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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  Love it! Traded in my BMW - 2009 Buick Enclave
  By briget - August 3 - 4:00 pm

  Its been about a month and half so far and Im really enjoying my new Enclave! We bought it new at 77 mi. and now have over 5K. I traded in my BMW 750il 2000 to go SUV because of the extra seats & AWD for ski season & long distance trips. The only reason I scored lower on performance is because I previously owned a sports car. :) The other gripe is the fuel mileage. Its been averaging about 21 mi. per gallon. I drive approximately 800 mi. per week. Otherwise, we love our new car!

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  Buick? Drive Park AV. you will love it ! - 2002 Buick Park Avenue
  By New Buick Lover - August 3 - 2:00 am

  You will find V-8 power in a V-6 with outstanding fuel mi. 23 in town and 33 highway on 87 oct. My wife and I suffer from bad backs, well the Buick seats are wonderful even the back seat is so comfortable and easy to get in and out of, and the pull handles on 3 doors are a big help also. Quite wonderful smooth ride with great road handling. GM found a great way of making a front driver feel like a rear drive. My Dad who always drives a Town Car did not know he was driving a front driver.

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  Best inheritance ever! - 1993 Buick LeSabre
  By Jaraldo - August 2 - 11:35 pm

  I am a new driver. I am 16 and I was left this car by my late grandmother (bless her heart). Its a tan 1993 LeSabre Custom. She was the second owner and bought it with only 45,000 miles in I think 1997 and she shortly thereafter couldnt drive so the car was kept in a garage. Driven every now and then. But cleaned regularly... I made sure of it.. ) Its now 2009 and the car just rolled over to 65,139... I kid u not. I plan to drive this car forever - its been great. Never had one issue. Alternator was replaced once but no big issue. RECOMMEND TO ALL!!!!!

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  Much better than the pros rate it - 2009 Buick Lucerne
  By unklray - August 1 - 2:52 pm

  We have only owned this car a month but it was a service rental and had 5300 miles on it. At that point it had averaged 20.7 miles per gal. My wife drove it locally a week and it went to 20.8. We drove it 125 miles mostly freeway at 70 mph and got 30.2 mpg. This car drives so smooth, quiet. Plenty of pickup and power. It has everything but the kitchen sink for options. I cant believe all the criticism I see when the pros rate it. Definitely recommend it if you want a great ride and value in a luxury sedan.

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  I Love My Spacious Century Custom - 2000 Buick Century
  By Ms.Dorsey - August 1 - 11:29 am

  I got my car a year ago from splish splash, bad dealership (opinion) they sold it with a bad gasket and within the first 3months it had to be repaired. Thank god they admitted their guilt and fixed it. "Meen Green" has been running quite smoothly ever since. I love the fact that its so spacious. But I enjoy the concert surround sound the best. Every ride is so satisfying in my Buick!

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  I hope my car "lives" forever! - 1999 Buick Riviera
  By JoJoe - July 30 - 12:35 am

  I second the emotion of the owner who saidi "How could they stop selling this car?" Perhaps it is because everyone these days or maybe GM didnt market didnt market it right. I have always driven two-doors and this is my third Riviera. If anything happens to this car I will be in mourning!

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  over 210000 mile running strong - 1996 Buick Riviera
  By RCH - July 29 - 9:43 am

  This car has been as good a car as one could ask for. Things have went wrong but car kept going down the road until I could get it fixed. I always traded cars every two yrs buying 2 yr old cars or less. Feel this car was killed off by buick dealers as no local dealers within 60 miles carried this model new. I had to drive 120 miles to purchase this one. And within two yrs car lost 50% of value. This car has turned more heads than the other 22 cars I previously owned. Gas mileage is very impressive with size of car and supercharger. the car is supposed to use high test gas but this car has never been run on it for over 150000 miles with no change in performance.

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  2008 Lucerne - 2008 Buick Lucerne
  By Terry - July 29 - 9:15 am

  My lease ran out on a Jeep Cherokee and I was in the market for a BMW, Lincoln, Audi or Toyota. I stopped by my local GM dealer just to see what the Buick Lucerne was all about. It had all the amenities I wanted and I loved the ride and handling. I wanted a comfortable car and a safe car. I got a great deal because it is a 2008 and GM was in the midst of financial problems. I did not go to any other dealer. I knew what I wanted and got the price I wanted. I plan on keeping my Lucerne for a long time. As a road warrior, I want something safe and comfortable. I bought it.

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  Would buy again - 2006 Buick Terraza
  By vbf - July 28 - 7:15 pm

  We own the 1998 Pontiac Transport Montana and loved it. After 160K miles, we felt it was time to retire the Pontaic from daily driving. We bought the 06 Terraza fully-loaded, used, for a very good price...40% of MSRP when new with only 20K miles. Have owned the car for 8 months now and put 16K miles on it. Performs well with AWD on slick/snowy/icy roads, DVD is invaluable for kids and hubs when on long road trips and we can all listen through steareo speaker system. Also works great driving through construction job sites where I work. Loud cabin noise needs resolving and cup holder "platforms" need eliminating. They hinder access. Storage adequate. Tall theatre seats a hassle.

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  03 Regal LS AT - 2003 Buick Regal
  By ArizonaBoy - July 26 - 5:43 pm

  I bought this car about 8 months ago, and it had 49k miles on it. Now its got 61k, with no problems. Well, no problems other than the window regulator that I replaced. But that was cheap and easy. Kinda like my first wife. I love this car. The seats are quite possibly the most comfortable that Ive ever sat upon. Leather interior is very nice looking and very sturdy. The mileage for this powerful 3.8L V6 is amazing. I drive mostly on the highway, and Ive been getting 29.1 mpg. My wifes 07 Altima 2.5L 4cyl gets the same. Id rather drive my 03 Regal than the 07 Altima (and its loaded!). Id buy it again!