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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  The regal Regal - 1993 Buick Regal
  By Stvkrenim - October 5 - 2:00 am

  This car had the 3.1-Liter V-6. That gave it enough power to briefly chirp the front tires under hard acceleration, but highway passing response is sluggish. Automatic was blissfully smooth. 4-wheel-disc brakes seemed no better than a disc/drum setup, mushy pedal feel. Strange dash had tiny gauges spread nearly halfway across the cabin. Fake wood looked fake. Quiet at lower speeds, but highway noise borders on excessive. Ride is supple, but floats and wallows far too much for a modern car.

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  Car reliability? - 1995 Buick LeSabre
  By Rosy Petals - October 1 - 2:00 am

  The car has been reasonably good altho had problems with seat upholstery when brand new. It was fixed of course. At 42,000 miles My headlights all of the sudden went out.It was a part. It was out of warranty and I had to pay for itIn July 2002 while driving on an interstate at high speed my headlights went out. Tonight My I stopped at a red light and boom everyting just quit

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  NOTHING BUT MONEY MONEY MONEY - 1995 Buick Century
  By Pinkcadillac_1 - September 27 - 2:00 am

  I bought this from the dealer with 13 miles, I have had nothing but mechanical problems since I bought it. FRONT RIGHT DRIVE AXLE, BRAKES, TIRES, WHEEL INNERS. WINDOW MOTORS REPLACES MULTIPLE TIMES UNDER THE 100,000 MILE EXTENDED WARRANTY I PAID BIGGGGGGGG BUCKS FOR, ONLY TO GIVE OUT SOON AFTER THE LAST REPLACEMENT AND LOCK ONE OPEN, ONE CLOSED. NOISEY NOISEY RATTLES AND SQUEALS, NEVER CORRECTED UNDER WARRANTY, nor was the ALL POWER OPTIONS WORTH THE MONEY I PAID. For comfort..

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  Engine Auto Start Stop Feature - 2016 Buick Encore
  By twiceencoreowner - September 12 - 2:24 am

  After owning another Encore (2015), I traded and I bgt the 2016 Sport Touring. I was excited as it had a gas saving feature called "Auto stop" plus a few cosmetic extras. At first this feature was intriguing but after 5 mos of it starting and stopping all the time at traffic lights etc it became a real nuisance. The A/C also changes temp and gets hotter and fan slows down..also on heat as the compressor also shuts off. I decided to take it to the dealer and have it disabled...unfortunately that isnt possible..for some damn reason?? Software issue or program design bug? Dealership and Buick wont offer any allowance for my gruntled issue on a new 2017 w/o this stupid feature either. So be damn sure you understand what this does before you get stuck with it on an Encore. To save 50c a week this isnt worth the BS to have it. I cant believe some moron engineer thinks he is saving the environment and gas mileage by starting and stopping an engine at every slow down..

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  Bought Car at 8,000 miles - 1995 Buick Century
  By Dave Lavender - August 31 - 2:00 am

  We have had a 1990 Buick Century and looked for this 1995 five years ago. It has disappointed us in noise. The engine is noisy, much more than our 1990 model. Wind noise is really bad on the highway. Radiator had to be replaced at 100,000 miles. It is difficult to park due to not being able to see the front fenders well enough. The turning radius is very poor. This will be our last Buick after the disappointing things we have had. Local Buick dealer has not been honest and this is one factor I wontolerate.

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  Adequate but not compelled to buy - 2002 Buick Century
  By tanman - August 20 - 2:00 am

  Our family of four rented one during our two week stay in Colorado. The 12 years old constantly complained about the lack of room compared to Dads Passat! Overall the engine/tranny are well optimized but still felt light on power. Handling and comfort - well its a Buick - but the seats were exceptionally poor. I still have a lingering back ache from the lack of support. Ive driven Fords (actually own one!) and Chryslers and think the General really has the domestic competitors beat. But he better start benchmarking German cars before Ill buy one.

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  Adequate but not compelled to buy - 2003 Buick Century
  By tanman - August 20 - 2:00 am

  We-a traditional family of four-spent two weeks traveling up and down the mountains of Colorado. The 12 year old complained constantly about the lack of room (compared to dads Passat). Fuel economy was remarkable (26-28 mpg) but car felt underpowered. Seats had absolutely no support. Trunk roomy but poorly shaped. Passat wins here,too. This car is probably better than most of its American competitors. The General definitely has the transmission/engine combo well tuned. But if you want a real car, invest elsewhere.

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  Riv - 1995 Buick Riviera
  By curt123 - August 11 - 2:00 am

  Engine went at 78k, $3000 Car handles terrible not even close to being sporty in any sense of the word, does not like to be pushed at all. Rides Well Gets decent gas mileage especially on highway Great Exterior Styling Interior is poor for the price, GM usually has terrible interiors and this one is not that great. Low resale value means you if you can find one that is low mileage and in good condition you can get alot for your money. My engine failure was a fluke related to the pan leaking oil from some undercar damage that I was unware of and it starved oil to the main bearings spun a few out.

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  Buyer beware - 2004 Buick Rendezvous
  By stina - July 12 - 10:00 am

  Loved the look of this car at the auto show - ordered it right away. I will never buy another car that is a new model again. We had extra speakers from the factory that never worked. At 36,400 miles, we had to replace the front wheel bearing. At 46,500 miles (25 months old) the electrical system had corrosion due to a leak at the windshield - cost us $333.00 to replace what is obviously a manufacturer defect - the car has been in no accidents and we never off-road. Also, the dealer was no help whatsoever and kept telling us we should have gotten the extended warranty.

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  Whistle/Click - 2002 Buick LeSabre
  By Whistle - June 14 - 2:00 am

  The alternator has a whistle which is loud enough to be a problem. The brake clicks everytime you use it. The back of the seats have play in them. The dealerships can not correct these problems. The original tires had to be upgraded because of defects at additional cost to the customer. This car does not live up to the 8.9 rating.