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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  Think Buick - 1999 Buick LeSabre
  By johnasazi - January 28 - 7:51 pm

  The best gas mileage for a car of this size! The gas mileage is better than my sisters Chevrolet Cavalier! Although the styling and seating may seem outdated, this is a great find! If you are looking for a car that has plenty of room for passengers and their cargo, this is the car. It is not meant to be a "fun handling" car. It is meant to be a very comfortable way to get from place to place with a minimum of disruption, which is quite important to some of us who refuse to drive like we are in a NASCAR race! See the Buick" emblem, and leave us alone.

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  POS-All those high ratings are after previous owner spent $$$$ - 2001 Buick Century
  By analytical - January 26 - 1:46 pm

  FACT - all those high ratings come from people who got the Century after previous owner put $$$ into it. ALL GM 3100s & 3400’s for about 7 years had the problem with the Lower Intake Manifold gasket - ALL of them. This was a $1,400 repair at the dealership and the was a class action suit that GM agreed to settle for about $800 per owner but it was opened in 2007 & closed in 2008. Mine happened @ 58k miles 19 days after the close & they told me ‘Tough Luck’. Also they changed me over $300 to clear out the cooling system & replace thermostat and hoses after the GM DEX-COOL antifreeze turned into ‘clumps of sludge’ and clogged the radiator and cooling system. Cost me $1,000s to keep running.

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  Very Dissapointed - 2011 Buick LaCrosse
  By cbrzezinski - January 23 - 10:54 am

  Getting 14 miles in city and 20 in highway - far below EPA estimates. V-6 engine and steering wheel vibrate - dealer says thats normal as well as mileage. Very difficult to get into car due to low roof line. No storage, interior trunk release and interior gas cover release. Cheap carpets and no glove box lock. Has several fit and finish and mechanical defects - already been in for repairs several times. There is much better out there and for far less money and aggravation.

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  JUNKING IT!!! And Im ON TOP of maintenance!!! - 2003 Buick Rendezvous
  By abby258 - January 15 - 7:15 pm

  This car is a LEMON!!! It should be taken OFF the market and NEVER made again!! I have replaced gaskit 2 times, Wheel bearings WAAAAAYYY too MANY times to even count anymore, the rocker arms, tie rods, breaks, rotars... more than normal, among many other repairs... I cant remember. This car PLAIN AND SIMPLE SUX! It needs MAJOR REPAIRS EVERY Flippin month. I have spent more repairing this dumb thing than my old 92 Geo Prizm!! Do NOT buy this vehicle, its NOT as nice as it looks! Better off with Hyundai, or Kia! We purchased in 06 used from an elderly couple who rarely used it... It had 12,000 miles!!! They took care of it, had receipts of oil changes, and car fax was FLAWLESS!!!

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  Review - 2007 Buick Rendezvous
  By nikki24 - January 14 - 3:20 pm

  I was happy to purchase my 2007 Rendezvous after having a 1996 Lumina. There are a lot of things I love about it, but am not happy about the gas mileage. Got about 5 miles/gallon better with the Lumina.

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  Never again! Shame on you, GM! - 2002 Buick Century
  By london_bridge - January 12 - 6:18 pm

  I treated this car better than any of my previous "rides". After 30 years on the road, Ive found I get fewer & fewer miles on GM cars before parts fail. 32,000 and the Intake Manifold Gasket failed. I have a BIG problem with religiously taking my car into dealerships that will only suggest every form of maintenance except the one they know is suspicious. Im too late for the DEX-COOL suit, but I did have a Chevy (62K) that was eligible. Submitted my documentation and recd a form letter that my car was a year older than it was, so it wasnt eligible. I also owned (before dealer exchanged) a Buick Skyhawk that had the same part fail at 40K before I bought it.

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  Buick....this car makes me sad - 2008 Buick Lucerne
  By alpineweiss - January 10 - 12:57 pm

  This car is unbelievable in so many ways. Unfortunately none of them are good. The exterior styling is hideous, The car drives like you are in a sensory deprivation tank, and the interior is cheap and uninspired..unless by inspired you expect ugly and cobbled together by a committee of old car company fat cats. I have had the misfortune of being stuck with this car for 2 weeks now (loaner). I cant wait to give it back. The steering column controls are backwards and overly complicated, and everything in the interior feels like leftover parts from a 1990s car. There is good reason for this, its because they are. Most parts you find on the Lucerne have not been updated since 1994 or before.

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  Speedomenter view issues - 2004 Buick Rendezvous
  By beall2141 - January 9 - 3:13 pm

  We love our 2004 Rendezvous for the all over performance, smooth ride and storage capability. Its a good family car. There is one design flaw that needs to be fixed: Speedometer has a silver background and black numbers. During dawn/twilight, it is nearly impossible to see the numbers. The black fades into the silver. During these light conditions, there is no way to see my speed and other guages.

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  VERY GOOD DEAL FOR THE $$$$$$$$$$$ - 2011 Buick Regal
  By weldridge - January 6 - 11:22 am

  Forget all the hype your read about horsepower/performance. This car delivers good all around power. you certainly can get a speeding ticket. Use common sense when passing. Fit/finish is good. Dealer discounted--you can get a deal.sed manual shift to pass on the interstate--No problem. (Just use common sense when passing)

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  Not good long term - 2005 Buick LaCrosse
  By anocrelic - January 5 - 12:27 am

  I have driven GM cars for the past 32 years and have obviously been very pleased or I would have changed. I like the size, performance, styling and comfort of my La Crosse. I purchased it in 2005 with less than 15,000 miles on it and have had very few problems UNTIL it reached 90,000 miles. After that everything seemed to go wrong with this car almost at once. Its been properly maintained the same as all previous vehicles which lasted 150,000 + miles without problems. I am very disappointed in this vehicle for that reason alone.