2009 Buick Lucerne Super from North America - Comments

Nothing! Superb!

I am 29 years old. I have never owned a Buick before, and I'm a southern Californian who typically goes for BMW, Audi, and Lexus (like everyone else here). Recently my wife (28 and a doctor) bought an 08 Buick Enclave CXL. I discourage her from buying it as it was a Buick until I drove it myself and fell in love.

A few months ago, I decided to take the leap and trade in my BMW 3 series, for a 2009 Buick Lucerne Super. With every option and extra accessories, the price came near $50k. I have owned previously an Audi A4, a Lexus LS, an Infinity, and most recently my BMW, which I loved. BUT... I seriously LOVE the Lucerne Super so much better than any car I've ever owned. I paid slightly more for it than my other cars, but it was worth it. This car is gorgeous inside and out.

It is loaded with all possible luxuries, has plenty of room, that I never had before even with my large Lexus LS, and the seats are fantastic. Silk infused leather with perforated suede inserts... how the heck can you go wrong with that? The Northstar V8 runs like a bolt of lightning, but is as smooth and soft as butter (much like the heated and cooled seats), and is whisper quiet when you're not blowing away the german and Japanese competition on the 405 freeway.

The handling and ride are wonderful, the exhaust sounds sporty, even sexy I'd say, and the NAV system with real time traffic, XM radio, remote start, and Onstar are great.

I feel so safe and comfortable in this car, and we've driven ours cross country already. The trip was sublimely comfortable and trouble free! The harmon/kardon stereo is wonderful, as is the plug in for our iPods, the bluetooth feature for my phone is invaluable, the heated walnut steering wheel and walnut gear shift I adore, and I love the interior as much as the exterior (a leather dash with french stiched seams? My Bimmer didn't have that, nor did my Lexus).

This is an EXTREMELY affluent vehicle, and so far as I'm concerned, it rivals Cadillac, Acura, BMW, Lexus, etc. Frankly, I wouldn't even put this car in the same class as a Toyota (as so many on here do), Ford, Chrysler or a God forbid a Hyundai... PLEASE, gimmie a break, these cars may have a more youthful market, but they have nowhere near the association with luxury and prestige as the Buick. Trust me, I've tried them all. I'm very discriminating and there is no comparisons to me. So these comments are soooo not true of this Lucerne or Buick in general. This is NOT entry level luxury, and it's not an "everymans" full-size geritol car. TRUST ME.

And remember, I'm saying this and I'm 29, not 70, and I live in L.A. The car gets tons of looks, tons of compliments, and I'm proud to drive it. If anything, it's original. Everywhere I look I see a Benz, a Lexus, a Bimmer or a Toyota, and I think they're overrated. I say to hell with Germany and Japan... sorry... this is my honest opinion. This is a much classier car without the pretentiousness. The gas mileage isn't great, but hey, you have trade offs here and there. The comfort, style, power, and safety are reasons enough to go with the Buick. It's just so much classier on the inside and out.

In summary, quit knocking the Buick. Toyota and Hyundai, sorry... not that hot to me, and definitely not in the same class, even if the prices are similar. In fact I wouldn't want to be seen in one those... those cars are basic transportation and do not represent the lifestyle my wife and I enjoy. Buick is luxury, and whether you're in your 20's or your 80's, who gives a care? A fine car is a fine car (especially with the 100k warranty), and the dealer was the best. I was treated like gold, and so was my wife.

This is just a completely honest opinion from an affluent 20 something guy, who drove the best of Germany and Japan, and now has seen the light. If Buick continues like this, I'll never drive anything else! Toyota, Honda, Ford, Hyundai.... so not cool. They're average. You might not find a Buick in a driveway in Beverly Hills, but you won't find a Toyota, a Chrysler or a Hyundai there either. Buick represents the affluent upper-middle class, and is to me, comprable with Lexus, Infiniti, Cadillac, Acura, and Lincoln. Oh, and so far as the old man image, has no one ever noticed that most people over the age of 60 ARE IN FACT driving Leuxs, Mercedes, Acura, Infiniti and even Jaguars? I know and work with plenty of people over 60 and 70 that drive those cars (and that's why I mention it).

The new Buick line deserves an equal opportunity to be seen, driven and appreciated by all ages...and they're certainly not cheap either...My wife's blinged out Enclave was over $52k, and mine was pretty close. Ditch the old stigma!

Thanks for the well detailed and positive review!

I used to sell new Buicks along with many, many other makes, including many of the high-end makes such as Lexus & Audi.

I am no longer in the automobile business, but I thought I'd add my 2 cents here.

The Buick Lucerne is a fine automobile. It probably doesn't get the kudos it deserves. It seems as far as domestic sedans go, the Chrysler 300 got a lot more press than the Buick Lucerne. In my opinion (and I sold them both) the Buick is the better built vehicle.

That being said, I wouldn't discount the fine automobiles made by Lexus either.

For at least $10,000 less than the loaded Lucerne, you can get a Lexus ES which is also an outstanding automobile. Plenty of power and comfort for a rather reasonable price.

You need not spend over $50,000 to get a fine Lexus.

Also, as far as SUV's go, in my opinion there is none better than the Lexus RX, and you can get a very, very well-equipped one in the $40,000 - $45,000 range. (I do not own a Lexus, by the way, but I would not hesitate to do so).

There are also a few models from Audi that appeal to me, but their reliability record(or lack thereof) scares me a bit.

However I must say that I read that Saab models can be troublesome, and in my personal experience, I've found that not to be the case. My own Saab has proven to be very reliable. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. I do shake my head when I see sticker prices of $52,000 on the newest 9-3 convertibles, though. (The depreciation is pretty steep)

I think with the exception of a very few makes, you can find a nice vehicle that suits your needs from virtually any manufacturer.

Again thanks for a fine review of a very fine car.

Nice to see another young Buick fan, however the prices you mention seem very high. $52,000 for an Enclave. I have never seen one over $45K and it was pretty well loaded and I rarely see a Lucerne for much over $42K I live in the Mid-West but I assume MSRP is the same from coast to coast.

It really saddens me to see the current condition of GM. With talk of bankruptcy looming I am left wondering where I will buy my next car. It would be a shame if Buick ceases to exist. Like you, I will never own a Japanese car, I find them far too boring and wonder how they are possibly so popular??

I like the current style LaCrosse which will be made through early next year. From what I've seen of the next generation car I don't care for it. Just more of the same trying to mimic Honda and Toyota and looking bland as ever.

Considering our luck with GM vehicles, if GM were to go out of business (which I seriously doubt) I will just buy good used ones for the rest of my life. My family just sold a 32-year old Buick with over 270,000 miles on it. It had never had any repairs. Just routine maintenance. We decided to keep our 54-year-old Pontiac a while longer. It's still too new to get rid of.

In regards to the above posting, Japanese vehicles are so popular because they last. GM hasn't built a decent car in 15+ years. There are more 30 year-old GM cars on the road than 5 year-old GM cars. Look back at the Caprice, Cutlass, Regal, Delta 88. These cars were built to last and have done just that. Then take a look at the Saturn Ion, Pontiac G5, Chevy Cobalt; these are throw-away cars that make a Hyundai look like a Cadillac. Cheap, cheesy plastic junk is what GM is now known for.

23:17 that is just a little far fetched. When is the last time you saw a car from 1979 or older? I know I see very few here in the Mid-West where I live. The average age of an automobile is about 9 years old, and statistically more of them are domestic than imports. GM, as well as every other car manufacturer has greatly improved the reliability of their products since the 1970's. Really, domestic cars are just about equal to the Japanese cars these days. Sure there are some exceptions, but Toyota and Honda have had them too.

11:40 If domestic vehicles are so terrific, why are American automakers on the verge of collapse? Why are new domestic vehicles being offered to buyers at buy-one, get-one free deals?

Import vehicles are subject to extreme taxation upon entering this country, and still cost nearly the same as a vehicle built here. GM can now only move units in China because people there are new to vehicle purchasing and do not understand what separates a good vehicle from a bad one.

Vehicles made here have become progressively worse over time as manufacturers ignore such things as reliability, styling, and performance. Only a big-dollar GM car will offer the same reliability as a cheap import. The point of the previous post was to illustrate the fact GM gave up trying when they discontinued the Caprice. But, by all means, buy American. Mechanics need jobs, too...

I will agree with one point you make, the auto manufacturers all have definitely ignored styling. However, the Japanese are the worst in that respect and always have been, and I think largely to blame for the current style of domestics. Detroit has tried to emulate the look of the imports for years, and have gotten blander and blander to the point you can hardly tell a Buick from a Honda.

To say GM gave up when they discontinued the Caprice says a lot about what you know of the auto industry. The B-Bodies (which were GM's full-size cars from 91-96) were never sales successes. Even the Caprice sold less than 100,000 units in '96 and a majority of them were taxis and police cars. If GM had relied on the Caprice, it would have filed bankruptcy a long time ago.

From what you have written, I assume you are a big car fan as I am (I currently drive a full-size Buick), but I can't understand why you are a proponent of import cars. For the most part their offerings are the complete opposite from traditional American cars like the Caprice and are largely responsible for their demise. That is the one reason I will never drive a Japanese import.

GM has tried to emulate the styling of imports. In other words, they fired their own design teams and ripped-off the look of cars that were selling. THIS is why GM will fail. They quit making unique vehicles and copied the Japanese. When you have to choose between a foreign or domestic car and they both look alike, most would opt foreign. Even old-timers who fought and served in wars overseas who swore they would never drive a foreign job have come around. I'm not a proponent of import cars, I drive a Monte Carlo SS everyday and I hate ricers. I am, however, upset with GM and the company's lack of ambition to save itself. If billions of dollars fell into my lap, I would have taken GM off life support by now. Also, despite the fact the Caprice never sold, it was still quality (I have a 9C1, that's why I won't shut up about the Caprice. Love that car.)

There are some very suspect positive reviews about GM cars in this website you know... This is one of them.

No, really, anyone in their right mind knows the Buick Lucerne has got to be the lamest excuse for a luxury sedan you can buy these days.

So the Buick Lucerne Super, it may have a V8 engine, but it performs like a 4-cylinder with V8 fuel economy; actually I'm being unfair to the engine, I suspect the real culprit is the recalcitrant 4-speed transmission, but you get the point: Mediocre performance with equally mediocre fuel economy.

Then there's the monumentally sleep inducing styling. Even in black, the Lucerne still is no beauty to behold and it's even worse inside where everything appears to have been lifted directly out of the catastrophically boring Chevrolet Impala (An utterly, utterly hateful car by the way).

Oh and I still haven't got to the worst bit yet: Driving the thing.

It rolls and wallows all over the place, the anvil in the nose causes it to wash wide and holy torque-steer! You can say the Lucerne isn't supposed to be sporty at all, but it doesn't mean the car has to be this stodgy to drive.

I could say the Lucerne has a fantastic stereo and it's spacious and comfortable, but what's the point?

You don't give a damn whether the stereo sounds good or not; it's something you simply don't care when buying a car.

Spacious and comfortable is what you would expect from a full-size American sedan, so that's pretty much predictable.

Overall the Buick Lucerne is a boring car that you shouldn't be bothered even trying. It's mediocre at its best.

I am usually a defender of imported cars on this site, but I must say that you are way off base with your comment. Sure, to you, the Buick may not be all that the reviewer feels that it is, but I would not call it mediocre. Besides, if it is as good as the reviewer believes it is TO HIM - that's all that matters. Why does it bother you so much that someone actually likes his domestic car?

"There are more 30 year-old GM cars on the road than 5 year-old GM cars."

The above statement is totally wrong and factually incorrect.

I live in the Sunbelt, and every day I see late many late 70s to mid-80's GM cars on the freeways. A coworker drives a 1973 Olds 98. That's a 37 year old car. It's basically like new (and never restored). It's not at all unusual here to see Ford and Chevy pickups from the late '60's still on the road. I have not seen even a mid-80's Honda or Toyota in years. Not even the bodies last that long. But yes, there are certainly many more 5-year-old GM cars around than those from 30 years ago. In spite of being in bankruptcy, GM sold more cars in the past 12 months than Toyota did. Of course Toyota is facing massive safety recalls and hundreds of lawsuits now.

As for Buick, we sold a LeSabre last year with over 277,000 miles on it. It was like new. Not a single repair except for 3 brake pad replacements. Buick is currently tied for first place (with a Ford) in J.D. Powers long-term reliability rankings, beating out even Lexus. Of course even the Buick pales in comparison to our Pontiac. It turned 55 years old this year and is 100% original and still driven. We love GM and Ford products. Our 2003 GM SUV has over 80,000 miles and has not even had the brake pads replaced yet, or any repairs of any kind. Just one battery and one set of tires.

Mediocre is a perfect word to describe every car in the Honda and Toyota car dealerships. I am not really a fan of the Lucerne, so I won't argue that point, but honestly if you think any import from Japan is better, I would seriously question your judgement. And to the commentor who stated there are more 30 year old GM cars than 5 year old ones, that is simply ridiculous. But at least there are still 30 year old GM cars on the road. I just passed a '77-'79 LeSabre coming home today. When was the last time you saw a Honda or Toyota from the '70's (junkyards excluded).

Well, I recently saw a beautiful 1978 Datsun (now Nissan) 280-Z. Of course the flimsy Nissan drive train had long ago been replaced by a reliable small-block Chevy engine, transmission and narrowed rear end. There are a few Japanese cars that the bodies have survived reasonably intact from the late 70's and 80's. Except of course for the Z, none are worth restoring and dropping a good engine in because of the mundane styling.