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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  First Car - 1991 Buick Regal
  By tylerj1 - November 12 - 11:13 pm

  Got this car at 17 in 2012 and have loved it. Its incredibly reliable and amazingly comfortable. I put a stereo and Polk Audio speakers in immediately. I have fallen in love with my buick and often tweet about it.

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  As Advertised, Except for the NAV - 2013 Buick Enclave
  By forks2 - November 11 - 2:49 pm

  My wife and I purchased this vehicle for our expanding family. We went from a 2009 Rav4 to the 2013 Buick Enclave. Lots of space, comfy ride (weve made a few trips up and down the coast with no complaints), and runs smoothly. It is a bit hard to see out the back, but the camera more than makes up for it. Definitely our favorite feature. Two issues with the Enclave: the first is the head rest. For whatever reason, my neck is never comfortable regardless on how I position it. Also, it does not lock into place so whenever someone climbs in the back and grabs it, the headrest gets knocked out of position. The second is the NAV system. Definitely a complete waste of money.

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  My LeSabre Story - 2002 Buick LeSabre
  By buickowner2013 - November 7 - 9:09 pm

  I got my LeSabre from a great-grandma who had stopped driving in 2012 and had put only 39,000 miles on it. Despite its "fuddy duddy" image it has been a great car. Its very roomy, actually gets decent gas mileage on the highway (mid-upper 20s?) and makes for a good road tripping car. With the exception of one additional window that had to get fixed, and one that may stop working at some point, it has had no significant issues.

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  I love the Rendezvous! - 2004 Buick Rendezvous
  By brandonhill17 - November 3 - 7:36 pm

  I love my Grandmas Rendezvous. I drive off and on. She has the CXL model (With every single option!) The only thing its missing is the HUD. Its very easy to steer, the steering is basically like the old Cadillacs back in the day. (There steering was very smooth you could move it with just a finger) My most favorite thing of it is the factory exhaust sound. The 3.4 V6 exhaust is awesome! The torque is great too! Its 210 ft/lb @ 4,000 rpm. In reality the torque comes in between 1,800-4,000 rpm. Its a great SUV, and I recommend it to anyone! The cost to insure it, is VERY cheap!

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  Old girl still has it! - 1996 Buick LeSabre
  By ipman501 - October 24 - 8:20 am

  This car has been great. I have about 135k miles so far and no really major problems (except one, which I will talk about later). I have gotten 31mpg on the highway and I usually get around 21mpg city. Had a problem where the car was mis-firing up hills and when the engine was under load. Did some research and figured out it was a bad spark plug cable. Replaced all the spark plugs and cables and now she purrs like a kitten. My A/C compressor clutch died about a year ago now and makes a grinding noise every once in a while, but that doesnt hurt anything or effect the car in any way (although no air conditioning, obviously). Driver power window just died a week ago. Its an old car, though...

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  Nice but horrible City/Hwy combo gas mileage - 2013 Buick Enclave
  By lsegundo - October 9 - 11:49 pm

  The car rides great, interiors really nice, I like the overall features. Have had the car since July(now Oct) and I am getting horrible gas mileage. With a City/Hwy combo every day to/from work I average 12 miles to the gallon. It is so sad to watch....and fill up the tank. The dealer advised to give it to 5K before engine is broken in, but I am not too optimistic - and may be looking to trade it in for that alone.

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  Not bad - 2007 Buick LaCrosse
  By rsb90 - September 5 - 9:07 pm

  I have to say I like this car. Despite it needing some work since Ive owned it, anything Ive had done is to be expected with owning any car. I like the design of the newer models, so if this one continues to be a good car for me, I may trade it in for a new Lacrosse when the time comes.

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  acceleration noise - 2013 Buick LaCrosse
  By johnelochner - September 4 - 11:12 am

  I had a 2010 which I traded for the 2013 Buick Lacrosse. The 2013 has a noise when you accelerate and slow down. The dealer and factor say there is nothing than do about it.

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  scary - 2011 Buick Enclave
  By staugustine1 - August 12 - 9:55 pm

  I have had my Buick for about two and a half years now and love just about everything about it. It is comfortable, responsive, hold lots of people and things. My only concern is about six months ago my "service air bag" light came on. So I promptly took it to the dealer where they had it for several days and repaired the faulty piece. While I was there I asked the service tech if the airbags would still work if the light was on and he told me NONE of the airbags would have worked in a crash. The light came back on again today so I am bringing it back to the dealership to have it fixed for a second time. This is not some thing that I find acceptable in a 2 1/2 year old car.

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  19 months in, tearing my hair out over the gas bills - 2011 Buick Enclave
  By bigbaddave - August 6 - 12:46 pm

  I wrote my first review after driving the Enclave for a week weve had it now for 19 months. We bought it to transport my teenage daughter and her friends around and its been a great success. They love the luxurious leather seats, the sound system and the great ride. The back seats fold down in a variety of ways and you can transport pretty much whatever you want. The main drawback is the awful fuel consumption on the AWD version, which is less even than the 15 mpg Buick claims it will get. Our lease runs out at the end of 2014 and wed like to buy the Enclave, even though it will be a bit big for two people, but I think well downsize to a BMW X3 or the Audi Q5 just to save money on gas.