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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  grand dad car - 2002 Buick LeSabre
  By Anderson - January 21 - 7:00 pm

  one of the best cars I have every owned have a 2000 with 396000 miles not done any work to engine

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  niece style - 2012 Buick LaCrosse
  By sonny - January 19 - 12:29 pm

  good rideing car,handling is good,

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  One of the best vehicles Ive ever owned - 2005 Buick LeSabre
  By Ernie S. - January 18 - 8:25 am

  Next to my 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan this is the best vehicle Ive ever owned. Comfortable, decent gas mileage, minimal regular maintenance costs and the only one major expense was needing front and rear pads and rotors at the same time. I get it serviced every 3-4,000 miles, rotate tires often (3rd set in place at the moment) and drive it daily (127K and still going strong). My only complaint is a dashboard squeak Ive had for ages and cant seem to locate. I wish they still made this model for when Im ready again.

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  Out of 6 BMWs and 6 Mercedes, my FAVORITE - 2000 Buick Regal
  By Jerry - January 14 - 9:53 pm

  Ive owned 6 BMWs and 6 Mercedes, and I expect a LOT from my cars. I bought my LSE after getting fed up with being $1000d to death by Mercedes and BMW. Thought Id give a Buick a try, but wasnt really expecting much, considering it was a, well, BUICK. Boy, was I surprised! This is my favorite car ever, and I dont say that lightly. Gets 32 mpg on long trips, has the touring suspension and corners like its on rails. As most Mercedes owners will admit, the cruise control and A/C are unreliable at best. This dual zone automatic climate control is faultless, EVERYTHING ALWAYS WORKS as it should, and this car is really loaded up with options like a Cadillac. It is absolutely reliable, smooth riding, good power, and fun to drive. Mercedes could learn a thing or two from this cars reliability, so could BMW.

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  The land roamer - 1991 Buick Roadmaster
  By Haefen - January 13 - 7:26 pm

  This is a fantastic car to own if you need to seat as much as an SUV, tow as much as light to medium duty trucks, and drive on long trips comfortably. The only real problem with the 1991 model is the 5.0L V8 as it is under powered for such a big heavy car, but the 5.0L was also in trucks and vans from the age so they suffered the same issue. But besides that I have no trouble getting up to 75 mph and driving all day in it, I bought it in Denver, Colorado, and drove it 3 hours home, including on a dirt road with old tires, as the last owner did not replace them, and it handled it like a champ, Ive had it for 5,000 miles now, driving it 100 miles a day in the middle of Wyoming winter, and it just handles wonderfully, it doesnt give me any trouble and even at 191,000 miles that I bought it at I havent had to do any major work, and I dont see signs of anything major, besides the water pump, being replaced. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone who loves big wagons.

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  Steering - 2006 Buick Lucerne
  By D Berwald - January 13 - 1:23 pm

  If you wish to make a U turn, make sure you have enough room as turning radius does not allow for real sharp turns. It is still a stylish vehicle. It does well on long trips as far as comfort and economy. I have consistently experienced 24 miles per gallon on a long trip.

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  Best Car Ever I Had - 1999 Buick Regal
  By Mark - January 12 - 6:57 pm

  This is the Most Fun best Driving car I Every Had. I Bought 1999 Buick regal GS brand spanking new. It was still on the truck when i called the dealership. Took it for a test drive and the supercharger kicked in, WOW. The Leather seats never ripped, radio, windows ,ac and all the power never stopped working. I only ran Mobil 1 oil and Trans fluid. After 200,000 we had some transmission work but after 248,000 the engine just quit. But up till then it still got 28 mph on the highway to work. After 16 years this has been the Best Ever, only bad was the Premium Gas.

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  My 15 year old friend - 2001 Buick LeSabre
  By steve white - January 12 - 9:20 am

  Over all, this car has been a good one. Its handles great in snow. Comfortable to drive (Im 6 2" its got plenty leg room in front) Ive had to replace 3 electric window motors (this is a common defect in this car) and the air condtioning. (This too is a common issue with this model.) A few of the ellectric display lights are out, but this is not a major thing for me. The car has 200k and has been driven from CT to Fla many times over the years. Still gets me from point A to B without many issues over the years.

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  Love it....just purchased! - 2015 Buick Verano
  By Horton - January 8 - 9:26 am

  I have been looking for a new car for 6 months ....I test drove a 2016 Chevy Malibu, 2013 Lexus 350, 2015 Nissan Altima, 2015 Acura ILX, 2012 Cadillac SRX, and a 2015 Kia Optima and my Certified Buick Verano by far was the most comfortable, well appointed, sleek looking car for the price of all of these. Very satisfied with my Certified Buick Verano!

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  Comfort and Classy - 2010 Buick Enclave
  By Enclave Love - January 2 - 12:56 am

  Love my Enclave. This has been a great vehicle for me. Love the AWD and traction control. Only real issues have been the many recalls. Dealerships have been wonderful to fix, but too many.