2001 Buick Regal GS from North America - Comments

I bought this car new and have been driving it for 2 years. It's at 43K miles.

I've had three minor problems with this car, one of the items repeated and appears it may be an issue.

One of the windshield wipers stopped moving at 15K miles. I tried tightening the nut down myself, but something was stripped. The dealer fixed it under warranty. They had to install a new wiper arm.

The CD player stopped working at 30K miles and had very minimal use on it. Dealer replaced it under warranty.

At 25K miles I felt a light clunking in the steering wheel/front end of the car when turning, breaking, accelerating or when hitting a bump. I looked at everything that could be suspect like breaks/struts/mounts, but found nothing. The problem gradually got worse, but at most was really only a nuisance. When I had it at the dealer for the CD player (30K miles) I asked them to look into it really not suspecting them to find anything. Right away the service rep said it was probably the steering column needed to be tightened and greased. I had never heard of this, but sure enough they tightened/greased it and it fixed the problem and drove like new. It kind of worried me that the service rep knew about this right away, I immediately suspected I'd be back for it...

At 40K miles the clunking started again and gradually got worse, so at 43K miles I called in to make an appointment and explained to the service rep that it was likely the issue with the steering column again. He said that it would not be covered because the vehicle was out of warranty, I explained that I had an extended warranty and he told me that this type of "preventative maintenance" would not be covered under the extended warranty. Luckily it had only been 10K miles since I last had it in and they cover all work performed less than 12K miles ago.

I will be taking the car in for this issue every 10K miles in the future so they do not try to charge me for this. "preventive maintenance"??? Give me a break.

I wrote a detailed review of the steering column issue in hopes of other people with the same problem being able to identify. The clunking is very slight and could be viewed as normal after you get used to it.

Please add your own survey if you have or have had this problem.

Overall this is a fun, luxurious, and very reliable vehicle!!! Even with the steering column issue.

I've owned multiple other new vehicles and by far this one has had the least problems, and at 43K miles it still handles, performs and rides just like new.

The 240HP 3.8L Supercharged V6 is very impressive. This car will blow away most ricebangers and sports sedans out there. 0-60 in under 7 seconds-and with the SC, it doesn't lose it's power after that like most vehicles that tout the same. Very responsive at any speed.

The interior has nice soft leather, lots of room, and the seats are very comfortable front and back. The Monsoon stereo cranks.

With all the manufacturing rebates and low interest rates, you can get a great deal on this car...

I'd definitely recommend this vehicle.

Yes, I used to have a GS as well, but I don't see anything reliable about any GM brand, Buick definitely being one of them. I now have a Lexus GS430, the power is really impressive, the engine being just.5 Lt bigger then the Regal GS, but you feel the difference. Power is achieved at all RPM ranges and it will waste a Regal any day, both on a drag strip or an opstacle with corners. Last time I timed it, it did my 5.8 0-60, being completely stock. And since it's a Lexus, you know it's reliable.

I have a 2001 regal... it had a slight clunking noise in the front end... my mechanic checked the service bullitins and found that the brake calipers needed a kit because of loose fitting bolts on the calipers... it seemed to help, but I still can feel a slight clunking... i guess I will have to go to the dealer to have the steering colum looked at.

I have a 2001 regal with the same shutter in the steering wheel. What did you do to fix it. justin_hogan@hotmail.com.

I am responding to the first commentor. Where are your facts that say that Buick and gm make trash??? Lets check out some real factors. First of all you cannot compare a $25000 Buick, which is supposed to be a seniors car, not a sports car, but it can remarkably do both; against a $60000 Lexus. The Lexus has a 4.3 liter V-8 that makes 300 horsepower. The Lexus does 0-60 in 6 seconds. The Lexus also has 325 lb.ft, and does the quarter mil at 14.5sec at 95 mph, and also finished dead LAST in Road and Tracks October 2005 comparo against the BMW 545i and Infiniti M45 Sport, now there is a fair comparison. Motor Trnd also tested the GS430 in 2001 and said this "Seats short on lateral support," "Uplevel stereo is good-but overpriced,", and "Wheels/tires don't quite fill wheelwells." According to a newer 2006 Motor Trend test however, your lexus gets a highly unimmpressive 18mpg!!, and will only take premium fuel. In that test our lexus contiues to remain winless in a comparison, against the M45 the lexus was obsolete. Motor Trend said "If you're seeking a true driver's car that encourages you to make excuses to hop behind the wheel to look for the long way home, the M45 is the right choice here." Sorry Lexus lovers. If your getting bored you might also want to know that your lexus realiability doesn't compare agains the Regals. Look at the regals nice and shiny jd power award stating #2 in vehicle dependability study for premium midsize cars. Guess who the regal finished #2 to, the Buick Century!!!Now for the regal gs whith some comments from consumer guide. "Well-known for smooth running, GM's 3.8-liter V6 engine feels great when installed in a Regal, furnishing good acceleration at low speeds, as well as plenty of passing power. Performance is better yet with the supercharged edition." Now some quotes from familycar.com. "This All-American sedan continues the Buick tradition with a superb 240 horsepower supercharged V-6 engine and an interior that is all Buick." "The Regal features dual-zone automatic climate control air conditioning as standard equipment. This allows the driver to set the interior temperature using a thermostat-like temperature control while the front seat passenger is able to modify the temperature on their side by up to 5 degrees either way. The system worked well and was quiet.""The gauges are easy to read with large numbers on the speedometer and tachometer. The radio buttons on the steering wheel are illuminated at night and tended to be distracting at first, especially when turning a corner, but I quickly got used to them. These buttons get quite warn to the touch because of the bulbs behind them and would make good hand warmers if they were larger. There is a rubber pad just below the ignition switch on the steering column to keep keys from making that annoying clicking noise as they slap the column while you drive. A thoughtful touch.""

Now, let's talk about my favorite part of this car, that wonderful supercharged engine. The 3800 Series II V6 engine blends old and new technology to produce high horsepower, gobs of torque and good gas mileage. The engine block and heads are cast iron with a single camshaft in the block driving two valves per cylinder. High-tech engines usually have multiple overhead camshafts and 4 valves per cylinder and produce excellent power for their size but that power is usually produced at high RPMs with the engine screaming. This engine produces most of its power at lower revs making it seem like it's not working very hard to deliver it. The supercharger, which is standard on the GS, is an old Hot Rodder's trick and is responsible for the additional 40 horsepower over the engine in the Regal LS.""The engine is quiet at cruising speeds and light acceleration, but under full throttle, it has a throaty muffled growl that is accompanied by a howl when the supercharger kicks in. This is a strong engine with excellent throttle response throughout its RPM range. 0 to 60 comes up in a quick 7.1 seconds, but the real fun comes from goosing the throttle at just about any speed to produce an immediate surge forward like an attack dog lunging at its prey. The transmission delivers almost imperceptible shifts at light throttle, but responds quickly with solid downshifts when you stomp the gas. There is no "Sport" mode on this transmission and the console shifter does not lend itself to quick manual shifting. Overall, the car feels very "together" with an engine that sounds and acts more like a V8 than a V6. One quibble was that the moonroof shade did not have sufficient friction to keep it in its place during hard acceleration or braking. Full acceleration caused the shade to slide open about half way while hard braking would close it. No, I didn't use the engine power every time I wanted to open the shade (only some of the time).""The steering was very quick and responsive with 2.39 turns lock to lock and provided good steering control and directional stability. Wind and road noise are well controlled. It is hard to tell how fast you're going without looking at the speedometor." Topix.net most clearly states my point when they say

Want a reliable car? Buy American.

Beautiful comment above. The truth can definitely be found if looking in the right place. Comparing a Regal GS and a Lexus is ridiculous. $60000 vs $25000 is just plain ignorant. Seriously. A true comparison should be made using a Regal and a Camry. Camrys are just horribly ugly anyway so there is still an unfair comparison there. Anyways, throwing away 60 large on a rice-patty caddy is about the biggest waste of money I can personally think of. For under $60, one could pick up a brand new CTS-V which would make any overpriced asian pile feel like a go-kart in comparison. BMW, Mercedes, Saab, etc. all make beautiful, performance orientated and well made vehicles. All of which make a Lexus look and perform like a tin can. And again to mention the CTS-V which will just kick the crap out of ANY Lexus and for nearly 10 grand less. Lexus is just too overpriced and underpowered. It's the uninformed and uneducated idiots who continue to buy these vehicles at a ridiculous prices which in turn, keeps the demand and prices high. WAKE UP you morons. If Lexus would price these vehicles for what they are actually worth, they may draw even more die-hard American buyers. But again, with a world full of total jerk-offs who spend money blindly, I doubt we'll see that any time soon.

I bought a new 1998 Buick Regal LS in August of 1997 and drove the heck out of it to 178,000 miles, in March of 2004. I had some problems along the way, mainly front wheel bearings. (3 sets in total). The electric window buttons were iffy and I repaired/glued/fixed them often and they always worked. The elecromatic mirror went out early. When the car was nearing the 150K range the "EPA mileage computer" option faded away to a blank. Mechanically the engine and tranny were flawless though an engine mount did need to be replaced near the end. Oil leaks began and the oil pan was snugged and hence it stopped. One water pump around 75K and the stero CD player easily skipped. Still I think it was a great car and I would have bought another in 2004, yet they were pricey. I bought a Chevy Impala LS (mechanically identical) and it has been better than the Buick (no wheel bearings to date--I now have 75K on the 2004 Impala) and it was a cheaper on the sticker price-with a great rebate. Nothing was seriuolsy wrong when I traded the car (as I wanted it to be a somewhat pleasant experience) yet I am sure the car would have gone over 200K!

The rice grinder crowd is buying the illusion of reliability. All cars will have issues... All cars. The foreign car loyalists like to think that they are getting "something" for all that extra money spent. So understandably it just kills them to hear or read about 200,000+ mile 3.8's like what you get with the Regal. When you throw in the fact that you can get massive price breaks through incentives and rebates, on top of comparable reliability, and it is like a dagger through their little hearts.

With all that said; not all American cars are 200,000+ mile reliable, but the Regal has more than proven itself to be all that and more... and a solid performer while doing it.