1990 Buick Century Custom review from North America
"An unexpected loser"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Absolutely nothing up until this point. My father passed away and this car was given to me in 1995. I have not had any trouble with it up until last year. The dealer could not diagnose a weird suspension problem. If I'm coasting I can hear and feel a small bumping sound coming from the driver side front end. The dealer thought it was the axle which I had replaced and that did not do the trick. So being that I didn't deem it a problem I decided to deal with it. About a week ago I developed a sudden loss of anti-freeze. I didn't think much of it, I checked the hoses, all were dry, checked the tailpipe when it was idling and no moisture from the tailpipe. I put a bottle of bar-leak in and all seemed OK after that. I was driving home from Thanksgiving dinner with my family when I heard a weird sound. It was an intermittent grinding noise coming from the engine compartment. I immediately pulled over, opened the radiator to find a 3/4 full radiator. I tried starting the car again and the noise was still there. I didn't want to take any chances so I called my neighbor who owns a towing company and he scooped us up. This morning I went to inspect the engine and noticed a big metallic object sticking out of the back of the engine. I would assume that this "wasn't a good thing." I gave my "free" car a descent exorcism, called up the breast cancer society, donated it to them. They picked it up today and now I can write it off for $1000 wow, I made money on the car. Would I buy another Buick. No, my family and I have deemed it a "grandpa's" car and a fuddy duddy mobile.
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| 1990 - Century Custom 3.8Liter Great little grocery getter, with a surprise |
| Good, Fast, Inexpensive, American Car |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1990 |
| First year of ownership | 1995 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.5 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 6 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 7 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 5 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 8 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 10 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 45000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 135000 miles |
| Previous car | Chrysler Shadow |
| Date of Entry | 30th November, 2002 |