1996 Buick Century Custom Review - Back When Buick Made CARS!

[@Foxonian]

Fun fact. That Delco radio in the equalizer version was even put into Rolls-Royce cars for the American market in the mid-80's.

[@sbsstorytelling]

Thought these cars were so freaking boring growing up! I still think they're boring looking, but now I appreciate them for what they were and are.

[@jas4925]

I bought a used 1995 ciera sl in 1998 when I got my first job out of college. Nice to see 1 in such good shape still. Had mine for 8 years.

[@Crispychicken4u]

The official car your parents dropped you off to school in and inherited when getting your first job

[@Jac735]

Facts buick back in the older days you saw alot of older people driving them

[@minipandora22]

Lmao truth

[@Jack_Stafford]

@@Jac735 actual facts, at one time Buick sold a car for every market segment and budget, from small hatchbacks to Giant luxury cars and sports cars in between. They had a reputation for being an old person's car but in reality there were many great Skylarks Somersets and Buick Grand Nationals Reattas Wildcats among many others that were focused at a much younger demographic.

[@lordbrennanofsealand5772]

I read that in the “regular car reviews” Guys voice 😂

[@SomethingAboutCars]

I've always loved that rear light bar. Even as an Oldsmobile fan, I'd gladly own one of these.

[@U.S.S.SOUTHSIDE]

The 1987 Lincoln Town Cars had the backup light in the center as well. When they split it and put them on the corners for 1988 I effing HATED It!!

[@coltbtd]

This century probably has the physical most nostalgia to me of any car out there for me. It was the main car of my childhood. My dad bought one brand new when I was about 4. It was the same color as the one in the video. It even had those same chrome hubcaps which years later one fell off and I found an Oldsmobile one on the side of the road and we put it on. That car seemed so big back then. I was always mesmerized by the big back light bar at night. It was the first car I ever “drove”. my dad worked the pedals and let me steer on the backroads sitting on his lap. I didn’t realize it back then how much I would miss those moments. He sold it around 160k miles to his friend for his sons first car. never had an issue with the car. The kid he sold it to however totaled it about 3 months later

[@markherrema3837]

These and cutlass cieras were everywhere you looked on the road in the 90s to mid 2000s.

[@drewzero1]

My dad had a Ciera (they dropped "Cutlass" for the last year, '96) and it was a pretty good car, nothing to write home about but it always got the job done. I think ours was either a 3100 or 3400, though I might be getting mixed up with the absolute piece of garbage Venture that we had in the next round of vehicles. My parents really loved the 3800 and Mom drove a couple of Buicks with that engine in the late 90s/early 2000s.

[@markherrema3837]

@drewzero1 could have been 3.3 otherwise 3.1. No 3.4 that was supreme only if I remember correctly

[@andregonsalvez9244]

This Buick sedan is more appealing to me than those crossovers . 😊

[@RERM001]

These alongside the Maxima where the most baller cars here in Meméxico in the 90s. Only executives and politicians rode on them. A dad of a friend of mine had one in pitch black and it was the most gorgeous thing to see at the end of school day.

[@engineer_alv]

that's true. Before the Cadillacs (and other US made vehicles) could be officially imported to Mexico (early 90s) the Century was indeed the most luxurious car sold by GM. Thunderbirds, Grand Marquis and Phantoms (rebadged LeBaron) were also on the higher end of the Mexican car market spectrum back then.

[@RERM001]

@@engineer_alv Don't forget the New Yorker or the LTD, those where true luxury back in those days.

[@Thankyou_3]

Those idiots at GM really discontinued these reliable, comfortable and economical vehicles. Nowadays, nothing GM makes are worth buying.

[@U.S.S.SOUTHSIDE]

Centuries, Cieras, Saturn, LeSabres. GM could Eff up a wet dream!!

[@danielberning1240]

Back in the day, I owned one exactly like this but in dark cherry color. I've always loved this era of Century's and they rode like a dream. Great MPG's for a mid-sized car and a v6.

[@johneli495]

3800 engine based LeSabre/88/Bonneville were some of the best cars of the 90s. Comfortable and Reliable

[@markwilliams2620]

3100 is a 2.8 with a larger combustion chamber. Not a 3800. But yes, the 3800 with a 4 speed automatic is the epitome of peak 90's GM.

[@SCORPION89199]

I have a 1991 Oldsmobile regency 98 elite it has the 3800, how many people don't know the 88 and the 98 had the same what's 3.8 l engine.

[@cabaneencac5168]

For having worked at Tilden and driving the fwd Century and the g-body Regal back to back at the time, the latter was really better isolated from the road. The Century by its design obviously transmitted much more vibration emanating from the front axle. So it makes me raise a little eyebrows when you say that these are as comfortable as a rwd body on frame Roadmaster.

[@tasaab]

Lol, can’t even tell you how many times my heart was broken at the Avis lot when I got to my space and saw one of these sitting there. And yet, I felt I was way ahead, it could have easily been a Corsica waiting for me.

[@KayakTN]

I had a '92. It handled very well in the snow.

[@mattt198654321]

Bring back flat cushy seats and column shifters!!!

[@HenrySchecker]

While my family never personally owned one I know and have ridden in 4 of these. One blue olds ciera wagon, one silver olds ciera sedan, one burgundy buick century sedan, and one burgundy olds ciera sedan. Also knew a kid in my class whose mom drove a red pontiac 6000. And someone on my block had a black and red chevy celebrity eurosport. And when I was a toddler I was convinced that the celebrity eurosprt was a sports car and would apparently go up to our neighbor when my parents took me on walks and compliment their eurosport

[@CathyHolton-jh1xv]

My parents had an ‘89; beige over beige. This car hated my family. My uncle had the Oldsmobile equivalent that was problem free for a decade, but my parents’ model was riddled with problems just outside the warranty period. It would stall out of nowhere and wouldn’t restart for hours, leaving us stranded a few times. We figured it was the fuel pump, but it recurred about a dozen times. My Mother, in particular, started avoiding it whenever possible. My family mechanic said he had the fix and changed a lot of parts. The car behaved for a few weeks, until I noticed my Mother come home from shopping one day. I looked out the window and noticed the car wasn’t in the driveway, so I asked my Mother where it was. She said “I got in it from the grocery store in 3 inches of snow. The engine wouldn’t turn over, so I walked home…in what is now 4 inches of snow. That car is not coming back to this house.” My Father couldn’t argue. A week or so later, they had a new Toyota Corolla. That was a great car, but the Buick was infinitely more comfortable.

[@ReverendJasper]

You didn't open the glove box to show off the fancy yellow button to pop the trunk! Thanks for reviewing a true "Cockroach of the Road"!

[@ForeverDownByLaw]

These were super comfortable, nice cars to drive. Nothing like them today.

[@Seven_Actual]

I know you all remember how that radio would pound the bass out of the factory 6x9's in Grandma's Buick. Legendary radio that one!

[@gm12551]

It sure did in my dads 87 delta 88 which was also my grandmas previous

[@hoogiesimports]

My grandma had one just like this. I remember my sister and I riding in the back when we were younger with the child safety windows rolled down as far as they would go, which wasn't very far, while we gasped for fresh air as grandma smoked cigarette after cigarette. Great memories 🤣🤣🤣 seeing those back seat ashtrays are very nostalgic! It would be even more so with a red velvet interior lol.

[@slimwhitman1301]

The ultimate simpleton grandma car. I appreciate it now but you would not catch me alive in one of these. I always appreciated the full width tail lights, though.

[@milesdyson]

My 95 year old cousin had a 1990 Century. It was an excellent car. When she passed away in 2014, her son went to the dealer she had it serviced at to see if they were interested in buying it.....within minutes all the mechanics were throwing bids.

[@joer8399]

I took drivers education class using a 90s Buick Century, they were decent commuter cars fast enough to get through traffic but safe enough for teenagers to learn to drive on.

[@aca2983]

The FWD A-body is not my favorite GM platform, but it was ubiquitous, and the cars could last. If you want to see the best of GM for any platform of any era, look for the Buick model. I miss comfortable, no-nonsense nice cars.

[@Jonathan-bk3dq]

My grandfather loved these cars!

[@briannavarrete49]

It's hard to believe this car made it all the way to 1996 when the Ford Taurus was already in its 3rd generation

[@969thewhip]

My Gram had a 93 Century brand new. She got lots of good years out of it. Brings back fond memories of my grandparents. Her's had the 3.3 (the detuned 3.8). They didn't offer the 3.1 until 94.

[@MikeKalasnik]

My grandmother had one of these. Once I was old enough to drive it, I was shocked how much power it had. Even my grandma drove it fast. Whats weird is most mechanics have told me the 3.1 was a great engine to work on, while the 3.4 were a nightmare. That is a really clean looking car!

[@celsovera91]

I have a soft spot for this particular type of Buick. when I was born, my dad bought an 89 century and it was one of my first memories being inside that car. it was a burgundy color and the inside was burgundy velour. My mom even learned how to drive in this car. From what she told me, the car had a bench seat and when she was learning, she would not go up to speed so my dad reached over and hit the gas pedal.

[@BBC42618]

My first car I bought when I turned 16. Mines was a 1989 model. Drove through a corn field and took out a trash can once. The bumper took it like a champ no dents. Also went off roading in it. It was a beast in the winter got all the way home after driving an hour in 10 inches of wet slushy snow before the plow trucks got to clean the streets. I never had any problems with the transmission. The original owner was a slob cat lady and it took me a week to clean and get the smell of cat piss out but other than that I absolutely love that car.

[@thatcarguy1UZ]

This and the Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera are some of the very last good cars that General Motors ever built.

[@bwofficial1776]

These things used to be everywhere, usually clapped-out but still going. Every high school parking lot had these hand-me-downs. This car was dated by 1996 but Buick's customers didn't care. They wanted something comfortable and with nice features and the Century delivered. One of Buick's styling things in the 90s into the 00s was full-width taillights. There would be three or four bulbs per side.

[@777jones]

By 1996, this was mostly a fleet vehicle for rental companies or the government. The tooling was paid off, so GM kept pumping them out.

[@manasseh7]

My childhood best friends parents had one of these. White with red guts. I can still smell the vanillaroma little tree scent and Marlboro reds..the good old days

[@FlowStateNewOrleans]

I owned a 1979 Regal. That interior and the electronics and switches have more in common with that Regal than with most 90s cars. That's amazing.

[@aca2983]

That was the point! It was sorta modern, but not radical, so the "traditional" GM buyer wasn't alienated. Also, keep in mind the A-bodies came out in '82. The car in this video was considered *extremely* outdated by '96 and was only bought by old people and fleets. It was basically a 70's GM car but on a lighter FWD platform that originated from the notorious X-platform (Citation, Skylark, Omega, etc.) I had them many times as Avis rental cars in my 20's when I first started working and had to travel a bit.

[@Luke-kh7gc]

Just bought a 95 century yesterday just like this one. It is so comfortable and a small upgrade over my cutlass ciera

[@gregorymalchuk272]

What year Cutlass Ciera and what happened to it?

[@TonerLow]

My grandfather drove Buicks because they were roomy enough that he could drive them without taking his Stetson off.

[@mauriceldisgreecanadahaspr9560]

I HAD A 1990 BUICK SEDANS CENTURY 9:00 YEARS LASTED LONG TIME.....

[@RearEngineShop]

My first car was a 1989 Buick century with an iron duke my grandparents gave me.

[@DavePlaysTrombone]

The 3100 inherited the reputation of the 3.1 that preceded it. The head gasket problems weren't nearly as bad. They may have been slightly more susceptible to cooling issues than the 3800, but my '97 Skylark 3100 had absolutely zero engine related work at 190,000mi when Mustang Girl knocked me into a guardrail at 70mph. I will drive only 1996-2008 Buick (or maybe Olds) forever.

[@coltonphillips1]

I still see these everywhere

[@rightlanehog3151]

Zack, After watching this I can only say - no wonder Toyota is afraid to bring their Century to this market . 😉

[@gm12551]

4:18 you could have pulled the rings out a little for the BDB test 😤

[@Blabus5]

I love your reviews, you emphasize showing us a lot of interior details and I think interiors are the most interesting things of everyday cars. I'm car guy from europe interested in US made cars and your channels helps me finding new vehicles to buy. It's like "i wanna another shitbox, let's check Zacks channel, oh a buick, oh one is for sale nearby, gonna buy another unique junk with no avalaible replacement parts, yay!"

[@howebrad4601]

I really like your reviews. You rate each car relative to how it was intended to be used. For example not expecting a buick sedan to corner like a race car. Some reviewers expect every car to be a performance sedan and knock good normal cars that ride good and have normal performance

[@charlesleake930]

Question : any way you can find out ...what size tire and wheel this guy is running ? not stock....but they look fantastic ! thanks in advance .. Jay

[@gregorymalchuk272]

I'm interested too.

[@McElroysMotors]

This to me is the best looking of the Buick Century. The rear end is especially sexy.

[@U.S.S.SOUTHSIDE]

Hell!! Yeah!!

[@777jones]

My mom had an 84 she bought new. Less powerful motor, but otherwise the exact same car, they upgraded the trim a tiny bit by 96 too. Same radio and climate control.

[@simslim28]

What a clean survivor example you have here. Wow :) You are right for that. Buick doesn't make cars in 2024. And this is sad to see the automotive landscape dominated by the SUV's...

[@OLDS98]

It's a Buuuuuuick! The great American road belongs to Buick! This car was a money maker. That is why it and the Oldsmobile Ciera ran so long. They were really good when they has the 3.8 liter V6(1986-1987) and the 3300 V6( based of the 3800 V6). This car and Regal started clashing in Buick showrooms during 1988-1995 time frame. Then Century moved to the W Body in 1997 and continued to sell well.

[@WildWildWeasel]

There's still SO MANY of those down in my country, alongside with the Celebrity.

[@bck2mono]

The roads were lousy with these GMs growing up in the 80s and 90s… common as the Corolla is today… HOW have you not reviewed a sedan til now?!

[@DrscammerRacingrush2]

Love these cars

[@doug6191]

This is definitely one of the cars of all time.

[@paulsolin-ql5il]

I grew up in Wisconsin in the 90s and I feel like GM A bodies literally made up half of the cars on the road.

[@ii7236]

My dad owned a 1993 Buick Century, I drove it to work to school, I did everything with it, I did not take care of it, I didn't really care about the car, it was in sort of bad shape when I got it, and I got it in a car accident, and and then I got a 1984 buick Electra in beautiful condition. Don't get me wrong my Electra is the coolest car I've ever seen but that century would be so nice for winter because I live in Michigan and now I'm missing my car that 1993 Buick Century.

[@robertdiehl9003]

Beautiful condition

[@minipandora22]

Love these

[@M.L.1]

All the GM "A" bodies were great cars. Nothing extravagant, but still good looking. Had an 87 Century w/2.5 iron duke engine. It was still running/driving @698k when I got rid of it. Replaced it with a 86 Century Limited w/2.8 carbureted engine. 275k outta that one! Also had a Celebrity Eurosport wagon as well as a Ciera wagon. Both them went well into 200k+ miles. Easy to work on & parts were affordable.

[@roryj625]

My Mom had one, it was blue on blue, had a blue velour interior, it was a 1994, it didn't last long. It had the 3100 and that was the reason it was broken. then got a 1996 Mercury between '03 and '05

[@cleanriderjonez5247]

Watching this making me regret selling my mint 95 cutlass supreme with only 70,000 miles

[@Darylrb1983]

Zack, ya gotta find a 92 oldsmobile toronado trofeo

[@courtney5796]

Still have a running and driving '98 LeSabre. 140K miles. Needs suspension refresh (still rides nice), but other than that it is pristine.

[@davidkrumwiede446]

One of the final GM vehicles with a front bench seat? In ‘96? You could get Bonnevilles, LaCrosses, Lucernes, Impalas with a front bench until at least a decade later.

[@ObservationalRhetoric]

SUPER CLEAN🙏 She’s beautiful.

[@benchattin]

I had a 1996 Oldsmobile Ciera SL as my first car about 10 years ago. The corporate cousin of the Century. Only had 51,000 when I got it. Started to nickel and dime me from neglected maintenance and periodic sitting from the elderly original owner, so I sold it. The thing wasn't worth much even with low miles back then so it wasn't worth dumping money into. Was a good car, though.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

What went wrong with it?

[@benchattin]

@gregorymalchuk272 Lower intake manifold, waterpump. Started running rough and cutting off, was diagnosed as bad fuel pump. Found out the son of the old woman who owned it before had taken out the fuel tank to change the pump only to abandon it for several months, then finally put it back together. A family of mice made the empty tank home when it sat, and I guess the nesting materials eventually lodged the sending unit and fuel lines. Also had warped rotors, failing ABS, and the front/rear driver windows failed completely. Then, to top it off, rodent chewed wiring, causing the gauge cluster and radio to work when they felt like it. Oh, and also rust in the rear suspension and trunk floor only discovered by trying to track wacked out wiring. That was the last straw, lol.

[@ksmith1298]

Great review

[@CamlonLogistics-ju6mb]

Watching live from Malawi 🇲🇼

[@Yourmission9]

This was every rental car in the 80’s and early 90’s

[@gregorymalchuk272]

The General Motors A bodies, the Chevrolet Celebrity, Pontiac 6000, Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, and the Buick Century, were the best cars ever made. Economical luxury, and simple and cheap to repair. Everything that came after was increasingly difficult fo repair. Among old cars I still see on the roads, it's Buick Centurys and Oldsmobile Cutlass Cieras, among other General Motors cockroaches. I don't see anything else still on the road this age or older being daily driven.

[@ce9345]

I currently own 2 Buick's. A 2005 Century Special Edition with 78xxx and a 2011 Lucerne CX with 62xxx.

[@alanmilliner3158]

I would like to buy it,& I saw plenty of them back in the day

[@Trance88]

This is one of those GM vehicles that was designed in the early 80's but they just kept making them until they finally stop meeting critical safety regulations. A lot of things changed in 1997 that prevented the continued sale of these types "legacy" vehicles.

[@TassieLorenzo]

I saw the headline and then scrolled down and was like, wait, that's not a Toyota Century!

[@ShootingCars]

Just wait till tomorrow…

[@ghzhammer]

@@ShootingCars indeed

[@kc0lif]

buick still makes cars. nice century.

[@RyanGallager]

My map light switch says MAP LIGHT

[@AlexSpalex1]

All you need now is the coupe model.

[@phillyspitta8147]

Everyone I drove in these or Ciera of same gen has a a saggy headliner stained n burned interior n ash treys n cigs galore

[@davidp2888]

Peak GM.

[@freedomfighter2417]

the dipstick lol

[@nathanjoseph4284]

"Back when Buick made CARS!" Umm, they still do? 😂

[@ShootingCars]

They only offer SUVs right now!

[@nathanjoseph4284]

​@@ShootingCars I consider pickups and SUVs cars too but take it with a grain of salt! 😀

[@Jack_Stafford]

​@nathanjoseph4284 well I would never consider a car a pickup, so I don't consider a pickup or an SUV a car.. But bottom line, foreign car makers still sell a complete line of vehicles from hatchbacks to middle-sized cars, sports cars and luxury cars as well as pickups and suvs, American car companies have completely stopped making cars except for the Corvette and the Mustang. Chrysler doesn't even sell pickups or SUVs, the sole vehicle they sell now is a minivan. When the next energy crisis comes, and it always does, or consumer tastes change, which also always happens, every foreign car manufacturer is situated to ramp up or down productions of different vehicles to meet a changing market, while Ford and GM will be stuck with a bunch of look-alike, out of fashion, fuel guzzling boxes, and we will not bail them out again.

[@runoflife87]

Yup, in China.

[@Jack_Stafford]

@runoflife87 they already import one SUV from china, how could it harm to import some of their Chinese cars here for people that want to buy that kind of traditional luxury?

[@mauriceldisgreecanadahaspr9560]

I HAD A 1990 BUICK SEDANS CENTURY LASTED 11 YEARS NO RUST STRONG SEDAN

[@incyphe]

The audacity of GM selling this car in 1996 says so much.

[@barron204]

Did Toyota copy the Century with the 1990 Corona (JDM) ???

[@dave11686]

My mom sister.and I went to Nebraska in a 95 rental

[@erich84502ify]

4 cylinder Century was the cheap one, 2.5

[@namemcnamerton4249]

2.5 was the 92 and older, they had the Vortec 2200 from 93 onwards. Why the NBS century didn't have a 4 cyl option is beyond me.

[@3800TType]

I would love the coupe it's such a pointless but interesting design.

[@michaelcoffey7362]

Nice 😊

[@michaelhoskins832]

How about turn this into a sleeper, with a turbo 3.8 V6?

[@Metalodeath]

My first car paid §2000 for it with 51k miles

[@HowardDaduk]

I forgot how long that basically unchanged generation of the Century had lasted. That would never fly today..and that's not necessarily a good thing.

[@JimmyShields-z2h]

Been Australian in 96 Holden Commodore n Ford Falcon were completely different design to USA, dont get me wrong i like the US designs but interior design n features were way ahead in Australian cars. As some Americans said reliable n anything after 2000 parts got cheaper in quality.

[@bluerazor7049]

It's a shame that Buick is now mainly selling their cars in China as rebaged Opels. Imagine them bringing back the LeSabre, Century, Regal ect.

[@Peter_Yachymczyk]

Imagine Chevrolet bringing back the RWD Caprice as well! (And not the Holden based PPV) Edit: it was the Holden Caprice not Opel

[@doug6191]

Buick's China success has really dropped off in recent years. China heavily subsidizes its own auto industry, creating a hellscape for numerous automakers such as GM, Honda, or VW. It's almost as if GM should have tried focusing on its U.S. market rather than overseas.

[@jojoJRification]

now buick sells dawoo made crap

[@2015BLOXXER]

That’s why their cars look like Kia’s and Hyundais 😂

[@bluerazor7049]

No, it's actually Opel. Still crap

[@stupidvideos1449]

No, theyre just made in Daewoos old factory. They're not crap, just unappealing

[@apl175]

That climate control head was used from since at least 1977.

[@ralphabreu5022]

A real car Not today's Chinese Buicks!!!

[@davinp]

Buick's logo represents the 3 cars they used to make. It is now outdated since they don't make those cars anymore. The only reason Buick still exists today is because of China. As you now, GM killed off it car brands after its 2009 banruptcy

[@Jack_Stafford]

The tri-shield didn't represent just three cars, at one time Buick easily sold a variety of 30 cars when you considered the coupe, convertible, and station wagon versions of all of their cars. Also GM continued to make cars well after 2009, some really excellent and stunning cars, they just ended Oldsmobile Pontiac and Saturn but there were still were great Chevrolet Buicks and Cadillacs in different shapes sizes and price ranges, as well as pickups and suvs. Now, they have put all of their eggs in one basket and they will not be bailed out when the next energy crisis happens, and it always will, or when consumer tastes changes which also always happens. I would not be surprised if Buick was sold outright to one of the new big Chinese car brands that actually offers a huge variety of vehicles to their customers. We will never bail out GM and Ford again. They chose not to carry a variety of vehicles like Honda Volkswagen Hyundai Nissan and so many others so they are choosing to not even try to compete in any market other than trucks and SUVs.

[@pgtmr2713]

Custom!?! They were all the same!!! There were no flames painted on the hood, no exhaust tips, no chopped roof. The opposite of custom.

[@trr5291]

I had a 1989 century and my sister had a 1994. Both were good riding cars. But unfortunately, garbage built. The owner of the one in the video must have bubble wrapped it.