1994 Buick Century Special review from North America
"A robust, ubiquitous, maintainable device"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Got the Cent used for $800.
Electrical system is pretty shaky; no right turn signals & the window motors are shot; dashboard indicators kinda quirky.
Had mismatched tires on the front; ride really stabilised when I upgraded them.
Ordinary fixes: plugs, wires, filters, PCV valve, cleaned the fuel system.
The 3100 runs like a champ. Still the SES light came on all the time & ultimately she started stalling at every deceleration. I read up on the web & figured it was the MAF sensor (which actually had a cracked housing). Replaced it with a used one & the ECM/PCM is now just thrilled, maintaining that 14.7 AFM. Still get the SES but its probably the O2 sensor (the ALDL isn't wired right so I can't pull the codes till its fixed).
General comments?
Considering the age & price, it's proving to be quite reliable. The 3100 SFI V6 was used on 19 GM models between 1989-2003, so I see them at all the junkyards & know I can get parts & service. If you spend a moment understanding the sensors, you can make both the computer & the engine happy, & it will probably run forever.
Sure its a grandaddymobile, but that means nobody will steal it. I'm just spraypainting a trio of racingstripes from hood to trunk to make it look a bit more rad. Not too far away, the things sell for almost $2000, so I might someday get my money back out of it. Meanwhile the gas mileage is refreshingly good.
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| 1994 - Century Wagon 2.2 4 cylinder. Without question this is the best GM product that I have owned in 40 years of driving |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1994 |
| Year of manufacture | 1994 |
| First year of ownership | 2008 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2008 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.1 SFI V6 OHV 160HP VIN M Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 160000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 162000 miles |
| Previous car | Mazda B2000 |
| Date of Entry | 23rd November, 2008 |