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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  Can not go wrong with this model car. - 2002 Buick LeSabre
  By Debbie Bollinger - March 22 - 11:49 am

  This is the first Buick I have ever owned. It has also been, by far, the most reliable car I have ever owned (I have owned many different makes of autos). It currently has 115,000 miles on it, I bought it with 29,000 miles. I have made many long trips with it. If you are looking for a safe, comfortable, dependable vehicle, you can not beat a Buick LaSabre!

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  2 years and loving it - 2005 Buick Rendezvous
  By Sunni - March 21 - 12:07 am

  I have had this Ultra for 2 years and have been very satisfied with its comfort and quietness as well as the total ease of driving. It is very smooth to handle and of course it rides like a Buick. With the larger V6 engine it has plenty of get up and go and the interior was well designed with plenty of cubby spaces and cup holders. The heads up display keeps your eyes on the road and the radio controls on the steering wheel keep your hands on the wheel. If you need a good vehicle to keep your family safe and comfortable and you are sick of mini-vans this is your ride.

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  2008 Buick LaCrosse - 2008 Buick LaCrosse
  By Leonard Hatteberg - March 14 - 5:05 pm

  Much will be a comparison of our 2008 Buick LaCrosse vs. our 2001 Century. Buick advertises a smoother, quieter ride. This has proven true. Our car come with the convenience package which gives us heated seats, lumbar support and much electronic instrumentation which is good, but hard to learn & understand. The LaCrosse I believe has a little less headroom over the door when getting in and out which has made it a little more difficult for my slightly stiff 80 year old 510" frame. The Century had directional lights which lit up the road in the direction you were turning, which we miss. The LaCrosse does not. The gas mileage has gone down considerably. 19.5 MPG vs. 23 mpg. Good car overall.

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  good car - 2005 Buick Park Avenue
  By pcs - March 11 - 10:00 am

  THIS CAR HAS BEEN THE BEST CAR MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE OWNED. I LOVE THE FACT I DONT HAVE TO LOOK DOWN TO WATCH MY SPEED OR OTHER IMPORTANT INFO BECAUSE ITS IN THE WINDSHIELD. HAVENT TRIED CD PLAYER YET BUT SOUND SYSTEM IS GREAT. THIS CAR IS VERY NICE RIDING. I REALLY LIKE THE HEATED SEATS AND INDIVIDUAL SETTINGS FOR AIR CONDITION.

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  Engineers should consult regular drivers - 2006 Buick LaCrosse
  By Jim S - March 8 - 3:40 am

  The location of several functions could be placed in a better location. The fuel mileage is much worse than I thought it would have been. I was having problems with the tire pressure, to find out there is some kind of sensor that can only be reset by the dealer, and unfortunately my dealer was unaware of the sensor until recently.

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  Miss Red - 1990 Buick Reatta
  By May E. DuPree - March 6 - 3:24 pm

  Driving the Buick Reatta was an experience I never had with any other cars Ive driven. I felt such joy and excitement showing off this beautiful red sports car. I felt like a special person driving my Reatta! Whenever Red needed to be fixed and was their for her. Maintance and the oil change was very important to me. My Reatta was special to me and I still value Red. Whenever something is wrong I try my best to get her fixed. As the years go by it seem to be very frustrating, not being able to maintain the up keep for Red. The parts for Red is very hard to locate or find at the automotive shop as well as the dealers. Now I feel helpless, trying to maintain Red to keep her up and running.

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  Missing Park Avenues - 2008 Buick Lucerne
  By Olson - February 29 - 11:57 pm

  The Lucerne is quiet, and comfortable. Its as good as any import in its class, probably better. I do miss the 30 MPG highway and 20 plus city I got with our Park Avenues with the 3.8 engine. The best so far is 27MPG freeway driving and 17 city with this CXL.

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  Not my fathers Buick - 2007 Buick Lucerne
  By Satisfied Owner - February 29 - 10:38 am

  This is not my fathers buick. We switched from a Mercury product due to styling, leg room, rear seat room.I am 6-6" tall and this gives me the room! We can manage about 29MPG on the open road and about 21MPG every day driving, all with regular gas! It has been mistaken for a Lexus ES350 on several occassions.

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  Dont buy a 2002 Buick! - 2002 Buick LeSabre
  By Disappointed - February 27 - 6:45 pm

  This Buick has nice styling, performance, and a great ride. However, the 3.8 engine has a reoccuring issue with Intake Manifold gasket leaks that GM refuses to take responsibility for. Check out NHTSA vehicle bulletins for this model. I experienced the same problem in my Chevy Lumina with 3.1 V6. You will be replacing your gasket approx. every 25- 30k miles at a cost of $700-900 a pop. I went thru this 2x with my Lumina and now my Buick has its first failure at 60k miles. Time to trade it in.

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  Excellent Family Car - 2008 Buick LaCrosse
  By Dave - February 23 - 10:35 am

  We have about 2000 miles on it thus far. Our first Buick after years of only Japanese car purchases. We havent been disappointed. The 2008 LaCrosses redesigned front end reduces (or even eliminates) the "grandparents car" look with a sleeker more attractive style. The comfort and convenience package is worth the price, which adds fold-down rear seats, heated front seats, and a few other amenities. Very nice. City mileage has averaged in the high teens or 20 mpg, and highway mileage in the 28-30 mpg range. The car rides smoother and quieter than any Camry/Altima we test drove, has great acceleration, and comes with many standard features you pay more for in the Japanese cars.