zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
Buick Has No Idea How To Actually Sell The Regal TourX Wagon
Buick Has No Idea How To Actually Sell The Regal TourX Wagon-December 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:09:49

The that Buick. But semantics aside, the automaker and its sales staff are pretty much clueless as to how to actually get new customers into these things.

, the TourX is supposed to be GM’s crack at stealing even a little bit of market share away from the Subaru Outback that pretty much dominates the rugged-lifted-wagon segment.

Now Buick may tell you that the Regal longroof actually competes against the Volvo V60, BMW 3 Series Sportwagen, and Audi Allroad, but that’s not quite accurate. Even though the TourX offers some luxury appointments, folks looking for an Audi, BMW, or Volvo are probably not cross-shopping Buick. However, buyers in the market for a Subaru may give it a look.

Other than auto journos and weirdos that like wagons, the general public barely even knows this car exists. I found one TV spot from two months ago, that includes a “handsome car buying man” and smaller versions of “handsome car buying man” talking about the stars.

I don’t know much about marketing, but that doesn’t seem terribly effective.

More importantly, GM is making zero effort when it comes to rebates and incentives. Here are the current offers via Buick’s website:

You can have up to $5,000 the tiny Buick Encore crossover, but if you want the TourX you are out of luck. According to one of my dealer contacts, the lease programs on the Buick aren’t great with a 45 percent residual, and that kind of depreciation drop will mean higher payments. Since the entire Regal lineup is designed to get folks from other brands to consider Buick, the fact that GM isn’t offering some kind of conquest or competitor incentive seems foolish.

It’s not just Buick corporate that is dropping the ball here—even on the dealer level things are pretty sad. I had a few recent clients looking for nice wagons and I made sure I put the new TourX on their radar. Most of them were pretty impressed after a test drive, but when it came down to actually get a deal, things fell apart.

A lot of Buick dealers were not cooperative when it came to actually give pricing and the numbers I did receive were pretty pathetic. Discounts were maybe a grand or so off the MSRP. In one instance I had a client who wanted to order a TourX, when they sat down with the dealer to do the paperwork, he said to them “I don’t know why you want to order this. No one is buying these cars.” Then he demanded a $1,000 non-refundable deposit and told them they must do a credit check at the time of order.

I’ve done dozens of luxury car orders and rarely do they require credit checks before the order is placed and the deposits are almost always refundable.

The Buick sales manager did an excellent job of not selling a car that day, and these folks ended up with a new Outback 3.6 at a substantial discount. While the TourX may offer a better “value” from an equipment perspective, Subaru corporate and its dealers seem to be much better .

Subaru has been winning a lot lately. It’s one of the few brands that consistently delivers…

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
At $18,500, Would You Lean Toward Buying This 2022 Ford Mustang?
At $18,500, Would You Lean Toward Buying This 2022 Ford Mustang?
Today’s Mustang is being sold by a towing yard, which means it’s probably a lien sale. Let’s see if this clean title convertible is priced to put a new buyer on the hook. The general consensus on last Friday’s was that it would be the perfect car for someone...
Dec 24, 2024
Someone Willingly Paid $16,000 For A Maserati Ghibli On Cars & Bids. Don’t Make The Same Mistake
Someone Willingly Paid $16,000 For A Maserati Ghibli On Cars & Bids. Don’t Make The Same Mistake
Let’s cut right to the chase: buying a is not a good idea unless you have deep enough pockets for the upkeep. For those not in the know, they’re sirens. They draw you in with their premium Italian image and sweet songs of and then go in for the...
Dec 24, 2024
At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?
At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?
One of the calling cards of today’s Plymouth Colt is its “Twin Stick” overdrive gear change, which gives the car eight speeds going forward and two in reverse. Let’s see if this project car has anything else to offer. Just as Goldilocks discovered when appropriating Papa Bear’s lifestyle and...
Dec 24, 2024
Which One Of You Suckers Is Going To Pay Over $32,000 For A 25-Year-Old Toyota 4Runner
Which One Of You Suckers Is Going To Pay Over $32,000 For A 25-Year-Old Toyota 4Runner
The (and Tacoma) have a death grip on used values. It’s been this way for years. Go ahead, go try and buy any TRD trim that’s a couple of years old; it’ll cost you as much as a new one — not that you could buy a new one...
Dec 24, 2024
At $8,600, Would You Go Topless In This 1994 Cadillac Eldorado?
At $8,600, Would You Go Topless In This 1994 Cadillac Eldorado?
The seller of today’s Caddy claims they should be selling it at auction but says who’s got time for that? Let’s see if we have the time for this custom convertible at its non-auction price. Many of you agreed that the $950 asked for yesterday’s was “chump change.” Even...
Dec 24, 2024
At $5,900, Is This 1984 Nissan 720 4X4 A Solid Deal?
At $5,900, Is This 1984 Nissan 720 4X4 A Solid Deal?
According to its seller, today’s Nissan 4X4 shows “pride of ownership.” Let’s see if it would take swallowing one’s pride to pay its asking price. Opinions were split on how well the design of yesterday’s has held up over the years. Some of you commented that the design still...
Dec 24, 2024
Copyright 2023-2024 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved