Just reading an article in the paper and it seems the Buick Regal has topped Consumer Reports Reliability List. The Regal beat out the Toyota Camry no less! The same article discussed many american models making jumps to the "recommended" list as well. Could this be the start of a trend??? I'm a guy that's avoided late model american cars, just because of the reliability issue... it's nice to see that's improving!:TU:
buick regal doug, when you say a car is reliable it can mean different things to different people. to some a car is reliable if it starts every day. to others reliability means not having to visit their mechanic too often. then some people will drive a car 2 or 3 years, do no maintanance to it and they call this reliable. from my personal experience as an auto mechanic the regal owners have had more problems than the camry owners. things such as cooling system leaks, engine oil leaks, fuel injectors failing prematurely,etc. the regal is a decent car, but putting it at the top of the list is stretching it a bit. another reliable car? the honda accord.
Just passing along information. Buick Regal topped Consumer Reports definition of reliability, not to mention on a current year model (probably not earlier than 2002). By the way, my daily driver... '01 Accord.
Re: buick regal As a professional who until recently worked on nothing but new cars, four year old being about the oldest, I agree completely. Regals, although a nice car, can't come close to a Maxima or a Camry as far as reliability. Those surveys always have me scrathing my head trying to understand how a Regal can have a better reliability rating then a Grand Prix when it is basically the EXACT same vehicle, made in the EXACT same plant? uzzled:
I tell you,being the owner of a 99 Regal GS,I can tell you,no Camry or Accord even comes close.Just driving these cars instantly tells you that the Regal wins hands down.Plus the fact that IT IS AN AMERICAN CAR, and not some car that was assembled in this country(like the Camry and Accord.These companies that make this foreign stuff, send the parts over here,have our American workers assemble them, and then call them American made.Does that make sense? Come on guys,where's your American pride? P.S. My Regal has been very reliable just to let you know.
We have mostly driven nothing but Buick Regals since 1984 and have had fantastic luck with them.I dont even buy an extended warranty for them as thay are so trouble free. Cars owned since 1984 are the following. New 84 Regal Limited-lost one power window motor New 88 Regal Limited-no problems New 90 Regal GS-no problems New 94 Dodge Intepid-Lemon-1 year and it was gone New 95 Regal Custom-no problems Used 86 Toyota Camry-wifes go to work car that was in the shop more than she drove it. Used 91 Regal Limited-Going strong at 142,000-would take it anywhere New 98 Regal GS-no problems-sure miss this car-was traded on 2002 Buick Rendevous CXL that the wife wanted Program 00 Regal LS-no problems My 85 T-Type lost a water pump at 90,000 and my 86 T-Type lost an alternator at 95,000.I cant complain about that. We drive a ton of miles and have been coast to coast more than once in our Regals.Those 3.8 and 3800's are some great engines.
buick regal no need for you regal owners to get bent out of shape. mike and i are just stating what we believe is a fact. certainly the buick regal is a good car. our shop does many 30,000, 40,000, mile check-ups on many regals, camrys, hondas,etc. the facts are the regals or centurys we see typically have more problems than the jap cars. as far as the statement, WHERES YOUR AMERICAN PRIDE? im proud to own a buick gsx!
This post is not meant to tick anyone off. Believe me, I love Buicks, but my brand loyalty ends after about 1975 With maybe 86 and 87 an exception. And even then the GN wasn't exactly a well built car, it just happened to haul ass. I hear alot of people say how they have never had any problem with the late model Regal or GMs for that matter. Well every shop I have worked at must have been the Bermuda Triangle for bad GM cars. All I can relate to you is my personal experience. Toyota, Nissan and Hondas rarely leak oil, have loose suspension parts, rattly interiors, mystery wind noises etc.. Even after 70 to 80K miles. They are IMO built to a higher quality standard. The big three, sadly cannot build a comparable car at this point. Maybe someday this will change, but I haven't seen any signs of it happening, especially when GM can't get there two oldest engines the 3.1 and the 3.8 to stop leaking oil at the intake and oil pans.ou:
This thread was really meant to point out the fact that GM may be paying a little more attention to quality control then in previous years. I agree with most of the sentiment here... I also own a 97 Lumina with the 3.1 and, looking back, I really can't complain about it's reliability, it's been a good car. However, I'm constantly worrying about when something is going to go wrong (even though it might never happen) and I think that's where the problems is. Most people are very gun shy about american cars. It's just nice to see a supposedly non-biased publication like Consumer Reports recognizing some improvements that are being made and not allowing the "reputation" of certain car makers to limit reliance on the facts they have collected.
Reliability Just my $.02: My own definition of reliable: I haven't had a day in the last 10 years when all of my cars were dead. That is: my cars are so reliable that I always have at least one running at a time:laugh: I totally agree with you mechanics on the interpretation of reliablity. I have a friend that is a well educated, professional and he drove his van for 40,000 miles before it seized. When aksed if he had changed the oil regularly, well you can guess the rest. He thought enough of that van that he bought another.ou: My girlfriend has a new GM car and with 12,000 miles under its belt, the only thing to go wrong so far is the battery died. Of course, this happened after a night of Drag Racing, who knew?
Are you supposed to change the oil? and why? You know my brother Greg don't you? :blast:ANY CAR HE HAS OWNED:af:
buick regal hey jim, does your friend change oil on the 2nd van he bought? today in our shop we changed a master cylinder on a 1995 olds 88. the car had 234,000 miles on the clock. it ran great. when the owner picked up his car i commented on the number of miles on his car. this car of course has the buick 3800 v6. he said he changes his oil every 3 months or 3k miles. the 3800 is a great engine when properly maintained. nothing irks a mechanic more than a customer who whines about the repair bill on his car when the car has been obviously neglected.
reliability I may as well throw my little less than half a nickel in on this one. As a mechanic that works on nothing but american iron and buicks, I may have something intelligent to say, but we'll see. What knowone seems to be mentioning is the point that throughout the mid to early 80's-90's American companies like GM were in a transitional stage. How many new engines have been introduced since 1985? More than i can count with two hands and i still have all my fingers. I like to think that I can be unbiased because i do not posess the undying affection for buicks that some people seem to have, although I do love my T-type very much, 153,000 miles later. In comparison, open the hood on an early eighties civic, come on Buick fanatics, it won't hurt that bad. I think you'll find that for the most part, the 1.5 or 1.6 that sits there exept for the possible carb. looks and is exaxtly like the 1.5 or 1.6 still offered today. Except for V-tec and fuel injection, very little has changed. The same goes for camry's as well. Japanese companies have historically Built a good product and stuck with it, it's what they do. Not to say they don't have there items that need attention like timing belts or c-v boots, but i guarantee that anyone out there driving a 3.1 powered GM car has a leaky intake gasket, unless they have already fixed it. I guess what i am getting at is the fact that for the most part, any car will be reliable if properly maintained, which almost never happens.o No:
buick the 3.1 engine is a piece of crap . the 3.8L engine is a great pushrod powerplant ! i own a 98 regal gs , manufactured 05/1998 , purchased in june 1998 . i just replaced the rocker arm cover gaskets this past summer . have had 2 climate control heads fry , the 2nd one this past august . according to the regalgs.org site , this a major problem to other regal owners . the suspension is weak , but a set of michelins helped alleviate some of that problem . otherwise love the car . goes like h*ll . very comfortable . the car was my wife's selection . originally went shopping for a new gmc pickup at the time . the buick lesabre has top ratings for quality !!
Hey, they are reliable cars if maintained... I've had my 79 Century around since 87 -367k kms out of it's first engine...swapped for a 455 only. -9 months continuous running in Inuvik (as far north as one can drive). -Survived a trip to Argentina & back. -Towed once: last year when I blew it's engine at the track. It's an antique in 2004 and will be a daily driver again once the new 455's ready.
I think it's pretty surprising since Consumer Reports has historically been biased toward Japanese cars. One thing GM did right was the CV boots (plastic not rubber). I've NEVER had to replace one on our cars: 93 Saturn, 160 K 4 86 Fiero GTs 125K to 195K miles 85 Century wagon, beat to hell, 240K 88 Reatta 110K I've had to replace them on friends Sentras, Altimas, Camrys and Accords....some twice before 100K. Bruce
