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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  Nice step up from my Subaru - 2012 Buick Regal
  By classicgeiger - August 19 - 1:27 pm

  Wasnt sure that I wanted a Buick for my next car, but had to at least take a look at the GS bc it is a beautiful car. After 1 month of owning the car I love it, handles amazing really gets up and gos when you need it to and is just as nice to sit back and cruise in. Went with all the toys on this, including the 20s. Makes it just that much more of a great car. And the H-K sound system is pretty pretty pretty good. The only reason I didnt give it 5s all the way is bc I have had issues w/ my Navigation and iPod.

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  Best first Car You Could Ask For - 1997 Buick Century
  By aimerj - August 17 - 12:34 am

  My first car and because of it, the only car I am ever willing to buy would be a buick! Owned for 4 years only went from 169,000 miles to 192,000. But worked no matter what! Had to replace battery when first buying, but nbd, previous owners treated car like crap. And my vehicle still held like a champ. When I bought it, no interior lights, and eventually then window motor went out so I sold it to a buddy, didnt feel like fixing it up. Had brakes replaced (my fault) Gas leak (hit something, my fault) and broke muffler (my fault.) otherwise no mechanical repairs needed, Most reliable. Oh and AC did work for first 3 years, but finally died out.

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  Cant honestly recommend this car - 2012 Buick LaCrosse
  By gerin1 - August 14 - 11:12 am

  Although it rides nice and is a beautiful car, I had several people ask if I would recommend it and my answer is NO I have the Blind Alert Package, but it still is not enough when you are pulling out onto a hwy and I also had a person standing on a curb where it was really hard to see him because he was right where the thick post was. To me that post is a serious problem Then there is 1st gear....you got to be kidding me the car hardly moves surely cant pull out on the hwy fast

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  Miss it. - 1995 Buick LeSabre
  By agastonguay13 - August 6 - 3:50 pm

  Was given my Lesabre third(fourth, fifth?) hand by my mother who wanted me to have a safe first car to take to college. It took me some time to get used to such a big car after learning on a Chevy Cavalier, but soon enough I loved it. Gas mileage wasnt terrible for such a big car and it was great in the snow. It had 155,000 miles on it when I hit a frost heave and tore out a coolant hose. Stupidly decided to try and drive it home. Made it, but the gaskets blew on the way there. Couldnt afford to fix it so I sold it (along with a would-be replacement that turned out to be junk) to another patron of my mechanic. He fixed it and I see it around town from time to time. Looking to buy another.

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  Nice Car, But One BIG Issue People Need To Know About - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By falconeddy - July 27 - 8:03 pm

  There is a part in the transmission known as the 3-5-R clutch wave plate, or just the wave plate. It has been discussed in depth on many forums for those of us that own an earlier GM, Lambda-designed based vehicle. Outlook, Acadia, Enclave, Traverse not all model years are affected. The wave plate has an exceptionally high rate of failure, and weve speculated the possibly of reverse installation (its a large toothed ring). Theyre covered under warranty up until 100,000 miles or 5 years. After that, you get to pay the $3000.00 (or more) bill yourself. So far, GM has refused to acknowledge the problem, but were still trying to get them to do something about it. BEWARE OF THIS ISSUE!!!

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  My favorite car, but... - 2012 Buick Regal
  By db1162 - July 19 - 5:57 pm

  I purchased a Carbon Black Metalic Regal GS Automatic brand new three weeks ago. There are many things that I love about this car and concur with the other reviews. However, there are signficant quality control issues. One week after I got it, the paint is coming off of the driver side door! There are two dime sized paint chips down to the metal on the driver side door. My dealer thinks that it was prepped wrong and it needs repainted. Also, the passenger side door speaker rattles so bad that you cant have any bass on the sound system. This also needs completely repaired. I love this car, but Im concerned about how it was put together and how it is going to hold up over the years.

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  Value - 2004 Buick Century
  By teapartynow - July 12 - 3:27 pm

  We bought the year model 2004 used because the previous year models had a gasket problem. This car has a wobbly feel to its wheels which I think is because of poor wheel bearings, not weak side walls of the tires. I have not bothered to pay for new replacements. I recommend these three "upgrades": 1. Pour a can of transmission Seafoam in the automatic transmission by pouring it down the tube of the check stick. 2. Replace the air filter with a K&N or home made from cut reusable air conditioning filter material. MPG will improve 10%. 3. Replace the front door speakers with anything else, 5.25". We hope this car will last a long while. Its a good choice for large people.

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  Great first car - 2001 Buick Century
  By meganpumpkin - July 2 - 10:06 pm

  I inherited this car from my grandmother and it made a great first car. It can handle running over curbs and forgetting an oil change or two. It has been incredibly reliable. I am currently looking for a car with better gas mileage since I drive so far but any one who gets this car is in for a treat. It may not look like much but it gets you from a to b every time.

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  great American car Buick Regal GS - 2012 Buick Regal
  By flyshy1 - June 22 - 10:32 am

  after 2 weeks and 2000 miles, I enjoy the heck out of this Buick Regal. All systems well engineered and assembled correctly. I have not found any problems or faults... yet.... feels German, because it really is an Opel, German engine and tranny.

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  Buick Regal Eassist - Great car so far - 2012 Buick Regal
  By whittonm - June 3 - 7:21 am

  Have owned this car for 2 months and can report that it does meet the gas mileage specs if you are light on the gas pedal. In addition, the interior is very nicely done, the climate control is excellent, and the seats are great. Exterior styling is also excellent, with many positive comments. I bought this car becauseI could not find a Lexus, Acura, or similar with good styling, good mileage, and a reasonable price.