6 Months Review: Buick Encore

[bairjo]

Only one problem...it is a GM. Hope you still love it when you do your 5 year review.. Thanks for posting.

[kimona]

Originally Posted by bairjo

Only one problem...it is a GM. Hope you still love it when you do your 5 year review.. Thanks for posting.

My Buick Encore is a 2-year lease, so I don't expect to do a 5 year review. Yes, it’s a GM; however, the Encore is an Opel platform (see Opel/Vauxhall Mokka) that is assembled in Korea and finally wears a Buick badge. So, “It’s not your father’s Buick” advertising clearly has deeper meaning than just aesthetics.

I’ve read numerous reviews where Buick's Opel platforms have been consistently rated for reliability on par with Toyota/Lexus for several years now. After some research, I discovered that Opel/Vauxhall vehicles are actually excellent cars with outstanding long term reliability.

As a diehard Toyota fan and JDM enthusiast for many years, I currently have no interest in any Toyota; all models are too damn ugly, uncomfortable seating in most, wretched CVT, and among the worst paint quality in the industry.

I drove every Japanese car that appealed to me before deciding to get the Buick Encore. My second choice would have been the Nissan Rogue or Rogue Sport, but Nissan reliability is average at best and Nissan paint is terrible. I’ve since driven the Subaru Impreza, and I really like the car, but Subaru reliability is just average and Subaru has far too many incidents of complete CVT failure.

Top of my list right now for a purchase or lease is an Opel platform, so I guess that means GM for me... in the short term anyway.