GM May Kill the Buick or Pontiac Brand

[remdog]

The Baron beat me to it----the Grand Am was a (ahem) grand car. But it's gone, and maybe Pontiac with it. It had some style and some pop to it. The current Pontiac brands don't seem to have anything that sets them apart.

BTW, I had a Buick for a rental car for four days a few weeks ago. Talk about nondescript mush! If that's what Buick was trying to say, they've definately captured the meaning. ACK!

Rem

[reds1869]

Who drives Buicks.... other than senior citizens?

One of the things that shocked me when I first moved to Columbus was how many people around here drive Buicks! Go to any used car lot on Morse Road and you'll see a ton of the things. Same goes for used lots on the South Side (Parsons/Livingsotn, etc.). Weird.

[CbusRed]

True, but for what a person pays for a GTO, you would expect that car to put out more ponies than what it does.

Are you kidding me? The '06 GTO has 400 HP Stock!!!

[MWM]

Both GM and Ford are in trouble. I wouldn't be surprised to see both declare bankruptcy in the next decade. They are the stereotypical example of companies so stuck in the old way of doing things that they're refusal to change is about to make them go belly-up. They need new, visionary leadership with a fresh approach to the auto industry. Insteady they have so many old-school guys around running the show, they just keep digging the hole deeper and deeper.

[Unassisted]

Buicks don't hold their resale value very well, so they can be a good buy used. I got a good deal on a used Regal a few years back. The sales rep was astounded that we were at his dealership on the other side of town seeking a particular used Buick. I guess that doesn't happen often.

BTW, Mrs. U loves that car and we are nowhere near AARP-qualified.

[RedsBaron]

Are you kidding me? The '06 GTO has 400 HP Stock!!!

The GTO is a great engine in search of a great body. The GTO, the Grand Prix and the G6 all look too much alike IMO. I wish Pontiac had a Firebird to put that 400 hp engine (a slightly detuned version of the Corvette motor) in.

[RedFanAlways1966]

BTW, Mrs. U loves that car and we are nowhere near AARP-qualified.

Oops... sorry, Unassisted. I have had that perception about Buicks for quite some time. It just seems that way to me. Nuthin' to back it up though. Just my perception (which some here would tell ya is pretty distorted!).

[Reds4Life]

Both GM and Ford are in trouble. I wouldn't be surprised to see both declare bankruptcy in the next decade. They are the stereotypical example of companies so stuck in the old way of doing things that they're refusal to change is about to make them go belly-up. They need new, visionary leadership with a fresh approach to the auto industry. Insteady they have so many old-school guys around running the show, they just keep digging the hole deeper and deeper.

Ford can stay in business based on their truck sales alone, they sell more trucks annually than Chevy and Dodge combined and are the #1 truck supplier in the world. I'd still like to see Ford dump some of their brands though, like Mercury.

[bucksfan]

Ford can stay in business based on their truck sales alone, they sell more trucks annually than Chevy and Dodge combined and are the #1 truck supplier in the world. I'd still like to see Ford dump some of their brands though, like Mercury.

Quite true. I am not Ford fan (just personal taste wise), but their F150 platform is HUGELY popular.

[jmcclain19]

One of the other things I noticed about GM was how overpriced they are on their trucks. I looked at one of their 4-door Canyon models in 4x4 and that vehicle, with only a 5-cylinder engine, was running around $29,000. I looked at the Dodge Dakota in similar styling but with a 4.7L V-8 and ended up swiping one of those for $22,500 OTD. Granted, I got the Dakota while Dodge was going through a redesign of the Dakota and I'm sure that helped quite a bit.

Fully agree.

Went to the Auto show here in town over Christmas, because I intend to buy a full size pickup. I've always owned Japanese cars, but this is my first truck, so I went in with a clean slate to really look closely at all the major makers and the Full size Chevy's and GM's were across the board more expensive for comparable models than Ford, Dodge, Nissan or Toyota. Considering that GM typically has a lower consumer reports rating than either of those four, I've completely eliminated it as a possibility. Just struck me as odd.

Sad thing is, the new SSR truck has some serious Wow factor in styling, something that didn't come out when I saw the new little sport coupe, (the name evades me) which was compared to a Corvette in it's early ads, but one look at it and you realize it's essentially a old Cavalier body with a spolier.

[RedsBaron]

Fully agree.

Went to the Auto show here in town over Christmas, because I intend to buy a full size pickup. I've always owned Japanese cars, but this is my first truck, so I went in with a clean slate to really look closely at all the major makers and the Full size Chevy's and GM's were across the board more expensive for comparable models than Ford, Dodge, Nissan or Toyota. Considering that GM typically has a lower consumer reports rating than either of those four, I've completely eliminated it as a possibility. Just struck me as odd.

Sad thing is, the new SSR truck has some serious Wow factor in styling, something that didn't come out when I saw the new little sport coupe, (the name evades me) which was compared to a Corvette in it's early ads, but one look at it and you realize it's essentially a old Cavalier body with a spolier.

IMO if GM had developed the SSR with the same styling minus some frills and offered it at a cheaper price it would be selling much better.
As for the new little sport coupe, I think you are referring to the Cobalt. The car mags have generally given it positive reviews and have indicated it is a much better vehicle than the Cavalier.
Two new GM cars soon to come to market that I like the looks of are the Pontiac Solstice and the Saturn Sky, 2 seat convertibles that will compete against the Mazda Miata.

[Rojo]

No details about an expected restructuring at GM, the largest private U.S. provider of health care, have emerged since it roiled markets with its warning last week.

Anyone doubt that a national healthcare system is on the way?

[Red in Chicago]

i'm 39 and i drive a buick regal...by buddy drives a buick rendevous and he's 36...both offer great rides...i must admit though, there is quite the stigma about only old timers driving them...

about a month ago, we went to the auto show and were both very impressed by the new buick lucerne (not the lacrosse) that will be coming out in the fall...it's supposed to take over for the lesabre and/or the park avenue...it was kind of sporty and classy at the same time...

[MWM]

Ford can stay in business based on their truck sales alone, they sell more trucks annually than Chevy and Dodge combined and are the #1 truck supplier in the world. I'd still like to see Ford dump some of their brands though, like Mercury.

But that's the ONLY thing they sell well. There are plenty of industry analysts who believe Ford will declare bankruptcy within a decade. They sell trucks well, but they are still a very poorly ran company in lots of trouble. One bright isn't enough to cover up the mess they're in from years of mismanagement.

[RedsBaron]

Anyone doubt that a national healthcare system is on the way?

I have no doubt but that GM, Ford and other older, large corporations with expensive employee health care plans would love to see some type of national health care plan enacted so that they could get rid of the burden of their present plans. There are usually winners and losers with just about any legislation-they clearly would be winners.