Flashback Friday: 1980 Buick Regal for Columbia, South Carolina Drivers

YouTube finds itself loaded with all sorts of old videos, many of them promotional videos of vintage cars that have passed through Buick dealers in Columbia, South Carolina over the years.  Today, set your clocks back thirty years and take a look at the 1980 Buick Regal.

Buick Regal: Then and Now the Buick Columbia Loves

Back then, the Buick Regal was available as a two-door coupe in standard, Sport Coupe, and Somerset trims.  You wouldn't know it then, but the turbocharged V6 engine found in the Sport Coupe would form the basis for one of the most world-renowned Buicks of all time, the Buick Regal Grand National.

The Regal has come a long way in the three decades since the 1980 Buick Regal, with the new 2011 Buick Regal offering a range of options that people could only dream about back in the Carter administration.  Today's Regal offers features such as dual-zone climate control, heated leather seats, XM Satellite Radio, a total of six airbags, ultrasonic parking assist, an onboard GPS navigation system, and a USB port for connecting your iPod.  (Okay, perhaps the iPod comparison is unfair--in 1980, America was just getting the Sony Walkman!)

2011 Buick Regal in Columbia at Jim Hudson Buick

Today, the 2011 Buick Regal is available from Jim Hudson Buick in Columbia, South Carolina starting at $26,245 for the well-equipped Regal CXL that includes leather seating, USB port inputs, dual-zone climate control, heated seats, a power driver's seat adjuster, a six-speed automatic transmission, and six months of OnStar service with turn-by-turn navigation. Available in six levels of equipment right now, the Regal lineup will grow late this year with the addition of the Regal CXL Turbo and its 220-horsepower four-cylinder engine; the turbocharged model will start just under $30,000.

For more information, visit Jim Hudson Buick at our Buick Regal Columbia website or call us at 803-783-0110!

How-To Tuesday: How to love Bluetooth in the 2011 Buick LaCrosse

We know that sometimes it can be a long road to falling in love with your new car.  Most new cars these days have a plethora of features that take a bit of time to get used to.  It's not just limited to cars, either--the same thing can be said about many cell phones these days!

If you've recently started driving the 2011 Buick LaCrosse in Columbia, South Carolina, your car may have Bluetooth hands-free connectivity.  (It's standard on the CXL and CXS trims, and available on the entry-level CX model as part of the Comfort and Convenience Package.)  Jim Hudson, as your Columbia Buick dealer, is happy to offer this short clip from Buick that demonstrates setting up the Bluetooth feature with your phone and using it to place and receive calls.

It's just another thing to love about the 2011 Buick LaCrosse!

C&D drives the 2011 Regal--do they love a Buick like Columbia does?

2011 Buick Regal CXL in Columbia, South Carolina

The September issue of Car and Driver magazine saw their staff get behind the wheel of a new 2011 Buick Regal. The people of Hogback Road overall enjoyed their time behind the wheel of the reborn Regal over on its home turf of Germany, particularly its smaller size compared with competitors that have grown over the years, although their naturally lead-footed nature meant that the standard 2.4L engine was a little less power than they hoped for.  (They, like us, are waiting on the turbocharged Regal that should be arriving later this year, or even for the not-too-far-beyond-that Regal GS.)

Many Columbia Buick drivers are falling in love with the Regal's slimmer dimensions compared to the larger family sedans on the road today.  What about you?

Columbia Loves a Buick, But What About This Road?

Buick undergoing virtual testing (Source: GM Media)

Columbia is blessed to have roads that are in more or less good condition.  But when the roads get rougher, you still expect your Buick to handle like the world-class car that it is.  Buick engineers put thousands of hours of testing on the roughest roads they can create, but Buick now puts new models to the test digitally even before the first model hits the test track.

Buick Testing for Columbia, SC Drivers

Istanbul native Mine Tasci is part of a team of engineers that created an innovative road scanner that makes a micro-detailed 3D digital representation of some of the toughest real-world road surfaces. Then she drives equally detailed digital Buick vehicles on the digital roads to test for quality and reliability.

"Just like a photo scanner, we can scan the surface of a road to create a three-dimensional digital representation," said Tasci. The scanner works with cameras and a laser to determine a 3D model of a road surface down to 1mm of fidelity.

An interesting application of this new technology involves a road leading to Mexico's Cerro del Cubilete shrine. It's a twisting, rocky path that winds its way up toward one of the most important religious shrines in Mexico. Each day, pilgrims from throughout Mexico are jostled and bumped as they traverse the stone road of Cubilete. 

If ever there was a road that could bring out vehicle rattles, squeaks and vibrations, Cubilete is it. "Customers who drive on that road complain about steering rack noise," said Tasci. "That's why we wanted to recreate this road so that we can test and ensure that our vehicles are up to the challenge of driving on roads like this one."

Buick submits new vehicles to rigorous virtual testing well before a physical prototype ever sees the light of day. Testing on challenging roads like Cubilete allows Buick engineers to find and address issues early on in the development cycle. "In the end, it leads to higher-quality, quieter and more comfortable Buick cars and crossovers," said Tasci.

Try a Buick in Columbia, SC

Jim Hudson Buick is the premier Buick dealer in Columbia, SC for both sales and service.  Recognized as a ten-time Readers' Choice award winner by readers of The State, Jim Hudson Buick serves South Carolina Buick drivers with a great lineup ranging from the all-new, sport-injected Buick Regal to the exceptionally spacious Buick Enclave luxury crossover.  We invite you to experience The New Class of World Class at our showroom located at 7201 Garners Ferry Road in Columbia.

Does Columbia Love a smaller Buick?

Buick Verano teaser from GM

If you're like many Columbia Buick lovers, you probably remember Buick's last run in the compact car segment: the Buick Skylark.  Last produced in 1998, the Skylark's demise left Buick buyers forced to choose a bigger entry-level sedan (first the Century, then the LaCrosse, then most recently the new Regal).

All that is due to change soon, as General Motors has announced a $145-million investment in their Orion Assembly Center last used to build the Pontiac G6.  Once retooled, the plant will create a new small car for Chevrolet and, more important to those that love a Buick in Columbia, an all-new Buick compact sedan dubbed the Verano.  Buick has released just one teaser image of the Verano, seen at the right, but hopefully more information will leak out soon enough.  (Sources are reporting that the Verano should share a platform with the just-released Chevrolet Cruze.)

What do you think?  Is it time for something smaller than a Buick Regal in Columbia?