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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  Great! - 2004 Buick Rainier
  By candygurl - June 8 - 1:54 pm

  I really like this SUV. I have been in many SUVs and own a Suburban. I really like the room for me and my 4 kids and the drive is nice and safe. Safety is a big plus. The kids really enjoy the fact that they can control their a/c temp. Even though the gas is not much different than the Suburban I really am enjoying my new toy.

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  Best car ever - 1996 Buick Roadmaster
  By kevin - June 8 - 1:50 am

  Wow, what a car. Vette engine screams. 28 mpg Seattle to Los Angeles. Hard to find exterior trim parts, I do know a place in Seattle that can make parts if you have the old one. Very comfortable. Rear wheel drive is fun.

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  Solid - 1991 Buick Skylark
  By funk53daba - June 6 - 6:14 pm

  I love my Skylark. Let me re-phrase. Im in love with my Skylark. My dad purchased with ~70K back in late 90s and he was 2nd owner. Its been with me and mine thru college and beyond with no signs of slowing down. I now have 176K. Everything (its almost 20 yrs old folks) everything...works. The GM paint back then was crap. The outside looks as if the car has lepresy, but I think it gives it character. The main point is this thing is solid where it counts. Only time Ive had components break is out of sheer exhaustion, and I cant be mad at the ol girl because I think to myself, "That should have broken 20K ago." If youre lucky enough to land a good one itll repay you tenfold.

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  Why? - 2005 Buick LeSabre
  By Billy John of MN - June 5 - 9:57 pm

  GM. Why did you drop this model along with the Park? I have owned 2 Parks and 4 LeSabres. They are far superior to Lucernes which I drove and felt like I was sitting in a boat. Have you ever tried to look to your left rear from a Lucerne drivers seat? My neighbor traded his Lesabre on a LaCross and regrets the day he went in to the Buick dealership. Except for the plastic intake manifold part which has failed on nearly all of my 3.8 cu motors, the motor is superb! Why did you let the problem go on year after year unfixed? However no foreign or domestic comes close to the size and the mileage (27-29 highway) of this comfort machine. Thats OK. Humble yourself and bring them back. Forget California

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  Best kept secret on the road. - 2004 Buick Century
  By dschultz - June 4 - 1:44 pm

  I used this car for as comuter car. I have 100k on the car now, never missed a beat. One set of tires and front brakes is all I have done. Way quieter than a Camry and 30+ mpg. It is the best car I have ever owned. Would highly recommend the Buick to anyone who wants miles of trouble free service and great gas mileage for a larger car.

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  Great car, Great value - 2016 Buick Cascada
  By Ray - June 2 - 10:50 pm

  Bought my 2016 Cascada convertible Sept. 2016., took it down to Fla. for the winter.I had people pulling up to me at stop lights asking what kind of car it was, they all thought it looked Great.Drove it down to Key West, what a Great drive with a convertible.It was kind of funny, we started counting Mustang convertibles on the way down, it was like every 5 or 6 cars was a mustang convertible, I think we saw 1 Cascada. The one thing I think the engineers missed, if you are driving alone with the top down, the passenger seatbelt starts banging on plastic trim once you hit around 25 miles an hour.Ive looked at other convertibles and they have the belt clip up tite to the top so it is not loose to bang around.also could make Nav. System more user friendly.All in all ,Great car.

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  Quietest car Ive ever owned - 2008 Buick Lucerne
  By chillaw - June 2 - 10:43 pm

  This is our sceond Buick. I am very pleased with the quality of construction. The sound-proofing is so good that I cant tell whether the engine is running when stopped at a traffic signal. Bought car in New Orleans and drove almost 200 miles home on a 1/4 of a tank. The gas needle didnt move until we had driven 107 miles. Ill keep buying Buicks as long as they keep making them like this. A very nice car for the money.

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  This car doesnt break - 1999 Buick Regal
  By andrew - June 2 - 5:15 pm

  I have owned this car for almost 9 years and have put over 200,000 miles on it. The only thing that has broke is the multifunction stalk (turn signal, etc). The car is extremely comfortable to drive if you are over 6 ft. However, it does make the back seat very hard to use. Fuel economy is decent. I get around 28 on the highway and around 22 on hilly rural roads. I would recommend this car to anyone, it is the greatest car ever made. After this car hits 300k, Im going to look for a low mileage 2003 or 2004 Regal to be my next car.

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  Chappells Buick - 2002 Buick LeSabre
  By Chappell - June 1 - 9:42 pm

  This has been a most reliable car. Have replaced the tires and battery. The interior and exterior are in excellent condition. The car has been garaged since the purchase, and maintenance has been attended to regularly.

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  A Fantastic Car for The Price - 2006 Buick LaCrosse
  By RR - May 30 - 3:43 pm

  I have driven this car for several months now and really love it. It runs great and is really comfortable. The 3.6 engine has a lot of power on the highway and this car is nice and quite. Very little wind noise.