27th Aug 2012, 20:48
Here are the straight facts which you ignore:
1) Who in their right mind would pay $40k+ for a Buick, when you could buy a Cadillac or Lincoln, which are genuine luxury cars.
2) US Presidents always rode in Lincolns and Cadillacs, so they are Presidential cars, and are world class luxury cars. Does Buick hold the same prestige? I don't think so.
3) There is a reason that GM places Buick between Chevy and Cadillac, which is so that it is the upper trim/premium Chevy product. People who want a more plush car then a Chevy, but can't afford a Cadillac, buy a Buick.
4) The only third competitor to Lincoln and Cadillac was the Chrysler Imperial, which no longer exists.
5) $80k-$90k to buy a Mercedes or BMW, the only thing prestigious about it is the price tag -- still a plain Euro sports sedan.
6) Again, Buick is on the same level as a Mercury or Chrysler, even if it is $40k+. It doesn't matter if the car costs $40k+, it is how the market views the car -- Ford and Chevy pickup trucks can cost over $40k fully loaded -- does that make them luxury vehicles? I don't think so.
7) Buick is a nice car, but it is not a luxury car.
8) Why aren't there Buick limos on the road?? Why only Cadillac and Lincolns -- really more Lincolns. People and drivers always preferred the ride of a Lincoln.
9) If the Buick PA was so successful in ride and prestige, why did GM discontinue it like 6 years ago?
10) If I had to choose a GM product, I would buy the Cadillac because it is GM's genuine luxury division.
28th Aug 2012, 18:27
OK, I will hand it to you that the Buick brand is not as "elite" as Cadillac or Lincoln. However Lincoln is definitely not on many luxury car buyers lists under the age of 70 anymore, and it is slipping even with them.
The Buick Brand is finding new, younger buyers, and the average price of their cars sold is becoming ever higher. I loved my Park Avenues, and they were more comfortable and better looking than the large Lincolns and Cadillacs in my opinion. Obviously that is why I bought that model over others. For the amount I paid, I could have easily bought a Lincoln or Cadillac, but found the Buick was my number one choice.
My 2005 Park Avenue had a sunroof, back-up sensors, heads up display, tricoat paint, and upgraded sound system; all of which were not available in a late model Town Car.
Lastly, I don't know who in their right mind would pay $50,000 for a Town Car that was basically a $30,000 Grand Marquis. And if the Town Car is so great, then why did FoMoCo discontinue it with no planned replacement??
30th Aug 2012, 17:48
20:48, the majority of your comments are your personal opinions, not hard facts!
1st Sep 2012, 00:45
"And if the Town Car is so great, then why did FoMoCo discontinue it with no planned replacement??"
The MKS is the TC's replacement... Ford discontinued their old flagship sedan because it would have to be re-tooled to meet the EPA's up-coming stricter CAFE standards.
1st Sep 2012, 20:51
Well if you consider the MKS a proper replacement for the Town Car, then you just contradicted yourself on all of your prior posts. By the way, the Buick Lucerne was a replacement for the Buick Park Avenue/LeSabre, and was discontinued the same year the Town Car was.
2nd Sep 2012, 19:05
Guys, there is no need to argue about American luxury cars when we are all on the same side. We should support one and others opinions.
Save the energy for when some Lexus fan tries to disprove our facts.
3rd Sep 2012, 20:54
"Well if you consider the MKS a proper replacement for the Town Car, then you just contradicted yourself on all of your prior posts."
I've only made one post in this thread LOL... Anyway, I have no experience with the MKS, so I can't pick it apart. I do own 2 old Lincolns though: '79 Town Car and '83 Mark VI. I took them to a car show last week :)
7th Dec 2012, 04:12
My Aunt, 94 years old bought a new 2011 Town Car. We told her that the resale value would be terrible. She said she didn't care, as this would be her last car and she wanted it.
It was $48,000 with an aftermarket padded roof and a service contract good for free oil changes up to 100,000 miles.
Of course she died shortly after buying the car, but not before she had wrecked it 6 times. The accidents were always minor and involved things like driving up over curbs and hitting the beams around an ATM or fast food drive through.
I must say that the suspension must have been well built as she never broke any parts of it. She even dropped the car off into a ditch at 30 mph and went up over a side walk, and the car went airborne for 10 feet and landed, when a child on a bike came out into the road. The story was true, because the child's mother said it just like it was in a police report.
She paid out of pocket to fix all these accidents, except the child accident, and we found receipts for over $22,000 in repairs. If she had one more claim, her insurer would cancel her.
I sold the car last month for $6600 cash at a local car auction. We tried to sell it, but everyone was always making a big deal out of all the marginal body work. We were 100% honest with prospective buyers. We had only 3 weeks left to settle the estate, or else the other family members were threatening a law suit. She had over 3 million dollars and that is all they wanted; her money as fast as possible.
It had 8,000 miles on it. We sold it so cheap due to the fact that the paint didn't 100% match in places, the hood was misaligned along with 3 of the 4 doors didn't open and close just perfect.
You could feel sand paper feeling paint on the inside of the door jams. One of the headlamps had paint over spray on it and the windshield was cracked.
The car drove like a dream. You could feel the weight of the car as it went down the road. The cabin was whisper quiet and the trunk was truly cavernous.
We took it on a road trip and got about 25 MPG overall. Not bad.
The heated seats are way hot. The seats are so soft. The doors feel thick and heavy. The trunk lid feels thick, as if you would walk on it and not dent it.
The frame under the car looks beefy and rock solid. The suspension parts are fat and heavy looking.
To say the least the car was very well constructed. No weight and cost cutting measures in a Town Car, at least not in the frame and suspension. Even the back axle is as beefy as an F-150's axle.
We probably should have kept it.
I am really contemplating buying one. I was searching for Town Car reviews, and that is how I found this site.
We even rented one and loved it as well.
They are not perfect cars, but they sure come close, and we have had people in our neighborhood get over 250,000-miles out of a Town Car with little to no major problems.
26th Aug 2012, 20:13
I too also very much agree that the interiors of Mercedes or BMWs are boring and full of plastic, and the leather feels like cardboard.
They don't even come close in plushness or comfort in an American land yacht.
However I can't agree that a Park Avenue is not a worthy competitor.
I do own a high mileage 96 Town Car in great condition; probably the best car I ever had. But yet my father owns a 2003 Park Avenue, and I personally think that the ride on the Buick is a bit smoother and softer than my Lincoln. Also, the PA has more luxury amenities than my TC, but yet it is 7 years newer.
In my eyes, I believe full-size Buicks were always great luxury cars that competed in the same league as Lincoln or even Cadillac; another brand I owned in the past.
My father has been buying Buicks for well over 50 years; when I was younger, we had an 82 Electra, and one of the last RWD 85 LeSabres (2 door). Both were awesome cars.