mmarshall

Yeah.....the brilliant marketers at Buick decided to make that change, at the last minute, before the 2018's went into production this July......before that decision was made, the V6 was going to continue to be standard, and the hybrid was going to be the option, on certain trim-levels. Now, probably because of CAFE pressure, the hybrid will be standard (along with a $1500 drop in base price), and the V6 optional. Before that marketing decision was made, they had already ordered my car twice....after that marketing change, it was back to the dealership for them to do it a third time.

Sometimes I think that, if auto-marketers were paid what they are worth, some of them would starve LOL.

chromedome

Three times? That's nuts. What in the world were they thinking?

I'm surprised why they didn't do away with the eAssist nonsense and just offered the V6 and the Volt-derived full hybrid. That would be similar to the ES lineup although the hybrid needs more power.

The Chinese market gets even smaller engines - a 1.5 turbo, a 2.0 turbo and the 1.8 hybrid as the top model, with no V6 as an option.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

i'm not understanding how or why you would special order a vehicle without knowing what you're going to pay for it.

have no idea what a 'priority/vip' order is - sounds like something the dealer would say to make you feel special.

mmarshall

It's not the dealer's fault it had to be re-ordered twice...it was GM's. They (the managers and marketers) kept moving the goalposts every time the ball was kicked LOL.

By American standards, the Volt's powertrain would probably be too small for this 3500-lb.+ car, even though it lost some 300 lbs. in the 2017 redesign.

Yes, I know. The Chinese love the Buick name, but their idea of "adequate" power is different from that of the average American....though Buicks, in general, as vehicles designed for mostly sedate driving, aren't usually pushed very hard. Plus, there are several other things about the Chinese market that favor smaller engines, though I sometimes wonder how those small-engined vehicles negotiate those high, steep Chinese mountain roads.

mmarshall

I know roughly the basic price range it will run (+/- a thousand dollars or so). For the amount in my bank account, that's chump change. I'm not going to give the specifics on my account (it's no one's business outside of my family and my closest friends), but just take my word for it that I don't buy anything I can't afford....never did; never will. That ranges from a pack of chewing-gum all the way up to a house.

(BTW, speaking of buying things, did they get your A/C unit repaired OK, or will you have to replace it? I can imagine that losing A/C in Florida heat and humidity is no fun...we have pretty wicked summers here in D.C, too).

And did you edit the thread title?...I didn't notice a change until you posted. No problem if you did......I understand why, and, of course, that's your prerogative as a mod.


It means that the order will be expedited, and given priority (hence production by the end of this month). I'm not the type of person, though, that is in that big a hurry (and I don't have an ego)...my Verano isn't going anywhere until the Lacrosse is ready, no matter how long it takes.

Toys4RJill

I would like to know what the MSRP was before I ordered a car. I believe the MSRP will be adjusted a little, they will very likely slow production a bit as the sales for 2017 were about 15% behind from last year and very likely they were expecting an increase. Buick as of today has removed the 18% discount they had offered and the best cash back from GM is now $500. My guess is MSRP goes up just a bit, but the production decreases a bit too.

mmarshall

In my specific case, it was pretty much impossible to determine it, because of GM's sales-policies. Base price for the 2018 Lacrosse drops $1500, though, because of the new base-level drivetrain....and the V6 and 9-speed are now an option. GM's policy is that rebates are determined by what is in effect on the date of delivery, not on the date the car is ordered. And, of course, I don't know exactly how much my old car will be worth...that's still a month off, for KBB values. And I don't know yet whether I will trade it or sell privately......both some of my neighbors and the dealership want it LOL. But, in my specific case, it doesn't matter. I won't be financing it, or have to apply for any credit to get it approved. I'll negotiate the best price I can on a 2018 and simply hand them a check for the balance....just like I always do.

I know that there are those here in Car Chat who disagree (and I respected their views), but, I felt, for a number of reasons, once GM cut off the 2017 special-orders, it was better to wait for a new 2018, even with maybe a slight price-increase (estimates, with the V6, are one to two percent), than to scoop up something already the better part of a year old (and maybe without the latest Technical Service Bulletins and assembly-line updates applied) just to get maybe a little bigger check back from the manufacturer. First-year 2012 Veranos turned out to be pretty reliable, because of the Opel-sourced platform.....that may or may not be the case with the American-sourced Lacrosse (Consumer Reports doesn't have any reliability figures yet on the all-new 2017 version, due to low sales). And, normally, second-year production models are often a better bet for reliability.

LexBob2

To be honest, this whole process sounds unconventional and (needlessly?) complicated.for a mainstream brand like Buick. So many unknowns (like the price!). No matter what's in ones bank account, it's critical to know what you're paying. Dealers will take advantage of this to make a few more bucks here and there off of the transaction. In any event, I hope it works out for you and you enjoy the car.

Johnhav430

What I wonder about is if it is dealer dependent. My only experience with ordering and not buying off the lot, was with BMW--when you order, this is your car--it has your name, and the VIN, from about 2 wks. in. You can turn around and have it delivered at the SC performance center, or any dealership in the country. It's yours. When I inquired about ordering at Infiniti, they looked at me like I had three heads. They said it's not yours, it's ours, but we get it for you. This makes me feel like I would have no way to know what color, what options, where it is in production, etc., when it's not even my car from Infiniti's perspective. I remember my dad ordering a Buick, but he wouldn't have been that detailed meaning, if he said this color and this equipment, he would just wait and one day pick it up and expect it to be such, not check on if it's in body, paint, motor, etc. like you do with BMW, and then track it on the ship, where the ship is, etc. The price being unknown, that's unusual, I agree, because that matters to me. BMW tried to sneak some fees in but this was week 1 so I said cancel it and give it to somebody else (no problem car was backordered and it was not a weird config--they said we'll waive [training and MACO fees])

mmarshall

I'm not terribly concerned about the exact price. I know exactly what I'm doing....been buying cars (and shopping with others) for almost a half century. I know the dealership, I know the sales rep, I know the sales manager, I know the General Manager. I know the dealer's owner (I went to a local high school with him, many years ago, in the same class, though I haven't seen much of him lately). And I know the car. Trust me...it will work out fine, as long as the robots and employees in the assembly plant do their job properly....that part's beyond my control.

(Just to clarify, I do know what the approximate price is going to be, within 1-2%....just not the full-rebate that will be in effect on the delivery date, that's all...or the trade-in, if applicable, since that's still several weeks away away.)

Johnhav430

It kind of reminds me of when I was a young buck, and looking for my first brand new car (it turned out to be a 1998 Maxima SE 5-spd in Mar. 98). In 1997, I tried to get a Camry stick. I clearly remember I thought the sales guy was pretty arrogant over the phone (Westchester, NY), but then he goes, look, I'm not trying to be terse with you, so I'll cut to the chase. Nobody has a Camry to sell you pretty much nationwide, that's for one. Secondly, you want a base with a stick, and I have a black one coming in according to my sheet. The reason why I am not willing to discount it, is I don't have to. You're the one that wants the car.

I'll always remember that, and that's why I avoided Toyota--even on a BMW M2 today, I would not allow a dealer to have me like that.....but I understand, it's like my dad, he was never concerned, he simply expected the outcome to be fine, without having to worry about all the details along the way, and I'm sure it will be here too!

mmarshall

Even without a heavy discount, though, you were probably saving some money by not getting an automatic...and perhaps even more money in better gas mileage with a stick, though today automatics are far more efficient. And, in those days (1990s), if you will remember, it was much more difficult negotiating a price on a Camry than it is today. Camrys, Accords, and Tauruses literally ruled the sedan market....and SUV competition was not as much of a factor as it is today. If you shopped for a new Camry, today, the experience would probably be a lot better.

LexBob2

Yes BMW has quite the system for special ordering cars. They do so much of it they really have it down with a lot of repeat customers. As with any car purchase, you do have to remain diligent. I've had two BMW's now but bought both of them off of the lot and the transactions were pretty seamless. I had the firm and final prices locked in and agreed upon before writing the checks.

mmarshall

BTW, folks, Thank you ALL for your advice and/or support. I spend a lot of time, myself, helping others make up their car-chopping minds, but I'm still surprised by the amount of support I've gotten here. Appreciate it. I took everyone's advice together into consideration, looked at my bank account, considered the Lacrosse and several of its closest competitors (MKZ, G80, Cadenza, ES350, Azera, Avalon, Impala), and made a decision. For several reasons, I'm confident it will turn out well.

Johnhav430

What really got me upset, was the training and maco fees. This was slick....they are on the invoice--but not online. List/window sticker does not have them. I remember on the forum people said always work back from list, not the other way around, but I didn't know why. So at the time, they wanted list or $500 off on a 2007 335i coupe, in late '06. I managed to wrangle $1700 off list, which was pretty high based on the forum. So they tried to pull the, "Marcie forgot to add the training and maco fees of $1,800, we just need you to come in and sign the new sales order." I was enraged to the point of telling them to cancel. The first try was, "Come in and look at my screen, these are legit fees that everyone pays." I simply said I don't pay them. hahahahahahaha and I was clueless as to what they were at the time...don't care, a deal is a deal.

edit how my dad cuts through the b*** is he says out the door price. Period. And remove all that vin etching, pinstripe, conveyance fee, blah blah blah...Honda wouldn't play, but Buick did....