1989 Buick Reatta Base Coupe 2-door 3.8l on 2040-cars

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2014 Buick LaCrosse

A Nice, New Buick Aims For Middle Of The Road
Any time someone describes some portion of a car or a driving experience as being "nice," I want to either A) throttle them or B) run as fast and as far as I can from that vehicle. "Nice" is among the most insidious words in the English language - at best it's vague, and at worst, it conveys the exact opposite of its literal meaning. Yet it seems to be used with damnable frequency when it comes to verbally illustrating vehicles. "It looks really nice," or "These seats feel nice," or, heaven forefend, "It's got a nice ride," are all windy signifiers of absolutely nothing resembling a concrete opinion. "Nice" is the adjectival equivalent of meekly smiling and nodding your head.
Of course, I'm as guilty as the next person of having thrown English's least powerful descriptor around. There's even a chance that, rant aside, you'll catch me making nice in reviews to come. That's fine, but you should know that when you stumble upon such usage, past or future, that you've found a sentence in which I'm simply applying a bare minimum of effort to the task.

Question of the Day: Coolest factory-supercharged car?

Last week, we discussed possible engine-swap recipients for the plentiful-in-every-junkyard Eaton-supercharged GM 3800 V6 engine. The Buicks, Oldsmobiles, and Pontiacs that came with that engine from the factory were reasonably cool, of course, but when you look at all the production cars that have been available with supercharging over the decades you can find some pretty amazing stuff. My personal favorite has to be the Paxton-blown Studebaker Larks of the early 1960s, partly because the Lark was just about the stodgiest-looking, sleepiest little sedan available in America, possibly the most ridiculous recipient of a howling force-fed V8 imaginable, and partly because of the name of the optional supercharged 289-cubic-inch V8 you could get in the Lark: Jet-Thrust! What do you say is the coolest factory-supercharged car of all time? Related Video: Auto News Buick Automotive History Performance Classics supercharger questions

GM warning 800,000 owners that their cars may need oil changes more frequently than they say

The days of changing your engine oil every 3,000 miles are long gone thanks to most cars having automatic oil monitoring systems, but about 800,000 General Motors vehicles apparently have incorrect monitoring software that is leading to premature engine component wear. According to Autoweek, certain 2010-2012 Buick LaCrosse, Regal, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain models equipped with 2.4-liter four-cylinder engines could be going too long in between oil changes resulting in a higher-than-normal number of warranty claims for the engine's balance chain. The balance chain links the balance shaft to the crankshaft, and a worn one can produce higher noise levels.
As a fix, GM dealers will be reprogramming the software for the monitors in an effort to reduce the interval between oil changes, which varies based on driving habits and conditions. Through February 2015, the software update will be done at no cost to vehicle owners, but since this is not a recall, after that point, it will be up to the discretion of dealers as to whether or not they will charge for the service. What isn't immediately clear is whether GM plans on giving assistance to out-of-warranty customers who are experiencing engine issues from the worn chain.