Buick Regal. I'm sure the mere mention of the name Buick sends images of older people driving way too slow in big cars. Fear not people, Buick has evolved! Looks, driveability, ride and engines have all been tested and perfected. In fact, recently they were rated highest in quality right behind Jaguar in a major newspaper article.
I drove a '99 Regal GSE (apparently a special package for the GS) in that beautiful two-tone teal color. It had large P225/60R16 (16 inch in layman's terms) wheels with a bright chrome finish on them.
When I first sat down and breathed in that new-car smell, and looked at the ergonomic dash, it all came across as alot of thoughtful detail and high-quality materials. All the material on the dash was soft to the touch and colored a pleasing tan. The seats were supportive and was boosted in all the right places. The leather covering them as well was supple and had that great smell (not overpowering though). And no need to worry about cold seats in the wintertime, it comes with heated seats. They adjust many different ways for many sizes of people.
The car seemed very open, airy, with plenty of room in back. And it has a split-folding rear seat for those large items that are too long or too big for the already spacious trunk (16.7 cu. feet). The liftover height is low, which is really nice for heavy items.
And the GS has go like you wouldn't believe, what a great sleeper car it is. No one knows what you really have on your hands, and you can easily take advantage of this. Those Camrys and Accords and six-cylinder Mustangs wouldn't know what hit 'em. The engine powering this one is a legend, the 3.8-liter Supercharged V6 that makes 240 horses and a quite-admirable 280 lb-ft of torque. In other words; this puppy runs. But, if you don't want or don't need that power, the LS starts a little cheaper and has essentially the same engine, sans the Supercharger. However, it's still got plenty of pluck, as it makes 200 horsepower and 225 lb. feet of torque. Even in this one you won't have much, if any trouble merging or passing.
It's a great buy, packed with value, you won't find a BMW or Mercedes sedan with this power in anywhere near this price range. And of course, it's got all the niceties, controls for the stereo on the steering wheel, ABS, airbags, 4-speed automatic transmission, independent 4-wheel suspension, and an available sunroof or moonroof.
Don't let the conservative looks fool you, this is a great car, and likes to be driven.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): varies
Condition: New Model Year: 1999 Model and Options: GSE, fully loaded
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