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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  Window Regulator Defect - 2002 Buick LeSabre
  By No more GM for me!!! - July 24 - 6:50 pm

  I purchased my 2002 LeSabre Customer in April 2008 as a used car. My front right window regular went out in June 2009 and then almost three weeks later the back left side passenger window regulator went out. My car mechanic states that this is a known problem with this model year and that my other two windows will soon follow this trend. I contacted GM/Buick and GM/Buick seems to think that this part is fine the way it was manufactured and stated that they have had no customer complaints thus far. No wonder this car company has had the problems they do. Produce an inferior product and sell it.

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  never again - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By Bruce - July 23 - 7:10 pm

  This vehicle is quite comfortable to drive and that is where my satisfaction ends. It has been back to the dealership many times for numerous problems.As of tonight you cant even shut the car off. We are driving a loaner. Had to get the jack out of the car and you need an engineering degree to do that. Would never want to have to use it along the road. Degree sensor problems, navigation problems transmission not shifting properly. If this is the kind of quality that you get for a vehicle this expensive it is no wonder General Motors is in the position they are. This is my last G.M. I guess its Ford of Toyota from here on out

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  Very Comfortable Ride - 1993 Buick LeSabre
  By Lorr - July 18 - 3:26 am

  This car has the nicest ride of all Ive ever got to own/drive! The only other nicer riding car Ive driven was a Uhaul Chevrolet C1500 pickup truck. Unfortunately, it does have a few negatives. When I bought mine with 75k miles, it already had a constant misfire due to a or a couple of stuck fuel injectors. Because of this, the idle often gets too low when parallel parking effectively eliminating steering assist. Electrical system reconfigured itself at 115k. Car suddenly died, lights out, restarted a few minutes later but now lacking the function of radio(oddly tape plyr still works),AC, and manual interior lights (still works with door).

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  My Wifes New Convertible. Updated 11/16 - 2016 Buick Cascada
  By Rich - July 17 - 10:15 am

  Our new Deep Sky Blue Cascada replaces our faithful old Chrysler Sebring JXI. My wife loves convertibles and this car is a nice one. So far she has logged just a few hundred miles but they have been surprisingly enjoyable. The turbo 4 has better then expected performance and the handling is crisp. Not a floaty ride like Buicks of yore. Much has been made of all of the buttons on the dash, but most are only used occassionally and you quickly get used to the layout. The seats are comfortable and the convertible top, and its mechanism, are awesome. So far we havent found much not to like about this car. Styling is extremely attractive from every angle and the car gets a lot of compliments. At $37K, the price seems reasonable for what you get. Our old Sebring listed at $27k when new back in 2000, and it is no where near as well equipped. The car has some nice Euorpean touches, like the redundant set of tail lights when the trunk is open and the side signal lights on the front fenders. As for fuel economy, we recently averaged 28.6 mpg on a day trip here the DIC showed an average speed of 46 mph city/highway. We are looking forward to enjoyable summer driving with this car. Update: November, 2016 - Enjoyable summer with the Cascada. Fun car to drive. Current mileage is around 3,000 with no problems encountered. Still getting a lot of positive comments.

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  Nice ride - 2004 Buick Century
  By Martin - July 17 - 9:14 am

  My buick century is a old person car. When passing another car, you have to floor it because it rarely down shifts. the seats are very comfortable and the ride is very quiet and the car "floats" when on a hilly road.

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  Great Cruiser - but little else - 2006 Buick Lucerne
  By mbarker - July 16 - 7:56 pm

  I bought the Lucerne due to a job change that requires that I drive 125 interstate miles roundtrip each day. Very comfortable/roomy car that is very quiet. It was made to cruise the highway. Even with the V-8 its not very spirited and it handles like a bus. It was not made for evasive or sporty driving. The fuel mileage has been on average about 26 mpg with 90% of driving on the highway. The cooled seats are great and keep you comfortable in hot humid weather. The Harmon Kardon stereo is average at best. It has the Continetal tires and there is a vibration the dealer cant get rid of. They claim "excessive road force variation" and its not covered by the certified warranty.

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  Great "Grandma Cruiser" - 1992 Buick Century
  By biopledgiance - July 16 - 3:22 am

  I received this car a year ago for free at 109k miles. I now have 121k. I use it around town as a daily driver to work and school. This cars engine is very impressive and has quite a bit of go. The only mechanical problems Ive had were the harmonic balancer ($35)and an ignition coil ($30). The interior is spacious, and very comfortable as a driver and side passenger. The back seat itself is very soft, comfy, and great for kids, however taller (> 510")folks will have to spread their legs. The trunk is massive! I have no issue fitting anything there! Mileage is decent and as much as I race it about it still does great. Handling and suspension are that of a small boat, but better than most.

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  From Audi to Buick - 2006 Buick Lucerne
  By Daniel - July 13 - 10:36 am

  My first GM car since my Chevrolet Citation in 1981. I was attracted to the Lucerne because it is built over the Cadillac DTS platform. I rented a DeVille a few times wile travelling in California. I was very please with the DeVille. The overall finish is at par with Japanese or German. Lets see if it is as reliable as my fathers LeSabre.

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  disgusted in Arizona - 2003 Buick LeSabre
  By disgusted in Arizona - July 8 - 8:01 pm

  This was our third Buick in a row. An 86 LeSabre we tried to wear out and couldnt, and a 95 Regal that was still going strong at 180,000 when we sold it. The 2003 replaced the Regal in 11/05. It had 34k, was in excellent condition, and bought from the proverbial "old lady". It is a comfortable, quiet road car. My wife drives it about 13k hwy mi/yr and pampers it. Trouble began in 1/07 at about 60k mi. Had to replace lft rear window regulator, then the rt one 4 mos later, then the lft one again 30 days later. 4/09 both dr latch/sensor assblys on rt side. Today the lft rear latch/sensor. Total so far $1245 for items VERY POORLY designed and built. THIS WILL BE OUR LAST BUICK!!

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  Great Value - no problems - 2007 Buick Rendezvous
  By tominny - July 7 - 6:41 pm

  I have owned my 2007 buick Rendezvous for over 2 years and have not had one problem. I got an incredible value when i bought the car as the Rendezvous was at the end of its run. The styling hadnt changed much in the last few years but we liked the way it looked and the interior was very nice. What surprises me is that I consistently get 23 mpg on the highway. This is better than i get with my Nissan Murano which is much smaller??? In local driving i get around 16 which is painful when gas is $4+ a gallon but reasonable when you consider the size and 7 passenger capacity. I have 31,000 miles and am still going strong!