A Look at the 2002 Buick Regal GS, Joseph Abboud Edition

I have been a General Motors man all my life. When I was introduced to the GM employee discount (through marriage), it pretty much sealed the deal. Here's a little secret. Before I was married I owned the old-fashioned GM credit card that let you build up nest egg for a reduction in the price of a new car. In the late 1990s early 2000s when GM sent out notices to switch your card over, I did not. What they were trying to do was restrict customer to using either the GM employee discount or the GM credit card incentives (not both). Wisely (actually because I was lazy), I hung on to both.


Style and Appearance

I have the 2002 Buick Regal GS 4-door sedan, Joseph Abboud Edition. Joe is a Boston-Born clothing designer; I am not sure how he worked the deal with GM for the special addition.

The Regal is white with light sandrift trim on the bottom. It has a striking two-toned leather interior, affluent in Abboud signature emblems. The flow of the design is rounding, warm and inviting. Very classy. Almost Lexus-ish. In other words, the car is very easy on the eyes.

Score: 4.5 of 5

Engine; Acceleration, Speed and Quickness

This 240 horsepower, V6, 3.8L engine with Supercharger is stunningly fast. I remember when I test drove the car and the salesperson told me to punch it. We were on I-70 and I pushed the pedal to the floor. There was no hesitation; the car surprised me and accelerated forward; I had to swerve into the parallel lane to keep from hitting the car in front of me. I was not expecting that kind of acceleration from a Buick. Over the last 3 ½ years the car has not lost any of the speed. I have buried the speedometer at 120 mph without a problem. If I remember correctly the rpm were somewhere around 6. I actually timed the 0 to 60 benchmark and netted 6.8 seconds. My co-worker has a Pontiac Grand Prix and continually insulted my Buick on quickness. I will finish this section by saying he had buy me dinner.

Score: 5 of 5


Handling

The GS comes with the GT suspension and 16-inch aluminum-alloy wheels. The stock Goodyear Eagle tires were inadequate for car. I put up with them for about 2 years then changed over more aggressive tire (that is another review). Even with the stodgy tires, this is no sports car. It is not bad, but it is not meant to take tight, free-way ramps at 65 mph. I used to have a Chevy Berretta GT and it could take those curves like butter though a hot knife (reverse that). However, compared to my wife's van and my son's SUV, the GS Regal performs like Camero. The variable-assist power rack-and-pinion steering (GM's MagnaSteer) is exact and taut.

The engine is front wheel drive with a four-speed automatic transmission, and has a heavy-duty unit to handle the extra torque. The car is equipped traction control. I am no expert in this area. I can just say that in the Ohio snow, it still loses traction (a bit of a bummer).

When I score this area I break it into 6 parts:

Score - Handling (dry) with stock tires 2

Score - Handling (dry) with aggressive tires 4

Score - Handling compared to sports car 3

Score - Handling in its class 4.5

Score - Handling in rain 3

Score - Handling in snow 2.5


Braking

The car is equipped with ABS in addition to the traction control. The brakes are nippy and reliable. I have had no problems. Usually brake issues are pronounced (not always); At this time all I can say is the rotors are in good shape, wear well, and the pads have lots of life left (32K). Oh yeah, she abruptly stops when needed. The touring package comes with larger front brake rotors to speed braking response.

Score: 5 of 5


Ride

The ride is a bit stiffer that expected, but on a smooth road the car glides just as well as it performs. Soft and quite. Just what you expect from a Buick.

Score 5 of 5


Interior / Toys / Comfort

Nice leather accents inside. The steering wheel and the shifter (as well as the seats) are two-tone leather. The bucket seats are comfy for long trips but if you want to play sportster, forget it. You get tossed around. Here is a list of the toys;

Air Conditioning
Cruise Control
Power Door Locks
Power Steering
Power Windows
Tilt Wheel
Single Compact Disc
Monsoon Stereo Premium Sound
Leather
Dual Power Seats
Sliding Sun Roof
OnStar
Gran Touring Package
Abboud Package
Dual Front Air Bags
LH Front Side Airbag
Power Mirrors
Auto Headlight Dimmer
Remote Access
Dual Heated Seats
Dual Climate Control
Low Tire Pressure indication

The steering wheel houses the radio/CD controls such that the driver can change volume, station, tracks etc. without taking their eyes off the road. The instruments cluster is efficient and easy to read, but lacks an oil pressure indicator. I use carpet mats, but I have noticed that the carpet does not hold up very well without the mat.

Score 4 of 5


Roominess

If you are a driver that is 6' or less and the front seat passenger is about the same, you are in great shape. The front is roomy for even larger people, but this subtracts from the space in the back seat. I have been in the back for long trips and I must say it is very comfortable with plenty of leg room (average height driver).

Score 4 of 5 (not good for tall driver/back seat leg room).


Trunk

The spare tire is a donut and I do not like a donut. This means that if you want to carry a regular sized spare you take up valuable trunk space. I like a large trunk and the Regal only has an average sized trunk to start.

Score 3 of 5


Reliability

I have only had 1 problem. The supercharger pulley locked up. The dealer called it a fluke. Repaired at no charge.

Score 4.5 of 5


Sweet Stuff

The Monsoon stereo is very nice. It has 6 balanced speakers. Includes different tones for Jazz, Rock, County, Talk Radio, etc., but no equalizer.

Power sliding sun roof with sun visor. Tilts up and down also. This would be much cooler if I was not married……

Tire pressure indicator - activates when tire pressure (compared to the other 3) is low. Saves much wear on your tires. NICE FEATURE.

Leather….feels good

Score - Just for the fun of it


Mileage

I real shocker. 19 mpg city, 29 mpg highway. My commute is 50/50 and I average 24.3 mpg. I think this is only a 12 gallon tank, so I still fill up too often; needs a bigger tank.

Score 3.5 of 5


Value

The sticker price was $29,900 (with delivery). I received $3,500 in rebates, a $3,100 GM employee discount, and $3,000 GM credit card discount. I took the extended warranty and the (with a bit more haggling) price out the door was about $20,000 with tax. At present the book value is about $12,000. Had I paid regular price and financed the car, I would most likely be top-heavy right now. Unfortunately, GM cars just do not hold their value. This means that you have to hold on to the car for a long time.

As a used car, these puppies are going for about $11 to 13,000 as of July, 2005.

Score (for me) 5 of 5

Score (general public) 3 of 5