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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  Pleased with my Rendezvous - 2004 Buick Rendezvous
  By wl - May 18 - 2:00 am

  Very Comfortable, very quiet. All controls seem to be weel placed. Get comments frequently about the attractive design. Great gas mileage for this size SUV - 17 and 18 around town, 24 on the road - and I dont baby it.

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  so far so good - 1997 Buick Skylark
  By pepe19vel - May 16 - 2:00 am

  I had the car for a year now and its been great. No major problems with it besides regular maintenace. The breaks are good and the car it self looks good. It is a comfortable car.t has close to 100 000 miles.

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  Style.... Savvy... and hella fun! - 1991 Buick Regal
  By Just That Simple - May 15 - 2:00 am

  Talk about an all around good car... you have it all rolled into one. This fun looking, power driving car is a good first buy for most people out there. Its good on fuel, not very hard to maintain, and a little speed demon on open highway.... have fun!

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  Would buy again. - 1998 Buick Century
  By Fairwind - May 10 - 2:00 am

  We purchased this car new and have been very pleased with it. I would consider it again. It is very comfortable for long trips and easy to drive in town. The moon roof should be standard on all Buicks, such a nice feature.

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  2000 Buick Regal GS - 2000 Buick Regal
  By CCSM - May 9 - 2:00 am

  Fast, reliable, very comforatble

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  Mostly Pleasant Experiences - 1998 Buick Riviera
  By Bob Burger - May 3 - 2:00 am

  This car was bought used with 24,000 miles on the odometer. A high mileage 96 Riviera was traded-in for this car. I was attracted to the Riviera by the fabulous exterior design by Bill Porter. It is a very comfortable "road car." Ive taken two 4,000 miles trips in this car. Handling would be much improved with stiffer suspension and "tighter" steering. My purchase of an extended warranty turned out to have been a wise expenditure. Major transmission work at 25,400 miles was necessary and the alternator was replaced at 28,500 miles. All things considered, I still enjoy this car. Its a landmard design.

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  1998 Regal GS 3.8 Supercharged - 1998 Buick Regal
  By Elrod - May 2 - 2:00 am

  Bought the car used with 12,000 mile bumber-to-bumper warrantee. Had to replace both front and rear brakes under warrantee. Drivers window switch touchy in humid weather. Cup holder very poorly placed and cheaply made. "Sport shift" option too easy to turn off by accident. Upside? Looks very sharp - tinting windows and adding vent covers helped. I surprise a lot of people with the 3.8 supercharged engine - very few 4 doors on the road are faster. I had a 91 Pontiac Bonneville (non-supercharged) before this and the difference is dramatic. Too bad (good thing?) its electronically governed to 115 MPH.

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  Enjoying my LeSabre - 2002 Buick LeSabre
  By Louis Exstein - May 2 - 2:00 am

  Took delivery in Oct. 1999 of 2000 LeSabre -- have driven without a single problem - milage outstanding. Averaging 28 mpg combination of country and highway driving on regular gasoline. Not unusual to drive 500 or more miles between refueling when on long-distance highway driving -- averaging over 33 mpg. Driving is a sheer joy with putting key in ignitiion and no headlights or windshield wipers to turn on.

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  Good Car But Watch Out for Unexpected $$ - 1998 Buick LeSabre
  By Gary Richey - April 29 - 2:00 am

  With less than 80K miles, I have a $1,284 repair bill because of an admitted design flaw (admitted by dealers mechanic not GM). Per the dealers mechanic, the plenumn on this car leaks allowing coolant and water to get into the engine affecting the function of the pistons which untimately causes the engine to lock. After the engine locks and you attempt to crank the car the starter will blow out. The dealers mechanic said they had repaired at least 10 cars with similar problems resulting from this design flaw during the last year. GM has not issued a recall to correct this problem. I was told that this problem started with 1996 models.

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  Favres Review - 1994 Buick LeSabre
  By rbrtfav - April 28 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle has been almost trouble free. It uses no oil, has a good set of tires on it, and gets between 27 to 30 miles per galon on the road. I have maintained it according to the recommended procedure.