Buick, the best used MM Car

[Astro Camper]

One thing I noticed over the years is how cheap used Buicks are. I deal with cars as a side gig and the most unpopular car is Buick. Most people do not want to be seen standing next to a Buick. It is considered old person car and most used cars in the $2-3K range are bought by teens. But for that very reason, I see so many of them with crazy low milage selling for $2-3K.

Because of that I turned many of my co-workers to drive Buicks and they are happy with them. It's GM product so you will have some repairs but it is no different than Chevy, GMC, Olds, Pontiac or Caddy. If you work on cars you know they share all the same parts and because of that the parts are super cheap. Most repairs are simple and cost under $100 if you DYI.

Sure a Honda or Toyota will have less problems but up here, the rust kills most cars before the mechanics go and most Buicks will make it to 200k without any major problems. The difference is, you will pay 3X for Toyota vs Buick with 30K miles.

Find this in Toyota or Honda for $2500

https://newyork.craigslist.org/fct/cto/5397253755.html

Florida state is a gold mine for Buicks, all rust free

[jms493]

This is the car you want if you need a cheap mode of transportation.

I guess I could do it if I never looked at it.

[AZDude]

Drove a Buick as a teen. Really hated it, although it did reliably get me from point A to point B.

[enb123]

This comes up in the Millionaire Next Door - the Buick is a great car for frugal millionaires for this exact reason.  You may want to make sure you're not on the dating scene before purchasing one, however.

[ketchup]

Our secondary vehicle is a 1992 Buick Roadmaster Wagon.  Picked it up with 158,xxx on the clock for a song ($700).  Currently at 191,xxx miles.  It's a beast.  Crap gas mileage (maxes around 23MPG on the highway on a good day) but unreal amounts of cargo space (4x8 plywood fits flat), it can seat eight with the third rear-facing row, it is quite comfortable, and enjoys going 75-85MPH.  Can also tow some insane amount, but I haven't done that.  No mechanical problems, just normal maintenance has kept it alive.  It's a real winner.  It survived hitting a deer last May at 60MPH.  It's got a ludicrous amount of get-up-and-go (at least compared to my 3-cylinder Metro...).

My dad until very recently drove a 1994 Buick Lesabre.  He got it from my grandpa in 2003 with 42,000 miles on it (full-on "old man car").  He put about 120,000 additional miles on it and drove it to the scrapyard about a year ago, as the rust was finally making it unsafe to drive.  But it was a great car.

My mom drives a 2003 Buick Lesabre that she got in 2009 with 80k on the clock.  I don't remember what she paid for it, but it's also been a good car.  It's not as nice as the 90s Buicks though in terms of comfort.  They also moved the battery to underneath the back seat (try figuring that one out when you pop the hood).

Buicks are great and definitely tend to be cheap to buy and maintain.  They also tend to be very low miles (and well taken care-of) as they often are "old man cars."  I've never seen anyone less than 40 years older than me (I'm 24) driving a Buick Roadmaster.

Boring cars for sure, but definitely the right kind of boring.  200,000 miles will happen as long as rust doesn't get you first.

This comes up in the Millionaire Next Door - the Buick is a great car for frugal millionaires for this exact reason.  You may want to make sure you're not on the dating scene before purchasing one, however.

The few times I commute in my big ugly old Buick station wagon, I heartily enjoy parking it on the far side of the lot, right next to all the shiny expensive cars parked there so they don't get scratched.

[Chris22]

Buicks will run poorly way longer than most cars will run at all.  Problem is, a year or two old and they drive like they have 100k+ miles on them. 

[kendallf]

My last serious Buick V6 made nearly 1200 HP.. not particularly boring.  :-) 

[big_slacker]

My last serious Buick V6 made nearly 1200 HP.. not particularly boring.  :-)

Grand National doesn't count as a regular buick. ;)

[Inevitable]

I drive a Buick Century to work every day.  I personally love it.  Mine has a pretty nice tape deck :-P.  I'll drive it as long as it will run.  When it dies on me I hope I can still get one cheap.  I'll never understand why people care what their car looks like.  It's just a way to get from point A to point B.

[Optimiser]

If only they got better gas mileage.

[HipGnosis]

If only they got better gas mileage.

Gas prices are falling, so who cares about mileage any more!?!?

[HPstache]

Well fine... I'll go out and buy a Buick GNX then!

[Kwill]

Ha! I have the same one and am trying to get rid of it before an international move. Thank you for the commercial, Astro Camper.
http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/cto/5409745621.html

[BlueMR2]

I have a hard time recommending the later model Buicks though.  We've had a lot of Buicks in our family and the older ones (up through the late '90's were always solid cars lasting a long time).  The newer ones in the family are rusting out faster, having paint problems at young ages that the old ones never had, and having excessive mechanical breakdowns.  YMMV of course.

[RecoveringCarClown]

Shhhh, I have been trying to keep this a secret, if word gets out, you will drive up prices!

[ROY2007]

I drive a 1999 Buick LeSabre with 170k miles on it and it has been a great car for me since I inherited it from my grandparents several years ago. 23ish mpg.

It definitely isn't the cool car in my 20-something friend group, but you just gotta own the un-coolness. Mine even has seatbelts for 6!

[TheThirstyStag]

Keep in mind that many Buicks were equipped with the GM 3800 series engines, which is one of the best engines GM ever made.  Minor annoyance repairs aside, a solid power train goes a long way.

[Syonyk]

Ugh.

I worked on a few mid-90s GM cars in college.  You couldn't pay me to own one.

"Well, yeah, you can replace your master cylinder, if you have a $10k GM Tech One computer to detension the antilock system!"

Fuuuuck that.

[alsoknownasDean]

Aren't they usually huge and thirsty? Do they even have smaller Buicks?

Not that it matters if you don't do many miles a year.

[Kwill]

Aren't they usually huge and thirsty? Do they even have smaller Buicks?

Not that it matters if you don't do many miles a year.

Mine (2004 Century) gets better than 25mpg for highway driving. I think the Century is similar to a Camry in size. It's a little harder to parallel park than the 1999 Corolla I used to have, just because of the size, but it handles better overall.

[HenryDavid]

Old-man cars generally are a great cheap way to have access to a car. For years I had a '76 Chevy which screamed "oldman car" but it was a tank. You could throw a road bike in the rear seat with just the front wheel off, the trunk was acres across, and it had a straight-6 motor that survived untold abuse. Fuel economy was not great, but I rarely drove it. Just having it and paying liability insurance was cheaper than the occasional car rental. After I sold it I just went to weekend rentals now and then, except for a brief period of owning a 90s Nissan Micra. Also a great cheap car. Now I look at old K-cars and wonder sometimes . . .
Neither one was very cool dating material, but that wasn't an issue. Nobody saw those cars until we had some kind of rapport already . . . and then they became kind of a shared joke at the "normal" (consumer) world's expense.

[TheThirstyStag]

Ugh.

I worked on a few mid-90s GM cars in college.  You couldn't pay me to own one.

"Well, yeah, you can replace your master cylinder, if you have a $10k GM Tech One computer to detension the antilock system!"

Fuuuuck that.

Yeah I completely forgot about this.  That bugs the crap out of me about GM.  So many stupid little things for which you need access to ridiculously expensive equipment.  No joke, most contemporary GM cars need that $10K Tech One computer to program a new remote keyless fob to the car.

That's one reason I always chose Ford over GM - so much less corporate disdain for the DIY-er

[Syonyk]

Tesla is worse. :(

They make mid-90s GM look absolutely DIY-friendly. :(

[PAstash]

If only they got better gas mileage.

Gas prices are falling, so who cares about mileage any more!?!?

Lets all go buy brand new SUVs! ;)

[paddedhat]

Both of my kids literally ended up driving grandma's Buicks, in high school and college. One car was a late 90s, the other a mid-2000s. The earlier one was indestructible, and believe me, my son gave it his best shot. That one was a free gift from his bat shit crazy aunt, who drove it over a parking block, tore the trans. pan open, and decided that it wasn't worth mentioning. Junior drove it for at least a year, as it slowly drained itself dry. We drug it to a local mechanic, who brazed the hole shut, and refilled it. It ran for another year. The newer one was totaled when my daughter was driving it. It was violently hit in the back.  Some idiot drove a new Four Runner through the left side of the trunk, and tore the rear corner and left side off, all the way to the left rear door. She didn't have a scratch.

Overall, great cars that are reliable as an anvil, and often seriously underpriced.

[Monocle Money Mouth]

I have a Honda now, but my last three cars were Buick LeSabres (92, 04, and 05). A well maintaned LeSabre with a 3800 is worth a look as long as the transmission has been properly maintained. They handle predictably in the snow and get good freeway fuel economy. The LeSabre wasn't much to look at, but it was safe and dependable. If GM weren't trying to push the brand upmarket, I would consider one the next time around.

[Le Poisson]

Ugh.

I worked on a few mid-90s GM cars in college.  You couldn't pay me to own one.

"Well, yeah, you can replace your master cylinder, if you have a $10k GM Tech One computer to detension the antilock system!"

Fuuuuck that.

Yeah I completely forgot about this.  That bugs the crap out of me about GM.  So many stupid little things for which you need access to ridiculously expensive equipment.  No joke, most contemporary GM cars need that $10K Tech One computer to program a new remote keyless fob to the car.

That's one reason I always chose Ford over GM - so much less corporate disdain for the DIY-er

1. Yes to this. I just put fog lights into my Chev Sonic. Got the GM kit and DIYed everything so I could save cash. Last step - reprogram the body control module in the computer to recognize the new 'hardware'. What the hell. The cost to reprogram the module at the dealership? The same as the complete install. Ugh.

2. We had a Buick Allure (LeSabre in the US). I bought it because buick = reliable. 2 years in I was so bored with the car, I handed it off to Momma as the kid lugger/grocery getter. 5 years later, and still without any real issues, she begged me to get her somethign more interesting to drive - like a minivan. Now back in teh 90's I had a Buick Wagon that was incredible for canoe trips, and I had a Regatta that I got out of a farm field. I didn't mind either of those cars, but this Allure? Le Yawn. Killer.

However, I do agree they are incredibly mustachian, if you can manage not to die of boredom.

[3Mer]

I have had good luck with used Buicks.  Right now I have a 2005 LaCrosse.  It gets good gas mileage, starts every day.  I have had minor repair issues, but nothing serious.  If I were in the market for another used vehicle, I would definitely consider another one.

Oh, and who gives a crap about other people's perception of it being an "old person" car?  If we're all trying to retire early, we should not be afraid to embrace such things.  They are a "retired person" car, not an old person car.  Whatever your age.

[Papa Mustache]

I've repeatedly seen Buick place at the top on long term durability surveys believe it or not. JD Powers I think was the one I saw. I don't remember if they test by age or miles. :)

Maybe the winner was a 40K mile 20 year old Buick?

I have the Chevy Malibu equivalent of the Buick Century. Many of the same parts inside.

Reliable, boring and saving us a car payment each month we drive it. Drives well though I miss having a clutch. Got to admit, rolling down the interstate at 2000 rpm vs 3500 rpm of our four banger grocery getter is nice. Still love the Asian grocery getter (durable) but the Chevy wins the interstate comfort trophy. 

I have recommended boring, unloved vehicles to other people many times who are looking for a good car on a budget. I don't think anyone has followed the suggestion. Compared to the competition, these unloved cars are often under priced for their value as reliable and frugal transportation. 

Is it about saving money or is it about the "cool factor"?

"I needed the seating for twelve or the ability to tow an aircraft carrier or...." Whatever make you happy, friend. ;)