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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  Intake Manifold Problems in 3.8L also. - 2002 Buick LeSabre
  By GMGotmeagain - August 4 - 7:26 pm

  The 2002 Buick LeSabre is plagued by faulty intake manifold gaskets just like all GM 3.1 & 3.4 litre engines. Expect to pay around $800 to get this fixed at least once every 12-15k miles. Other than this problem the brakes will need serviced annually if you drive primarily in the city. This is due to heaviness of vehicle and constant stop and go driving under these conditions. Great fuel economy on highway. Ive gotten as high as 32mpg on vacation trips in this car at 70mph. Amazing. In the city forget. Avg is 18mpg.

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  The oldie but goodie - 1992 Buick Century
  By mikey - August 4 - 3:25 pm

  I purchased a 1992 Century form along side the road from a little elder lady in 2007. It had 76,000 miles on it, I was like what a find. It had the opitinal 3.3liter v6 though that was a smart choice in my book. I had the car for about 4 months. I then turned the car over to my mother she loves the thing. It made the road trip to PA from South Carolina in 10hrs at aprox. 85 miles an hour the whole way never missed a beat the whole way. You should have seen the looks you get when you pass the BMWs on the interstate. Over all she has gotten it to 116,000 miles no probs. Great for $900

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  Death of a Faithful Friend - 1995 Buick Century
  By Melody - August 2 - 1:11 pm

  First I agree with one reviewer on the warped rotors. Both front window motors went out about the same time a few years ago as well as having an expensive electrical problem that caused major havic but after a the dealership fixed it ran like a charm. Now, its all over. Too expensive to put anymore into her with intake valves needing replaces and a cracked head gasket. Now I have water in my oil. Time for another car. 1 great years! Orig. miles 105,000 not a traveler.

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  Rainier for Seniors - 2004 Buick Rainier
  By Joe Kurzweil - July 28 - 2:00 am

  Mid size suv is ideal for comfort and performance. Very nice to drive. I weigh 235 and am very comftorable in this suv. My wife is 100 lbs less and is very comftorable as well. X band Bose sound is awesome. Would like to have seen a bit more contemporary design inside but it is nice as is. Side air bags are not standard and should be along with curtain air bags. However we feel very safe in this vehicle. Six cyliner has plenty of get up and mileage on the road is between 21.5 and 22.5 mpg at 65 mph.

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  Maintenance - 2003 Buick Rendezvous
  By Chris - July 25 - 12:51 pm

  I bought my Rendezvous used with 13K on it and couldnt be happier. I have loaded 50 bags of mulch in it, moved furniture, TVs, and an assortment of other things that I could not fit into our minivan. The key thing to any cars reliabilty is maintenance. Oil changes regularly, transmission flushed once a year and dont drive it like a sportscar because it aint one. Simple rules to follow to keep your car performing at 80K plus and still going strong.

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  Good Execution but Not Great - 2002 Buick Rendezvous
  By JackiesMyHero - July 23 - 10:00 am

  Im satisfied with the CXL. It performs as well or better than expected whether driving in the snow to Tahoe from the East Bay, or down to Los Angeles.

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  A fun car but just another GM - 1998 Buick Regal
  By KevfromVA - July 21 - 11:16 pm

  Excellent power for a 6. The 3.8 super- charged combo is a great alternative to an 8. However, cheesy plastic interior components reveals GMs weak build quality of the late 90s. I bought mine w/78K miles on it and have since replaced a rear window motor and now the ac compressor is shot at 100K. A decent car to own, just get one that was serviced properly & pampered - mine wasnt.

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  Yikes - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By mmills - July 18 - 11:22 pm

  Wish I had seen these reviews before we bought this. Lots of trouble--some of the same as others. The stability control also went out at about 7,000 miles. Nothing like the brakes slamming on when driving! Fixed now and no problems, but lots of tire, wheel issues now. Have to replace tires at 27,000 all hubs replaced. New tires arent covered. Dealership blames on lack of rotating--seems like this is a problem on most. It is definitely a lemon but doesnt qualify as one.

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  Decent for quite a while - 1996 Buick Skylark
  By Amanda Cole - July 15 - 3:12 pm

  I inherited this car 9 years ago and it was extremely reliable for several years. In the past 3 years Ive had to put a lot of work and money into it replacing the entire steering column because of a problem with the computer (that was very annoying) and now the transmission is slipping. Other repairs have been minimal, it gets good gas mileage on the highway (about 30 mpg), the A/C is very cold, which I like a lot! its very comfortable and doesnt feel like a huge car, but is still roomy. Also replacing window motors in the past 2 years was bad news. Several small things gone bad lately.

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  Quiet Quality & Affordable - 2007 Buick LaCrosse
  By FRED LEONARD - July 11 - 12:01 pm

  In my effort to downsize I went a little too small. Cabin is cramped for me & backseat is tight. Needs a modern engine & 6-speed transmisson. Flat spots in the power ranges due to lack of gears. It is a very nice car that is smooth & quiet for its size & price. No problems except for recalls.