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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  Typical Early 2000s GM Quality - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By Noah - August 20 - 7:38 pm

  This is the car my family bought used a few years ago, and I wish they had done research first. It is better than the 98 Venture we had, but not by much. I will address build quality first, and frankly the build quality is disappointing. Basically the whole interior is hard plastic (the dashboard of my grandmothers 96 Bonneville is softer), and there are noticeable gaps between many of the panels. There is padding on the upper door panels, but it is very minimal. Fortunately, we have not had problems with the power doors like other people have. We have, however, experienced the very common light flicker problem. As for how this car drives, that is also not very good. Acceleration is terrible, possibly because of the 3500 engine vs. the weight of the vehicle. Getting up to highway speeds requires stomping on the gas pedal, and there is a noticeable delay between pressing the pedal and any acceleration. Potentially dangerous. As for steering, its not bad, but you are sharply reprimanded by a high-pitched squeaking and resistance if you try to turn the wheel with the brake pedal fully applied. When going over a bump, the entire car rattles. It is extremely annoying. Interior comfort isnt that bad. The third-row seats are kind of stiff, but I dont think theyve ever really been used. All other seats are comfortable enough. However, like I mentioned before, padding on the front doors is minimal. Legroom in the second row is barely enough, and the funny thing is that the third row actually has more legroom than the second. Other miscellaneous things include: somewhat sub-par gas mileage (about 17 mpg), the unimpressive CD player (randomly stops working), and visibility (hindered by full-size rear headrests and thick C-pillars). Overall, the only thing this car really has going for it is seat comfort. The gray interior is very blah, driving dynamics are not good, and build quality is poor compared to some of the other GM cars of the time (the Lesabre, for example). But its what we have, so I suppose Ill just have to deal with it.

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  Make a mistake going from my Tahoe to this - 2011 Buick Enclave
  By Anna S - August 15 - 11:47 pm

  I gave up my Tahoe to go to this because my two older children had moved out of the house and I did not need such a large vehicle. I intended on keeping this car for many years and giving it my daughter when she started driving. It has been in the shop with so many issues we now intend on trading it in next year and going back to a Tahoe. We have had problems from the motor mount, the drive train, the axle bearings and several other things. Thank goodness we had bought an extended warranty so we have not had much out of pocket cost. The Buick dealership has been very nice and apologetic about all the problems. It is a comfortable car but it is not as comfortable as I feel it should be.

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  under 50k shouldnt have this many problems2 - 2011 Buick LaCrosse
  By pat walsh - July 29 - 8:46 am

  bought with less than 10k on the clock. Wife loved the looks and ride. She traded an 06 Caddy and thought the ride was every bit as good. around 35k what sounded like tire noise developed. turns out (after buying tires) the noise MAY be hub bearings. About the same time the engine started stalling right off idle. thought it was the dreaded "throttle plate coking up" that seems engineered into every GM weve bought since 1996. Still not found that problem. I had tried to convince her to look at Nissans. Shes finally listening. GM should have a 60k bumper to bumper warranty, or start building cars that have fewer problems than a 1970 Fiat.

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  Fantastic Driver with some Shortcomings - 2012 Buick Regal
  By Josh - July 22 - 10:35 am

  I purchased this car over a year ago to replace a 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid that had recently surpassed 100,000 miles. I wanted something that would be fun to drive and that had a manual transmission. This car checked (most of) the boxes for my needs, after a year with it, however, this will be my last GM for a while. The good: The turbocharged motor and manual transmission combination is great! Clutch and shifts are smooth and engage easily. The torque band is very wide and pulls the Regal up to (and over) legal highway speeds, quickly and quietly. The interior is quiet and comfortable around town and on long trips. The bad: Trying to use/figure out the buttons on the steering wheel/center console/touch screen is miserable and very confusing. Voice recognition only works for certain functions, much worse than the SYNC in my previous car. No rear-view camera, on a vehicle at this price point trying to compete with entry-level luxury cars, a rear-view camera should be standard. The graphics for the navigation are acceptable, at best. QUALITY (or lack thereof) - my car has been in the shop 6 times in the past year for small repairs, blower motor on the climate control randomly cuts out, 4 rear light bulbs (no access panels in trunk, have to remove carpet surrounding the trunk to replace), sun visor mirror cover shattered apart, and grommets holding the floor mats to the floor sprung apart. The plastics on the interior feel cheap and look cheaper. The lack of storage space for front seat occupants is disappointing. Buick has done a fantastic job with the styling and the performance aspect of this car. It looks and drives fantastic, now if there was more focus placed upon quality and interior components, Id be fully satisfied. Im glad I purchased the Regal, but Im ready to get into something else.

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  A deceptive piece of junk - 2002 Buick LeSabre
  By stevemay71 - May 30 - 6:49 pm

  They ride nice, they are quiet - when things dont rattle and stuff begins to rattle after only 65K miles. The dashboard, the glove compartment etc. 3800 Series II reliable engine? Not true. Head gasket replaced, 3 out of 4 motor mounts shot, mass air flow sensor dead, ignition coil (cyl 1+4) dead - all between 65K and 75K miles. Sunroof seal began to leak into the trunk. Heated driver seat broken. Several bulbs in the dash and steering wheel broken. Headrest cover broken. Maybe car is nice when its new but it does not hold up. Age or mileage gets to these suckers. If youre considering one, have it checked out very very thoroughly - then LOWBALL the heck on the price.

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  Leaks & more... - 2013 Buick Encore
  By Brian Alley - April 17 - 11:10 am

  After 27,000 miles was loving this car then bam a maintenance nightmare. 3 recalls (seat belt issues & parking brake cable) a oil pan leak & a vibration/buzz that turned into an exhaust system failure that required an all new system. While they were fixing these problems they found a coolant leak & are now replacing the water pump. Disappointing as I was crazy about this ride...Im asking for an extended warranty as this is looking like a lemon?

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  2001 Buick Century Custom. - 2001 Buick Century
  By Oleg Dyachuk - March 29 - 2:44 pm

  I had this handed to me as my first car, dont remember much about it but I know it had over 130k miles and it was leaking oil. I had it for 2 weeks until I fell asleep at 6 AM and crashed into an utility pole with it. cracked the pole in half and totalled the car. But i was perfectly fine, walked away with a tiny scratch over my eyebrow from the airbag.

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  Not worth it - 2015 Buick Verano
  By standonit - March 24 - 5:03 pm

  I have been driving this Verano for 3 weeks. Thankfully, it is a company car. I would never buy it. Do not try to put adults in the rear seats. There is not enough leg room. The trunk lid does not open enough. I have to bend way over to keep from hitting my head on the trunk lid...OUCH! When I adjust the steering to a comfortable level, it blocks out the temperature and fuel gauge, and the top of the speedometer. Finally, this car likes fuel for a 4cyl engine. I am averaging 26-27mpg over a combination of interstate and rural US highways. Again, thankfully, this is a company car.

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  A Love Hate Relationship - 2006 Buick Rendezvous
  By Eva Stone - March 6 - 9:58 pm

  Bought this 06 in 2010 with 37,000 miles. Great handling and very comfortable car with lots of cargo for hauling my music gear. Then it left me stranded with a radiator problem at about 85,000 miles. Trial and error to fix that left me stranded several times. Kind of been down hill from there. Chrome fell off the wheels, had to replace those. Have LOTS of problems with the front end, wheel bearings and such. This winter got extremely cold and the fuel sensor went out, left me traveling with a maximum speed of 30 MPH several times till we replaced that. Im at 137,000 and the front axes is grinding and will need to be replaced. I think its time to replace the car.

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  largest disappointment of my life - 2010 Buick LaCrosse
  By John V Brown - February 25 - 1:52 pm

  we purchased our 2010 new. HUD, NAV, AWD, this was the nicest car in town. look, I am not going to explain all the problems, from mechanical, electrical, brakes. We recently traded it. This car gave me an ulcer. I have over 20 thousand dollars worth of paperwork to prove repairs. Not to mention the car was turning into a rust pile. Do yourself a favor, if you have one, or are thinking of purchasing one, it is not worth it, not even if it has been given to you.