1987 Buick Century Custom 4D review from North America

My throttle body gasket had to be replaced at 200,000 miles.

My heads developed cracks at 150,000 miles.

A hole was put in the muffler at 245,000 miles.

Leaked oil at 200,000 miles.

This car has not cost me very much money. The most expensive thing was replacing both heads, which totaled $700. However, this was my fault, because the heads are aluminum, and spark plugs should only be hand-tightened, not torqued down as I did. The car and the engine cannot be held responsible for my foolish mistake.

The oil leak is a very common problem for the 2.8L V6, and is simply fixed. I spent about five dollars for a replacement gasket, and an O-ring from a 350 Chevy. The engine has not had a leak since.

The engine is noisy when first started, but even now at over 250,000 miles, the engine idles almost silently.

When on the road, the engine is not excessively noisy, but when the throttle is opened a "bit", the engine does not sound anemic either. At that time the engine develops a deep rumble that sounds nice to the young male ear.

The transmission shifts very smoothly, except when under hard acceleration, at that time, you will feel it grab hard and lock in gear. The way that the transmission is geared, the lower gears have short ratios to combat the weight, and fourth gear overdrive provides for good fuel economy at highway speeds, unfortunately, the transmission jumps between gears if speed is held at 35 mph.

The suspension could be stiffer, and body roll at higher speeds is very apparent. However, the ride is excellent and very soft, like a luxury car should be.

The seats are incredibly comfortable, and the power driver's seat is convenient, as are the power windows and door locks. In the front, seat belts have shoulder straps, but in the back, there are lap belts only.

The interior is spartan and functional, with plenty of room between you and your surroundings for the taller among us.