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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  2003 Ultra, an excellent buy - 2003 Buick Park Avenue
  By Timbo - June 6 - 3:40 pm

  This 2003 Park Avenue Ultra is my second Ultra. I also own a 1992 (which has lived up to its 4s and 5s for long-term reliability and quality). This is an exceptional vehicle. Excellent for the buyer (not for the seller - very low resale), which enabled me to purchase the car well under what its worth in my eyes. I have now owned it for a little over a year and its been fantastic. Mine is fully optioned (I bought it in Hawaii and it has heated seats). There is nothing about this vehicle that I would change (save putting an LS2 into it). It is granite in color, with the chrome accent option and a tastefully done leather interior. The Supercharged 3800 V6 is spectacular.

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  Blast from the past - 2017 Buick Cascada
  By Dave - June 4 - 2:06 pm

  Car is a 2+2, no rear knee room. Acceleration from dead stop ok, but is quite good from 25mph and up, great on freeways and interstates. Steering quick, tight turn radius. Ride is firm but not harsh, cornering stability good. Noise level surprisingly good. Rear visibility with top up is marginal with passenger headrests up, but is adequate otherwise. Fold down rear seats great. Gas mpg on new engine 27.5at prolonged 75-85 mph, 22mpg suburban travel. However, interior controls need redesign. NAV system complex, redundant, voice recognition a joke, back up/NAV screen too small, very difficult to identify features function button while underway. Took it in for first for visit at 3000 miles...unable to get tires to balance, to be replaced, top has two small tears, to be replaced, after 32 days of ownership. Promptly after delivery took 2k mile trip, seating quite comfortable, we each have lumbar problems. So far am satisfied with vehicle.

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  Happy Owner - 2006 Buick Lucerne
  By Willie - June 3 - 1:10 pm

  I only looked at the Buick Lucerne & the Hyundai Azera,the Azera offered much more value and a better warranty and many extra features.Both cars could use more trunk space..The Azera is a stiffer ride which is fine,the Buick is a softer ride..Neither offer a automatic release of the emergency brake like the Ford does..The black trim on the Azera is a flat finish and will require a coating to keep it from turning whiteish and fading..The reason I went with the Lucerne is that it is a larger car and a American company..The Azera comes from Korea..I must say if I could afford it I would buy the Azera for the wife who now owns a Regal which has been very good..Both cars are impressive,

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  More than pleased - 2004 Buick Rendezvous
  By rwall5194 - June 1 - 10:00 am

  Ive bought a lot of new cars and this is by far the best one. It rides like a dream - such an improvement over my last SUV (Ford Explorer). Sits on a van chassis and that makes the difference. Great price, great gas mileage. Im more than pleased. rwall5194

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  my problems - 2004 Buick Rendezvous
  By Thomas Pender - June 1 - 10:00 am

  my 2002 cxl awd needed a new transmission at 29,700 miles and rear differential at 35,682 Tried to trade it in on a 2004 same mode and found the vallue to be $11,000 paid 35,000 appr new..Pathetic and the last american car i will own Been buick driver for 30 years

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  Groovy - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By sweet_joe - May 31 - 1:56 pm

  We also looked at MDX, CX-9 and Veracruz. Nothing compares to Enclave. We were attracted to the stylish exterior initially but we were surprised to see how good the build quality was. This is the best bargain in the market if you are looking to get a quality SUV/CUV. We have the White Diamond which they no longer produce. Worth a 12 weeks wait.

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  I cant believe we own a Buick - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By rich - May 31 - 10:13 am

  We looked at the Acadia, Outlook, SRX and Mazda cx9 and ended up with the enclave...much nicer (classier) interior than all but the SRX, and it has a 4 year warranty too...took a 1200 mile trip on day 4 and the car ran perfectly...very smooth and quiet ride, in fact one of the most quiet cars IÂ’ve driven...the front seats are very comfortable and I didnt get out of the car after 3 or 4 hours all tired and stiff...no complaints so far

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  Great car - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By Ed - May 29 - 1:40 am

  Just returned from a 1360 mi. trip thru the Colorado Rockies. The Enclave was a joy to drive, and performed very well. The trip gave us a chance to try all the bells and whistles. The car is loaded with everything (more than we orignally wanted) but with limited dealship inventory, we took what was available. Trip included multiple mtn. passes with elevation over 10k ft., and as high as 12k. We got 24.6 MPG overall, which I thought was great considering the terrain driven. Often when we returned from a hike or train ride we found people gathered around the car in the parking lot admiring it. We researched a lot of cross-over models, and we think we made the right choice.

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  A great looker - 2016 Buick Cascada
  By Tom in Pittsburgh - May 26 - 6:39 pm

  In Pittsburgh the convertible market is not a booming market, so the selection of exterior, interior colors and wheel types were very limited. I ordered our Buick Cascada in the beginning of March, and received it at the end of May (three months delivery time). I enjoy driving the car more and more each day. It is quite and the ride is smooth on good roads, a bit bumpy on uneven roads (sport suspension). Our roads are hilly and windy here in Pittsburgh, but the Cascada handles the road exceptionally well. Seat and steering wheel adjustments are very accommodating. Initially I was concerned about the rear view visibility and the enclosed feeling with the roof up, but have no problems. The curvature of the two side mirrors is such that half of the lane behind me is visible in each of the side mirrors. Although the rear window is small, and is at an angle that reduce the visibility even more, between the rearwiew mirror and the two side mirrors visibility is pretty good. I have always had cars with sun roofs or panoramic roofs, so I was not sure how a solid black roof over my head will feel. I guess because of the huge wind shield and all the surrounding glass, there is absolutely no enclosed feeling. The trunk is small with the roof down, but that was expected with a convertible. It is a good size with the roof up except for the trunk opening. I am not a golfer, but I do not think that a golf bag would fit through the opening; of course there is always the back seat. In other reviews there have been a lot of comments about outdated dash, and too many buttons. True, there are a lot of buttons, but most of them are duplicates of the touch screen buttons. Just have to get used to when to use which button, touch screen or dash. I particularly like the "Destination" button on the dash, it eliminates going through several menu selections for selecting destination. The other feature that I like is that you can have the navigation displayed on the small screen between the speedometer and the tachometer, leaving the main display for other things, radio, CD music track and the like. It is cleverly designed, in addition to the voice instructions the direction of the next turn is displayed as an arrow and there is a progress bar that gets smaller as you approach the turn, very good. There are numerous technological features on the Cascada that you have to pay extra for with other cars. Blind spot monitoring is not included, but there is parking assist, lane departure warning, collision prevention warning, back up camara, road following headlights, cornering lights and several other safety and convenience features. Some reviewers had issues with the collision prevention, parking assist warning and low resolution back up camera. Both of the assists worked as intended for me; I just have to remember to turn off the parking assist before going through a car wash. As for the low resolution back up camera, lets be realistic, if it shows and alerts the driver that there is an object behind the car that could possibly be hit it did its job, hi-res is great watching movies, but a pavement?? I have had several convertibles, and they all leaked going through car washes. Now granted, cars are better built nowadays, and car washes came along way in improving how they clean a car, but my the Buick Cascada does not leak. In my opinion it is a very attractive car with the top up or with the top down. Acceleration is exceptionally good considering the weight of the car and the engine size, yes there is room for improvement, but remember you get a lot for what you spend. So far I am very pleased with my Buick Cascada. If my review is still up on the website by the time we get snow here in Pittsburgh, I will update the review on how the Cascada handles winter driving on hilly windy roads and on cold temperatures features, heater, defogger, heated steering wheel and the like.

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  03 Buick - 2004 Buick Park Avenue
  By Molly & Bob - May 26 - 10:00 am

  The Mrs. & I both drove Buick Regals & had no idea that the Park Ave was so comfortable. My wife suggested we try & test drive one - oh my, what comfort. I purchased one & am soo thrilled I did. Thanks to her I feel so happy every time I get in the car. told so many people about the comfort. Was at the local hardware store & when I came out 2 men were admiring my Park Ave. I talked one of them into sitting in the drivers so he could feel real comfort. Thanks GM