mmarshall

Thanks. And, Yep, time flies, doesn't it?.............Been more than three years. I had not planned on another vehicle this soon, but my driving needs are changing. This time, I'm getting what I need, instead of what I necessarily want...though I did like just about everything in this vehicle but the engine(s).

davyjordi

yes, time does fly. i'm getting old and i don't like it lol. mid-thirties aren't nearly as fun as my mid-twenties were.

mmarshall

Sorry for several misspelled words in my earlier post (I corrected them).....the Apple spell-sensors often screw things up when you are trying to type something.

The bright side, though, is that with age comes wisdom and maturity....take it from a guy who is WELL past his thirties. Partying and youthful social-life become far less important, and you look at the really important things. Yes, you lose some physical ability, but, overall, unless one's job is lost, you are often better off in life. You have had a chance to start saving money, get more financially independent, afford that first new car you wanted, and make a good dent in getting that mortgage paid off.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

and yet you still bought one so i guess it doesn't matter to you that much. You're certainly brand loyal (to buick, and thus gm).

They weren't fixed in your original post (#61), you'd fixed them in a quoted version of your own post which wasn't needed, so i fixed them in post #61 and fixed up the quoting in the follow-up. You can edit a post by clicking the Edit button.

mmarshall

Three things. First, though I was indeed irked with GM's silly marketing and plant-closures, I am a very forgiving person....my bark is usually worse than my bite. Second, from the time I was in high-school, I had a long-standing attraction to the Buick nameplate.....but they built a lot of crap between the early 1970s (when their quality started to tank) and the time the Opel-sourced Verano came out in 2012. And then, though the trim and hardware on it was excellent, even the non-turbo Verano was stuck with a GM-sourced engine-design with defective rings and oil-consumption. Third, I had not expected to do so this early, but, for reasons which I won't go into now (I might later), it was clearly time for me to start thinking about something smaller, more maneuverable, easier-parking, higher-stance, and with more versatility than the Lacrosse. The Encore GX, except for the unrefined engine, seemed the perfect answer....more so the 2021, since first-year models from GM can be risky. Also, although I expressed interest in it at first, the upcoming Envision was out because of two things......the Chinese assembly-plant for it, its substantially larger size over the Encore GX, and the quirky electronic shifter....given a choice, I'll take a conventional fore/aft PRNDL lever any day of the week.


There are rumors (although I cannot post them as fact) that GM is starting to plan Buick's demise in the U.S., even though the last-generation Encore (not the GX) has sold for years like Happy Hour at Clancy's Bar. GM screwed up the Buick Division enough as it was by dropping all the sedans...if they drop the Triple-Shield in the U.S. altogether, I may be done with them, though GMC offers some nice products like the Acadia...minus the awkward shift-buttons.


Thank You, but I know how to edit....I do it every day, particularly with the way that the Apple-speller scrambles type. And you should see the number of things I edit on a long car-review LOL....and some of them still get through.

SW17LS

I don’t want to turn this into a philosophical aging thread, and I am not yet of that age so maybe my opinion is meaningless, but I have watched a lot of people that I know age, my parents, people I know and have known in business, etc. there is a wide variety of circumstances people find themselves in in their 60s, 70s 80s etc. I know people who have become “old” in their 60s, and people in their 80s or even 90s that are youthful and vibrant. Some of it is health, but most of it is mindset. Some of the sickest people i know are the most alive.

I wouldn’t just do what you “need”. I would continue to get and to do what you “want”. When you start doing things and getting things just because of your age, you succumb to being old IMO

If you like this car, then great! But I hate to see you get rid of something you love just because your age has reached a certain number.

mmarshall

I understand what you're saying, Steve, but that's not quite the case here. I liked what I had...but it's just getting too bulky (and to enough versatility) for the type of driving that I (mostly) do now. The Encore GX solves most of those problems (though I don't care much for the engine). I like its looks, it's got a lot of needed safety-gear for the price (a new direction for GM), while remaining with the same dealership I like.

Bitkahuna is somewhat the same way. He shifts back and forth quite a bit in his purchases/leases.....Jeep Grand Cherokee, Miata, Explorer, Genesis G90.

mmarshall

I like this commercial.




.....and this one:

mmarshall

Here's Alex's take on it. This is one of his typical lengthy videos:

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Understand completely the needs and wants change.

Ha, yes, have definitely had a variety of vehicles, which has been great. The Miata was a 'spare' car in addition to the Explorer at the time. As you know, I couldn't keep the Miata more than a couple of years unfortunately, because I got divorced and needed the cash! But the truth is, every time I've "let go" of something, after the initial 'ouch' wears off, I feel better about it, but I do still miss a number of the vehicles I've had... I wonder what happened to my highly modified 2GS400 in particular (sold in '06). But as I said, needs/wants change... the Miata for example, wasn't easy for someone my height and age to get in and out of, and I'm not getting any younger either, so no more Miatas for me. I have the large (G90) sedan right now which is very comfortable (to sit in and drive), but still lower than an SUV to get in and out. So maybe next time will be an SUV, or another sedan, or a more roomy sports car.

Anyway, this thread isn't about me!

Congrats again on the Encore GX... do you have an expected delivery date?

tex2670

Didn't know Buick offered HUD in its vehicles. Nice!

mmarshall

Also, don't forget that many of you have been complaining, for years, that I was too set in my ways.



Yeah, I sometimes wonder how easy (or difficult) it must have been for you to pretzel in and out of that Miata every day. You're an inch or so taller than me (perhaps a little more since I've aged and may have shrunk a little)....and it was not very easy for me. You probably have the advantage of being a little thinner than me, which helps....particularly getting one's legs under that low steering wheel. I found that, even with the wheel tilted up all the way, I still had to splay my big legs around the wheel more or less sideways and push the clutch pedal in with my left foot somewhat at an angle (unless one is disabled, it is an abomination to drive a Miata with an automatic LOL)

One of my favorite stories with Miatas (a true one, not B.S.) is that, almost every year at the D.C. auto show, I would get in a soft-top Miata out on the floor (they also have a folding-hard-top version) and demonstrate, for the people there in the display, how ingeniously simple that rag-top is to operate......whoever designed it deserves an award. Early Miatas had two secure-snaps on the windshield header...later Miatas have only one, in the middle. A monkey could do it. ...all you do is reach up with your right hand, unsnap the clip on the header, take your arm, on the handle-groove, and flip the top back over your head, and, by gravity, it drops down into its aft-well behind hour head. Reverse the process bringing it back up, and re-snap the clip. I got to where I could do it in less than three seconds. That simplicity of roof-operation probably ended up being a big selling point for the Miata....along with its reputation for good reliability.


The Mazda reps, of course, liked it, because, not only was I doing their jobs for them, but it left time for them to take care of other things there at the Mazda display as well.

As far as I'm concerned anyone who wants to compare their ownership experiences to mine is welcome to post here.

Thanks. 6-8 weeks, Depending on how long it takes to retool for the 2021's. This is Korea, remember, so it doesn't necessarily work or operate like a UAW or UNIFOR plant.

mmarshall

If you notice, though, because of the Encore GX's rather low price, Buick had to do some cost-cutting with that system. Instead of displaying it on the glass itself, as you find with more expensive vehicles, the GX uses a piece of clear plastic that pops up and down in the dash. What's odd, though, is that Buick chose to use that system even though it required the extra cost and complexity of a motor and hardware to raise and lower it. Go figure.

My GX, BTW, will have that feature on it....on the Select Trim-level, it's part of the optional Advanced Technology package

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

lots of assumptions there. i didn't drive it every day for one. From what you've said, yes i'm taller (6'3") and thinner (205) than you. That was also 10 years ago. I also do yoga every day so i'm pretty flexible.

it is wonderfully simple and easy.

doesn't seem like there will be any 'retooling' needed, but good changes.

mmarshall

Only one or two that I counted.

My "yoga" is regular exercise in 5 feet of water.

It makes you wonder, when GM introduced the Solstice and Sky, why they used such a multi-stage, complex effort to raise and lower the tops when the Miata, several years before, had already shown them the simple easy way to do it. I helped the son of a friend of mine shop for a new Solstice when they first came out. Unbelievably, a small local Pontiac dealership had just what he wanted (color/options) in stock, and gave it to him at list. Solstices usually carried a big dealer-markup....Saturn dealers couldn't officially add a markup to the Sky because of Saturn's list-price policy, but they often tacked on high-profit factory/dealer-accessories, which was legal.

On second thought, Agreed......although that might also depend on any significant Trailblazer changes, since they are both produced in the same plant.