[1957wildcat]

Happy anniversary, GM! It all started with Buick, and here's what the Detroit News wrote about Buick in its September 16, 2008 issue.
http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080916/AUTO01/809160322

 

[04bonnie]

This is a great article. It shows that GM and Buick have HISTORY, and that's the reason to purchase GM products. All these newcomers, like Hyundai and Kia, for example, have NO American history behind them, and yet, they get so much praise, just makes NO sense to me. Buicks have always been great vehicles, as for the rest of the GM chain. Who can say they wish they has a 57 Hyundai? But a 57 Chevy....whoa MAN! That's a sweet ride. It's nice to see a positive thread on here for a change. GMI needs to get back to supporting what GM does, and the history they have, instead of all the negative comments, and nitpicking about their new vehicles coming out. Bottom line is, GM has been around for a very long time, and we enthusiests for the brand need to stick together on this forum, and the others that just bash GM for what it does, and complains about this or that, need to wake up and see.....GM is a company that's not going away, it's founded on a deep history, and the divisions, like Buick, have nestalgia. But there are those that just say "cut this division, cut that division of GM", without realizing that it basically would change the company so that it wouldn't even be recognized. It was a HUGE mistake cutting Oldsmobile, kind of like a family member died. But, that's old news...looking on the future of GM, they need to keep their divisions, making each one great. The Buick lineup now is small with only 3 vehicles, but I think they all are worthy of the Buick nameplate, and with the new entries to come, Buick will emerge to be greater than it ever was.

Thanks for posting this article, it's refreshing to read something that's not doom and gloom news.

 

[KingElvis]

Bring back the Marquette!!

My avatar is the "Sunshine TurretTop" Buick from 1939.

The sunroof. 1939. Amazing. Another fun fact: GM made money all through the depression.

Now we find ourselves again in a finance meltdown - one that might be worse than the Depression meltdown; here's hoping we return to our senses in the US and retain good manufacturing jobs - good Union jobs in the auto industry.

 

[jcgable]

This is a great article. It shows that GM and Buick have HISTORY, and that's the reason to purchase GM products. All these newcomers, like Hyundai and Kia, for example, have NO American history behind them, and yet, they get so much praise, just makes NO sense to me. Buicks have always been great vehicles, as for the rest of the GM chain. Who can say they wish they has a 57 Hyundai? But a 57 Chevy....whoa MAN! That's a sweet ride.

I agree, and I'm not trying to rain down negativity, but many would argue that GM should be producing more non-halo vehicles worthy of collection in 50 years. I agree that they're getting there, but still...

 

[bone]

My dad had a 1939 Buick Royal that was used in the press fleet for the1939 Royal Visit to Canada. It was a suburb vehicle that was very comfortable and quiet. He sold it in the mid-eighties.

 

[Rocket 88]

This is a great article. It shows that GM and Buick have HISTORY, and that's the reason to purchase GM products. All these newcomers, like Hyundai and Kia, for example, have NO American history behind them, and yet, they get so much praise, just makes NO sense to me. Buicks have always been great vehicles, as for the rest of the GM chain. Who can say they wish they has a 57 Hyundai? But a 57 Chevy....whoa MAN! That's a sweet ride.

The great history of Pontiac and the wonderful GTO's of the 60's meant nothing to me when my 95 Grand Am turned out to be a complete piece of poop... and I remember when Pontiac made great cars.

For a whole lot of young folks Pontiac means Fieros, Azteks, and Grand Ams, all with lots of body moulding. Not exactly the stuff dreams are made of.

My Dad's 1964 Buick Wildcat may have been a great car, but Buick has built pleanty of stinkers since then. Your entitled to pony over your hard earned cash for that nice nostagic feeling, but lots of folks won't.

 

[windvale]

Nostalgia is a great thing...just not sure you can use it to fund future products

 

[Raskolnikov]

The point is GM should find a way to use its heritage as an advantage in the marketplace. Ads like the Cadillac one that showed different Caddies throughout its history come to mind.

They need to craft a message like "we've built some of the greatest nameplates in the world for a century, now get ready for more" and then actually follow up with superb products. That's the trick, right?

 

[nferr]

The point is GM should find a way to use its heritage as an advantage in the marketplace. Ads like the Cadillac one that showed different Caddies throughout its history come to mind.

They need to craft a message like "we've built some of the greatest nameplates in the world for a century, now get ready for more" and then actually follow up with superb products. That's the trick, right?

Yeah, the problem is coming up with the superb products.

 

[Caddyguy57]

Bring back the Marquette!!

My avatar is the "Sunshine TurtleTop" Buick from 1939.

The sunroof. 1939. Amazing. Another fun fact: GM made money all through the depression.

Now we find ourselves again in a finance meltdown - one that might be worse than the Depression meltdown; here's hoping we return to our senses in the US and retain good manufacturing jobs - good Union jobs in the auto industry.

You do mean "Sunshine Turret Top" ?

 

[ghughes]

"Now we find ourselves again in a finance meltdown - one that might be worse than the Depression meltdown; here's hoping we return to our senses in the US and retain good manufacturing jobs - good Union jobs in the auto industry"- hmm , that would be a big NO for the japanese-car owned, west coast liberal crowd. No, not everyone drives them the rich drive german.

 

[ponchoman49]

Too bad Buick is a mere shadow of it's former self with but 3 vehicles to choose from, 2 of which are lackluster uderachieving front drive sedans with powertrains that were outdated 8 years ago. And the new 2010 Lacross looks to be carrying on the underachieving tradition with bland exterior styling and more of the same ol same ol dull gray and tan interiors.

 

[KingElvis]

You do mean "Sunshine Turret Top" ?

Noted and corrected.

Just hoping Buick has something up its sleeve that's about thirty years ahead of its time like the sunroof.

 

[Buick City]

Too bad Buick is a mere shadow of it's former self with but 3 vehicles to choose from,

Not that I wouldn't like to see Buick with a full lineup of better vehicles, like enclave, that it deserves. 3 vehicle lines is nothing new for buick, hence its Tri-Shield emblem. I think they adopted it around 1960, to represent the 3 vehicles in the Buick Lineup: Invicta, Electra, and LeSabre. Now if only the new lacrosse could carry the Invicta name.......

I also propose that if GM wants to make a more premium version of the Volt, it should be a Buick Electra. Buick has some great heritage nameplates, and with the exception of the Enclave name, their current titles are sub par. Names like Electra, Invicta, Skylark, Riviera, and even LeSabre would be great if applied to an edgy yet comfortably refined design. Buick needs to have a a more aggressive design but less then Cadillac. Enclave really fits and sets the benchmark and tone of future styling. Let Cadillac take on the ultra luxurious and edgy German designs; Buick can take on the best of the Japanese Lux Companies, with an edgy but elegantly refined and uniquily American flavor.

anyways.....that's my 2 cents for the day.

 

[jry]

This is a great article. It shows that GM and Buick have HISTORY, and that's the reason to purchase GM products. All these newcomers, like Hyundai and Kia, for example, have NO American history behind them, and yet, they get so much praise, just makes NO sense to me. Buicks have always been great vehicles, as for the rest of the GM chain. Who can say they wish they has a 57 Hyundai? But a 57 Chevy....whoa MAN! That's a sweet ride. It's nice to see a positive thread on here for a change. GMI needs to get back to supporting what GM does, and the history they have, instead of all the negative comments, and nitpicking about their new vehicles coming out. Bottom line is, GM has been around for a very long time, and we enthusiests for the brand need to stick together on this forum, and the others that just bash GM for what it does, and complains about this or that, need to wake up and see.....GM is a company that's not going away, it's founded on a deep history, and the divisions, like Buick, have nestalgia. But there are those that just say "cut this division, cut that division of GM", without realizing that it basically would change the company so that it wouldn't even be recognized. It was a HUGE mistake cutting Oldsmobile, kind of like a family member died. But, that's old news...looking on the future of GM, they need to keep their divisions, making each one great. The Buick lineup now is small with only 3 vehicles, but I think they all are worthy of the Buick nameplate, and with the new entries to come, Buick will emerge to be greater than it ever was.

Thanks for posting this article, it's refreshing to read something that's not doom and gloom news.

Good show, 04 Bonnie! I liked my 03 a lot, btw.

 

[CadiEldo67]

I just hope that Buick receives the product that it deserves. Like it or not, I believe that Chevy and Saturn should have the "boring and bland" products, while more niche-like brands like Saab or Pontiac or Buick bring more to the table in terms of styling and heritage and all that good stuff. If Buick had a car that was the same size as the Lacrosse, but more modern looking, I'd be all over it, because Pontiac isn't competitive in that size of car.

 

[chevypowa670]

Not that I wouldn't like to see Buick with a full lineup of better vehicles, like enclave, that it deserves. 3 vehicle lines is nothing new for buick, hence its Tri-Shield emblem. I think they adopted it around 1960, to represent the 3 vehicles in the Buick Lineup: Invicta, Electra, and LeSabre. Now if only the new lacrosse could carry the Invicta name.......

I also propose that if GM wants to make a more premium version of the Volt, it should be a Buick Electra. Buick has some great heritage nameplates, and with the exception of the Enclave name, their current titles are sub par. Names like Electra, Invicta, Skylark, Riviera, and even LeSabre would be great if applied to an edgy yet comfortably refined design. Buick needs to have a a more aggressive design but less then Cadillac. Enclave really fits and sets the benchmark and tone of future styling. Let Cadillac take on the ultra luxurious and edgy German designs; Buick can take on the best of the Japanese Lux Companies, with an edgy but elegantly refined and uniquily American flavor.

anyways.....that's my 2 cents for the day.

excellent post, i love the idea of having a premium volt model brought to buick. I really think that if they put there minds together like they did with the enclave they for sure would have a winner.

 

[04bonnie]

I just hope that Buick receives the product that it deserves. Like it or not, I believe that Chevy and Saturn should have the "boring and bland" products, while more niche-like brands like Saab or Pontiac or Buick bring more to the table in terms of styling and heritage and all that good stuff. If Buick had a car that was the same size as the Lacrosse, but more modern looking, I'd be all over it, because Pontiac isn't competitive in that size of car.

The Impala is on the same platform as the Lacrosse, but the Malibu is more "exciting" in it's current form. I'm thinking that the Impala should get a freshening soon, to make it more like the Malibu. The Lacrosse is nice, but I see what you are saying, it's not a "got to have it" kind of car. The Enclave is setting the pace for future Buicks to follow, let's hope they deliver and get more than just 3 vehicles in the line up. The Lucerne has to stay FWD, because Pontiac doesn't have a full sized FWD'er, and there's no overlap there on PBG dealers. I'm really thinking the Impala should move to the Lucerne's platform, to make it bigger, and away from the W platform, which has been mid-sized all along. REALLY, the Impala is mid-sized, eventhough they say it's the full sized Chevy.

 

[xxregalizexx]

and what a joy it is owning one!

 

[Sandwich]

You don't need to tell me, DetroitNews,...Buick is the bomb! I mean was the bomb, I guess.

I'm suspect of articles like these -- cart before the horse. Sure Buick was great...and today, it's not? There's no mention of what happened. So it's not really "news." Really just a brochure of nostalgia.

If all they're selling is nostalgia...Can I buy one of those 39 Buicks? Or am I going to have to settle for the current offering...the GM collage of unwanted, left-over parts.

Cart before the horse: I wouldn't be reminding anyone outside the company of Buick's once great position. Not until I had some great innovative product to sell with it.