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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  Positive 1st Impression - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By Lee - May 21 - 7:36 pm

  My wife had her heart set on the new X5 but ultimately selected the Enclave due to the 50 extra cubic feet of cargo capacity and 3rd row seats suited for real people. It didnt hurt that the Enclave is quieter than the X5 and offers comparable features for $18K less. I drive a 5 series BMW so I was kind of rooting for the X5 but I find myself enjoying the Enclave more than I imagined. It does everything in a smooth and refined way. The brakes are very linear and the steering is quite responsive for a vehicle of such substantial proportion.

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  An awesome, upscale joy to own! - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By Dan - May 19 - 9:33 am

  Lots of research went into our choice of the Enclave. We have not been disappointed! It is a joy to drive, offering super quiet interior and ride, plush CXL leather seating, Bose speaker system, handles fantastic on the road. We towed our boat this weekend, and it handled it better than my previous SUV, hands down. A lot of thought went into this vehicle. Were getting better than stated gas mileage, which is a nice surprise!

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  How much more do you need? - 2016 Buick Envision
  By Gary - May 7 - 8:23 pm

  I am 75 years old. I have had 6 Buick’s, as well as many other brands over the years. All of the Buick’s have had all the options available at the time. This care outshines the others cars by a lot. Have owned the car now 20 months. Have not had a single problem at all. I have the premium 1 model no moonroof. Sticker price 43k. This car was cheaper than the Audi with almost all of the same options. The stop start is not a bother at all. The engine restart in less than a second after your foot off the brake. Merging power and highway passing acceleration is more than enough. Cruising at 75 mph is no strain. The best thing of all is how quiet the interior is. There are active white noise speaker on the base of the exit handles on the ceiling. They nullify almost all of the road noise at ear level. Seats are comfortable. All controls easy to reach. Front and side vision better than the Audi. Gas mileage is dead on to what Buick says.

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  Our 2002 Buick Park Avenue - 2000 Buick Park Avenue
  By Jon White - May 4 - 10:00 am

  As daily drive, this car is performing very well. We have driven this car on four around trips from Virginia to Texas and back over the past 8 months. Fuel mileage on these trips has avg. 29 MPG while driving at or above the posted speed limits. Comfort level is very good. Its a very easy car to drive and enjoy.

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  As good as I expected - 2003 Buick Rendezvous
  By tom0421 - May 4 - 10:00 am

  This medium-sized SUV has turned out to be better than I expected. It is more of a car ride than the Expedition that I previously owned. It has plenty of power and handles extremely well around town and on the highway. The seats are firm and comfortable. While I thought the back up warning system was useless, because of the tailgate, Ive found it very useful.

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  New Park Avenue - 2003 Buick Park Avenue
  By A. Glockner - April 27 - 2:00 am

  I traded in my 1998 Park Avenue for the 2002 model year. The changes made in ride handling and performance were amazing. Gas mileage on both city and highway combined is 26.7mpg. Simply outstanding for this large comfortable model. I strongly suggest get the handling package. It is worth the extra cost.

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  Deathtrap and GMC does not care - 2011 Buick Enclave
  By T - April 25 - 12:27 am

  As a former loyal GMC owner for 47 years it is shocking to find out GMC are horrible crooks who do not care this is a dangerous vehicle. Without warning the engine broke on the freeway. Car has perfect maintenance. The dealer mechanic said this is common; he sees it all the time; in fact he didnt even have to take it apart because he had seen the same thing six times in 2 months. All GMC could do was read their script and say they understood--does that mean all six customer service reps and two Detroit located supervisors all have Enclaves that have done this!?! Why arent they recalling this paperweight? An expensive luxury car with 50,000 miles with engine failure--complete--ludicrous. Wrote the President of GMC, VP of North American operations, and Vice President for Customer Experience and received absolutely no reply to my email--still waiting for the form letter that says they feel my pain although it is doubtful they have or give one iota about a customer once they have been suckered into this car. Do not expect this car or company to be anything but a bad experience. Check the web reviews carefully; I wish I had.

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  Buik Envision - 2016 Buick Envision
  By Mark - April 24 - 8:58 pm

  The front seats are remarkably uncomfortable. I cant imagine how an engineer figured out how to combine a church pew, high school bleecher, and a cheap 1970s lawn chair, but they succeeded. And I dont think the Buick designers ever encountered a switch or knob they didnt like, or wanted to use. The adjectives I would use to describe this car are: squirley, buisy, jittery,. I would opt for a nicely equiped, low mileage pre-owned AWD wagon, maybe a Volvo.

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  Unexpected Surprise - 2002 Buick Rendezvous
  By REW - April 21 - 11:30 pm

  I was scepticle about buying an American vehicle after owning Hondas and Acuras for many years. My first choice was the Acura MDX, however it was out of my price range. I bought the Buick Rendevous after test driving it twice. I found the exceleration just fine. The interior appointments are luxurious and the eight speaker CD player has great sound. This vehicle is larger and more compfortable than other SUVs.

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  Excellent American car - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By Tom - April 18 - 7:33 am

  Ive had this vehicle for about a month and have driven 2300 miles. Everything about it is a joy. This replaces my Acura TL. The Buicks quality is superior to Acura. No rattles, no issues. Its the most comfortable car Ive ever had. If GM pays attention to design and quality like it did with the Enclave, it will begin to compete again.