Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Regal has everything you could want in a comfortable highway cruiser. Let’s see if its price puts the idea of buying it on cruise control.
Playing “cops and robbers” is probably something kids just don’t do anymore. If you lament the passing of that old-school playtime staple then maybe you’re in the target audience for the 2002 Chevy Camaro B4C we looked at yesterday. That Camaro was claimed to be a former California Highway Patrol vehicle and was liveried up in full CHP regalia, with everything short of a two-way and the mount for a shotty. It looked pretty clean, but at a $20,900 asking, it was obvious playtime was over. That price earned the Camaro a devastating 95 percent No Dice loss and probably a couple of points on its license as result.
Do you have a fancy refrigerator or one that just primarily keeps stuff cold? Hey, do you even know the brand of the fridge sitting in your kitchen? For some people, an appliance is nothing more than a means to an end. A fridge keeps things cold. A stove makes things hot. You get the idea. For some, however, these items are more than just appliances, they can be status symbols. That’s why we have brands like Sub Zero and Wolf, as well as Maytag and — heaven, help us — General Electric.
This applies to cars too. Since you’re here right now reading this, it’s extremely likely — nay, I say almost a certainty — that you consider cars to be more than mere appliances. That’s not to say, however, that we special souls can’t appreciate the occasional appliance car, especially when it’s super good at getting the basics right. Any car that can be comfortable, reasonably reliable and willing to carry your gear gets that basic stuff right. If it does all this at a price that doesn’t break the bank, that really sticks the landing.
This 2000 Buick Regal GS is just such a car. It’s nothing special, and, in fact, you’ve probably passed by any number of similar models and not given them a second glance. Today, we’re going to do just that.
Buick is one of the last American carmakers that’s still making anything close to the traditional American car. I say close because the current Regal is based on the global Epsilon II platform and is little more than a thinly veiled edition of the Opel Insignia. That’s weird since GM and Opel have since parted ways.
This 2000 Regal, however, is as intrinsically American as baseball and paying too much for healthcare. This is a member of the fourth generation of the Regal line and rides on GM’s W platform. That was shared with the likes of the Oldsmobile Intrigue, the Chevy Lumina and the Pontiac Grand Prix. And yes, all of those other cars are long dead. What’s your point?
This Regal is still kicking and with 240 horsepower out of its supercharged 3.8- liter L67 V6, it’s got plenty of kick. With the standard four-speed 4T65-E automatic, that engine could move the Regal to 60 from a standstill in under seven seconds. Not only will this combo get the job done, but it should do so with little fuss, as the supercharged L67 is one of GM’s best motors. Not only that, in these cars it sips gas at the rate of 30 miles to the gallon on the highway.
The car wrapped around all of that is innocuous at first pass, but fairly elegant once you stop and smell its roses. It’s painted in two-tone black over gray and rides on chromed factory alloys. This being a Colorado car, there is a pair of snow tires on additional wheels that come as part of the deal. The bodywork looks clean, though in need of a good polish and color correction.
The interior has it going on as well. There’s leather upholstery on the seating surfaces and while this isn’t a big car on the outside you should find plenty of room for four — or five in a pinch. There are all the expected amenities and a stereo that does both CDs and cassettes which is a nice conversation starter.
The ad shows the mileage at a modest 128,000 and claims that the clean-title car still “Runs and Looks Excellent.” On the downside, the dealer offering the car does not offer financing, so be prepared to bring the full $3,950 asking should you want to drive home in this cream puff.
Before any of us run out and do just that, let’s have a closer look at that price. What do you think, is this supercharged Buick worth that $3,950 asking as it sits? Or, is that just too much for an “appliance?”
You decide!
Denver, Colorado, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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