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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  Pleasantly Surprised - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By Recliner King - May 7 - 12:54 pm

  I have over 6000 miles on my Terraza. I am very happy with the car overall. The kids get in easy. Heck I can get in and out very easy. And with the DVD I dont hear, "Are the there yet". The ride, the feel of the "Van" sometimes makes me forget it is a "Minivan". Average mileage 23 combined (60% highway, 40% city)

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  Another Old Reliable - 2003 Buick Century
  By K Moore - May 6 - 12:11 am

  This Century is our second Buick. We still have the first Regal we bought in 1996. It has 148,000 miles on it. Our Century is comfortable, reliable, but a little stodgy looking. No wonder our kids call them the "Old Fogey" cars. I get over 33 miles to the gallon on the highway, very important these days. The ride is pure Buick, no other car rides like these do. We have had no problems with them mechanically. Unfortunately, we will not be buying another one unless Buick goes back to the quality that was once their trademark. Gone is the leather trim, replaced with cheap plastics. The Century is reliable, safe and comfortable. I wish I could buy another instead of the cheesy LaCrosse

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  Worth the money - 1995 Buick Regal
  By Satisified - April 28 - 7:13 pm

  This car was extremely reliable. I had very few problems. I bought the car with over 150,000 miles on it. My wife wrecked it with 210,000 miles on it. It was still running well, and finally starting to show the miles. It probably would have gone another 20,000 miles with minor repairs. The only major repair was the AC at 170,000 and a plenum. The headliner had finally started to come down as well. I would buy another.

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  Rides like a rock - 2017 Buick LaCrosse
  By Scott H - April 28 - 6:25 am

  I have a crimson red premium with the 20" wheels and tires. What a mistake. I drove the 18" version prior to getting mine and it was a floater. This one, equipped with RE97s rides like a go kart. And in sport mode it feels like you have no suspension at all. Now true, Im a sporting sort of guy for an old geezer, but this car rides harder than a Vette or Z/28 that Ive owned and its not in the same universe as my Pontiac G8 GT. At 500 miles I replaced the tires (at my expense) with Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06 and that helped a little. It still doesnt cure the issue that the suspension tuning is way off the charts. Its never still, never smooth. Going to the dealer service dept. tomorrow, but I highly doubt theres anything that can be done as its just the way the car is. True, big wheels, but still a 40 series tire just like the 19s" on my G8. Why can the G8 ride light-years better on far more aggressive tires (RE-11s)? Other than the above, no complaints. Update: I did take the car to the very helpful dealership because GM wouldnt talk to me unless I did. Checked out nothing wrong and to spec as expected. I also got a chance to drive another new one with the 20" wheels and tires with the hyper-strut and adaptive damping. It was just as bad if not worse (as it had the OEM RE-97s). Ive asked the service manager to run this up the ladder with GM regional service folks to see if we can get engineering to take notice. Hard to believe that they put this car out in the captured test fleet and this wasnt noticed, especially on Detroit streets. Update at 1,300 miles. Now that Im getting a few miles on it, the suspension isnt quite as brittle as it was before. Just got back from a 500 mile trip to the Detroit Auto Show where cruising at 80 mph up and back I got 30 mpg or just under. Detroit city streets took the edge of of the ride a bit. Its now in the range where I can tolerate it. Comfy seats for long trips and extreme quiet help. I got up there much more rested than past trips. I may end up liking this car after all.

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  2002 Buick CXL AWD - 2002 Buick Rendezvous
  By Ralph A. Lia - April 25 - 9:14 pm

  This vehicle is a great everyday commuter. It The ergonomics are just right. My biggest dissapointment with the vehicle is that the power is marginal. The 185 Horsepower engine is just adequate. It rolls along smoothly and leisurly. The vehicle will let you know when it has to work hard to pull up a hill. The heads up display should not be an option. The gauges tend to get hard to see during the day. I have not had any problems with fit and finish of the material. I would like to see better materials for a vehicle in this price class.

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  Had to buy 2 of them - 2005 Buick Rainier
  By Ed Kildoyle - April 23 - 11:15 am

  I bought one for myself and my wife liked it so much she wanted one of her own so we now own two of them. We both love our Rainiers as they give us the luxury comforts and the features of a mid sized SUV. They are very quiet with a comfortable ride especially on long trips. I have the V8 so the pickup is very good and unless you take turns at 80 miles an hour the handling and performance is more than satisfactory. I wish it had the rainsense wipers I had on my Cadillac as well as the backup warning system. Other than that we love our Buick Rainiers.

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  Suggested improvements. - 2005 Buick Terraza
  By D&B - April 23 - 2:39 am

  I drove this vehicle on a 4000 mile trip in four weeks and would have liked to have had the changes that I have listed below.

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  Excellent choice - 2003 Buick Rendezvous
  By MichaelBr - April 19 - 2:00 am

  Using it over a year now. Made our first 15,000 mile with nothing but sheer pleasure and enjoyment of the vehicle. Tested in the Mountains of Virginia and other "challenging" vacation trips. Versatrak AWD works perfect - very intelligent and fast in deep snow in the mountains as well as heavy rain in the city. Very driver- friendly vehicle, very popular among females.

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  "American Built" finally means something - 2008 Buick Enclave
  By Its a Buick - April 18 - 3:26 pm

  This is my second American vehicle and have to say this time Im very pleased with it so far. Very quiet and plush ride. The handling isnt bad either for a 2 and 1/2 ton vehicle. The overall apperance is on a par with other luxury vehicles. Even though, I wasnt loooking for performance, the MPG is below average and transmission slow to change when pushed, but smooth. Some of the materials used looks a little cheap and outdated. Some of the technology is below that of its competitors. Reliability is in question, but only time will tell. Overall, I would recommend this vehicle.

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  Not perfect but very good - 2005 Buick Rainier
  By LWhitmer - April 14 - 3:41 am

  Ive now had the car for 2 months and still find it very nice to drive - very quiet and smooth. It does have some problems though. The transmission does not downshift smoothly, ever. The AWD system is rather poor in snow - too much torque goes to the rear wheels making hills a real challenge that my previous Blazer ate up like butter. I find the braking and handling are quite good for an SUV even in emergency manuevers. All in all, a very good highway cruiser.