1995 Buick Regal Custom review from North America
"Nice family car with a bit of punch"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Before I took possession of the car at 45K miles. I made the dealer fix the power mirrors and the A/C. I don't know what the fixes were.
A/C leaking coils replaced at around 60K miles.
Alternator and Battery also replaced about then also.
Factory CD/Cassette Player is temperamental. It will play a cassette
but won't give it back to you without butterknife intervention. Will occasionally refuse to eject the CD; if it won't eject you'll just have to wait till the next morning at which time it will come right out.
Anti-Lock light was going off all the time; it was reset and for a week now has not come on.
Both rear taillights fill with water when it rains. My simple fix was to drill holes in the bottom to let the water out. Yeah, I could've replaced the gaskets around the lights, but I didn't think that would have fixed it.
At 72K miles both sets of brake pads replaced. Front rotors turned, rear rotors replaced.
Also at 72K miles a leaky oil pan gasket replaced (they had to move the engine!).
Also at 72K miles, A bent rear suspension arm replaced.
General comments?
I bought the car to cart around my wife and kid. It's not a happy thing to cart a baby seat AND my wife in a small pick-up truck. The 3.8 engine is pretty sweet in regards to power. It's a big help getting on a busy highway from an on-ramp.
I've seen some negative comments about the braking on this car. I did not have any trouble at all with braking until I replaced the brakes. I've noticed a lessening of braking power since that time. Not terrible, but quite a difference.
The entire interior of the car is still sweet despite no garage storage. No fading or cracking. The only thing I've noticed is a thin rubber coating coming off the plastic on the top of the console and just below the Fan/AC/Defrost controls.
I've spent about $2700 in maintenance since I've owned it and that seems pricey. I'm hoping for at least two years of non-extraordinary maintenance until the next round.
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![]() ![]() | Really badly designed car around an surprisingly decent drive train |
![]() ![]() | 1995 - Regal Custom 2dr. coupe 3.1 Keep Looking |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.8L Automatic |
| Performance marks | 9/10 |
| Reliability marks | 9/10 |
| Comfort marks | 9/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 45000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 72000 miles |
| Previous car | Ford Ranger |
| Date of Entry | 5th July, 2002 |

