Thinking about a buick regal

[Lean L]

So in my long and exhaustive car hunt, I've taken interest in Buick Regals. The GS has a supercharger which entices me the most. What are your thoughts on this car? Is it a good sleeper? Is it reliable? Will it float like a boat? Thanks

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: iamanidiot
So in my long and exhaustive car hunt, I've taken interest in Buick Regals. The GS has a supercharger which entices me the most.

(1)- What are your thoughts on this car?

(2)- Is it a good sleeper?

(3)- Is it reliable?

(4)- Will it float like a boat?

(5)- Thanks

(1)- Not the most exciting vehicle, but a good value-for-money in the used market.

(2)- They're not that fast, even with minor mods. Accord V6 6MT, Maxima, lots of cars with similar power will be quicker. Of course, they're not really slow either. It's a nice medium-power setup. You won't be burning Mustang GT's or 350Z's or Evo's from stoplights.

(3)- Pretty much. Change the fluids, watch your temps, and that 3800 will run like a tank. If anything, bits of trim and supplemental components will fail before the motor.

(4)- Pretty much, but they're comfortable.

(5)- You're welcome.

If you like it, go for it. There's not a lot of better options for the $, and IMHO it looks a lot better than the similar Bonneville GXP or whatever they call it (same motor/SC/tranny). About the only other cheap car in that range I'd look at for the same setup (midsize/fullsize, FWD, 200+HP, reliable) would be the '00-'03 Maximas, particularly if you can score a MT SE model.

 

[Lean L]

Thanks. Hmm, I'm kinda torn here. I would want something that handles well too... How's the maxima in terms of handling? 3.5L right?

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: iamanidiot
Thanks. Hmm, I'm kinda torn here. I would want something that handles well too... How's the maxima in terms of handling? 3.5L right?

Not necessarily, the gen of Maxima I'm thinking of is the previous gen, which is pretty universally looked at to be better than the '04+ Maximas.

http://www.edmunds.com/used/20...+page&mktid=ik16231731

'00-'03 Generation
~3200lbs

The '00 and '01 have the 3.0 VQ, 222hp, 217tq.
The '02 and '03 have the 3.5 VQ, 255hp, 246tq.

Compare to :

http://www.edmunds.com/used/20...l/100106582/specs.html

Buick Regal SC, 3550lbs, 3.8L SC 3800, 240hp, 280tq.

You can find 6-speed and 5-speed (depending on year) manual-shift Maximas, but the Regal is only available in 4-speed slushbox.

About the only negative I can think of with Maxima vs. Regal, is that some of the parts on the Maxima can be pricier, I had a buddy from church that spent over $1k to get various emissions components fixed up to pass Texas emissions, on a 2000 model with 270k on the odometer. He drives the crap out of that car, and it's never stranded him.

Either car is pretty darned decent though. You can find great Regals and Maximas around and sometimes well below the $5k mark.

 

[RKS]

I have a 02 Max with the 3.5 and the 6-Speed. I currently have a rough 120K miles on it.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

If you want a more sporty nature:

Pontiac Grand Prix GTP - and yes once modifed these can be beasts!
Impalla SS -

Both use the same motor & platform as the Regal GS.

 

[Knavish]

FWIW I bet parts on the Regal will be much less expensive than the Maxima.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

The Regal isn't really a car for people that want sporty. If you want something comfy that can scoot, it's great though.

 

[Mermaidman]

Sounds like you need to do a test drive.

 

[KeithP]

I bought a 98 Regal GS brand new and had it for 9 years/120,000 miles (approx). It has a lot of low end grunt (280 ft-lbs of torque). It provided a comfortable ride with OK handling.

However, the last year I owned it it started having mechanical problems. First, was the supercharger (replaced it with a rebuilt one), then the AC condenser went out. The leather didn't wear very well either. Overall I liked the car but thought it could have been built better.

-KeithP