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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  So close, and yet, so very terribly terribly slow. - 2016 Buick Encore
  By J - August 26 - 1:55 pm

  The size/shape and features of this vehicle are great. The price is right. Its one of the few cars that might convince me to buy American again (its been more than 20 years). Its surprisingly well-featured, quite comfortable, and fairly agile. And then GM goes and put an absolutely anemic engine in it. Zero-to-Sixty? Maybe in 15 seconds with a tailwind -- which is going to cause problems getting on Californias freeways and squirting in and out of traffic -- perhaps its enough for states where they drive slower and more lawfully, but not here. And this is on the increased-horsepower sport/touring model. The base model is almost undriveable. I know that GM has better engines in its lineup. Theres no excuse for not having the option to put 200-250 horses under the hood (look at the VW Tiguan and BMW X1 to see this done well). That change would make all the difference, and its an absolute shame how much the current powerplants completely ruin the car. (Im also one of the tiny minority of people who would prefer all cars to at least be available with a manual transmission... but for vehicles in this class, I know that will never happen)

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  New Experience - 2004 Buick Rendezvous
  By longo - August 4 - 2:00 am

  Ive owned this 2004 Rendezvous for 2 weeks now and Im extremely disappointed. As a matter of fact For a car with a sticker price of $38,400 the car is horrible. The ride is noisy & sounds like youre sitting in a hollow drum. The fuel gage fluctuates dramatically, leaving you unsure of how much gas you have.I guess you have to be on flat ground to tell for sure) The power steering pump was defective from day one and has yet to be fixed. Ive been told repeatedly that there is nothing wrong with the fuel gage. I would not recommend this car to anyone, its not worth the money

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  Dont buy it! - 2003 Buick Rendezvous
  By D.B. - August 1 - 2:00 am

  This expensive SUV is a dog with a jerky GM transmission, shoddy interior construction, high body repair costs, wrose-than-usual SUV rear blind spots, and a "tippy" high center of gravity. I inherited this from a relative, had to have a deep, long scratch on the drivers side repaired (total cost over $5K), and then traded it in (in excellent condition after repair, with low mileage) for $3000 less than Blue Book. Why do you think theyre giving $5000 rebates on the 2005s? Nobody will buy these things, and I wouldnt be suprised if they are discontinued soon. Its an Edsel, folks!

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  A Lemon - 2004 Buick LeSabre
  By kallee3 - July 10 - 2:00 am

  Too many things had to be repaired or replaced before normal life span. Felt I was always getting screwed by service department.

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  Avoid this car - 1994 Buick Century
  By slittle - June 13 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle was in the shop a lot. In the time we owned it, we spent $2,400 on repairs. We replaced the starter, the alternator, the radiator, and the list goes on and on. It only had 76,577 miles on it when we bought it. It fell apart soon after.

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  Satisfied Buick Owner - 2014 Buick Verano
  By Michael - April 28 - 6:20 am

  This is my 5th Buick. Ive had two Regals and two Park Avenues. I wanted to get the Lacross just because I like a car with extra space but I find this car just a luxurious and just a comfortable as the Lacross. Its packed with safety features and for being a compact car, it rides and feels like a full-size car. If you love Buicks, this car will meet if not exceed your expectations.

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  terrible problems since I got it - 1991 Buick Century
  By babygoth - April 7 - 2:00 am

  Bought this car from a co-worker with 30000 miles on it, now it only has 60k on it and already had to replace the alternator 3 times, battery, computer, struts and CB joints are going.

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  review - 1992 Buick Skylark
  By ia - January 14 - 2:00 am

  good car reliable and it is quite comfortable even though its a little ugly from the outside

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  TRACTION TROUBLE - 2003 Buick Rendezvous
  By THOMAS STOKES - January 10 - 2:00 am

  THEY HAD TO PUT ROTORS AND BRAKES ON AFTER FIVE DAYS THEN 3 OTHER TIMES,AND ,THE WEEK BEFORE I CALLED SERVICE DEPT, I WAS TOLD NOT TO WORRY ABOUT TRACTION LIGHT GOING ON A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER BRAKES LOCKED UP,ENGINE SHUT DOWN PUT VECHICLE INTO SPIN ALMOST KILLED ME AND MY WIFE,VERY POOR GAS MILAGE,NO ENGINE POWER,TRANSMISSION TROUBLE,NEEDS IMPROVEMENTS

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  Start/Stop Nightmare From China - 2016 Buick Envision
  By Peter L - December 21 - 7:16 pm

  This SUV has many great features; however, they are completely off-set by the horrible aspects. It is the poster child for technology gone amok! The "start/stop" is awful! I leased weather was torrid (90+ every day). It "shut" down every time I stopped. The air conditioning stops working and it makes a clunking sound when the engine re-starts. Since the weather has become cold, the start/stop doesnt kick in any more? I enquired at the dealership if this "feature" could be shut off which they didnt know which is typical for them. The backlighting on the dashboard and media panels automatically adjusts to changes in the exterior light but doesnt work properly and will dim so much that they are unreadable. This "feature" can not be turned off and per the dealership this is a complaint of many owners but Buick does nothing about it. Gas mileage is awful at approx. 18 mpg combined city/highway and I drive conservatively. My previous car was a Buick Verano and I loved it but this vehicle was twice as expensive and I hate it. My last Buick!