1989 Buick Century Custom review from North America
"A great car... very reliable for 12 years"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
I abused this car by towing without the towing package, and by not changing oil regularly. So understandably I needed transmission work at about 80K and a valve job at about 150K... I'm not complaining here, but rather I am trying to be complimentary.
Nothing else beyond normal wear and tear.
General comments?
Have really enjoyed owning this car. Am the original owner. The car is still going, I drive it to work everyday.
Very comfortable ride and seats.
Lots of power.
Uses quite a bit of oil now with over 200,000 miles... this is not a complaint.
Great gas mileage on the highway... the overdrive gives as high as 33 mpg highway. Regularly got 30-31 highway.
I would not get the paint protection coating again (cost $995). I didn't have to wax the car for about 5 years, but the paint seemed to deteriorate under the coating, although it might also have been the type of grey paint with clear coat... the grey got all mottled. I don't know if the dealer coated my plastic bumper, but the bumper started to flake off a clear coating after about 7 years.
I was never extremely happy with the steering (front wheel drive). It seemed to understeer and then oversteer immediately after having to apply too much wheel in a turn. Not real bad though, just a relatively minor flaw. I felt like I constantly had to make minor steering corrections.
Recommended reviews
| 1989 - Century Limited 3.3L V6 A great car with lots of unappreciated qualities |
| 1988 - Century Custom 2.8L V6 MFI A perfect combination of comfort, style, performance and efficiency |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1989 |
| First year of ownership | 1989 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2001 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.3 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 10 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 10 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 9 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 9 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 25 miles |
| Most recent distance | 223000 miles |
| Previous car | Toyota Corolla |
| Date of Entry | 27th May, 2001 |