BrownPride

Sort of related, I have a Buick Envision rental right now.

It's a better vehicle than I expected but it's near loaded and comes out to $43K. No sunroof and the interior, while premium, is a bit of a GM parts bin special once you look past the nice leather and faux wood. Not sure what advantage this offers over other comparably-sized and priced SUVs, most notably the Audi Q5. You'll get a much bigger discount but still...

It would be a solid buy if it were priced a few grand less, or at least offered better packaging.

SW17LS

I'm tempted to buy company cars lol

dseag2

Okay, I'll get on my soapbox and say I don't get all the back-and-forth on going to various dealers and sites to save a few bucks. For me, time IS money, and I don't have time to shop to get the absolute lowest price when I could be doing other things that are more fun. Also, if I think the car is worth what I paid that is what is most important to me. I couldn't give two ****s about what someone down the street or on this forum paid. I may have paid more than the next guy, but I don't find myself cash-strapped, so I could care less. If I was in college and eating Raman noodles it might be a different story. Life is too short, and I support Mike in his decision.

Okay, off soapbox now.

(BTW, we did ride out our lease on our G37, so I'm not totally irresponsible!)

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

Get to know the sales manager helps. My last two bmw deals were done on text messaging. Back and forth for 30 mins, got a deal I like, so while I'm driving down there they already have all paperworks done, car preped and washed at the front. Only took me 30 mins to do everything then I'm in my new car!

SW17LS

It's not a question of shopping around. This is a GM program, it requires no negotiation.

As far as taking the time to call around...it's 3 emails.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

autotrader shows new as well as used cars.

mmarshall

How well do you feel it is built? It is, of course, the first mass-produced Chinese-built vehicle sold in the U.S. When I did my review, I was quite impressed wth the Envision's build quality.....as good or better than vehicles from any other country I've seen. But that was on a brand-new vehicle with no miles, not a heavily-driven rental that probably got some abuse here and there (not necessarily from you, but from jerks that figure if it isn't their vehicle, they don't give a ****).

mmarshall

Definitely. The more folks you know in the sales business, and the more you (or other customers that you refer to them) come back to them as a repeat customer, the better and easier the deal and experience is likely to be. That's one reason (among several), why I decided to stay with my own GM shop instead of going out to Maryland and doing it the Fitz Way....even though I like Fitz's no-haggle discount-deals. I also have a service-advisor at my shop that is an absolute gem.....many service-customers ask for him when they make an appointment.

mmarshall

What you actually pay may not be totally determined by the dealer's actual selling price for the car itself. Dealer processing fees (which, for example, are regulated in MD but not in VA), and items like extended warranties, dealer-accessories, service-packages/agreements, road-hazard warranties for the tires/wheels, paint-sealants, etc..... can all vary by dealership. I usually turn most of them down, though sometimes the oil-change packages can be worth the money, as many automakers now require more expensive semi-synthetic or full-synthetic oil for even non-turbo engines.

I totally agree with most of your statements.....simply find the car you want (or order it), negotiate the best deal you can, take your new car home, enjoy it, and don't lose sleep worrying about whether other people paid more or less. Those same people may just be (needlessly) worrying about the same thing....whether they paid more or less than YOU. You cannot worry and enjoy your car at the same time.

Interesting that you mention college....that's when I first was sold on big Buicks. In addition to being a normal teen-ager that liked the classic American muscle-cars of the period (late 60s), I was also a not-so-normal teen that also liked big, soft-riding luxo-cruisers. In college, I had a big Buick Electra 225 (Deuce-and-a Quarter) that I bought old and used (couldn't afford a new one)...but dang, I loved that car. I rode around in class, even if I had to listen to "Ha Ha...Grandpa" comments from some of my colleagues (though my best friend had a big Oldsmobile that was the Buick's virtual twin). Wanted another big Buick flagship ever since then, but Buick's quality tanked in the 1970s, the OPEC gas crunches hit at that time, big cars got downsized, and GM, for the most part, built mostly junk until the buyout in 2008-2009. Now, after 45 years, IMO, it's time for another big Buick...the largest one available in the American sedan-market.

Preach away, Brother....you've learned some good lessons in life.

What did you replace it with? If you've already mentioned it, I don't recall.

Johnhav430

College and ramen noodles, sometimes I wonder if these are true expressions, or we are just so used to using clichés lol

I grew up in a suburban HS that I would consider sheltered by today's standards (you know, kids driving Porsches and BMWs to public school). I never so much as tasted ramen noodles until I was 18 living in a dorm. It was the most fantastic creation I had ever had to date!! These students had these noodles with seasoning and oil packs, boiling them in the lobby kitchens, taking late night breaks after studying...they were like you want us to get you a case next time? I was like h*** yeah how about here's a $20 ( a lot back then) and you get me 2?

But my dad did believe in me having to work so I had no choice (I think we've gotten away from this with $1000 proms etc.). Delivered pizza and worked for one of them cola cos. part time--as Kris Kristoferson once sang, "I'd trade all my tomorrows, for a single yesterday...."

edit: back then, I dreamed of the Volvo 740 Turbo wagon, funny, huh? Or the Honda V65 Magna....

dseag2

No worries. '17 Mazda CX-5. Totally different vehicle.

Johnhav430

Were you able to get rid of Training and MACO? I was on the first and only new BMW I've purchased. I think it would be a deal breaker for me, I'm just not willing to pay bogus fees that are substantial (nearly $1k back in 2007 MY)..

BrownPride

I don't have enough experience with the Envision's segment so I can't really view things in the right context, but I felt the build quality was pretty average and I mean that as a compliment. It wasn't poorly constructed nor was it spectacular (which is expected as it isn't supposed to be a Cadillac).

A couple other gripes though: windows were automatic going down but not up (seriously GM?), and the lift gate opened and closed with a huge clunk and was slow. Overall, I thought it was a decent enough product. But again, there are some issues with pricing and packaging holding it back.

mmarshall

Except for an odd smell emanating from the interior (not typical of your usual new-car smell), the build quality of the Envisions I looked at was much better then I had expected from a Chinese plant, given alI of the horror stories we've heard about for Chinese quality. On the other hand, though, Buick has a good reputation they have to keep up, and it's doubtful that they would accept production from a plant that had a poor record of quality control.

Yes......seriously. That's a safety feature, not just with GM, but a number of other automakers as well. Often, the drivers' window will have the automatic up-feature for convenience, but the other windows will not. That is so kids and pets don't get their arms, fingers, necks, or other body parts stuck in the path of a window pane coming up and get seriously injured.


and the lift gate opened and closed with a huge clunk and was slow. Overall, I thought it was a decent enough product. But again, there are some issues with pricing and packaging holding it back.[/QUOTE]

SW17LS

Totally inaccurate. I can't even remember the last time I drove a car that didn't have 4 way auto up and down windows, and I drive a lot of cars. This is simply cost cutting from GM.

The auto windows have pinch protection.