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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  Enclave - Room to Roam - 2010 Buick Enclave
  By SLOJO - April 14 - 2:43 pm

  The Ladies Love the Enclave, which replaces a 2010 Toyota Highlander (Wife worried/daughter new driver/TRUST was not there) Glad to be back in a US car. There is room for my ___ and all the other stuff we haul. Ride is smooth, peppy and confident with appropriate credit to the Enclaves Wide Stance. Trim and fit are excellent. Quiet ride. Exterior appearance is great. One trip so far and it was enjoyable but would like a little more driver leg room.

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  1997 Buick Lesabre 3.8 - 1997 Buick LeSabre
  By daylily - April 11 - 6:58 pm

  I have owned my 97 Buick LeSabre for almost 6 years. It has over 236,000 miles on it. I get it maintained every 3,000 miles. I love it. I have done routine work on it. Replaced the struts once. It runs like a new car. Very nice ride and 28 city miles and 33 highway. I am not looking forward to having to give this car up. But I know that it is 14 years old now and will not last me forever, and hopefully when I have to get a new Buick it will be as good as this one.

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  Memory Seats a Drag - 2010 Buick LaCrosse
  By IronDome - April 9 - 4:34 pm

  I couldnt wait to get rid of my Acura RDX for the LaCrosse. Styling is fantastic. Ride is great. Car is very quiet. Gas mileage as billed. No funny stuff there. Recently took it on a 1500 mile trip to home town. Normally I am worn out by the drive but not this time. It was a pleasure to drive.

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  Best Quality and Reliable Car - 1997 Buick Skylark
  By ml - April 9 - 4:04 pm

  I have found this car needs very little maintenance and is made of great quality. Very reliable! The gas mileage is unbelievable for an older car.

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  Excellent - 1999 Buick Century
  By Buckeye Barbie - April 6 - 11:19 pm

  With the Exception of the Window Motors, this car has been an Excellent Car. I love it!

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  2001 Buick Centrury Custom 4 Dr - 2001 Buick Century
  By jimmyt - April 6 - 8:30 pm

  I bought it as a second car to be used around town and local trips. It turns out I liked it so much, I use it as my commuter car for work. Gas mileage is excellent (26 mpg local and 30 mpg highway) and the V6 has plenty of power. What a surprise coming from a chunky Buick. Oh, and the comfort is worth it alone. The ride is very soft, so dont worry about fatigue, just be careful of the sharp curves. At 100K I replaced both axles, tie rods, one brg and did the usual 100k maintenance. There was some coolant loss, most likely due to GMs problem with the V6s, but one can of stop leak did the trick. Overall its a great car if you dont mind the cigar jokes.

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  Good car for the money - 2005 Buick LaCrosse
  By Sandra - April 2 - 10:49 pm

  The car is roomy and comfortable with great trunk space. Good quality leather - after almost 5 years still looks new. The only three problems are the low oil pressure warning comes on sometimes - taken to two different dealers who could find nothing wrong - hasnt caused any problems, goes off after a few seconds. The other issue is the clunking noise that comes from the steering column when I hit bumps. An the last issue is the A/C which I need to have checked because its unreliable - sometimes cold as the arctic going to warm as the desert back to cold as the arctic within a matter of minutes however, when it does work, its very cold :)

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  toyota to buick - 2005 Buick Century
  By John Eagle - April 1 - 3:09 pm

  Ive owned Geo metros, Toyota corollas, and other cars. The 2005 Century I bought shocked me with 36 mpg on a 1000 mile trip. My 1999 corollas only got 38 max. I was so impressed that I bought another used Century (1999). Why buy small cars when the comfort/power/reliability of a Century gets near same mpg? My 16 yr old son didnt want me to get a "grandpa car", but he sure loves it now that its his! Dependable, reliable, affordable but I was careful in my research and examination of used Centurys. I walked away from some "bargains" because I found rust carefully concealed or the engine/ride didnt sound/feel right. Im going to buy one more soon!

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  Buick Lacrosse CXL FWD - 2010 Buick LaCrosse
  By kevin - April 1 - 9:15 am

  I plan to buy GMC Terrain, but when I saw this car at auto show, I just fall in love with it. I bought CXL FWD with luxury package and head up displace. Its seats are comfortable, ton of luxury features, smooth drive, beautiful exterior and interior designs, smooth drive, quite, still in break in period so I am not pushing gas pedal much, but its engine appears strong enough for acceleration and till maintain smooth drive. The rear windows are somewhat small, so kind of difficult to turn back and see other cars when passing lane or when back up, but will be used to with it

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  Disappointed - 2005 Buick Rendezvous
  By Zakiyyah - March 31 - 9:25 am

  I was not very happy with this vehicle at all. Within 6 months of purchase the entire steering column needed to be replaced, not long after that problems with the transmission, heated seats stopped working, electrical system failures, last straw was when the CD player went. Very disappointed!