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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  Nice. But. - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By mhammel - June 29 - 8:11 am

  The Enclave provides a decent ride and comfortable seating for 7 in our configuration. If this vehicle were manufactured by Ford , Id buy another one. The GM experience is awful (and I mean GM, not just the dealer network). For instance, I purchased a very small, boat and wanted to add a trailer hitch. The owners manual indicates that a part has to be changed if a hitch is added and the dealer will take care of it.. Not so. The small part is a the entire fuse panel and to correctly modify the electronics in this car to support towing is so expensive the dealer wouldnt give me a price -theres even a TSB for this but GM has canceled the TSB. OnStar with Bell - no more, gone and more.

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  Loved My Regal, Great Car! - 1996 Buick Regal
  By Tizzy - June 27 - 10:20 pm

  Owned this car for 5 years and it has been very good to me. I was a college student when I first purchased it, so I did a lot of commuting home and back to school. 168,000 mi and still going strong! Smooth ride, good gas mileage, very few issues, never left me stranded!I was never the best about routine maintenance, that being said, Ive still never had any major issues and my car has always started up every single day. Would recommend to anyone looking for reliability and durability. Excellent 1st, 2nd or 3rd car.

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  Love this car - 2010 Buick LaCrosse
  By Love this car - June 27 - 3:30 pm

  After 25 years of Mitsubishi ownership I am finally the owner of an American car and I LOVE it. I truthfully cannot say anything negative about it. Build quality is excellent, styling is fantastic and performance is wonderful. If there is anything less than great it would be the rear window, which could be somewhat larger, but I realize that the trunk opening would have to be lower. On my first drive to the Southern California desert it performed very well on the mountain roads. The On-Star system performed flawlessly and the side mirror radar display is a great help on our busy freeways. Very quiet even at high speeds. Like I said, I cannot think of anything negative. GREAT CAR!

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  Great Ride! - 2010 Buick LaCrosse
  By Kansashoops1 - June 27 - 1:02 pm

  Just got this vehicle about a week ago. Getting lots of looks going down the highway and had several folks stop and ask us what the vehicle was all about. Really like it for the most part. Also tried out a Ford Taurus 2010. Seemed like it had a little more power but not nearly the features of this car. Great value for the money.

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  Bad Gas Milage and Poor Pick up - 2006 Buick LaCrosse
  By barbara Kocanda - June 26 - 11:04 pm

  I was told by the dealership that this car gets at least 22 miles to gallon, but after driving it for 3 months I have come to find out that I only get 16 to 18 miles to a gallon. What a disappointment. Plus, this car has zero pick up. I will probably trade this car in as soon as possible.

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  Reliable and comfortable - 1994 Buick Century
  By pucksropper - June 26 - 10:04 pm

  Great comfortable car to drive very reliable with 140,000. I bought this from the in laws who owned it along time before and no major issues. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a cheaper reliable car

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  Love it, buying another - 2006 Buick Lucerne
  By 5bucks - June 26 - 9:56 pm

  Comfort in the back seat for clients. Comfortable seats Love driving it but have to watch my speed. Its a smooth drive & you dont realize how fast you go. Nice design. Been stopped & had people comment on it.

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  Noise in Front Engine Rubbing squeaking - 2010 Buick Lucerne
  By Bj Couch - June 25 - 8:54 pm

  Just purchased the 2010 Lucern had it 4 days and all of sudden the front end sounded like the traction bars or the suspension made all kinds of racket noises. After reading all the ratings I am very sorry that I purchased a Buick Lucern, I wish I went with the STS or DTS Caddy. I will track everything for possible Lemon on this car. My Aunt and Uncle has a 2007 and always complained about it, I thought they were spoiled with the Park Avenue 2001 they had and compared it to Lucern, rightly so, I think GM has a lot of problems still and this car was not and is not the GM quality that they use to have. Maybe I should have gotten a Malibu!

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  Couldnt say no - 2011 Buick Regal
  By Tom H - June 23 - 7:27 pm

  The moment I sat in the Regal I knew I would leave owning it. The cocoa/cashmere interior is beautiful. The exterior styling has a subtle elegance that doesnt draw a lot of stares, still I have had 3 people stop to ask about the car. Mileage is about 27 combined and 31 Hwy. Power is more than adequate for my needs. 7 speaker stereo sounds great. Very fun to drive with a refined ride. I drove the LaCrosse, but liked the smaller size of the Regal. Trunk size is larger than I expected. The blue lighting of the dash is very pleasing at night. I look forward to driving it to work in the morning and home in the evening.

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  great vehicle - 2004 Buick Rendezvous
  By walt - June 21 - 10:11 pm

  Im closing in on 80,000 miles with no reliability issues. Great comfort and visibility with lower sills and broad mirrors. Gas mileage has averaged a composite 23 mpg (less when highway driving at 75+ mph.) Our second row captains chairs have on occasion been removed to allow surprisingly bulky cargo loads. Sorry I cant buy another new one.