Buick and the 24 HR Test Drive
#1
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Buick and the 24 HR Test Drive
http://m.buick.com/testdrive.html
So apparently Buick has sales that are starting to sag a little. They are bringing back the 24hr test drive. I hear the dealer supply is higher than usual.
Good or bad for the brand? How do 24hr test drives do historically?
So apparently Buick has sales that are starting to sag a little. They are bringing back the 24hr test drive. I hear the dealer supply is higher than usual.
Good or bad for the brand? How do 24hr test drives do historically?
#2
Lexus Fanatic
Good or bad for the brand? How do 24hr test drives do historically?
One of the most important things on the test-drive, though, is correct tire PSIs. New vehicles typically come off the transporter with tires pumped way up to 40-50 PSI, to keep the vehicle or ship's rocking motions (or an aircraft in turbulence) from causing the alloy wheels from contacting the vehicle's bed through thin or soft rubber. When the vehicles get to the dealership and are unloaded, one of the things that the PDI persons at the dealership are supposed to do is bleed the front and rear tires down to their normal recommended PSIs, which are usually between 30-37 PSI (posted on the inside of the door-jamb). But, but for whatever reason, they often don't, even if they SAY they do, and I often have to do it myself before a test-drive or when a car is delivered. (I carry two mechanical gauges with me in my briefcase wherever I go.....one pencil-type and one dial-type). Then, since all new vehicles have on-board PSI-monitors, I check them after the engine starts to verify there are no further problems.....THEN I test-drive. Tire pressures are important because they are critical in determining how the vehicle will ride, steer, handle, and react over bumps. One also must remember, when checking them, that they increase and decrease roughly 1 PSI for every 10 degrees Farenheit of air temperature, and tires sitting with bright sunlight hitting them will be higher then those sitting on the opposite side of the car, in the shade.
I also don't particularly care for the idea of 24-hour test-drives because, even though I am a careful driver and not likely to wreck a car from my own stupidity or carelessness, the longer you have it out on the road or away from the dealership, the better the chances of something happening to it, whether it being stolen, hit by someone else, vandalized, damaged in a storm, or whatever.
Last edited by mmarshall; 07-21-15 at 02:48 PM.
#3
^ I've heard of Ford dealers back in the 90's intentionally UNDER inflating tires on Explorers, pickup trucks, etc to make them ride smoother on the test drive. Of course that was before the whole Firestone tire debacle and back when trucks/suv's rode a lot stiffer unloaded.
#4
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
^ I've heard of Ford dealers back in the 90's intentionally UNDER inflating tires on Explorers, pickup trucks, etc to make them ride smoother on the test drive. Of course that was before the whole Firestone tire debacle and back when trucks/suv's rode a lot stiffer unloaded.
As for the test drive, it does not loom good on Buicks part IMO. I think GM tried this years ago.
#5
Lexus Fanatic
^ I've heard of Ford dealers back in the 90's intentionally UNDER inflating tires on Explorers, pickup trucks, etc to make them ride smoother on the test drive. Of course that was before the whole Firestone tire debacle and back when trucks/suv's rode a lot stiffer unloaded.
That incident, BTW, led to a separation of the Ford and Firestone companies, which had a close business partnership for 100 years, since the days of Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone.
I don't want to get too far off-topic though...Buick and/or long test-drives.
Originally Posted by LexsCTJill
So apparently Buick has sales that are starting to sag a little. They are bringing back the 24hr test drive.
And, if you think 24 hours is long, Saturn used to (essentially) give 30-day test drives by allowing buyers, after purchase, to return a new car during that period for any reason, even Buyer's Remorse or the fact that they decided they didn't like the color. With a clear title and no significant damage, the purchase price was fully refunded. I actually went through that process once, but I won't get into it in detail here because this is not the proper thread for it.
Last edited by mmarshall; 07-21-15 at 03:05 PM.
#6
Lexus Champion
That's correct, they've done this before:
http://wot.motortrend.com/1507_buick...e_program.html
When GM previously offered a similar promotion, over 500,000 extended test drives were generated during the year it ran. Nearly 190,000 sales were also attributed to the campaign, according to Automotive News. However, Buick's program will have an evaluation after three months to see if it will become a long-term offer.
#7
IMO, doesn't make much difference either way. I test-drive a lot of cars (sometimes written up in reviews, sometimes not), and my experience is that one does not need anywhere near that long to get a pretty good accurate idea of what the car is going to be like. If you can drive on enough different road surfaces, sometimes you can tell in just a few minutes, though sometimes backache-producing features in some seats may not make themselves immediately apparent, and take some time before your spine really starts to react. But that won't usually be that long a time, either.
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#8
Lexus Fanatic
You're missing the point. It's more about the psychological effects of actually seeing yourself living with the car day to day, physically seeing it at your house in your garage. For many consumers this can be the tipping point to getting them excited about the purchase and following through.
#9
Lexus Champion
Sales year to date thru June in the Buick division are -6.2%, and for June -12.5%. All models except the Encore are in negative territory, most by double digits.
It looks like Buick is resurrecting a program that worked for them in the past to boost sales. Not a bad idea IMO. Probably relatively low risk overall for them.
It looks like Buick is resurrecting a program that worked for them in the past to boost sales. Not a bad idea IMO. Probably relatively low risk overall for them.
#11
Lexus Fanatic
It looks like Buick is resurrecting a program that worked for them in the past to boost sales. Not a bad idea IMO. Probably relatively low risk overall for them.
#12
Keep in mind that all of Buick's cars/suvs are at or near the end of their life cycles. I think the Enclave has been on sale since 2007, the LaCrosse since 2010, the Regal since 2011. I really do like the styling and driving dynamics of the Regal BTW, it straight boogies in the corners.
Also keep in mind Buick has totally gotten the shaft for a smaller 5 seat SUV priced between $25-35k, which is probably the hottest market segment right now. All they have is that way too small Encore that is styled after a potato.
Also keep in mind Buick has totally gotten the shaft for a smaller 5 seat SUV priced between $25-35k, which is probably the hottest market segment right now. All they have is that way too small Encore that is styled after a potato.
#13
I did a Caddy CTS 24 hour test drive about 10 years ago.
I took our younger son to camp in New Hampshire and thoroughly enjoyed the use of the car for a day.
The dumb *** dealer never even followed up to see if I was interested in the car.
Beyond that, I think having folks pull the car into their driveway to see how it looks there, using it for a commute or a Sunday day trip can be useful toward winning customers over.
I took our younger son to camp in New Hampshire and thoroughly enjoyed the use of the car for a day.
The dumb *** dealer never even followed up to see if I was interested in the car.
Beyond that, I think having folks pull the car into their driveway to see how it looks there, using it for a commute or a Sunday day trip can be useful toward winning customers over.
#14
Lexus Fanatic
Keep in mind that all of Buick's cars/suvs are at or near the end of their life cycles. I think the Enclave has been on sale since 2007, the LaCrosse since 2010, the Regal since 2011. I really do like the styling and driving dynamics of the Regal BTW, it straight boogies in the corners.
Also keep in mind Buick has totally gotten the shaft for a smaller 5 seat SUV priced between $25-35k, which is probably the hottest market segment right now. All they have is that way too small Encore that is styled after a potato.
Also keep in mind Buick has totally gotten the shaft for a smaller 5 seat SUV priced between $25-35k, which is probably the hottest market segment right now. All they have is that way too small Encore that is styled after a potato.
The Regal has had a sales problem for several years. The main problem is that it is being squeezed from both above and below at the same time. Buick sedan-traditionalists are mostly buying the LaCrosse, while many of the newer sedan customers (like me) choose the Verano....which sells at a substantially lower price than the Regal, but, like the Regal, is a redone German Opel product (Opel Astra and Insignia). The Regal, like the Lacrosse but unlike the Verano, does offer an AWD option, but IMO that option is overpriced like the LaCrosse AWD, and most Buick AWD customers end up in an Encore or Enclave anyway, not in a sedan.
Last edited by mmarshall; 07-21-15 at 07:12 PM.
#15
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Keep in mind that all of Buick's cars/suvs are at or near the end of their life cycles. I think the Enclave has been on sale since 2007, the LaCrosse since 2010, the Regal since 2011. I really do like the styling and driving dynamics of the Regal BTW, it straight boogies in the corners.
Also keep in mind Buick has totally gotten the shaft for a smaller 5 seat SUV priced between $25-35k, which is probably the hottest market segment right now. All they have is that way too small Encore that is styled after a potato.
Also keep in mind Buick has totally gotten the shaft for a smaller 5 seat SUV priced between $25-35k, which is probably the hottest market segment right now. All they have is that way too small Encore that is styled after a potato.