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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  2004 Buick LeSabre excellent car - 2004 Buick LeSabre
  By Leo - July 17 - 9:45 am

  2004 Buick LeSabre excellent reliable vehicle only issues with this vehicle? (1) Cooling tubes are plastic and leak and needs to be replaced with metal ones.(2) Gas gauge issues due to cheaply made fuel pump and sending unit which needs to be replaced. Nice vehicle for the price, bought mines with 96,882 miles paid $1,500.

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  Carpooling buick - 2004 Buick Rendezvous
  By AMY BOGNAR - July 14 - 10:00 am

  I have enjoyed my Buick for 18 months now. It has spacious room for the kids and drives like a dream. Although it has been taken in for servicing within the last year and the problems that have arose were looked at and are still continuing to be a problem.

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  comfortable but waiting for long run - 1997 Buick Park Avenue
  By janetb - July 10 - 8:26 am

  I just got this car from my dad who couldnt drive it anymore, reviews are helpful... Gas gauge dances all over the place, windshield wiper stopped in the middle of windshield on off position, door lock button and window button fell into door.. But its 12 years old. Engine runs great, smooth on the highway and very very comfortable. Cup holder folding into armrest is annoying. Love the safe feeling of the car, will ride it till the wheels fall off, changing oil to keep it going! Janet

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  Great Gas Mileage - 2005 Buick Rendezvous
  By National Renter - July 7 - 10:00 am

  I rented a Rendevous over the weekend for a short trip. While the seat belt for the driver was uncomfortable (it dug into my right hip), I was able to get up to 27 miles per gallon. It was had great storage space in the center console and there was ample room in back.

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  Where are the options and power? - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By Ron Scindle - June 29 - 11:13 pm

  Im very excited the Buick Enclave I purchased has been the hit of our neighborhood. Everyone likes the design of the exterior and interior as much as I do. I love almost everything about the car with the exception of the following things. Why arnt heated seats in the rear available? They are in some of the other SUVs that GM makes, but on this car they are missing. I wanted all options, but when the car arrived it didnt have the luggage rack cross bars I bought and paid for. The running boards were also paid for and the dealer cant tell me when the delivery date might be. The sales information states the the rear headphones come with option 3, but I now find out that isnt true.

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  Nice comfort - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By Maryann - June 15 - 3:13 am

  This is my 2nd owned Buick. Purchased base on previous service and reliability. Nice quiet ride. Rides like a car. Waiting to take the 1st long distance trip.

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  1997 Buick Park Avenue 4 Dr STD Sedan - 1997 Buick Park Avenue
  By randy - June 6 - 7:36 pm

  With 3 children we needed room but didnt want a minivan. Bought this car with 86000 miles. Numerous problems that werent major but irritating. The accuators on the a/c went out and would not blow through the vents $500. Window switch broke $200. Radiator leaked $250. Harmonic balancer went out $175. We like the comfort of this car. It was made to drive long distances. Good gas mileage and power.

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  Blast from the past - 2017 Buick Cascada
  By Dave - June 4 - 2:06 pm

  Car is a 2+2, no rear knee room. Acceleration from dead stop ok, but is quite good from 25mph and up, great on freeways and interstates. Steering quick, tight turn radius. Ride is firm but not harsh, cornering stability good. Noise level surprisingly good. Rear visibility with top up is marginal with passenger headrests up, but is adequate otherwise. Fold down rear seats great. Gas mpg on new engine 27.5at prolonged 75-85 mph, 22mpg suburban travel. However, interior controls need redesign. NAV system complex, redundant, voice recognition a joke, back up/NAV screen too small, very difficult to identify features function button while underway. Took it in for first for visit at 3000 miles...unable to get tires to balance, to be replaced, top has two small tears, to be replaced, after 32 days of ownership. Promptly after delivery took 2k mile trip, seating quite comfortable, we each have lumbar problems. So far am satisfied with vehicle.

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  Happy Owner - 2006 Buick Lucerne
  By Willie - June 3 - 1:10 pm

  I only looked at the Buick Lucerne & the Hyundai Azera,the Azera offered much more value and a better warranty and many extra features.Both cars could use more trunk space..The Azera is a stiffer ride which is fine,the Buick is a softer ride..Neither offer a automatic release of the emergency brake like the Ford does..The black trim on the Azera is a flat finish and will require a coating to keep it from turning whiteish and fading..The reason I went with the Lucerne is that it is a larger car and a American company..The Azera comes from Korea..I must say if I could afford it I would buy the Azera for the wife who now owns a Regal which has been very good..Both cars are impressive,

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  A great looker - 2016 Buick Cascada
  By Tom in Pittsburgh - May 26 - 6:39 pm

  In Pittsburgh the convertible market is not a booming market, so the selection of exterior, interior colors and wheel types were very limited. I ordered our Buick Cascada in the beginning of March, and received it at the end of May (three months delivery time). I enjoy driving the car more and more each day. It is quite and the ride is smooth on good roads, a bit bumpy on uneven roads (sport suspension). Our roads are hilly and windy here in Pittsburgh, but the Cascada handles the road exceptionally well. Seat and steering wheel adjustments are very accommodating. Initially I was concerned about the rear view visibility and the enclosed feeling with the roof up, but have no problems. The curvature of the two side mirrors is such that half of the lane behind me is visible in each of the side mirrors. Although the rear window is small, and is at an angle that reduce the visibility even more, between the rearwiew mirror and the two side mirrors visibility is pretty good. I have always had cars with sun roofs or panoramic roofs, so I was not sure how a solid black roof over my head will feel. I guess because of the huge wind shield and all the surrounding glass, there is absolutely no enclosed feeling. The trunk is small with the roof down, but that was expected with a convertible. It is a good size with the roof up except for the trunk opening. I am not a golfer, but I do not think that a golf bag would fit through the opening; of course there is always the back seat. In other reviews there have been a lot of comments about outdated dash, and too many buttons. True, there are a lot of buttons, but most of them are duplicates of the touch screen buttons. Just have to get used to when to use which button, touch screen or dash. I particularly like the "Destination" button on the dash, it eliminates going through several menu selections for selecting destination. The other feature that I like is that you can have the navigation displayed on the small screen between the speedometer and the tachometer, leaving the main display for other things, radio, CD music track and the like. It is cleverly designed, in addition to the voice instructions the direction of the next turn is displayed as an arrow and there is a progress bar that gets smaller as you approach the turn, very good. There are numerous technological features on the Cascada that you have to pay extra for with other cars. Blind spot monitoring is not included, but there is parking assist, lane departure warning, collision prevention warning, back up camara, road following headlights, cornering lights and several other safety and convenience features. Some reviewers had issues with the collision prevention, parking assist warning and low resolution back up camera. Both of the assists worked as intended for me; I just have to remember to turn off the parking assist before going through a car wash. As for the low resolution back up camera, lets be realistic, if it shows and alerts the driver that there is an object behind the car that could possibly be hit it did its job, hi-res is great watching movies, but a pavement?? I have had several convertibles, and they all leaked going through car washes. Now granted, cars are better built nowadays, and car washes came along way in improving how they clean a car, but my the Buick Cascada does not leak. In my opinion it is a very attractive car with the top up or with the top down. Acceleration is exceptionally good considering the weight of the car and the engine size, yes there is room for improvement, but remember you get a lot for what you spend. So far I am very pleased with my Buick Cascada. If my review is still up on the website by the time we get snow here in Pittsburgh, I will update the review on how the Cascada handles winter driving on hilly windy roads and on cold temperatures features, heater, defogger, heated steering wheel and the like.