Lexusfreak

Hey everyone,

Well, my Dad finally got rid of his vehicle of 14 years (going on 15 years) .....a 1990 Buick Park Avenue with 412,000 miles on her (original engine & tranny btw), and decided to purchase a cream puff of a 2002 Buick Century 'Limited' with 45,000 miles (I tried to get him over to Toyota or Lexus, but money is a bit tight for him & they wanted & frankly needed something newer with warranty, all service records & a 1 owner for MUCH less than the same year Japanese mid-size car....& hey they have always been GM folks so a leopard never changes their spot's I guess lol ). Nice car for him & my Mom.........has a very good reliability record & it's built in Canada which my parents like so it should serve them well even it's a "plain jane" ( perhaps even boring) type of vehicle with everything except leather (even has a few really cool features my 01 ES 300 & older Lexus models dosen't have actually! Imagine that! . All I can say is, it's about time!

I do have a question however.......Does anybody know if there is a specific Buick Century Club in North America that I can mention to my Dad to check out? Amf pointed me to the www.buickclub.org site which was helpful, but wanted to know if there were others? Any help is appreciated.

mmarshall

Couldn't find anything specifically for the Century either, but it looks like like the Buick Owners' Club of America (at the web site you posted) is going to be your best bet. Another good possibility is Buicks.net http://www.buicks.net/ They are primarily set up for Buick restoration but they have a Buick chat forum (like CL, you and your dad will have to register on it).

Jim (Jet864).....you had a Grand National for a while. Do you know of any web sites or owners' clubs specifically for the Century or mid-sized Buicks? I did a Google search for Lexusfreak and only saw a couple of possibilities, as I mentioned.

Lexusfreak, I wouldn't be too dissapointed that your parents didn't get something sportier or a Toyota-Lexus product. Buicks are very popular with older couples...and not just older people either. They appeal mainly to anyone who wants to "buy American" and want a smooth, quiet ride. As many backs and kidneys age, the ability to endure stiff suspensions and tires often deceases with it. Your dad, no doubt, had gotten used to the Park Avenue's pillow-soft ride after 15 years and probably didn't want a firmly-sprung car. Many older people also want a car with plenty of metal around them for crash protection.
You dad certainly can't complain about getting so many miles from his Park Avenue.....although I've seen a lot of trim parts fall of of big Buicks. The fit-and-finish is generally not good on them.
The Century, and similiar Regal, according to Consumer Reports, are quite reliable (unusual for a GM product). They rank up there almost with Toyota and Honda. They are not what you would consider an enthusiast's car (except for the long-gone Grand National and the supercharged Regal GS), perhaps explaining the lack of enthusiast web sites, but they are good, solid, comfortable, reliable daily transportation. Your parents could have done a lot worse.
Keep in mind that the Century and Regal are being dropped.....they will shorly be replaced by the new Buick LaCrosse sedan...a car that looks very much like today's Lexus GS. (It is already on sale).
Anyhow.......Good luck to you and your parents with the Century.

Lexusfreak

Many thanks for your help & your are correct mmarshall Not disappointed at all my Dad choose another Buick or GM product (I applogise if my posting sounded that way). My parents are in their early 60's & my mom is a 'little drink of water' at 4'11" & less than 100lbs soaking wet so I know the car won't be too big for her to drive also. Both the Regal & Century (as you mentioned) have got very high praise (many Buicks do) for their reliability over the years. I'm happy they have moved up 12 model years & their Century should give them excellent service in the years to come. They have been mainly Ford & GM folks over the years (about 80% GM & 20% Ford). The Century is a very simple vehicle to service & work on which is important since we only take our cars to the dealer for warranty or recall work. It was a good decision & an EXCELLENT value. Thanks so much again mm for your thoughts & your help with the Buick Clubs! Happy New Year! It's a pretty good way to start if off.

Lexusfreak

The Buick Century even has a few really cool features my 01 ES 300 & older Lexus models dosen't have actually! Imagine that! .

- The Century actually has a tire pressure monitoring system (at least the ES up to 2001 never even offered it as an option),

- Oil life warning system (according to the owners manual, you can go over a year depending on the type of driving you do before changing your oil & filter).

- Engine block heater all standard! (I do wish my ES had that feature being in Canada) It's a fairly plain looking car.......but excellent value on the used car market for the price.......goes about it's daily business without comanding much attention which the many of the owners love, & like Rodney Dangerfield, get no respect lol.

- Also has a feature that prevents damage if you try & start the car with the engine already running! I don't know for sure if the 2001 ES has that or not......& I don't want to try to find out the hardway lol.

jet864

Mmarshall, sadly I never owned a GN, I was looking at them and was prepared to buy one of those or a Turbo Trans Am but we had some serious family issues so it all fell through. However, www.turbobuick.com is a good site for anything with a FI 3.8. The Century is NA if I remember correctly though...

James

Lexusfreak

I think your correct jet. I doubt there has been any turbo Century models between the current generation (97 - 05).

mmarshall

Thanks, Jim..............wouldn't be surprised if that website also had some Buick GS and GSX owners from the 60's muscle-car era.....and some big-engined Rivieras.

Lexusfreak

Perhaps even some Buick Grand Nationals? .