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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  Look at the little things - 1998 Buick Century
  By bigdogdriver01 - April 21 - 9:28 am

  My Buick has 102,000 miles on it and it runs great. The engine is tough but its the small stuff like the seats not holding out well, the chrome trim on the front bumber has aleady come off the car and a trim piece on the roof is rolling up. I think in the future when I want a long lasting car Ill stay away from GM.

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  How old are you? - 1996 Buick Century
  By boshsb - October 13 - 11:44 pm

  Car is a good first car with outdated styling(they kept the body from the early 80s to mid 90s) and bad handling. Bad understeer tendency that is exaggerated by wet weather. I got the car at 90k and killed it around 115k. Stock struts are miserable and I killed a total of two front pair. Went through 8 tires on it (1sets rear, 3 front) until it finally died, the differential went out, but not before the rear window motors starred going (hence not my fault, the diff was). If you are good though, it can out handle a Civic due to its ability to power out of turns. It can do burnouts, drifts and anything else you make it do, but it will fight you all the way.

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  Great car up till now - 2003 Buick Century
  By Screwed by GM - December 14 - 10:55 pm

  This is my 3rd Buick Ive owned. Always liked the comfortable ride and good gas mileage (33 mpg on highway), and ample room. However at 82,000 miles the car developed an antifreeze leak. Took to local Buick delearship and they had to replace lower intake gaskets (8 hr job) and water pump. Total cost over $1100. After searching the web, found other GM car owners with same problems, and most common culprit was the Dexcool antifreeze now used by GM and plastic gaskets that get eaten away by the Dexcool. No wonder Toyota and Honda are selling so many cars. Its called quality and reliability!

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  Watch out for the transmission! - 2001 Buick Century
  By Asterion - November 3 - 8:17 pm

  The car has had a catastrophic transmission failure at 33,000 miles. We had a 1997 Model that was totaled in a wreck with no problems during the time we owned it. We bought this one because of that reason, big mistake. There are problems with this 4T65E model transmission used in many GMC models. They include pressure problems internally, noise, and bearing failures. These failures are often on low mileage, well maintained vehicles. Buyes of used vehicles watch out.

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  Great car ... until now! - 1996 Buick Century
  By Kim - February 2 - 1:02 pm

  My car only has 50k miles on it - it has never left me stranded. We recently had an incident where it was in park, with engine running, in someones driveway. After I got out of the car, it automatically locked and about 7 seconds later rolled forward on the uphill driveway. It hit a car in the driveway and a house. Upon impact of hitting the house it unlocked. My 2 children were in their carseats in the back seat when this happened. Mechanic finds absolutely nothing wrong with it. We have had no problems with it before this.

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  Current Owner Review - 2001 Buick Century
  By Eugene Smothermon - December 30 - 8:50 pm

  Drives good. Has had to have above average maintence,of braking system, and service warning light system {Example: Service Engine Soon Light,Warning etc.] Some unacounted road noise, from rear of vehicle.

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  Transmission - 2001 Buick Century
  By jib - September 23 - 11:14 am

  I traded in a Buick Regal, which I had really no problems with for 100K+ miles to purchase a uses Century with 20K miles. By 26K miles it started slipping and took it in for service. Replaced some sort of pressure valve, which did nothing. Had it back in 3 more times before it finally died on my wife and had to be towed in. Overhauled the transmission…still not operating right. Took it back in for the 5th time last week and will be returning it for the 6th time next week. I imagine the transmission will eventually just need to be replaced completely as it does not appear as thought they have a clue as to what is causing the problem. On the upside, I did not purchase the extended warranty

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  Selling - wont miss it a minute - 2004 Buick Century
  By George - September 10 - 5:23 pm

  When I purchased this car, I thought "its a Buick - how can I go wrong?". Let me count the ways! Every time I get out of the car, I get a severe static shock. I have to touch my keys to the door frame to avoid it. My wife has gotten shocked enough times that she insists we take her car on trips. Getting out also requires a manouver similar to getting out of a bean-bag chair, because the seats are so low to the ground. Finally the car is so boring! I bought a silver car with gray interior. Everything is gray! Its like being in a black and white movie

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  Grandpa likes gGandmas car - 1996 Buick Century
  By russ - May 14 - 5:41 pm

  Oned it for 9 yrs,no major problems,yet little plastic things like to break off like the slide buttons on the radio or the knob on the front seat adjust or the plastic handle on the emergency brake. B after nine years of use that can be expected...still runs good and that is the most important part

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  The good the bad and the truth - 2001 Buick Century
  By curtis lear - March 3 - 11:11 pm

  I like the looks and the good gas milage. The car rides good for a mid- size. There are lots of extras that make the car convenient to drive. But there are many blind spots that make it difficult to see to the side or back when trying to shift lanes. The car lacks power but is sufficient for any one who is not in a race. Take heed to those who say transmission troubles appear about 65000 miles. They are telling the truth.Be prepared to spend $1500-$2500 on another transmission. Other than the expense of a transmission you may have a dependable car.