I am a Honda fan myself but I'm not one of those that will make huge trade-offs just to drive a Honda. I will jump on any brand (including any American brands!) if I see that they have a good car and have shown to be reasonably reliable. The LaCrosse is a good alternative, I would say that the 3.8L engine and tranny will serve you well in the long run. It has been in many cars and I think that any problems would either have been worked out or will be easily fixed by dealers. I think Buick and other American brands get a bad reputation because of their rental cars, but we all know that the cars they send to rental agencies are the ones that failed final inspection, so it's really not fair
I suggest that you drive the Camry. It's supposed to be very quiet. Also, might wanna wait around for the new Avalon; I think it will be a real good car. Plus, it's most likely going to drive a lot like the Buick you liked so much, but with Toyota quality and durability behind it. Not to mention it's got a new 3.5L V6 with 280HP. It'll be pushing over into the 30K range with heated seats, but it is a much bigger and upper class car compared to the Camry.
A few other cars that you might want to consider: G35, TSX, ES330. The ES330 is pricey but I'm willing to bet ya that you could get under invoice if you tried. Same with the G35, except that their quality doesn't seem to be as good as the other Japanese brands. The TSX has a 4 cyl and you won't be getting much off MSRP me thinks.
