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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  Rendezvous Review - 2004 Buick Rendezvous
  By BOwens55 - January 3 - 10:00 am

  Nice vehicle. Good alternative to either regular SUV or minivan, however, having owned two minivans previously, I miss the extra room behind the 3rd seat. My Rendezvous has 3 seats, but hardly any storage room behind the 3rd one.

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  06 Terrazza with 3.9L V6 - 2006 Buick Terraza
  By Dave - January 2 - 6:34 pm

  Weve had this Terrazza for just about a year now. Other than needing a new transmission in the first 5000km (!) it has been just fine. It is a well built and very comfortable van. We have driven it to Florida and back (22 hours) and it is just great, quiet on the road and the 3.9L V6 is outstanding, great mileage and excellent pick-up. Rear DVD player and wireless headphones are fantastic.

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  My Buick - 2006 Buick LaCrosse
  By 2006 LACROSSE CX - January 2 - 1:32 am

  This is my third Buick after 1996 Century and 2001 Century models. The 2001 was a vast improvement over the 1996 model but I feel the 2006 LaCrosse is not much better over my 2001. The handling and road ride is much better and improved on the 2006. The big difference I noticed is the standard options were reduced on the 2006. I thought in keeping up with the great Buick name that a safety option like heated mirrors would have been standard, also dual controlled heating and air would have remained for a standard option. A problem with my car is when I first start out and then turn my front tires/wheels make a sort of growling sound and then it goes away after Im moving.

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  Good performance, interior lacking - 2006 Buick Terraza
  By rripberger - December 28 - 2:57 pm

  The 3.9 cyl V6 performs great and the vehicle handles nicely. It is a pleasure to drive. Air pump and electric outlet are nice. For the price you would think the interior could be better. There are no fewer than 3 rattles going at any time, road noise over 50mph is too loud. Second row leg room could be better and the second row seats are not designed to be removed (although they can be with a little ingenuity). The Phatnoise multi-media and DVD system are wonderful, however, you cannot control it from the front seat (while you are stopped of course), so for your 3-year-old you have to recline and twist your neck to reach the controls or get out and go to the back.

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  Awesome car! - 1993 Buick Regal
  By Art L. - December 24 - 7:17 pm

  I owned this car for 13 years putting 262,000 miles on it. Yes it really did last that long until transmission broke and became too expensive to fix. I had regular maintnece and took very good care of the car. I liked a lot of features the car had. Just a few issues with the car like brakes and had to get a new radiator at 140,000.

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  Almost Perfect - 2004 Buick Rendezvous
  By barb - December 24 - 11:40 am

  I love this SUV! Decent mileage, easy entry/exit. Lots of space, I even haul my horse feed in it!I bought it with about 14,000 miles on it, got a great deal.

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  Great vehicle - 2003 Buick Rendezvous
  By highmiler - December 24 - 2:00 am

  I have never had a day that I havent enjoyed this vehicle...oops, except the day the electricaal system went out completely (so ONSTAR of no use). It took ten days to get a new body computer module as the vehicle was so new. Never a single problem after that in 26,000 miles.

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  Park number 2 - 2004 Buick Park Avenue
  By gbach11 - December 22 - 5:53 pm

  This is our second Park Ave and its the best luxury car for the money. I tried to talk my wife into looking at other cars, but as you know Ultras are getting harder to find. She test drove several, but nothing compares.

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  Great Car (SUV) - 2002 Buick Rendezvous
  By donsnn - December 20 - 10:38 am

  This vehicle is overall an exceptional SUV. It handles well and is fun to drive. I find that at times the car is a little under-powered so I expect that the weight to horsepower is a bit off. I do however accept this minor issue in favor of better gas mileage. A larger engine would simply eat more fuel. My wife loves the elevated view of the road ahead and uses this car daily. Underhood maintenance is a bit difficult. The air cleaner replacement is a real pain. Generally this is a great car.

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  Quality Control At Buick Lacking - 2007 Buick Lucerne
  By Ralph Lechner - December 15 - 7:07 pm

  Shortly after taking possesion of our Lucerne, we noticed that the headliner in the front right section was sagging. Dealer inspected the problem and said the headliner had to be replaced since the warp in the headliner could not be repaired. It was also noticed that the headliner felt had "raw",or frayed, and exposed edges both in the front and rear. Certainly, not a very finished look. To replace the headliner the dealership had to remove and replace the front windshield to enable them to get the new headliner into to car.