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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  Its been horrible - 2002 Buick Rendezvous
  By Hate it - August 10 - 3:50 pm

  I have had nothing but problems with this vehicle. Air conditioner several times, manifold gasket, bearings, etc. You name it and Ive put money in to it. I dont expect this vehicle to last the length of my loan. I had to call Buick and they did agree to pay some of the bills that Ive had. Ive put 3500 in to this car in a year and a half. I wont buy another Buick again, this was my second try and I got another lemon.

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  Not exactly a cream puff - 1990 Buick Century
  By grandmaCar - July 28 - 7:50 pm

  I inherited this car from my Grandmother back in 2001. When I received it, it had 30,000 original miles. I was thinking great, "Great, I should be able to get 70,000 miles on this car without too much trouble." Boy was I wrong. I just sold it for 500 bucks, with 80,000 on the odometer. I just got sick of it after putting over $2000 maintenance dollars into it over past four years. Components just kept on breaking, like the AC parts, the radiator, a brake caliper siezed due to a poor brake hoses, the exhaust rusted, the transmission required a $300 repair, water pump, alternator, battery, crank angle sensor, ignition control module...the list goes on.

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  Please Dont Purchase - 2002 Buick Rendezvous
  By Nikki Smith - July 25 - 11:59 am

  We bought this car in March for room. We traded in a Toyota Camry for it. The day after we drove it home, the air conditoning went out , and took 3 days to fix. Then on Memorial Day weekend , it went dead on me in another town, and we had to find a ride home. That was another couple of weeks without the ca,r and the dealership couldnt find out what was wrong with it. 2 weeks later, it left me on the side of the road again with a 2 month old. By the time of my 3rd payment, I hadnt actually had the car 3 weeks. No one could find out what was wrong, and the dealership wouldnt take it back. Still having problems. A bad experience.

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  Very Disappointed - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By no fan - July 23 - 3:07 pm

  I thought I had bought the best van out there until the car stopped starting for me. Three times at the dealer in 6 weeks and they still cant fix it. It now sits in my garage not being driven because I cant count on it starting. A very big disappointment after spending upwards of $36,000.00 for it fully loaded.

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  Disappointing - 2004 Buick Rainier
  By Pa - June 27 - 2:00 am

  Poor quality exterior finishing, grill misaligned. Lightweight metal is too light,bends in and out washing and waxing. Interior poor design of center console,shift,cupholders. High wind noise even higher pitch on windy day. Passenger door actually moves in and out with vibration on very windy days. Front hood emblem position forces you to have to pull hood up holding this plastic piece. A rod to hold up hood? This is a top of line vehicle. Should have gas charged openers. Just another example of cheapness along with the carpet grade.

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  Too many problems! - 2000 Buick Century
  By Century 2000 - June 9 - 6:14 pm

  This car has a lot of problems. On top of that, the dealership in my area has difficulty fixing them. It seems GM cant repair its own cars! Example: this car has had three alignments and the steering wheel remains crooked -- even when the road is flat. Road crown exaggerates it quite a bit. The transmission was serviced for a TSB regarding hard shifting/shuddering gears. The transmission still has problems with harsh shifts and chugging motions at times, even interstate speeds somewhat disconcerting. This car has developed a lot of creaks and rattles. The rear door panels are loose and vibrate noticeably. My next car will be more reliable -- like a ten year old Kia Sephia.

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  Worried about Relliability - 2002 Buick Rendezvous
  By Family man - May 24 - 3:54 pm

  We bought our Rendezvous instead of a minivan because of the looks and minivan functionability. In many respects this is an acceptable vehicle. It it definitely underpowered and this shows up in fuel economy in hilly terrain. In a car that is less than three years old, we have had electrical problems that have left us stranded. Since my wife carts our two children in it most of the time, this lapse in reliability is a serious issue for us. The first time the dealer said is was a dead battery. Then, 2,000 miles out of warranty it was the computer ($500 out of pocket). Now, they think it is the ignition switch (around $200). It seems like a systemic problem that GM is not acknowledging.

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  Dont get with your top off! - 2016 Buick Cascada
  By Dont take your top down - May 19 - 5:18 am

  My top has come loose! 3 weeks in shop, no answers of why this happened and still trying to fix it! I thought Buick raved about this new evolutionary top! So what are your explanation for it coming off the tracks! There also spots in the paint that look like water spots that do not come off! Very disappointed! Wished I had never traded my Cadilac in for this Casscada! And yes , it a year old with 5,000 miles!

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  Poor Value - 2002 Buick Century
  By Twhite - May 14 - 12:48 pm

  I would not recommend purchasing a Buick Century. I have had several major problems with this vehicle (which I purchased new in 2002. When the car was two years old, the underside (rocker panel and near wheel wells) had damage (i.e. rust/ paint has come off- I believe that this is as result of a design flaw. I have had this fixed once when the car was under warranty, but now it needs to be done again (15 months later). I had to replace the battery at approx. 25K miles and had to replace the head gasket (at a cost of $1300) at 56K miles. Now, my air conditioning is no longer working. I feel that this vehicle was a very poor value and I cant wait to trade it in.

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  Buicks gones bad - 2004 Buick Park Avenue
  By Cojak Wisnewski - April 8 - 10:00 am

  The Buick started out as a nice idea. Looked comfortable for an old fart such as myself. But then it got ugly. Stuff started going wrong, the engine started to loose power, and yup, you guessed it .. the valvetrain was shot. After 23,347 miles, the valvetrain died. I needed to get it replaced. I sold the car. I didnt like it. End of story.