1987 Buick Century Custom review from North America

This car on the whole has been exceptionally reliable considering its age and miles. It was a hand-down car to me, both my parents drove it when it was new in 1987, and my sister drove it before me. The transmission was replaced in 2000, and general repairs have been made, including a new air conditioner, new radiator, water pump, and typical belts and hoses. Has also had to have both fuel injectors cleaned and a new exhaust pipe. Lastly replaced were the original shocks and struts. The shocks and struts were the most expensive, and while this looks like a lot of work, the repairs were spread out and the replacements were all of original parts... Not bad given the car was 15 years old before these things started to go bad. The car has never failed me on the highway.

I am 18 years old, and this so far has been my first and only car, and I have to say I love it. It's not even close to the performance capabilities of the 3.3 or 2.8L V-6's, and acceleration is magnificent and high cruising speeds close from 70-80 are no problem at all. The sequential fuel injectors provide no lag whatsoever when you stomp on the gas like some newer cars, and can actually out accelerate a lot of new sportier cars with V-4's. This might not seem like much of a comparison, but at the buicks weight it is quite an accomplishment. I have to agree that the car does look older than it probably should like the one reviewer said. However, while he says that it is a girl-repellent, it is also a cop-repellent. Being such a generic older looking car that it is that looks like it has no performance, cops hardly ever give it a second glance, even if the driver is speeding a little bit. The handling is slightly lower than it should be, but then again being a luxury car wouldn't typically be registered in a SCCA or something. The steering is still very tight, with just a little play in the power steering, but nothing that's terribly awkward. The car is exceptionally comfortable and is no problem taking trips. Plenty of room and is great for hauling friends around or lots of stuff. Finally, the car is great as it is built like a tank. The car is extremely hard to damage and is very sturdy. Recently a gentlemen T-boned me at an intersection and all the car suffered was a busted right left headlight and damaged bumper... much less than I thought would happen given the speed at which he hit me. It has been a great car to me, and I love it. I'm in the process of restoring to its original condition and adding performance parts here and there. It's nice to have a sleeper "granny-mobile".