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Junkyard Gem: 2000 Buick Regal GSE

Except for a break from 2005 through 2010, and an indefinite break after this year, The General has been selling the Buick Regal since the 1973 model year. From 1988 to 2005, the Regal rode on the same GM W-Body front-wheel-drive platform as the Chevy Impala and Pontiac Grand Prix, and some of the more interesting W Regals came with ever-hairier versions of GM's supercharged Buick V6 engine. These Eaton-blown Regals were big, comfortable and quick, but they've nearly disappeared from roads by now. I found this 2000 GSE, the kingliest Regal of that year, in a Colorado self-service yard last month. Some junkyard shopper had already grabbed the Eaton M90 blower from this car by the time I got here, because everyone wants a blower or nine stashed in the garage (I have five at the moment). If you're looking to junkyard-supercharge your AMC Pacer wagon race car and use a Soviet truck carburetor for fuel delivery, the Eaton M90 is about the easiest to remove from the junkyard and the easiest to rig up on the car. This engine made 240 horsepower when new, giving the Regal GSE quarter-mile times below the 15-second mark. The price of the 2000 Regal GSE started at $25,300, or about $38,640 in 2020 dollars. You could get the same engine engine and chassis with the Pontiac Grand Prix GTP sedan for $24,610, giving you near-identical performance and a sportier (but less dignified) look. Buick didn't bother making a manual transmission available in any North American W-Body Regal after the 1993 model year. This reduced the fun level in these cars, but probably spared owners a lot of broken axles, CV joints, and hubs. This car has the optional Monsoon speaker system, also found in some Volkswagens of the same era. Apparently Monsoon systems for home computers were all the rage during the early 2000s. Did the Oshawa plant lift that "One grade only and that the best" slogan from the Canadian Corps in Passchendaele in '17? It sounds like a Commonwealth slogan of an earlier era. This car looks pretty good inside and out, but most Colorado buyers seeking a powerful used four-door these days seek out trucks. It doesn't take much of a mechanical problem (or accumulation of parking tickets) to doom a car like today's Junkyard Gem. So many features!

GM reworking mandatory OnStar plans for some 2024 models

For the 2023 model year, GM added its OnStar and Connected Services plan as standard equipment to a large number of Buick, GMC, and Chevrolet vehicles. Folding the $1,500 retail price into the MSRPs of models like the GMC Acadia and Buick Encore plumped up prices beyond the usual year-on-year bumps. Looks like there's a reversal in play for 2024, GM Authority reporting that many of the models fitted with OnStar and Connected Services — now called OnStar Premium — will step down to three years of OnStar Remote Access standard.   OnStar Remote Access comes with these features: Remote key fob, vehicle locate, and remote personalization through mobile and in-vehicle apps. Three additional features can be added to the plan: OnStar Guardian, in-vehicle hotspot, and Super Cruise. Owners can also upgrade to OnStar Premium if they choose.  Higher trims like Buick's Avenir and GMC's Denali, plus the GMC Hummer and the Cadillac Escalade will retain OnStar Premium as standard equipment. That suite starts with Remote Access and adds: Automatic crash response, stolen vehicle assistance and recovery, OnStar Guardian, in-vehicle app access, unlimited streaming, three years of Super Cruise on vehicles with the hardware, and six months of SiriusXM radio. The Escalade puts a cherry on top with three years Sirius XM instead of six months. The Remote Access plan normally charges $14.99 per month. We're not sure yet if GM will subtract the cost of OnStar Premium from the MSRP and add the $540 for OnStar Remote Access, or if the trial period comes free of charge. Even if that's what happens, the change could take nearly $1,000 off the MSRP of a car like the GMC Acadia before any 2024 increases. We'll know more as the 2024MY models roll out and prices are announced. Related Video 2022 Buick Enclave Avenir revealed

Buick Electra E4 and E4 GS Ultium-based EVs introduced in China

China leads the way with Buick's revival, this month seeing the Trishield brand introduce another Ultium-based EV in two flavors for the Asian market. First comes the Electra E4, the crossover-coupe version of the Electra E5 that emerged from hiding in March. We know the formula — a little lower, a little shorter, a littler wider than the traditional sibling, with a steeper slope in the roof and a much faster backlight. The E4 wears a different front fascia design and touts subtle shifts like a single DRL instead of the dual DRLs on the E5. It goes a bit further with dual spoilers out back, a design trend found on decadent crossovers like the Aston Martin DBX and Genesis GV70 Coupe Concept.  The E4 is touch larger than our Buick Envision, the Chinese Electra about 7 inches longer, an inch wider, and 2.4 inches lower than the Envision, on a wheelbase 4 inches longer. The interiors hew to the design shown in the E5, with a bit more flash added. The same EYEMAX 30-inch, 6K curved screen forms the heart of the Buick Virtual Cockpit. The carmaker says front passengers get 39.9 inches of headroom in the E4, and there is "customer-pleasing headroom and knee space for second-row passengers," everyone bathed in light from the 12.9-square-foot low-radiation panoramic roof. It has 28 bins and cubbies for storage and 15.6 cubic feet of cargo room.  Underneath the skin, the entry-level powertrain has a 65-kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery powering a motor on the front axle making 241 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque. Based on China's test cycle, range is estimated at up to 329 miles. For now, the Electra E4 is only available with front-wheel drive.   Then there's the E4 GS, the first EV to merit Buick's Gran Sport designation. It's distinguished from the regular E4 with tweaks like a black diamond grille, black mirror caps, Night Bronze accents outside and in, 20-inch wheels hiding six-piston Brembo brakes on the front rotors, and illuminated sills. The GS starts with the same FWD drivetrain as the plain E4, but adds an AWD trim as well that's powered by a larger 79.7-kWh battery and makes 283 hp and 343 lb-ft. The front-driver can hit 62 miles per hour in 7.6 seconds. The AWD model cuts that sprint time to 6.2 seconds and increases range to an estimated 385 miles. Top speed for both drivetrains is 112 miles per hour.