strong positive or negative reaction rather than no reaction.
April 26th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
So you believe in the Pontiac Aztec school of design?
April 26th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Out of all the GM used cars that I see in my travels, the Buicks are usually the best overall values.
The owners tend to have a conservative driving style, and the vehicles tend to be well maintained and garage kept. The J.D. Power durability ratings have also been consistently high for a while now. I recently bought a gold 2000 Buick LeSabre for $2500 which had 142k, leather, and was in immaculate shape. I sold it for $3500 and wouldn’t be surprised at all if both the engine and transmission in that model lasted to the 250k mark.
For those looking for a midsized commuter car, a late model Regal, Century or LeSabre offers an awful lot of bang for the buck. They’re not enthusiast cars by any stretch of the imagination. But they are among the least abused and better kept vehicles in the marketplace… and that makes them a very good economic proposition for a lot of commuters out there.
April 26th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Our BPG dealers are also the biggest used car dealers in the area.
April 26th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
The CTS is the best-looking car in its sector, by far
What sector is that? Snowplows?
April 26th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Full sized Buicks and Mercury’s are the best used cars around. The difference is whether you want to give up some durability and less maintenance in the Mercury in order to get a little better fuel economy in the Buick.
Alas, Buick no longer makes a full sized car.
April 26th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
CarShark :
@KatiePuckrik
Cadillacs ugly? Not a chance! The CTS is the best-looking car in its sector, by far. I think you’re right in saying that the bold razor-edged American styling may be too much for the less adventurous Europeans. Also, since Europe holds more pretentious badge snobs per square inch than anywhere else in the world, they may like the styling but shy away because their BBC News-watching, Guardian-reading friends disapprove.
I totally agree with Katie Puckrik on this. MOMA will never consider exhibiting current Cadillacs. They may be bold, but they don’t work as pieces of styling, though I’m not sure exactly why. Yeah, they’re bold, but they do nothing to make me want to look at them.