'16 Buick LaCrosse: probably my next car

[jalf]

I own a '15 LaCrosse. I bought it off a lease 18 months ago from dealer for about same price you're considering. (I do not have auto stop-start on my car.) Don't put many miles on it (I'm retired). Drove it this summer to Florida and back and got 28 mpg on the interstates. It's a nice highway car. Love that the air conditioning works well in hot weather. Have to use Dexos oil in the 3.6L engine. I've been using 5W30 Mobil 1 and M1 filter. Oil is fairly easy to change. Oil filter sits right under the hood.

Would I buy this car again? Yes.

 

[Ed_Flecko]

It looks like it has very few problems!

https://www.carcomplaints.com/Buick/LaCrosse/

Ed

 

[DeepFriar]

Although I've owned several Buicks (and we still have the 2004 Rainier my wife intends to be buried in) all I can add on the Lacrosse is that two friends and one neighbor own ones from since the last big restyling and they love them. I think the shape is very classy and will still look good for a long time to come.

 

[drfeelgood]

My wife and I have been very pleased with her 2017 La Crosse. No issues at all. I'm not a fan of the stop/start but its not that obtrusive. Very comfortable, good-looking and avgs 23 mpg mainly around town and short highway trips. Also, the 4 yr 50k warranty is nice.

 

[Bonnelvr92]

If I were you I would get the Lacrosse for your next car. The 3.8 v6's were known for reliability, power and torque, and were known to be a popular engine from the late 70's to 2010. The 3.6 is what replaced the 3.8 and from what i've read there just as good as the 3.8, so with that being said I would get the Lacrosse.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted by Benzadmiral
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by Trav
Bit of a geezer wagon compared to the BMW isn't it? I couldn't make that kind of a move at any price.

OP has had a Buick for a number of years before getting the BMW, and he only had the BMW for a year (or less), so going back to Buick he'll probably feel right at home.

Honestly, if my 530i gave up the ghost tomorrow and I needed a new DD, I'd seriously look at Buick TourX - crazy good deals out there on these wagons. The AISIN trans is probably the only weak spot there that some people find less than optimal.

My little fling with the BMW was apparently just that, a spring/summer romance. I bought it in March and the heavy rainstorm of July 10 sent it to the car hospital; and my insurance company totaled it last week. I loved the gadgets, the precise steering, and the effortless power, but replacing it with another 328i is proving to be a problem. I don't want to go over a certain price, and all the '16 and '17 328is, those young enough to have some warranty, seem to be out of that range. The 320i, its lower-priced cousin, is not powerful enough for me.

Hey, if I drive the "geezer wagon" the same way I did the BMW, and I will, I'll get the same amount of pleasure out of it. Not the same kind of driving pleasure, but the same amount.

(I used to say about my Park Avenue that the cruise control steered the car automatically toward all Piccadilly Cafeterias and bingo parlors. If that's the perception people have of the cars, so be it.)

You should try VW Passat 3.6 VR6. It is not BMW but it is much faster on the feet than anything GM/Buick/Chevrolet in regular vehicle market. Plus, there is no V6 (apart from Alfa Romeo, of course) that sounds like VR6.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I drove the big beast home last night and in to work on my regular route this morning. Aside from feeling as though the visibility is a bit restricted (those narrow windows! What, is there a glass shortage or something?), I thought it performed beautifully.

It may need new tires soon; the fronts look a little worn, and I'll ask my mechanic this morning to pay attention to possible alignment issues. I can use the tires/alignment cost as a bargaining chip to get a few dollars off. Maybe.

 

[NothingNew]

Originally Posted by Benzadmiral

It may need new tires soon; the fronts look a little worn, and I'll ask my mechanic this morning to pay attention to possible alignment issues. I can use the tires/alignment cost as a bargaining chip to get a few dollars off. Maybe.


If you do make an offer I hope you get a screaming deal. The car has been for sale since March 26. On the plus side it looks like the Buick is a CPO:
Buick LaCrosse Perhaps it was made a CPO by a sister dealership?

If you would like to get another BMW 328i there is a '16 CPO in Beaumont, just under 260 miles from the Subie dealer: '16 CPO 328i

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted by NothingNew
On the plus side it looks like the Buick is a CPO:
Buick LaCrosse Perhaps it was made a CPO by a sister dealership?
Wonder if the CPO information is correct. I thought a car sold at an auction (as per Carfax report) could not be CPO'd.


Quote
If you would like to get another BMW 328i there is a '16 CPO in Beaumont, just under 260 miles from the Subie dealer: '16 CPO 328i
I think OP wants a light colored interior.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted by NothingNew
Originally Posted by Benzadmiral

It may need new tires soon; the fronts look a little worn, and I'll ask my mechanic this morning to pay attention to possible alignment issues. I can use the tires/alignment cost as a bargaining chip to get a few dollars off. Maybe.


If you do make an offer I hope you get a screaming deal. The car has been for sale since March 26. On the plus side it looks like the Buick is a CPO:
Buick LaCrosse Perhaps it was made a CPO by a sister dealership?

If you would like to get another BMW 328i there is a '16 CPO in Beaumont, just under 260 miles from the Subie dealer: '16 CPO 328i

Somebody moved fast; Cars.com has removed that listing. Yeah, a light-colored interior is required. Black feels small, is hot, and (in my experience, anyway) shows dirt far too well.

Well, I bought the LaCrosse. My mechanic gave it thumbs up; he put it up on his outdoor lift and said, "Go look at the underside." The car is super clean, no leaks or evidence of them anywhere. He also did not think I needed to shop for tires for quite a while. The dealer topped up all the fluids, he said; no need for service for some time.

The dealer and I batted numbers around for a bit, but settled on a good price, I think. Good for me, anyway. The finance fellow tried in a low-key fashion to sell me an extended warranty, but I passed. Got 4.1% interest. Perhaps my credit union, who beat the interest rate on the 2011 Regal by a significant amount in 2014, can do a bit better.

The Regal's sunshade fits fine in the LaCrosse, which has a power rear sunshade already. Its windows are already tinted, though I may have the local shop put a dark (legal) band at the top of the windshield. I need to read the manual and learn how to personalize all the settings!

 

[santiago]

Benzadmiral,

Nice car!!

I have a 2007 Lacrosse and a 2006 Lucerne. Buicks offer a lot of car for the money IMO.

BTW, I grew up in Gentilly and lived in Metairie for many years.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted by santiago
Benzadmiral,

Nice car!!

I have a 2007 Lacrosse and a 2006 Lucerne. Buicks offer a lot of car for the money IMO.

BTW, I grew up in Gentilly and lived in Metairie for many years.

Gentilly was once a jewel of a neighborhood. For some reason Walker Percy referred to it as a "suburb" of New Orleans in The Moviegoer.

I only wish I could afford to move to Metairie. Of course, if I could do that, maybe I could afford to leave the whole state.

Thanks for the compliment on the car. Buicks are real bargains, but a lot of people don't seem to realize it. Which leaves more of them for smart BITOGers.

 

[dishdude]

Can't wait to see some pictures. I'm a huge fan of the LaCrosse, I think it's a terrific car.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted by dishdude
Can't wait to see some pictures. I'm a huge fan of the LaCrosse, I think it's a terrific car.

Here's one pic from the dealer's website (for some reason the others won't display in Windows 10). I'll take some others soon:

 

[wbwanzer]

Very nice. I love the color.

 

[Benzadmiral]

The car is smooth and nimble. I haven't even begun to see how it does at high speed (i.e., over 70).

My only problem with the big red beast as yet is that the backup camera image is bright, and with the passenger front window tinted and parking on a dark street, I can't tell where the stern of the car is. I've started a thread in Electrical about adding two little LEDs under the rear fenders, behind the tires, that would come on when the camera does. WyrTwister suggested wiring the LEDs to the backup light. I'll stop at the local tint shop tomorrow and ask if they can do that, and what they would charge.

And you're right, the dealer website does say that the car is CPO. I can stop at Crown Buick, my usual dealer, and ask if that VIN is indeed CPO.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Update,

After looking at my car outside in the full daylight, I wonder if my front windows might not be tinted too dark to pass legal inspection. They look almost limo-tint, which will not pass here, and might be causing my lack of vision. I may have to get them peeled and re-tinted.

Anyway, three more pics. Note how dark the front windows look in the side view. The tint does keep the car from looking too much like a Bingo Night Express, though!

 

[dishdude]

Beautiful car!

 

[Tahoe4Life]

Congrats! Nice looking vehicle!

Tint does not looks too dark IMHO. I have 18% all around with a strip of limo tint below the ASE line. I would actually prefer darker tint. The only vehicles that get stopped in Florida [and elsewhere it seems] are vehicles with limo tint all around. People who tint their entire windshield [which is common in South Florida] can have issues with law enforcement.

Hopefully the Buick is high enough to avoid any more water issues due to flooding. With that said my Panthers did okay in floods to my surprise as a few times I thought I was dead in the water in Miami Beach during high tide combined with heavy rain.

 

[SatinSilver]

I see why you like the light colored interior so much. That looks sharp combined with the exterior color. I'd leave the tint alone for now. Worse comes to worse they give you a warning for it. I think you'll be fine but I'd prob get a strip for the top of the windshield. Enjoy the new wheels!