Overview & Reviews

The Buick Century is a nameplate that was produced for almost half a century. It first appeared in 1936 and ran for six years, then reappeared for four more in 1954. Both of these generations were known for having shorter bodies with V8 engines to create a performance-oriented Buick -- a descriptor that would apply to the reborn Century in 1973. As with so many cars of its time, though, fuel economy regulations and the gas shortage turned the next Buick Century into a tamer, downsized car. For the next 27 years, it would follow along this path, providing affordable, comfortable but not particularly interesting transportation for millions of Americans.

Most Recent Buick Century

The most recent Buick Century was produced from 1997-2005 in a midsize sedan body style only. Like its predecessor, it shared its platform and engine with several other General Motors vehicles, but this Century differed more in terms of styling. Its chief exterior designer said at the time of its introduction, "We purposely avoided anything that could be considered trendy" for a long shelf life. Mission accomplished, as this Century roamed the Earth for nine years in not-so-trendy anonymity.

There was only one engine offered, a 3.1-liter V6 that sent power to the front wheels. This engine initially produced 160 horsepower and 185 pound-feet of torque, but was upgraded to 175 hp and 195 lb-ft in 2000.

For most of its life, this Century was offered in Custom and Limited trim levels. Both came standard with six-passenger capacity, keyless entry, full power accessories and dual-zone climate control. Items like cruise control, leather upholstery, a sunroof and a power driver seat were early options on both trim levels, and later became standard on the Limited in the 2000s. To commemorate the turn of the actual century, Buick offered a Special Edition package that included a monochrome exterior and special badges.

In terms of safety, items like antilock brakes, traction control, a tire-pressure monitor, front side airbags, OnStar and an integrated child safety seat switched from being standard, optional and not available at various points through the Century's nine-year run. Make sure to examine a used example carefully to be certain that it has the safety equipment you are looking for.

A used Buick Century from this generation is a comfortable car with a very good reliability record, but it has a floaty suspension, unresponsive handling and so-so brakes. In general, most other midsize sedans are a better choice. Even related GM vehicles from Oldsmobile and Pontiac provide better driving dynamics.

Past Buick Century models

The previous Buick Century was made from 1982-'96, with a significant midlife refreshening in 1989. This was an extremely successful car, selling more than 2 million units during its lifespan. It was available in sedan, wagon and coupe body styles, the latter of which was dropped after 1993. Trim levels included Custom, Limited and Special, depending on body style and year. The sedan and coupe were capable of seating six, while the wagon had optional eight-seat capacity with a rear-facing and foldable third-row bench. The wagon could also be had with a forever-classy exterior wood grain vinyl appliqué.

By the time the 1990s rolled around, the Century's standard engine was a 2.5-liter inline-4 making 110 hp and 135 lb-ft of torque. Although horsepower didn't change, the base engine was replaced in 1992 with a 2.2-liter unit that actually lost 5 lb-ft of torque. It was later upgraded to 120 hp in 1994. Most Centurys had the optional V6 that made 160 hp and 185 lb-ft of torque. (This engine was standard on the 1996 wagon.) A three-speed automatic transmission was standard, with a four-speed auto optional. A driver airbag and antilock brakes were added as standard equipment in 1994.

So what do we think of this generation of Buick Century? Well, pretty much the same as we did in its final year. "In many states, this design is just a decade away from antique car status. Buick's aging Century has been in production since 1982 and looks like it. Regular updates have barely kept it competitive, and the Century is definitely ready for the crusher. It's slotted smack in the middle of the average American's budget; however, we'd rather spend our money on something whose expiration date wasn't rapidly approaching." More than a decade later, that's still dead-on -- although no state has recognized the Century as an antique car. We can't be right every time.

User Reviews:

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  Buick Century - 1993 Buick Century
  By tool879 - May 13 - 2:00 am

  This has been a solid and reliable car for the past 2 years. No major problems. I broke the Turn Signal switch once and that was a pain to get repaired. I also just recently had the O2 sensor become disconnected which caused me to get it towed. I didnt know what was wrong, but took my mechanic less than a minute to fix. Other than that its just been the usual maint. with the car.

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  inherited from wife - 2000 Buick Century
  By arrjr - May 11 - 2:00 am

  i inherited this car from my wife when i bought her a new trailblazer. she bought this car in 10/2000, and put about 28000 miles a year on it. the car is still comfortable and reliable. agree with the stodgey image comments, but its a lot newer than what i was driving (1978 GMC Caballero)

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  GOOD CAR - 1992 Buick Century
  By SLACKER - April 10 - 2:00 am

  THIS CAR HAS BEEN A GREAT CAR, JUST PASSED 177,000 AND STILL GOIN STRONG. IT HAS ONLY BROKE DOWN TWICE, COOLING FAN AND A SENSER, IT IS MY BACK UP CAR AND IT GETS THE JOB DONE

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  comfort-finally had to break down - 2003 Buick Century
  By hmaregon - February 21 - 2:00 am

  After renting a few of these on trips I decided I had to have the comfort of a big car but not at a big price. After researching the Century I was impressed with the bang one gets for the buck. It rides like a dream and my 24 mpg in the city [combined driving] is very impressive. Yes, its not very modern looking but Im already fantisizing about a LeSabre!

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  Decent - 1999 Buick Century
  By foff667 - February 13 - 2:00 am

  Have had very few problems with the car which include a failed front pass. side wheel bearing which was about $500 to fix but other than that its been a good buy at around 7 grand. Gas mileage has been ok at about 25 highway but 13 or so around town and since i only have a 2 mile commute that kinda hurts but the car isnt even warmed up yet by the time i pull into work so i cant complain much.

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  Great car!! - 2000 Buick Century
  By funeralguy - January 31 - 2:00 am

  This Buick Century is the best car I have driven in my 38 years of driving. It is excellent on long trips and gives great gas mileage, and I have not had any problems with it.

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  so far so good - 2002 Buick Century
  By tessi - January 28 - 2:00 am

  ITS a nice car for the price,a little plain jane on the outside,but drives well and is very quite.

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  2002 Century Custom SE - 2002 Buick Century
  By joewill - January 8 - 2:00 am

  My first good impressions of this car have gradually degraded to disillusionment. I still like the good performance for such a small economical engine but the noise gets irritating sometimes. Not just the roar of the accelerating engine, but the whine of the drivetrain when slowing down. The smooth ride on well maintained main roads changes to choppy, bouncy and ungainly on secondary roads and the suspension bottoms out with alarming thuds on potholes. My Corolla did better. A/C vents dont adjust upward enough to remove a layer of hot air at forehead level.

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  Great Car - Highly underated - 2000 Buick Century
  By mikeAZ - December 30 - 2:00 am

  I bought my Buick Century in 2/00 and, as a 40-somethings person with Lexus tastes and driving style, I was scratching my head the day after I bought this car instead. What did I do? I just bought a "Buick"! I have to say, now that my 3 year leas is up, Im going to miss this car. The leather interior, soft but powerful ride (especially up hills), and reliability as good as my last two Camrys took us on several long road trips where we kept marvelling about how this car kept selling us. We never got tired of this car or riding in it. Great job GM!

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  I loved this car - 1990 Buick Century
  By juliette - December 26 - 2:00 am

  I had this car for 6 years, and I had very little problems with it, but the key is to keep up with the oil changes, and so on. It is a cheap costing car that gets you from A to B with about a problem. If you do not car about the lack of frills, then this car is for you.