Ordered a new Encore GX today.
08-20-20, 06:59 AM
#122
Super Moderator
I never would either, but when I was younger I had a friend that ONLY bought black cars. He was obsessive about maintaining them though, and always proud of what he called the "12-inch shine", where you could a wooden ruler on its end just off the surface of the paint, and clearly read the reflection of the 12 at the other end in the polish with no distortion.
08-20-20, 07:16 AM
#123
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
I never would either, but when I was younger I had a friend that ONLY bought black cars. He was obsessive about maintaining them though, and always proud of what he called the "12-inch shine", where you could a wooden ruler on its end just off the surface of the paint, and clearly read the reflection of the 12 at the other end in the polish with no distortion.
Black is definitely not my thing, for several reasons, but, for younger people, it is considered the "in" or "cool" color today....although it certainly is not "cool" from a temperature standpoint when the sun hits it LOL. In the past, black represented luxury-limos/the executive-car business, and hearses for funeral homes....today, although there are exceptions, in general, it represents aggressive driving and, even as an "in" color, a measure of social non-conformance. In the past, bright-red more or less represented that, but black has more or less supplanted it.
08-20-20, 08:58 AM
#125
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
08-20-20, 11:11 AM
#126
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Car covers also call attention to your vehicle.....a fact that sometimes does not go unnoticed by potential teens and kids that have nothing better to do in their spare time than vandalize cars.
A guy I work with is the same way. Almost every evening he has his truck in our shop polishing every nook and cranny on it.
09-09-20, 07:38 AM
#131
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
nice review... it's a good looking cute ute and seems to drive nicely.
Last edited by bitkahuna; 09-09-20 at 07:41 AM.
09-09-20, 06:42 PM
#132
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
What really sold me on this vehicle was the amount of standard equipment (or what is available in reasonably-priced packages). Things like the fact that you can order a lot of good useful options, like the hands-off lift gate package, without having to be stuck with a sunroof (which I didn't want). Both the AWD system and engine start-stop function can be disconnection with buttons. It has a lot of safety equipment which I got by without in the past (but that I feel a lot better with having now). The gas-filler door (and capless refill system) is on the more-convenient driver's side, instead of the passenger side like a number of past Buicks. It has a nice color choice inside and out, particularly with the two-tone interiors and the carbon-fiber pattern on the dash...although, as typical of Buick/Chevy/GMC marketing, all the colors except basic refrigerator-white cost extra. Trivial, maybe, to some, but Buick finally put the tri-colored-shield logo back not only on the front and rear ends but also on the steering wheel (IMO, never should been taken off). The video screen is integrated in the dash, IMO where it belongs....not tacked-on or sticking up above the dash like an Etch-a-Sketch housing....even Lincoln, with its otherwise-impressive interiors, still has the tacked-on system. GM is very good about that.....designing the screen into the dash on most of its vehicles. The right front seat folds flat, the 60%-part of the rear seat is on the passenger side, and the rear cargo-floor adjusts for height, so you carry things up to eight feet long). And the looks (as the reviewer summed it up in the video) are light-years ahead of the stubby, ugly, too-small Encore..its slight extra length makes it just about the prefect size for my needs.
But, as with any vehicle, there are some minuses. Buick and Chevy, IMO, have tried to put too much (or maybe too little?) spin and excuses on why they went with a three cylinder instead of a four. I suspect that they simply don't want to admit that this vehicle was designed primarily for the Chinese market, where engine-displacement is taxed like it is in Europe. Reviewers talk about how smooth this three-banger is, but the 1.3L that I test-drove had some noticeable vibration and chattering noise at idle and low-speed acceleration....the typical Buick soundproofing still helped some. Ride comfort is not bad for a subcompact crossover (and the 18-inch wheels/55-series tires help), but Buick, IMO, could have tuned the suspension a little softer....of course, I'm used to a silky Lacrosse. The front seat width could be just a hair wider, for my big frame, though I have no real problems citing into the present ones. And the rear-seat passengers (fortunately, I don't carry any) are almost an afterthought, with hard-plastic trim everywhere except on the door arm-rests, and a lack of air-vents in back. Buick clearly cut some costs in the rear cabin, compared to the nicely-trimmed/equipped front, and cut more costs by using a prop-rod for the hood, but I'm going to give them at least somewhat of a break on that.....the very high level of equipment for the price, the nice fit/finish, the temporary spare tire instead of an air-bottle, and the rest of what was put into this vehicle for the roughly 25-35K price (mine will be around 31K) meant that some costs had to be cut somewhere, and Buick simply chose the rear-cabin trim to do it.
I will say, though, that I didn't care for the $800 ST-sport-package. Reviewers (including Alex) seem to like it, but I thought it just needless extra money down the drain. It's just a few cosmetic touches, like the red-hashes in the grille and the extended/painted lower-air-dams. I never cared for the body-color look on the lower-cladding for SUVs and crossovers, much preferring the black vinyl, which is more resistant to damage from road-debris. And the Sport-Package (as with the two-tone roof) only comes with a few body-colors, not the Orangish Bronze Metallic that I ordered.
Last edited by mmarshall; 09-09-20 at 06:57 PM.
09-10-20, 10:26 AM
#135
Lexus Fanatic
Car covers are not always the best way to go. Depending on the materials used in them, and how careful you are putting them on or off, they can abrade the clearcoat paint. SCRATCH-OUT, of course, will take out the surface-problems in the clearcoat, but not deeper stuff.
Car covers also call attention to your vehicle.....a fact that sometimes does not go unnoticed by potential teens and kids that have nothing better to do in their spare time than vandalize cars.
Car covers also call attention to your vehicle.....a fact that sometimes does not go unnoticed by potential teens and kids that have nothing better to do in their spare time than vandalize cars.