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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  2001 Buick Century Custom. - 2001 Buick Century
  By Oleg Dyachuk - March 29 - 2:44 pm

  I had this handed to me as my first car, dont remember much about it but I know it had over 130k miles and it was leaking oil. I had it for 2 weeks until I fell asleep at 6 AM and crashed into an utility pole with it. cracked the pole in half and totalled the car. But i was perfectly fine, walked away with a tiny scratch over my eyebrow from the airbag.

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  had car for a week - 2003 Buick Century
  By wolfpack49 - January 14 - 7:57 pm

  Not sure about the car as of yet , just bought it and I needed to buy a car for doctors apointments and such . I have to male a trip from Ohio to New York and hopeing it will hold up. Hope it will last for at least 3 years for I am makeing payments on it and on a verty stick budget . Will keep you all posted .

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  Way better than expected - 1999 Buick Century
  By paul2002 - February 7 - 4:23 pm

  Purchased this in 2007 when I had a vehicle emergency. Needed a car, and this was going for $3500 with only 89K miles. I figured Id drive it until I found the car I was looking for. Now 5 years and 100K miles later Im still driving it. Its going on 200K miles, and I still havent had to replace anything! The miles Ive put on it have been all highway, but it just wont die. Oil changes every 6000 miles, and one set of tires. Ive done nothing else. Reliable and cheap if you are picking one up used, but a word of caution...dont purchase this car if you are around 40 years old. You are almost guaranteeing early onset of a mid-life crisis, which might result in your purchasing a Corvette.

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  Not bad for Buick - 2001 Buick Century
  By jackrussel419 - September 21 - 8:34 pm

  I have a 2001 Buick Century and havent had too many problems with it. At about 140,000 miles i got that normal thing with buicks where the anitfreeze mixes with the oil and that was about a $900 fix but other than that that is the biggest issue ive had only other things are the drivers side window motor had to be replaced, had to get a new o2 sensor and brakes but thats just from the almost 200,000 miles that are on it, but definetly a reliable vehicle all year round.

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  Never again! Shame on you, GM! - 2002 Buick Century
  By london_bridge - January 12 - 6:18 pm

  I treated this car better than any of my previous "rides". After 30 years on the road, Ive found I get fewer & fewer miles on GM cars before parts fail. 32,000 and the Intake Manifold Gasket failed. I have a BIG problem with religiously taking my car into dealerships that will only suggest every form of maintenance except the one they know is suspicious. Im too late for the DEX-COOL suit, but I did have a Chevy (62K) that was eligible. Submitted my documentation and recd a form letter that my car was a year older than it was, so it wasnt eligible. I also owned (before dealer exchanged) a Buick Skyhawk that had the same part fail at 40K before I bought it.

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  Never again - 1999 Buick Century
  By Raymond - July 25 - 6:02 pm

  I thought this was going to be a great car when i first got it, i was wrong. So many thing broke down on this car. All the windows stopped working, AC stopped blowing cold, Alternator gave out, intake manifold gaskets wore out, radiator went bad, brake lines rusted out, water pump went bad, wheel alignment is off wearing out tires very quickly. This car has been a real inconvenience and it only has 113k on it. I know many other people who have the same type of problems with their buicks. This car has been very unreliable, i dont trust it at all, and i sure as hell wouldnt recommend one. Seriously im never buying a GM product ever again.

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  never again - 2000 Buick Century
  By godawgs2013 - August 25 - 6:35 pm

  We bought this car with 40k on it about two weeks later the gasket blew.Then then about a month and a half later the motor came out own it for three years right before we got rid of the piece of junk was going to need a transmission.plus the front left blinker never worked. That was enough for me will never go there a again at least not with a buick :(

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  1998 Buick Century Custom 4 Door Sedan - 1998 Buick Century
  By mg - July 18 - 2:19 pm

  Bought this car used its Canadian made. Has alot of things that go wrong for no reason and could have easily been remedied if addressed correctly during manufacturing processes. Replaced the fan blower because its mounted upside down under passenger side it wore the spacer so it would hang up squeel and stop. Head Gasket is blown for no reason other than bad mixture of parts componants engine to Head cover two different metals that destroys the Gasket.Caused the coolant to mix with the oil.

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  Multiple problems - 2000 Buick Century
  By GT - July 3 - 3:09 pm

  The Buick is a very comfortable car that provides a nice drive. However, it is much like driving a land yacht with slow turn response. We had a large number of stupid problems that were expensive to repair -- glove compartment fell off in my hand the second year ($500 to repair, not covered by warranty) three windows have fallen off their tracks so that they cannot be rolled up ($600 each to repair), multiple problems with trunk (keeps falling on our heads despite two repairs) transmission, A/C compressor, etc etc.

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  General Motors Volvo? - 1994 Buick Century
  By Angelo - June 22 - 2:39 pm

  In my opinion, the early to mid 90s versions of the Buick Century and Oldsmbobile Ciera are the closest thing to a Volvo that any domestic manufacturer has ever produced. These cars were rarely redesigned---but instead, they "evolved" with improvements to the engine/drivetrain, interior and safety features. They were internationally mid sized, 4 star safety rated and generally solid, reliable, understated transportation. Auto writers criticized GM for keeping the same basic design for so many years, but isnt this how Saab, Volvo and other European car makers approach things? The Century is a practical size, reasonably economical and with the 3100 V-6, plenty powerful for most driving.