Johnhav430

In retrospect, when one looks back at that class of SUV, the Lambdas so to speak, imho Buick looked the best, GMC a distant 2nd. The sheer amount of things I've had to fix is astounding (go to the Buick forum it's dead now, but back in 2011 there were lots of angry people, and then people who disregarded the seemingly premature reparis, just not a good place to be). If I were not able to do the jobs myself, heck why not buy a BMW instead....my suspicion is the Suburban/Tahoe class has less problems, but drove like a truck, which isn't the end of the world.

The BMW walnut blast used to be $1000 at the dealer, but now since everyone does it, it's closer to $400. But on YouTube it takes all of 8 min to remove the intake manifold (you have to do this on the GM V6 3.6 plug job), it's really a DIY job today (equipment needed that would pay for itself after 2X). I gotta tell you replacing the Buick top torque strut was bizarre, got it out. Try to put the new one in, I'm there for a solid 30 min, and the part will not go in the slot....defies common sense...

I think you have good Buick GMC dealers from what you've said. Here in Phila they are all very very bad. I bought my used Lexus from Buick GMC and they were fantastic. Stuff was broken on the Lexus that I didn't catch, and they fixed it all free. Problem is that dealer is almost 3 hours away.

edit ps that is an old dealership that used to have Pontiac, and even the facility is like 1970, nothing modern. Not sure if that makes the difference, because most of those folded. This one probably didn't due to its location (Westchester NY). Remember the days when dealerships had different parts of it up the road? Like half the service and used cars are up the road!

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

i think the better rates on the new car are all about safety features. things like cross traffic alert or parking sensors for example means MUCH less chance of parking lots mishaps (plus lane keeping for highway).

gadgetman1

GM vehicles tend to have readily available & inexpensive parts. Same for Honda/Acura. Toyota/Lexus parts cost more. I thought my Camaro SS would be expensive to insure with the 6.2 V-8, but it wasn’t. Our insurance went down when we traded the VW GTI for the Camaro SS - go figure!

Johnhav430

I had an older coworker back in 2004, and she taught me a couple of things. One was pay down your mortgage, fine. Another was when she got a new car, she researched--how much to insure, how much to repair (of course), but how much do new tires cost? I thought man you are practical! I ignored her on the tire one cuz that would have caused a 2007 335i to be disqualified, back then, they were almost $500 each.

Being a GM owner, I find that parts are HEAVILY discounted. Like 38% off list is a last resort! Try getting that on BMW or Lexus. But BMW is relatively cheap when one does OEM over OE--Identical part without the BMW bag and logo, identical part.

My wife's alternator on her GM is $1,000 at the dealer. That's a joke, it's not a Range Rover. Part is made by Denso too, in TN. You can DIY and get it I think high $200's online, OE.

mmarshall

As you know, since you've followed my posts, although I've long-held that the best way to avoid mishaps is simply with one's eyes, ears, brain, and scrupulous attention to what one is doing behind the wheel (and still do to some extent), I'm beginning to agree on some of the new safety features, particularly the blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert....which, among a number of others, are features my new vehicle will have. Traffic levels and pedestrian activity near where I live, particularly in and out of grocery/mall/shopping lots, which I regularly use almost every day (with a mask and social-distancing, of course), have reached the point that you constantly have traffic and pedestrians all around you, going every which way at once, and you only have one pair of eyes, and simply cannot see everywhere at once (which is become more and more necessary to avoid a mishap). The fact that so many people are in high-stance vehicles, today, also makes it more difficult to see that may be coming around or to the side of them.

I pity the kids and other student-drivers who have to learn to drive today in everyday crisis-level traffic like the D.C. area, Atlanta, Chicago, New York, the L.A. region, etc.....it must be a nightmare. I learned, of course, in the D.C. area, but in much better conditions in the past, and simply adapted to worsening conditions with time.

That's why, when I do new-vehicle reviews (I don't do as many of them now as I once did), I do so in an area that has a lot of dealerships but also relatively traffic-free back-roads, out around Dulles Airport.

One feature I wouldn't mind having on the new GX is the wide-angle-camera that, with the push of a button, substitutes for the conventional rear view mirror. It's the only vehicle in its class with that feature, but it is an option on the top-line Essence model, and not available on the Select version I'm getting (I felt I didn't need an Essence, and usually prefer cloth seats). But, in most cases, the standard blind-spot monitoring will be a good substitute for it, and I usually don't load up the back seat or cargo area of the vehicle to the point where it obscures rear-vision...the main reason that feature is offered.

JDR76

My folks have the digital rear view camera mirror on their RAV4 and I must admit, it's a very nice feature. Even just when you have back seat passengers, you can switch to that and have a much better view out the back. Very nice.

SW17LS

I like that feature too

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

i'd love to have the camera mirror feature.

and mmarshall, appeciate that you're beginning to appreciate the newer safety features. while i can still look/see/hear/etc., the cross traffic alert in crowded parking lots is a GREAT feature, and as you say, blind spot warning is great - sometimes i look in side mirrors to see if i can change lanes, and if clear begin to slowly pull over, but once in a while a car has actually been in the mirror blind spot, and thankfully the g90 beeped and i didn't change lanes.

oh and i still think you should live a little and get the essence, even if it has a feature of two you won't use.

mmarshall

One of the things that makes it more difficult to see while backing out of a space is the fact that everyone drives such high-stance vehicles nowadays, and when they park right next to you, if you're in a low-slung vehicle, it's like trying to look out between canyon walls. That wasn't much of a problem when the majority of the vehicles were low-stance, but it's not that way any more. If I'm in a vehicle without the cross-reafic alert, what I got into the habit of doing was simply backing very slowly, a couple of inches at a time, and looking both ways before coming out another couple of inches. When I got out far enough to determine it was clear o both sides, then I finish backing out (or pulling out, if backed-in). You'd be surprised at the number of people that simply whiz on by without any consideration.....they are always in a hurry, typical of the life style and culture around here.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I spend enough money on vehicles as it is. Yes, the mirror-camera would be nice, but I probably wouldn't use it very often, and generally prefer cloth to leather seats (although the Lexus NuLuxe is excellent). The blind-spot monitoring and cross-traffic-alerts devices already do a lot of what the camera-mirror would do anyway. Consumer Reports and most of the Internet reviews (including Alex's, if my memory is right) say the Select version gives you the most for your money. Besides, the order already went in for the Select, and may have already been built (?)....I don't know yet.

Another thing.....the much smaller exterior size of this vehicle, and better maneuverability, will make it easier in tight parking lots even without added safery devices...that's just simple physics.

You drive a large enough sedan that my guess is you probably experience at least some of what I do in tight parking lots, but without quite the enormous levels of traffic that characterizes the D.C. suburbs.



Thanks. I probably wouldn't need them in an area with sane levels of traffic, but, like it or not, sometimes we have to deal with reality. You would have to see some of the driving/parking conditions I'm talking about to appreciate it....although I know that Florida can also be very crowded in some areas.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

while obviously the sheer number of people and vehicles in your area is enormous, we certainly experience traffic and crowded parking lots here, particularly now as the 'snow birds' return, and where i live is a mecca for horses so tons of people come here, even the grocery stores change what they offer and prioritize (tons of wine and carrots right at the front door, lol).
besides the 'horse people' (and their trucks, trailers, etc), we have the regular snow birds who come down the for the nice weather from about October to March typically! my county has about 370K people in it, but i'd bet that goes up by 25-50% during these months. certainly we have a ton of rural and near empty areas, but there's definitely busy parking lots.

but certainly i have no interest at all in living in or near a giant metropolis again. atlanta was bad enough.

mmarshall

Oh, I totally understand where you are coming from....and respect your point of view. And the general culture in this area is sometimes enough to make me want to live somewhere else....can't get into details, because it would be political. But, on the other hand, there area lot of things I DO like about the area..a superb system of health care and hospitals, excellent park/recreation/swimming-pool facilities (very important to me), a virtually recession-proof economy (at least until the pandemic hit), picturesque mountains and beaches not that far away, almost everything you could want or need (including many large and small auto dealerships) close by, my brother, my church, the D.C. auto show (if the show is not cancelled next year) and most of my daily needs close by. It is also an area that, while not entirely free from natural disasters, doesn't usually see a lot of the major storms, earthquakes, wildfires, etc.....that other places in the country do. If I moved, even to a place like yours, I'd be like a fish out of water.

SW17LS

All of this technology is a great help. Some of it is a little overxealous, but by and large all of it makes driving safer and easier.

The lack of traffic here due to COVID has improved my enjoyment of the area a lot. I drive around all day and I can say I can get done in 3 hours what took me an entire day to do before.

mmarshall

Yes, maybe in areas like ours. But, like I told bitkahuna, IMO it is only needed in certain areas, under certain conditions. People who drive in places like West Texas, Montana, Wyoming, etc.....are probably paying for a lot of stuff on their vehicle they usually won't need.


Last spring, we saw traffic levels in this area that I had not seen since I was in high-school (late 60s)...but much of that has gone back to more or less normal in my area (Fairfax County)..not sure about your part of MoCo.

SW17LS

I don't really agree. Even on the wide open highway radar cruise is great, lane tracing/self driving is great. You stll park in parking lots and appreciate cross traffic alert, etc.

Its come back a lot, but its nowhere near back to normal, even in VA. I'm in Northern VA a lot, and you just jump on the beltway and cross the American Legion Bridge at 4:00 at 80MPH, thats not normal. Typically you would have a 15 mile backup from 2:00-7:00 every afternoon. Same is true going out 66, there is traffic but nothing close to what was normal. Since COVID, I no longer even look at the time of day when I plan to go someplace because the time of day by and large doesnt matter. Used to be if it was after 2 getting on the beltway was best avoided.

My hope is that the volume will never go completely back to normal as more people will work from home after this

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

traffic here is busier than EVER, by far. part of that (besides snowbird traffic) is recent major additions of distribution centers for Fed Ex, Amazon, Chewy's (pet stuff), Autozone, etc. being located between orlando, tampa, jacksonville, talahassee, right on i75 with low cost warehouse space, low cost land, and yes, lower wages (and low taxes) makes it pretty ideal for distribution. our chamber of commerce was just voted best in the country! we also have loads of people moving here constantly, not just retirees, all ages.

we have excellent healthcare facilities (and tons of them, plus of course world famous mayo in jacksonville and tampa, and shands hospital in nearby Gainesville/UofF).
we have parks/rec/pools galore. our enormous YMCA was expanded massively with a generous gift by the owner of our huge Toyota dealership here!
florida's economy is obviously very strong and very business friendly. everyone i talk to just can't keep up.
we don't have mountains (GA/NC not THAT far though), but we certainly have hundreds of miles of amazing beaches.
about natural disasters, being inland and where we are i have no concerns about hurricanes - one of the reasons i was ok moving here.

what stuff won't they need? they still have to park, back out of driveways, go in/out of garages, drive on highways, etc. i live in a rural setting (outside of town) but still have to do all those things regularly and i have an office in town.