Overview & Reviews

Owned by General Motors, Buick is one of this country's oldest brands, with a rich tradition of innovation that dates back more than a century. Though long known for catering to retirement-age customers with its full-size sedans, the automaker's lineup now includes SUVs and sport sedans designed to bring younger buyers into the showrooms of Buick dealers.

The company was founded in 1903 by David Dunbar Buick, a Scottish industrialist. He built his first car in 1904; called the Model B, it had a two-cylinder engine with an advanced-for-its-time overhead-valve cylinder head design. In 1907, Buick unveiled its first four-cylinder production car, dubbed the Model D. The following year, the Flint, Michigan-based Buick Motor Company was bought by William C. Durant as part of a new company called General Motors. By 1914, all Buicks were built with six-cylinder engines and purchased primarily by upper-class professionals, thus earning the nickname "doctor's cars."

The manufacturer proved itself a trailblazer in the early 1920s when it introduced four-wheel brakes. This technology had been seen before on custom-built cars, but Buick was the first to figure out how to successfully apply it to mass-produced vehicles. Eight-cylinder Buick cars emerged in the 1930s and became immensely popular; these advanced engines received steady improvements for several years. The '30s also saw Buick's introduction of the industry's first rear turn signal to use a flasher.

Models such as the Estate Wagon and the ever-popular Roadmaster kept Buicks happily ensconced in driveways all across the nation in the 1940s. In 1948, Buick introduced Dynaflow, the first torque converter-type automatic transmission offered in U.S. passenger cars. The 1950s and 1960s witnessed Buick continuing to zoom ahead of the curve; it was among the first to offer vehicles with power brakes and steering, and 12-volt electrical systems. The marque was also behind the introduction of the first American V6 passenger car engine and introduced the Riviera personal luxury coupe in the early '60s.

On the whole, though, Buick had made its name as a manufacturer of stately land yachts such as the Electra 225. To meet the changing times, the automaker downsized its full- and midsize models during the 1970s and began offering compact and midsize sedans for the 1980s. During the latter period and into the '90s, Buick changed things up by introducing the Regal Grand National muscle car and Reatta luxury coupe and convertible. But its core product continued to be luxury sedans aimed at an older audience.

Today, Buick specializes in sedans and crossover SUVs and is modifying its philosophy in the hopes of attracting younger buyers. Luxury and class are still common themes, but newer models have European influences in their handling and ride dynamics. As such, many modern Buicks, such as the compact Verano sedan provide a more entertaining drive and more contemporary styling than people might expect from this "old" nameplate.

User Reviews:

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  Excellent - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By rlegros - June 18 - 5:06 pm

  Really enjoying this Enclave. Its fun to drive. A lot of room and its an eye catcher. The only problem we had so far is the remote starter. It only good for about 200 feet.

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  The biggest little SUV ever - 2017 Buick Encore
  By She dealer - June 18 - 11:57 am

  You will get a smooth ride. Seats are very comfortable has lumbar support . A lot of colors to choose from. You wont be disappointed . Great buy....

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  Ho Hum, just another excellent Buick. - 2006 Buick LaCrosse
  By Gordon Byers - June 18 - 10:39 am

  This LaCrosse is the 3rd Buick Ive owned, a 82 Riviera and an 89 Regal previously. They were both excellent performers giving me almost 100,000 miles each of trouble free driving. The LaCrosse has the comfort of the Riv and the economy of the Regal with plenty of power. When I step on it to pass, there is no hesitation.

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  MOST UNRELIABLE CAR EVER - 2002 Buick Rendezvous
  By Joe - June 16 - 10:30 pm

  In the past year I had the versatrak AWD rear differential kick the buck ($8000 repair) then 2 months ago the transmission blew ($3000) then the torque tube, a part of the drive shaft acted up ($1500). Before all this all the head gasket leaked ($1500) and the wheel bearings have all been replaced ($300 each). So basically this car has sucked out all our savings. GM has way over priced all its parts especially the rear differential - $6000 for part alone. I didnt think any car could be this bad but GM has proven otherwise. I will never buy any GM product ever again. They deserve the mess theyve gotten themselves into, because of all the overpriced lemons theyve sold.

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  188K & still strong!! - 1999 Buick LeSabre
  By my4thBuick - June 16 - 8:35 pm

  Yah... Its not the most stylish car! But I drive 30,000 miles/ year & my lesabre hasnt stuck me once. Great mileage for a lead sled & comfy. Its got over 188,000 miles & I just replace the original starter. Just starting to develop an intermittent miss. If you dont care about style... & you can pick one up.... go for it. And remember, ANY car can be a lemon!

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  Great Car - 1999 Buick Regal
  By DJB - June 16 - 8:30 pm

  We have had our Regal for 10 years and it just rolled over 200,000. We have driven it on many driving vacations and got as good as 29 mpg on those trips. This is our 2nd Regal. The first one we had for about 8 years and it had about 250,000 miles on it. Very good product! Im just sorry that they dont make the Regal anymore. I see that it is a big seller in China or Japan though so maybe it will make its way back to the US one day. The problems we have had are minimal, nothing to do with the operation of the vehicle.

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  . Not bad for a Mexican car. . - 2002 Buick Rendezvous
  By stosher - June 16 - 10:00 am

  .. never thought Id be driving a Get the Money (GM) car. This one is nice. Rides higher than a Voyager but feels better than a Ford (fix or repair daily =) or the dustbuster type minivans. Powers okay.. traction control works great .. stereo is tops. .price is what you want to pay. Onstar® is a good deal for $199/yr. if you drive a lot. 7" ground clearance is nothing; still afraid of curbs and those concrete things in parking lots. Fit and finish is okay; buy that bronze color, it looks the sharpest. Fuel economy gets better the more you drive it. I avg. 20 mpg now in and out of town.

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  Good Uff-da - 2003 Buick Rendezvous
  By NoDak Dan - June 16 - 10:00 am

  Comfortable to drive, nice to sit high again and see all of traffic, love the head and leg room to drive. Hoping for better gas mileage. Lots of static electricity on the leather trimmed cloth seats. Plenty of room. Automatic starter a plus in cold and hot weather.

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  I owns one - 1993 Buick Regal
  By girly t - June 14 - 10:38 pm

  hello i have an 4dr with an sunroof i had mine since 03/2004 itz an very nice dependable car an fast i hav gotten several speedin tickets, i had a lil major work done thru out the years, bt never the engine or transmission gave me any problems yet!!!!!! im still holdin on strong, my car dealer is suprise i still hav it lol, dey wants me to get another kind from them lol,

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  Went from Lexus RX to this! LOVE IT! - 2009 Buick Enclave
  By Jeff - June 14 - 9:46 pm

  We came out of the Lexus and wanted something with more room, but NOT a minivan. We test drove so many new cars recently, and saw this car on lot and asked about it. I was cautious because of the name Buick reminded me of my Dads car. Once we got in the car, I was shocked how nice everything was. The test drive was amazing!