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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  Fantastic! - 2005 Buick LeSabre
  By drew0927 - November 16 - 2:52 pm

  Ive never been more pleased with a care in my entire life. Very smooth ride, incredibly comfortable interior, and quiet as a mouse. The mileage is phenomenal given the size of the car. I commute 60+ miles each day so really appreciate how comfortable the interior is. The suspension soaks up the potholes with just a soft "thump, thump".

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  Great SUV - 2005 Buick Rainier
  By Hannah DeLisle - November 16 - 9:56 am

  W have been very happy with this vehicle, one of the best we have had. We took it to Florida and back to Micigan and it was great. I have only had to change the oil two times in over a year.

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  My car - 2000 Buick LeSabre
  By richard connor - November 15 - 9:53 pm

  I have owned my Buick for four years and had no problems, the reliability has been excellent

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  A pleasure to drive - 2003 Buick Park Avenue
  By forklift - November 14 - 10:00 am

  I have the Park Avenue SE, and Ive been nothing but pleased. The 3.8 engine is capable of doing the job, and provides acceptable gas milage for a car this size. I drive in New York City, and the ride is pretty smooth. I wish the Gran Touring suspension package was available in all Park Avenue models, but cest la vie. Still, I would recommend this to anyone. Since Cadillac changed their body styles, I actually find the Park Avenue to look better. Finally, for under $40K, there is no other car that offers this much luxury.

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  Laidbackjack of Graysville, Ala. - 2002 Buick Rendezvous
  By Councilman - November 14 - 10:00 am

  My Buick is fun to drive, handles very well, we bought it for the ride (my wife has very painful back trouble), we like the automatic settings of mirrors, seats, etc. We just love it! I really like being able to see my speed refected in the windshield so that I dont have to look away from the road. Everyone, including our passengers like the ease of entry & exit.

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  Great Car - 1993 Buick Regal
  By me - November 12 - 7:41 pm

  Powerful engine with great acceleration, loud system, as of now absolutely no rust on the body.

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  Excellent value - 1996 Buick Riviera
  By dave8697 - November 11 - 1:28 am

  Bought with 88,000 miles on it, paid $1500 over private party value at time. Have put 45,000 miles on it in 19 months. Has every option. Gets 28.5 mpg. Has great acceleration and is quiet inside. Work needed at purchase: slow leak in tire, tiny oil cooler line leak (caused by sitting and which went away first week I had it), cd player ocassionally skips. Done so far: top off supercharger oil once, 2 new tires, air filter, Broken since I bought it:absolutely nothing. Still has orig. spark plugs. I drive 47 miles each way to work, and it smooths the road and quiets the trucks I pass. I planned on $600 a year in repairs and 23 mpg when I bought it, so Im very happy because repairs are zero.

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  A Great Buy! - 2016 Buick Encore
  By Sam Fam - November 11 - 1:24 am

  After owning Hondas and Toyotas for several years, I thought buying my new car would be a breeze as the new Honda Accord looks beautiful. However, for safety reasons I did not want a car with "Push Button Start/Stop" or electronic parking brake. So my choices narrowed down to a few models. However, test drive of the Honda Accord was a complete disappointment because of the cheap materials used inside for everything including side panels, fabric etc. Plus the car was extremely noisy which I never expected. So I started research on all the other cars available out there that look beautiful, have a reliable history, used quality materials, and satisfy my requirements I mentioned earlier. Based on photos and reviews, I kept coming back to Buick Encore which I decided to buy outright after test driving it. So far, I have not been disappointed. My husband who was a little skeptical earlier loves the car too and so do my kids. Also with 20% rebate from Buick + dealer discount, I got a great deal on the car.

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  Still great at 26000 miles - 2004 Buick Rendezvous
  By rink - November 10 - 7:58 pm

  The vehicle is roomy & very comfortable. It has been almost trouble free. Averaging 18.5 mpg in mixed driving. XM & OnStar are great. OnStar is only $10 per mo. with Verizon Family plan. AWD is great in MN snow. I would recommend as a relatively roomy SUV with good mileage & performance.

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  Great car. - 1996 Buick Regal
  By Javi0084 - November 9 - 12:36 am

  This is a great car, I get almost 25MPG in the city driving no more than 5mph above the speed limit and accelerating soft. Take care of the transmission, my car has 140,000 miles and I already need to replace the transmission on it, still drives fine though. Overall this is a great car, I plan to keep this car for 200,000+ miles.