In a previous post, I shared about how I needed rescue from a 2006 Impala SS (a curious purchase that I refer to as “my midlife crisis car”) that had been found to have serious issues. At the time, my salesman Tom took the problem to Ryan, the general manager and son of the owner of the dealership. Ryan told him to call me down to the dealership since he had a deal that would satisfy us both.
Cindy and I arrived at the dealer to see a beautiful crimson red 2007 Buick Lucerne CXL. This car had the Northstar engine and was a CPO unit. The best part was that Ryan had not only picked it out for us, but he had personally driven this car to make sure that it was all in great condition.
What a step up. Cindy and really loved that car and began to press it into service as our traveling car.
The first trip was from Findlay, Ohio to Knoxville, where we were looking to relocate; at the time we both worked for Walgreens and they were happy to have us in Knoxville. On the freeway, that Buick was what I had always believed a car should be; quiet and serene, but with a good ride, not like riding on a marshmallow.
We did move to Tennessee soon after, and drove that Lucerne for about one and a half years. Then, something went wrong; the Lucerne began to shut itself off. And not once or twice, but all the time.
I called Buick and they informed me to take it to a local Chevy dealer. On the call, I told the attendant lady that I suspected the issue was in the ignition switch (this was way before GM came out with the truth).
The dealer went through the car for three days, driving it all over. It failed on them two times, and the lead mechanic felt that it was simply a computer issue, so he did a hard reset.
I was told that the car was ready for pick up. When I drove the rental back and arrived at the dealer, I saw another 2007 Lucerne in a deep red that caught my eye. This one was the CXS model, loaded pretty much the same way to mine and also with a Northstar engine. So I had an idea; I walked up to a salesperson to ask if that unit was for sale.
He verified that it was and that they had just finished the mechanical portion, but that it had not been detailed. I asked him for a test drive, which he agreed to. It was in very nice condition, and more importantly, it didn’t have the stalling issues. After the test drive, I asked to see the sales manager.
A gentleman walked over and I made him an offer –my ’07 Lucerne with 4000 fewer miles for his ‘07 and that he didn’t have to deal with detailing; I’d take it as is. You see, the CPO was out on my car and I knew that the issues weren’t resolved. But the service manager deemed my car “Safe in every way,” so I thought it best to let it go.
The sales manager didn’t seem keen on the deal, until I told him that my car (which was sitting 20’ away in the service drive where he could see it) was lot ready! After that, we made the deal and I drove home.
Stepping up to the CXS trim added a few nice things, such as heated seats, the Magnetic Ride control and 18” rims. I must say that the CXS drove better in our opinion. It was such a great highway car, which was important since we often made trips from Knoxville to Fort Lauderdale and from Knoxville to Columbus Ohio, throughout the year.
The best part of the story? Well, eventually events proved I was right about what was wrong with my car. When I checked the Carfax report, my CXS showed the car had an ignition switch replacement before I bought it. And then, my CXL was sold to a lady who had it towed back to the dealer only two days after buying it! The salesman told me that her complaint was that “It keeps stalling out.”
The dealer refunded her money and that car went off to auction.
So there’s the closure on my midlife crisis Impala nightmare, and while I dodged the bullet on the CXS, it’s one more reason why I won’t ever buy another GM product.
Thank you all for the support of reading these stories. This stuff cannot be made up.
Related CC reading:
Future Curbside Classics: The Smooth, Quiet Ride To Nowhere – Part 1: Buick Lucerne
I saw the “four holes” in the first picture and was expecting a tale of Northstar woe, but you surprised me. I remember thinking how nice one of the V8 Lucernes would be when these were new, but that engine did not age well. Now, if I was looking for a cheap old car from that period, an earlier Lacrosse or LeSabre would be preferred (and I used the term preferred fairly loosely, given my prior subjective dissatisfaction with a Lacrosse). But you buy a cheap old car for the mechanical guts and not the other stuff that is important when a car is newer.
You did indeed dodge a bullet there! I hope the CXS worked out for you. That was probably a really pleasant car on the highway if everything was working as it should be.
The CXS was really a much nicer car. And the only reason that the ignition switch has been replaced, imo, was that it was a rental for 6 months.
We only had one issue with the second car (CXS) was the brake interlock froze. It was only about $120 to repair. Other than that, we racked up serious miles on that car.
As far as the NorthStar, I had been advised that they weren’t known for there long life so by 100,000 we were prepared. We traded it for a…
These cars are getting old now. A 2007 is nineteen years old. While Buicks were generally pretty good cars of the era, age is creeping up on them. The only twenty year old cars I would daily would be Honda or Toyota.
Agreed. Had a 05 Lesabre for many years. Loved everything about the car. At 19 yrs old and almost 200,000 miles the tranny went. Rebuild was going to be more than the car was worth. Sold it as is and bought my wife a new Passport. I took her 15 yr old Accord. Thought about another older Buick but they’re just getting too old. Enjoyed it while it lasted.
Love that shade of red.
I had an ’09 Lucerne CXL with the VVT V-6. Bought it from my mother-in-law when she moved to a 2016 Lacrosse. My neighbor, a Cadillac mechanic, said I got a much better car by avoiding the Northstar.
Never had ignition troubles, but had to have the oil pan replaced, and that was over $1K since one one the driveshafts ran through the oil pan (GM engineering). And for some reason, I had to replace the exterior driver’s door handle twice, as it broke very three years.
It was serenely quiet, and a great Interstate cruiser. Excellent HVAC system, plenty of room, adequate power, and a huge trunk. However, the standard suspension (no MagnaRide) would float and wallow around on back roads. It was NOT a sport sedan in any way, which I guess made it a traditional Buick.
Ran it to 175K miles when the 4-speed automatic (it really should have had a 5-speed transmission) decided it didn’t want to transmission anymore. Since the repair would have cost more than it was worth, off to the scrapyard she went. A shame, really, as otherwise it was in great condition.
Replaced with a 2018 Toyota Avalon Hybrid (the car the Lucerne should have been.) Better car in every way than the Lucerne, except the trunk is smaller (hybrid battery intrudes). Generally pulls 35 MPG on trips, so 50% better fuel economy than the Buick.
We really liked the Lucerne. We had, on several occasions, looked at Toyota and Honda but every time they were treating customers like they were selling gold bullion!
But we got tired of GM. We bought a used 04 Grand Marquis 3 years ago and it’s really been probably one of our most reliable cars.
How often are problems “solved” today by cycling power or pressing reset, whether it’s a car, computer, Internet gateway, cell phone, AppleTV, or what not. Reminds me of whacking vacuum-tube TVs.
It’s workaround hack for an opaque defect, likely in software given how sloppily written much of it is. Any fool can code, but it takes diligence and skill to design and implement well. This is why there are costly verification protocols for safety-critical software, e.g. airliners.
Thank you! My thoughts were exactly that when I went in to the service department and was told by the man, who’d driven the car home on a few occasions and when things failed, just reset everything.
Before I took it in the car had stalled/shut off during a left turn across traffic. I then told my wife that it was no longer safe in my book.
I worked as a GM service advisor during the faulty ignition lock cylinder debacle. We were told to deny it, no matter what. The problem was caused by having a super heavy key chain, which caused the lock to degrade. GM knew about the problem early on. They even issued a new lock cylinder, with, get this, the same part number. Yes, GM was trying to cover its behind but without admitting there was a problem. The upshot was GM knew its product was killing people, covered it up and did as little as possible about it. Somebody should have gone to jail over it.
This wasn’t the only bit of GM scumbaggery I experienced. I saw plenty of it and, having been burned by GM products, I’ll never buy another one.
I agree. For almost 15 years I managed then owned my father in laws hardware store. We were forever telling people not to put so much weight on their key ring, and I’ve never had more than 2 or 3 keys.
I told Buick that the car’s behavior indicated to me that the ignition switch was bad, and she shut that down quickly!
I was a GM fan after many Ford quality issues during the 1980’s. Now GM has burned that bridge.
I’ve recently had a lot of time to read the older articles here and find the GM deadly sins fascinating.
You know, I should have known better after having to send a 98 Cheyenne V6 basic pickup through the lemon law!
I heard read about the key ring issue at the time and immediately removed my car key and fob to a separate ring, where they’ve remained ever since.
In 2017 searched all around the midwest for a Lucerne like this – I’m old school and insisted on V8 powered unit – and – in GM’s White Diamond Tri Coat Pearl color (I have a slight fetish for that color). After researching, I learned that GM had fixed the headbolt issue in Mid 2004, so I decided to search for 2006-2009 models which would be in my price range.
Nothing in the used market could be found, so I shifted my focus to the Cadillac DTS, which was built on the same platform, although not quite as stylish IMO. I really enjoyed the one I found, a “Platinum” model with just about every option and electric function on it. It was quick, rode great and had all the comforts a Caddy can offer.
Sadly, in a parking lot of a liquor store that was under construction with no parking lot lighting, a pedestrian ran out in front of me, and I turned, smacking the side of the car on an i”nvisible” light pole. A lucky strike right at the portion of the frame where the door and front body panel are connected resulted in the car being totaled. Only vehicle I’ve ever totaled and I was heartbroken.
I got a replacement courtesy of my insurance company, a lesser equipped 2007 DTS model (again, couldn’t find a White Diamond Lucerne with a V8) I enjoyed it and the only issue I had was the incessant power steering fluid leak. Evidentially it is a very high pressure system, and although my mechanic replaced the pump 3 times, it never was completely remedied.
The Northstar engine gets a lot of grief, and rightly so for GM’s early editions, however after 2004 it was a pretty bulletproof powerplant.
I love that shade of red. I also yearn for the days when Buick sold cars…
Coming from the Impala, the North Star felt much smoother. And it didn’t pretend to be fast, just smooth.
I looked at Cadillac back in those days, but my wife felt that it sent the wrong message. Then two years ago she finally caved and bought me my 1978 Fleetwood! She’s driven it a few times and enjoys the compliments! Sadly my mechanic has it apart right now. But I’ll get it back and finished by summer’s end or before.