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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  Not exactly a cream puff - 1990 Buick Century
  By grandmaCar - July 28 - 7:50 pm

  I inherited this car from my Grandmother back in 2001. When I received it, it had 30,000 original miles. I was thinking great, "Great, I should be able to get 70,000 miles on this car without too much trouble." Boy was I wrong. I just sold it for 500 bucks, with 80,000 on the odometer. I just got sick of it after putting over $2000 maintenance dollars into it over past four years. Components just kept on breaking, like the AC parts, the radiator, a brake caliper siezed due to a poor brake hoses, the exhaust rusted, the transmission required a $300 repair, water pump, alternator, battery, crank angle sensor, ignition control module...the list goes on.

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  Too many problems! - 2000 Buick Century
  By Century 2000 - June 9 - 6:14 pm

  This car has a lot of problems. On top of that, the dealership in my area has difficulty fixing them. It seems GM cant repair its own cars! Example: this car has had three alignments and the steering wheel remains crooked -- even when the road is flat. Road crown exaggerates it quite a bit. The transmission was serviced for a TSB regarding hard shifting/shuddering gears. The transmission still has problems with harsh shifts and chugging motions at times, even interstate speeds somewhat disconcerting. This car has developed a lot of creaks and rattles. The rear door panels are loose and vibrate noticeably. My next car will be more reliable -- like a ten year old Kia Sephia.

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  Poor Value - 2002 Buick Century
  By Twhite - May 14 - 12:48 pm

  I would not recommend purchasing a Buick Century. I have had several major problems with this vehicle (which I purchased new in 2002. When the car was two years old, the underside (rocker panel and near wheel wells) had damage (i.e. rust/ paint has come off- I believe that this is as result of a design flaw. I have had this fixed once when the car was under warranty, but now it needs to be done again (15 months later). I had to replace the battery at approx. 25K miles and had to replace the head gasket (at a cost of $1300) at 56K miles. Now, my air conditioning is no longer working. I feel that this vehicle was a very poor value and I cant wait to trade it in.

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  Free car, and I think I paid too much!!! - 1995 Buick Century
  By rojo412 - January 11 - 1:17 pm

  When my 92 LeSabre finally drove me to the brink with its faulty exterior, I got this wagon from my grandparents, for free. I thought "this should work for a while and I got a great deal! All options, owned by sweet old lady who drove it to church. And its low mileage so it should be sweet!" WRONG!!! Even at 62,000 it was showing its age. Rusting out exterior, ABS is going in and out, head gasket leaking, strange fluid in the coolant overflow. At 80k, a mechanic told me to sell it and cut my losses. Well, at 88k, I still have it and wish I took his advice.

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  Avoid this car - 1994 Buick Century
  By slittle - June 13 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle was in the shop a lot. In the time we owned it, we spent $2,400 on repairs. We replaced the starter, the alternator, the radiator, and the list goes on and on. It only had 76,577 miles on it when we bought it. It fell apart soon after.

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  terrible problems since I got it - 1991 Buick Century
  By babygoth - April 7 - 2:00 am

  Bought this car from a co-worker with 30000 miles on it, now it only has 60k on it and already had to replace the alternator 3 times, battery, computer, struts and CB joints are going.

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  not a good first car - 1996 Buick Century
  By vash gulan - March 15 - 2:00 am

  as a teen you hate it. all your friends have nice cars while you are stuck with a 1996 buick century. it is like something your grandma should be driving. i did not like it i got bad gas mileage for a poor teenager. it had no pick up. had to upgrade everything.

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  Low mileage isnt always good - 2003 Buick Century
  By David - October 26 - 8:42 am

  Purchased car 2 years ago, only had 36000 miles on it with all service records. Looked like new. After only 6000 miles the #5 fuel injector stuck open which flooded the cylinder with gas causing the compression ring to break. Due to low mileage I decided to have engine completely rebuilt by a very reputable machine shop. Car ran good for about another 6000 miles and started skipping on #3 cylinder. Inspection revealed valve stem had pulled out of head. In shop again and now so Ill have alot more in car than its worth. The 3.1 GM engine is a piece of junk. PERIOD

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  Not a Bad Car For $1800 CDN - 1990 Buick Century
  By Eekem - August 28 - 2:00 am

  Pretty good shape, considering its 13 years old. Still has a smooth ride, but the exterior is getting shabby. The paint is faded and peeling, mostly cosmetic flaws in the body. All in all, its a good car for $1800.

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  Buick has lost two customers for life - 1999 Buick Century
  By Chuck123456 - July 19 - 2:00 am

  Problems, problems, problems. My wife purchased this car new and put 29,000 miles on it before we sold it. In that time frame the car needed to be repaired over sisteen times. Not the same thing every time, but different things on a regular basis. Im not talking minor things either. Before this Buick we have only purchased GM products and have been well satisified with them. However when we purchased this one things changed. If you buy a new GM product and have problems, be prepared to get the run around. I strongly encourage you to look elsewhere, ther are better cars and companies to do business with.