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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  Like it... - 2003 Buick Rendezvous
  By mkp53081 - October 12 - 11:52 am

  We owned a CXL 2 years ago and traded it for a Scion xB (BIG mistake!). We have two growing boys (7 & 4) so the Scion was just too small. We got rid of it and bought another Rendezvous. We went back to the Rendezvous because its comfortable, gets decent gas mileage, and has room to haul stuff. The only things we are dissapointed about so far on the CX model is that it is missing a lot of the features that the CXL had. No backup sensors, cloth instead of leather, no third row seat (but it has the option to easily install an aftermarket one), and FWD instead of AWD. We love having a Rendezvous--even without the CXL options--and are glad we bought another one!

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  So far Im poor - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By jrs - October 10 - 11:03 pm

  Although a beautiful car inside and out, dont buy off on the claim that this gets better mileage than most SUVs. The AWD version I have is averaging less than 15 MPG in the city. The car is heavy and takes a lot of gas pedal to get up to speed. I was really hoping to get a little more economy out of this car.

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  Buick Ranier - 2004 Buick Rainier
  By cobradriver - October 4 - 2:00 am

  Ride is excellent for and SUV. Very quiet, much quieter than wifes Acura. Passed on the V8 as performance is quite good, V8 only adds 15 HP but more torque. Build quality was very good, as are materials. Terrific seats, and audio system.

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  So far so good - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By KWD - October 2 - 3:52 pm

  We bought our Enclave a little over two weeks ago. We are very satisfied with our purchase. The vehice interior is very luxury. The outside vehicle design is very appealling.

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  Good Car - 1997 Buick Century
  By Marsheen - September 30 - 11:04 am

  Ive owned this car over a year now. Since Iam quite young and a maniac on a road, this car is takeing a beating every day. I make the engine of this car cry after its roaring and the car still drives good. Im not sure but I might have felt a little power loss over the time but I might be wrong. So far the only thing that broke on it was my cup holder and two mottor windows, and the interior trim is not holding in few places, because I had a 1200 watt system put in and the plastic wasnt put on properly. Im bored of this car now and I want a faster one, but if youre not planning to drive like an idiot than defenetly purchase one of these cars.

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  Johns ratiing - 2004 Buick Park Avenue
  By John A McDonnell - September 30 - 10:00 am

  The spacious trunk is a big plus but the sheer comfortable ride is far better than the numerous other cars I have owned/driven. The pick up in this Ultra is great for a familly sedan.

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  Not the best looking, but great to own - 1998 Buick LeSabre
  By Marc - September 27 - 7:44 am

  I recently was going through tough economic times and sold my 04 EB Expedition and bought a 98 Lesabre Custom with 83K. I am an auto technician so I performed all of the basic maintance(drive belt, run Mobil One, transmission filter and fluid to Amsoil, belt tensioner, tune-up, etc). The previous owner replaced the upper intake, brakes, struts & A/C compressor. The car has saved me a great deal of money from lack of monthly payments and getting great gas mileage. A drive to Grandmas(approx 235 miles) and the fuel mileage was 28-29 mpg. Mixed driving I get about 22-24 mpg which beats 11-12 mpg for the Expedition.

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  runnin the wheels off - 1993 Buick Skylark
  By luvmycar - September 26 - 7:18 pm

  My dad bought this car in the late 90s as a family car. He sold it to me about 5 years ago and it is still going strong. It hugs the road like a teddy bear and I can drive it with confidence in any weather. In the 10 or so years we have had it the totaly repairs have cost less than $1500. My car has 210000k miles on it and the engine is still purring like a kitten. I dont look forward to replacing it because I dont think I will ever find a car more reliable.

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  Nice car, except for electric windows. - 2001 Buick LeSabre
  By Joe H - September 26 - 1:23 pm

  Comfortable car, good milage for big car, 29 mpg on hiway 21 city. At 60000 miles, had issue with instrument cluster relays, would run battery down. At 65000 rear window regulators failed simultaneously. Now passenger side window does not function. Great car if you dont require fresh air. Hint- if you own a LeSare, dont roll down rear windows, good chance they wont go back up.

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  Great but watch window assembly - 2000 Buick LeSabre
  By smgbjl - September 21 - 4:58 pm

  I bought my Buick new in 2000, it has been great for long trips as well as city driving. Having owned it now for 9 years the only problem Ive encountered is the power window regulators which make the windows go up and down. I had to replace all 4 of them. They run about $400.00 installed. Thank God I sell cars for a living so I got a discount on labor and parts. Other than that one problem the car has been great!