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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  Still Rolling - 2001 Buick Century
  By Mart - March 5 - 2:09 pm

  Purchased used in 2003 with 38K. Previous life was a rental. Now with over 150K all types of things have gone wrong in the past 12 months. Intake manifold leaking, cruise control out & gas gauge undependable. However I have not had any brake, exhaust, or tranny problems, and the car always started! No rust on body either. Time to trade in or give to charity, but it was a very good investment.

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  nice car - 2008 Buick Lucerne
  By lei - March 2 - 2:02 pm

  one year ago I bought a used 2008 Lucerne and was so pleased with it, Its ubiquitous 3.8 litre engine provides all the power one could want unless they are a "drag racer" and the car handles beautifully. I have always gotten 30-35 MPG at the 55-65 miles per hour on the high way and 20-24 mpg in local driving which amazes me in so big a car.then the Lucerne is the most satisfactory one I have ever owned.

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  IT HAS BEEN A GOOD CAR - 2000 Buick LeSabre
  By Ricardo Jimenez - February 27 - 4:00 pm

  I bought it with 40,000 miles, the transmission blow off after one month, it was replaced by the dealer and I just paid $300.00. After that, the heater was fixed, it was blowing cool air by the driver vent, it was fixed @ $700.00, the driver bearing has been replaced and after that, no problem in 3 years. Im using synthetic oil and maintenance by the book, I drive 104 miles a day because of work. The cassette player never works

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  Not bad for THIRD hand car - 2004 Buick LeSabre
  By ty - February 27 - 3:04 pm

  Not the prettiest design, but not completely horrible. Just a simple blue collar (as my boss likes to say) car. Because its an American car, the used car price was better than buying a comparable but smaller Japanese family sedan. Only some minor problems, which I expect from American cars. The dash and radio console looked like it hasnt been updated since 1985. I saw a 2004 Honda Accord with more modern design. The driver side speaker blew out after a month I owned it. And a month later the gas gauge stopped working so I have to estimate when to fill up gas. No big deal. I will drive this car into the ground. As long as it keeps running Im happy.

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  Surprise - 2002 Buick Century
  By Alan Roberson - February 21 - 11:42 am

  Purchased this car new in 2002 for my wife, and as our primary vehicle for out of town trips. From the beginning the brakes squealed. A knock in the front end developed within the first year...EXACTLY like the previous 1999 Century we had. GM tried but never fixed it completely. Gotta be a design flaw for it to happen on both cars that we owned. Last week while my wife was driving to work a valve spring broke...major engine repair costs. This car has been babied and the oil religiously changed every 3000 miles. We are very disappointed as we thought wed have this car many more miles. Will keep as second car and buy a good Honda for primary.

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  229,000 miles and counting - 2000 Buick Regal
  By doulos - February 15 - 11:20 am

  Bought the car used in 9/02 with 45,145 miles. Now it has 229,200 miles. This is a very reliable car! It never broke down or left me stranded. There is one thing that you must fix if you buy one of these cars with the 3.8L, and that is the lower intake manifold and gasket. I had mine fixed at 94,000 miles and never any problems. The only other thing I changed out was the front and rear brake rotors due to warped rotors. Do the scheduled coolant and transmission flushes and it will serve you a long time. Then just change the oil, tires and brake pads as needed. The leather interior has held up well, no rattles and there is no visible exterior rust!! Thank you Buick for a great car!

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  No problems here - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By kirkdouglas - February 13 - 12:58 pm

  I Got this van at a low cost, so i was willing to check it out no matter what other people said in there reviews. I have to say that it has been nothing but good times for me and my family, no problems to speak about.

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  Comforable and quiet ride - 2006 Buick LaCrosse
  By MarkZ - February 8 - 11:07 pm

  Have drive car 54000 mile with no problems. Very advanced handling and braking system. A pleasure to drive long distance in the front seat rear is a little tight for adults for more than couple of hours. Could have made rear seats and leg room more accommodating. take front the long front end of car or add couple inches to vehicle, Wish I had bought the lacerne. Love the heated seats in colder climates and cool mornings. Would like heated front window orwipers snow and ice collect under windshield wipers. Previous cars Buick Park Ave,Toyota Previa,GMC savannah. Gas mileage could be better(24MPG)200HP traded for power. High performance tires noticeable improvement in ride and handling.

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  Major Disappointment - Goodbye GM - 2008 Buick Lucerne
  By flash - February 4 - 11:20 pm

  20+ years of faithful GM ownership. Purchased the 2008 Lucerne brand new, thought I couldnt go wrong. Lets see..... thermostat problems, took 2 attempts to fix that. The trunk that leaked in the rain and to top that the dealers service center couldnt get to it for a week (smell that, would ya?). Then theres the gas cap that just fell off. Wish I paid closer attention to the poor turning ability and less to the cushy seats. Great economy but such poor acceleration, I am hesitant to make any sort of assertive move for fear the car will be left behind! I will never pay $35K for such a vehicle again!

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  08 Enclave - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By sojac - January 27 - 1:36 pm

  Very comfortable ride on hwy. Love the 2nd row bucket seats for adults or our two car seats. Gives acces to third row w/o taking out a car seat. Great storage space, great sound system. Still gets lots of looks at stop lights. Use of the manual shift option gives much better performance. 10,000 + miles and no problems.