9 out of 10 families in retirment homes prefer Buick to any other brand name…

Young people don’t buy Buicks. Unless they are completely numb to any sort of driving pleasure. I guess when they are older and have more money they can move up to Cadillacs huh?

The only people that would buy them are people who are trying to look different but then they would reject it over a Chrysler 300c. Least Saab sells some cars to premium buyers.

Those “Glory days” are over my friend. Bring a Lacrosse or a Lucerne and people will think you escaped from the nursing home.

Buick is like Caddillac’ ‘lite. For those who prefer soft marshmallow suspensions and wallowy steering boxes with the precision of a UPS truck, and you can’t afford a Caddy, then Buicks got your ride waiting for you.

You know the more people say drop Buick, I am thinking keep Buick. Compete with Lexus ES, a fwd car ($35-42K). Compete with Acura RL, an awd car ($48-52K). Enclave? Well that will compete quite nicely, no matter the competition. An entry level car, sorry but fwd ($28-$33K). One more car would complete the lineup.

You’re letting old people ruin the image of a great company. They’re buying Buicks because Buick had its heyday when they were middle-aged or younger. Buicks are proven more reliable than several Japanese brands – Toyota included.

Second, I will be throwing a large party the day that GM finally announces that they are cutting Buick. You are all invited.

Niels its taken me long enough to figure this out. But I am getting more “money smarts.” Cars are great to read about, drive, work on etc., but I realized I don’t need to have the latest and greatest (in my price range). I wish I would have come to that conclusion 10 years ago. You don’t have to have the latest car to know cars or the industry.

As for your so-called home, I can see the effects you received from living around a bunch of stuck-up greedy snots driving Bentleys.

“Where did I say my Monte Carlo was new? It’s a 1978 and has given me less trouble than any car I’ve had.”
Smart thing to do, why replace a good car?

Oh, Harry, I live in Los Gatos, CA, where people earn 3 times more than you.

“The Monte Carlo is easily the biggest piece of crap in the GM stable at the moment”

Where did I say my Monte Carlo was new? It’s a 1978 and has given me less trouble than any car I’ve had.

Saturn – More upmarket premium cars – Take on the European and Japanese small cars

Cadillac – Cheap and cheerful – Take on volvo Chrysler etc.

Saab – The premium car with a premium badge and price – Take on Mercedes and BMW

Buick – Kill – Full Stop

Pontiac – Sports cars only – take on Lotus, MG Even Porshe etc.

Hummer/GMC – Combined into one company to create a single company – Take on Jeep and Land Rover

Your right..its worse then the 90s…look at the reports on this website for the May sales figures. Every division of GM posted a big lose, execpt for Hummer. and then Toyota and Honda had some of there best months ever…how is that catching up???

By the way Niels, which trailer park in West Virginia do you live on?

Sorry, trouble free or not, the Monte Carlo is NOT a car GM should rest their laurels on. And it certainly isn;t a sign of positive things to come.

You’re trying to deny the obvious yourself, af. American companies are putting out more successful products year after year now. This isn’t the 90s anymore. Time for you to wake up, or put yourself back to eternal sleep.

“The principle of GM’s lost brand identity is pure bullshit. It used to be somewhat true, but it’s no more.” Niels I kind of disagree. Pontiac with exception of the Solstice is struggling with identity. The Grand Prix still is the same vein (kind of cheesy) as before, just without the body cladding. Is it an Acura competitor? What is considered the competition for this car? Buick with the Rendezvous and the Terraza, its hard to take them seriously. I hope these two models are dropped long before the Enclave arrives.

Saab needs the Aero X.

I think we forget that there is only one place to go after being the biggest for so long. I’m not for killing brands just yet, but I think it should at some point be a consideration. I don’t think more than 2 divisions should get the same basic car. Saturn Sky and Pontiac Solstice is fine, throw in a Chevy version and no good. 1 Platform used for many divisions ok, just differentiate the vehicle, no common body panels, different wheelbase, lengths, height, engines, etc.

If Toyota quality does decline to say, GM levels then there may be an opening. May be waiting for a while tho…

And to be fair i hate 99% of Toyota designs. But they must appeal someone (IE: $9 Billion profit). They also have the quality/reliability thing on there side. I have been hearing “Toyota quality is on the decline” for the last 5 years…hasnt happened yet…

It doesn’t matter how many cars a GMC or Buick is selling…they are LOSING money on each one. This is the thinking that GM into trouble in the 1st place….VOLUME does not equal PROFIT.

GMC is one of the top 10 selling brands in America…why “kill” it. It’s profitable.

Pontiac and Buick sell more than many import brands…why “kill” them.

The Cobalt is in the top 10 for automobile sales, why the criticism? The lots are full of Camrys too.

I drive a GTO and it is nowhere near as boring as a Solara…where is the criticism of Toyota? It has great, yet subtle style and would kick the ass of any Toyota, Mazda, Honda or Nissan. Import drivers love it, old school guys hate it.

It is easy to say “kill it, kill it, kill it.” GM needs to fight and take back what was theirs. Toyota quality is on the decline, so there is an opening…

The only way to save GM is style. Look at the Solstice…beautiful car. it has the same engine as the Cobalt yet GM cant make enough of them. When there is lots FULL of Cobalts. Then there is the GTO, a performance bargain, a $30k corvette…but they cant give them away cause its boring to look at. People will over look marginal reliability and performance if the car looks good.