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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  Overall outstanding car with few flaws - 2010 Buick LaCrosse
  By Steve - March 3 - 4:24 pm

  Ill sum up the good points first: 1) Style: This car looks better than a lexus, mercedes, audi, or bmw. Hands down. 2) Interior style: I love the accent lighting, the displays, the information center with radio 3) I love the bluetooth for cell phones. Totally worth it dont skip it. Trust me. 4) Engine: I love the power and the auto-stick feature. Fun! What I dont like: 1) Drivers seat is not deep enough. It also has a hard plastic portion that sticks out. Youll bruise your thigh getting in an out if not careful. I learned the hard way. 2) Small trunk 3) USB/Power outlet in center console 4) Gas tank on wrong side (can be good for busy gas stations)

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  Great ride - 2009 Buick Enclave
  By don - March 2 - 12:52 pm

  I bought this vehicle after I read 50 reviews and some test drives. Other folks have done a great job of describing the joys of an Enclave. I have experienced mileage as high as 28 on flat road 55mph and no traffic. Typical on interstate at 70 is 23-24 if you keep your foot steady. 2 complaints- tires extremely noisy on some roads. I drive with both feet and periodically, if my foot is resting on the brake when I accelerate, the vehicle jumps. Have had a couple close calls. I now make sure my foot is off the brake. Dealer says my brake foot is confusing the throttle computer causing it to feed in more gas. One Toyota has same problem.

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  Great Vehicle - 2010 Buick Enclave
  By Marc - February 28 - 8:31 pm

  Bought a month ago, so far great vehicle. Bought Cocoa Mist FWD CXL-2, hard color to find. DVD player works great for the kids, seats move easily (my 5 year old can move them). ONstar is a great feature. Fuel economy could be better,but its exactly what the sticker says, so really cant complain. Couple of snows so far and it has performed as well as our Jeep. We are starting to see why we are seeing more and more of these on the roads and know why.

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  Love This Car! - 2009 Buick Lucerne
  By NeuroDoctor - February 27 - 4:09 pm

  This a great car. Its qualities are very well done. It is beautiful, inside and out, quiet, luxurious, and has an understated quality that very well fits someone who is not about ostentation. While one might think me biased because a long time relationship with Buick (three generations of Buick owners), I believe that this is the best Buick I have ever owned! Once again, Buick (for me) has created the perfect doctors car!

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  Sinking floor - 2010 Buick Enclave
  By bstevens - February 24 - 2:47 pm

  I love my car. I feel great driving it. It handles so well.

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  2000 Bruick LeSabre Limited - 2000 Buick LeSabre
  By Ron Roesener - February 24 - 8:18 am

  This has been an excellent car. I hate to give it up as we have averavged 25mpg and this is a full size car. The front wheel drive with traction lock is amazing in the snow. Living in the mountains of Colorado this is a must. The car has 193,000 miles. Yes we had to put a new transmission in at 170000 miles but it was worth it.

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  Best car Ive ever owned - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By Joe - February 23 - 4:34 pm

  By far, the best car Ive ever owned (including Lexus, Acura, BMW, etc). Quieter than all of the previous cars, comfortable and great use of space. Incredible amount of space considering exterior dimensions. This is the first car Ive ever owned that I will buy another of the same type.

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  Not your fathers Buick! - 2005 Buick LaCrosse
  By GM 3.8 fan - February 23 - 9:42 am

  I bought this CXL with the legendary 3.8 engine. It had 37,000 miles and was lightly used. I have driven it 7,000 miles. I love the 3.8 engine and GM got it right with the last of the series. Great around town mileage and good highway mileage. The original tires are about shot and I intend to upgrade with premium rubber. GM needs to put better original tires on its premium models. No problems and my mechanic has raved about the good deal I got from a VW dealer. The car depreciated to where a guy with two kids in college can afford a top line car for the cost of a tin can. My only complaint is that I wish the front leather seats were as nice as the European-style seats on my 1994 Bonneville.

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  Bulletproof - 1990 Buick LeSabre
  By Geech - February 21 - 1:29 pm

  I bought the car in 1995 and sold it several years ago. Bought it with 60,000 miles on it, and sold it with 240,000 miles on it. I sometimes regret selling it. In all those years and miles I spent zero time worrying about whether the car would make it from point A to point B. Apart from routine maintenance, all I had to do was replace the fuel pump (at 100,000), the radiator (at 150,000) and the exhaust (at 200,000) which had rusted out in the northern winters. Even my moms Camry (which has 220,000 miles on it) has required more repairs than the LeSabre. I loved the smooth ride & good gas mileage on the highway. I still miss that car sometimes.

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  Very Nice Vehicle - 2010 Buick Enclave
  By bayerjv01 - February 20 - 9:47 pm

  Had this 7 months now and it has been very reliable. More than adequate power, very comfortable and quiet. Fuel economy is good for a vehicle of this size configured to seat 7. I wish I got the AWD version - too easy to spin the tires on the FWD. Using mapquest and sending it to your GPS via Onstar is cool. Rear entertainment system has been well utilized. The power lift gate works well and I dont know if I would want an SUV without one again.