Automobiles

[AngryScientist]

also, my father did indeed have a wood paneled buick station wagon when i was a kid.

[Saab2000]

also, my father did indeed have a wood paneled buick station wagon when i was a kid.

I'll bet there are Buick dealers out there who would love to have some paneling appliqué or a landau roof installed for you. They (the godawful dealers) are the biggest part of GM's image issue.

[NYCfixie]

That is a German-engineered and manufactured Opel. It is not your father's Buick.

That explains it. Almost anything kind of cool coming from GM is imported from European divisions/partnerships.

[NYCfixie]

yea, i kind of want one. i hope a lot of people buy them so they show up on the used market when i'll be ready to buy in about 5 years :)

why wait? typical of anything different and cool, Americans do not want it and it appears there are 4-5k discounts on this car right now with 0% financing for up to 72 months.

Our 10 year old Subaru Outback is dying (needs about 6k of work) so if I can get my wife past the "Buick thing" we may go look at on one of these.

[Scott G.]

I'll bet there are Buick dealers out there who would love to have some paneling appliqué or a landau roof installed for you. They (the godawful dealers) are the biggest part of GM's image issue.

roadblaster-1600_0.jpg

[dgaddis]

New 'Vette looks like the love child of a Ferrari and Corvette. And that's not a bad thing IMO. Base model is/will be under $60k, 490hp, supposedly 0-60 in less than three seconds. No true manual transmission sadly.

Haven't seen any official word on higher trims like the Z06 or ZR1 yet...tho I've seen speculation they'll be hybrids and AWD. Don't know how valid that is tho.

[GonaSovereign]

I saw this thing on the street.
At first I thought it was a well kept Mazda 6 wagon.
As I got closer, I thought maybe a new Volvo V90.

And then I saw the badging, Buick Regal. What the heck is this thing?
Starts at 30k
Loaded at 36k
Both with AWD.




On the website I found that they even make a Regal Sportback (this is definitely not your father's Buick).

Props to Buick for bringing these in. I applaud them for serving the wagon market.
Maybe some forward-thinking Audi product manager will see this and think to bring the Avants and Sportbacks to North America. Probably not; they seem comfortable being Maytag over here.

[Lionel]

That Corvette looks kind of nice.

[Saab2000]

Props to Buick for bringing these in. I applaud them for serving the wagon market.
Maybe some forward-thinking Audi product manager will see this and think to bring the Avants and Sportbacks to North America. Probably not; they seem comfortable being Maytag over here.

Audi doesn’t have a full compliment of wagons in the US unfortunately but they do offer the Allroad and their A5 and A7 models are Sportback/liftbacks. They’re very nice.

[NYCfixie]

I think it looks amazing though I worry that if the price keeps going up the "every-man" will no longer be able to (stretch a little and) afford one.

New 'Vette looks like the love child of a Ferrari and Corvette. And that's not a bad thing IMO. Base model is/will be under $60k, 490hp, supposedly 0-60 in less than three seconds. No true manual transmission sadly.

Haven't seen any official word on higher trims like the Z06 or ZR1 yet...tho I've seen speculation they'll be hybrids and AWD. Don't know how valid that is tho.

[NYCfixie]

Props to Buick for bringing these in. I applaud them for serving the wagon market.
Maybe some forward-thinking Audi product manager will see this and think to bring the Avants and Sportbacks to North America. Probably not; they seem comfortable being Maytag over here.

Audi doesn’t have a full compliment of wagons in the US unfortunately but they do offer the Allroad and their A5 and A7 models are Sportback/liftbacks. They’re very nice.

I think the issue will always be marketing no matter how good the product. I emailed my wife pictures and blacked out all the badges. She said it looked really nice and like me though it was one of the new Volvo wagons.

Later in the evening when I told her it was a Buick she said, "I am old enough already so there is no way I am driving a Buick no matter how good it is and how nice it looks". She is in her late 40s, looks great, and is usually not vain about stuff like this. I shared that it was an Opel engineered in Germany so not really a Buick and that "you have owned two Subaru Outbacks in the last 20 years and you know what they say about people who drive those." And her response was, "I would rather be thought of as an old lesbian driving a Subaru than an old soccer mom driving a Buick." While I believe my wife to not be vain and is always very socially liberal, even she could not get past the Buick nameplate.

[Scott G.]

Growing up the secret new Corvette, was always mid-engined, and always cancelled.
Sort of like Nuclear Fusion, always just around the corner.
C/D spoof headline "Jackie O Drives secret new Corvette"

The 1986 version
1986-Concept-Car-Chevrolet-Corvette-Indy-74740.jpg

[Saab2000]

I think the issue will always be marketing no matter how good the product. I emailed my wife pictures and blacked out all the badges. She said it looked really nice and like me though it was one of the new Volvo wagons.

Later in the evening when I told her it was a Buick she said, "I am old enough already so there is no way I am driving a Buick no matter how good it is and how nice it looks". She is in her late 40s, looks great, and is usually not vain about stuff like this. I shared that it was an Opel engineered in Germany so not really a Buick and that "you have owned two Subaru Outbacks in the last 20 years and you know what they say about people who drive those." And her response was, "I would rather be thought of as an old lesbian driving a Subaru than an old soccer mom driving a Buick." While I believe my wife to not be vain and is always very socially liberal, even she could not get past the Buick nameplate.

I agree that they have an image issue, regardless of their product. I almost see their Enclave as the vehicle that could save the brand as I've seen younger people driving them. They are not hideous and seem to have brought the family into the showroom.

But you're right. There is a whole generation of people who won't ever buy a Buick no matter what.

[sk_tle]

I reserve my ultimate judgement for the time I will se one in real but from those pictures that Corvette looks somwhere in between middle of downright ugly and meh. Like an uninspired copy paste of <insert random mid engine superar> with gimmick stuff add/removed/reshaped to make it ressemble somewhat like a corvette.

The whole point of a corvette to me was the fact they were still building a front engine sports car that could somehow keep up with the mid engined ones on the fastest ZR1 trims. A bit like a Porsche but in reverse. Once you remove that, where is the appeal compared to the competition ?

[vertical_doug]

I'd think there is more of a market for a Corvette 1950's Retro continuation model. The Aston DB4GT Zagato Continuation is super cool in my opinion. an update retro vette would rock. This mid-engine vette is a poor imposter of the Italians. At least the Ford GT40 remain true to its original design.

(A bit all over, i know.)

Aston's DB4 GT Zagato Continuation is here | Top Gear

Tell me this isn't gorgeous? I dare you.

[AngryScientist]

yea doug, that's one good looking auto.

[NYCfixie]

...Tell me this isn't gorgeous? I dare you.

yea doug, that's one good looking auto...

The 60s were a great time for car design especially Grand Touring models. These "2+2" shown below are probably still under 250k whereas the "GT" versions are well over 500k. Makes no sense since the only real difference is a seat too small for anyone to sit in (2+2) or a shelf (GT) in the back.

Lamborghini 400 2+2
(credit Jay Leno's Garage)


Ferrari 330 2+2
(credit Driver Source)

[GonaSovereign]

Audi doesn’t have a full compliment of wagons in the US unfortunately but they do offer the Allroad and their A5 and A7 models are Sportback/liftbacks. They’re very nice.

Agreed - the A5 and 7 are very, very nice, and would be on my list in an alternate reality, but they aren’t suitable for a wagon or hatch life with a dog, bikes, etc. The Allroad is made of plastic...like Germans wanted a Pontiac Aztec.

I have to believe Audi could sell enough S4 Avants to cover the emissions and safety standards cost. ...and yet I say that knowing I’m left of the dial when it comes to cars.

[jerk]

i think the new vette looks amazing. they did a really good job with it and the price is absurdly good for what you're getting. the only thing that bums me out is the lack of a manual transmission- but that's true for a lot of high end cars right now. the amazing thing is that even in my head i'm comparing a 58,000 car to its "competition" which are all almost twice as much money. this thing isn't going to be cross shopped with a Cayman or an Evora- it's going to be cross shopped probably with the new Mustang GT500 and maybe the Camaro ZL1- but it's really an Audi R8/Lambo/Ferrari/911 Turbo type of car.

[XR2]

New 'Vette looks like the love child of a Ferrari and Corvette. And that's not a bad thing IMO. Base model is/will be under $60k, 490hp, supposedly 0-60 in less than three seconds. No true manual transmission sadly.

Haven't seen any official word on higher trims like the Z06 or ZR1 yet...tho I've seen speculation they'll be hybrids and AWD. Don't know how valid that is tho.

Well.....uhmmmm........meh.