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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  Luxury at Value - 2014 Buick Enclave
  By ugnaut - August 23 - 10:32 am

  We went looking for crossovers we first looked at mid-small size ones. The big issue for my wife was comfortable seats and a little luxury if you drive a lot of miles. Its hard to find in the 20-30 range. We actually like the Encore but that was about 30 with the leather package with no deals. We looked at higher price/luxury cars from Acura, Audi, BMW, etc.. We ended up with Leather package Enclave at around 40k after discounts, rebates. We didnt want to pay 50K+ for name only, the Buick was a nice middle ground between luxury and value. We ignored features such as Nav and more electronics which everybody always complains about on most brands, besides the Iphone works as well. See favs.

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  First American Branded car in 35 years - 2012 Buick Regal
  By jbgcrs - August 21 - 9:50 pm

  I have driven Japanese and German cars with my last being a 2005 C230 Kompressor Sport 4 dr 6spd manual.I followed the GS from the moment the car was announced. Found my 2012 with 4500 miles and a 6spd. Wow! Loaded, this is one of the best cars I have owned. Fun to drive, great head turner and reliable. With over 30k on it the car still feels like it did at 4500. I live in a world filled with 3 series Bimmers and C300 Benzes and I love the exclusivity of owning this car. Amazes me how many young under 30 year olds love this car. Buick got it right and I hope they improve upon this great car

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  Nice Suprise - 2007 Buick Rendezvous
  By catfish87 - August 7 - 11:55 am

  Iwas not particularly fond of the looks of this but thought it was a good deal. Suprisingly after owning it for 6 monthsI am in love with my rende!Understand reasons for the discontinue but I have had rendezvous owners stop me and talk about why they love their rendezvous. Only the owners really know why it is a fabulous vehicle. The alternatives are too pricey, so will wait patiently until they come up with something affordable. Until then til death due us part!

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  Great car, maybe a touch expensive - 2008 Buick Lucerne
  By rohkey - August 5 - 8:19 am

  A little baffled by some of the poor reviews I have seen. Im 24 and have been driving this car for 2 years now, and I enjoy it. Its spacious, comfortable, quiet, and powerful enough. Never noticed any major handling issues other than the large turn radius, and sometimes it can be difficult to park in large spots. Also there seem to be a few blind spots that can get you in trouble if youre not cautious. The interior isnt as fancy/elegant as I would expect, but its not bad, and I like how the exterior looks. The trunk is pretty huge, and there is plenty of room for my 65 frame (something Ive had problems with in other cars like the Malibu and Impala). MPGs are pretty low, however.

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  Cant beat the value on this luxury car - 2013 Buick Verano
  By jazh - July 20 - 10:03 am

  Never thought I would own a Buick but after test driving midsize after midsize and finding significant issues with each one, I decided to try this car after reading the positive reviews. After 5 minutes in the turbo, I knew this was going to be the one. All of the bells and whistles on a turbo sedan for less than $30K out the door is just a phenomenal deal. You really have to try hard to find even minor issues on this car. Limited rear leg room is not an issue for me.

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  1993 Buick LeSabre Limited still hauling - 1993 Buick LeSabre
  By gm_til_death - July 15 - 11:36 am

  I just picked up this car for 300 has 281,000k`s did a tune up replaced the alternator need to replace transmission fluid, and had to reattach the sub frame and steering. The car runs great and kicks but on the highway considering the high kms. I`m keeping this car til it dies completely then I`ll probably get another one and use mine as parts. I`ve seen these cars go up to 400,000k`s at the junkyard. overall amazing car would buy another one in a heartbeat.

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  Cheap Plastic - 2013 Buick Enclave
  By mrkj1 - July 10 - 11:14 am

  Traded my 2011 Cadillac SRX Performance model Seats were to hard and harsh ride. Found seats and ride in Buick put Cadillac to shame. Much more solid on road. Handling is excellent. But for $53,000 list price. The cheap plastic decor inside this car makes it really look cheap and poor quality I am not sure I would purchase it again.

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  A lot of Fun - 2014 Buick Regal
  By sabres69 - July 9 - 3:04 pm

  This car has great pick up. I love the fact when in manual mode the car downshifts on its own. I had a stick shift for 10yrs prior to this and like using the manual mode when driving. Just feels really good on the road. Waited a long time for the AWD in either the Buick Regal and Honda Accord. Looks like Buick beat them to the punch. The OnStar app is awesome. Love being able to start car from my desk so interior is warm or cold before I get in. Only had for 1 month so I will have to update after a year. So far I look forward to driving in my GS!

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  Front Collision Alert: Useless - 2014 Buick Enclave
  By ckaushal - July 7 - 6:07 pm

  Overall the car is great but the FCA system is useless. Drove the car for 3 days and intentially testing this feature in (Far) mode, it did not beep even when i was within 10 feets at 55MPH.I called Buick customer service and they were useless and just asked me to call the dealer. The result of the conversation with dealer was the beep may still work but only when you are super close to the car in front OR in other words the whole beeping feature is useless as you will probably hit the car in front even if the FCA system beeps. The display indicator did work (turned orange/amber color) at around 10 feet (in far mode), but without a beep its useless.Bad advertising from BUICK on a 50K car.

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  dont waste your money - 2003 Buick Rendezvous
  By argon1 - July 6 - 5:11 pm

  after buying this auto it failed in many ways first it was the brake lines that rotted out, then the over heating problem and the engine repair then the rotors and pads, the wheel bearing next. all of this with in 1.5 yrs of owning it and less than 5000 miles this is nothing as to having to tear the front end apart just to change the battery . so far I put another 3000 dolars into it since I got it. and to top that off the window fell down and I found that all the plastic parts that hold the window had broken lol this is the auto for you if the bank is yours.