2nd Mar 2005, 16:01
Hey buddy I don't have my car posted, but I have a 1989 buick century with the 3.3 liter. it has 172000 miles on it is faster than heck, been in 5 s beat on mistreated and any thing else you can think of, but my point is that this is the most reliable car I've ever had and I love it to at 170000 miles, it doesn't leak one drop of any fluid at all. its just the classic american built dream.
25th Feb 2006, 17:16
In all honesty, these cars rust out easily in those particular parts of the US where rust is a problem. They take turns pretty flat for a cushy car, but ride too "floaty" to be safe handling at higher highway speeds. The bodies are solidly built and hold up well with time, but the interiors are cheap and plastic looking. The safety is not terrible, but not great. The body design from a safety standpoint is OK of a car of this era, but door-mounted seatbelts are an invitation for occupant ejection in a severe enough accident. Parts are cheap and plentiful, and these cars are typically easy to work on. Resale value from a used car shopper's perspective is great. These cars can be picked up pretty cheap. If you don't have a lot of money to spend and need a reliable, cheap to fix car, I highly recommend the century up to '96. If you can afford to be fickle and not want a car associated with blue hairs, it may not be your cup of tea. An excellent value car.
16th Mar 2006, 09:30
Dude, who the hell buys a Buick Century to go fast? I mean a Rietta or a Grand National sure. Even a T-Type Century... but anyone will tell you that if you're looking for a sporty car, Buick shouldn't be your first try. I mean look at them, Do you see any racing... ANYTHING on them. That's because they're luxury cars. For people who enjoy driving cars... not for people who need to speed everywhere they go.
12th Mar 2008, 18:26
I have a 89 Century with the 3.3L. It has 200000 miles on it. I bought it from my grandpa for $300 when my truck died. Anyways, at first it had troubles where I would be driving down the road and the speedometer quit working, then the car would die and it would sound like it ran out of gas. The problem was the computer. I spent $200 and not only do I get better gas mileage, but I have better acceleration too.
22nd Jul 2008, 15:50
I bought my 89 Century Custom in 1997. It now has 173,000 miles on it. I live in NJ so the weather can be pretty extreme from ice to heat and humidity. Its the best car I've ever driven in the snow (using all season tires). Its not to big or too small. Its had normal maintenance and of course, parts replaced due to age and wear. To say this car has been reliable would be an understatement.
It still runs like a champ. Of course, the max speed on the speedometer is only 85 and at 20 years old I wouldn't even ask it for that. It gets a respectable 65 easily and since I don't have any intention of being a scrambled egg on some highway somewhere, that is fine by me (yes speed lovers, I drive in the "slow" lane so not to annoy you).
The radio and tape player (ha ha - remember those) still work, the power windows work, sadly the power door locks died, but they still work the old fashioned way and the heat works too.
If I had the money I would restore it to its original state. I will replace parts till it falls apart, which hopefully won't be for another 20 years.
24th Jul 2008, 02:22
'A waste of money in this day and age'?? Though a late 80's/early 90's Century may be merely adequate at many things (handling, acceleration, safety, ergonomics), one things for sure - there is probably no cheaper way to get around. The combination of reliability, cheap parts, ease of repair, reasonable gas mileage, and low used car purchase price is virtually unmatched in any other used car.
15th Mar 2009, 00:20
I recently bought a 3.3 1989 Century Limited with 72K original. California car with no rust & original paint. Well maintained and in mint condition. I bought it for a relative but car was too big for her. I use it as my work car & I drive 50 miles RT. I also have a 2005 Toyota Camry 4 cylinder stick that I bought new. Nice that both cars are paid for.
I haven't had any problems except a vacuum leak. I had the belt, tensioner, and power steering pulley replaced. Runs like a champ. I plan to drive both cars for a very long time. With our license fee/sales taxes going up on April 1, I will make these cars last a long time.
11th Jul 2010, 20:02
My Buick Century is 21 years old and it out lasted my 1998 Ford Taurus. I know the Century rusts out easy, and they have paint issues, but they get great gas mileage, and they are dependable. Mine has 143000 miles on it and it still has plenty of pep to outrun a new car.
19th Oct 2010, 18:39
The fact that your previous car was a Corolla explains this review pretty well :P.
My sister has a '98 Corolla with 281,000 miles. Has a very serious power steering leak and the engine is on its way out, but for the minuscule amount of money she's put into it over the years and the fact it's made it so far, it's just amazing.
I own a '99 Corolla (5 spd with the i4), and that car is unstoppable. For 110 hp it has some serious get-up-and-go, and the handling in both cars is/has been excellent!
I'm looking at buying a '93 Century, so hopefully it should do me well until I can afford an engine in my Corolla (Kinda' figured the oil could wait till payday...)
19th Jun 2004, 19:11
I had an '89 Century Custom 2dr, with the Grand Touring Package and 158,000 miles on it. My 23 year old daughter just bought it off me last week for transportation for herself and her 8 month old daughter. In my estimation it is the only car I have ever owned in which I feel comfortable having my granddaughter as a passenger.
This car has been the lifeblood of my family's transportation for the last 15 years, and I am trading in my 1995 Olds Aurora this Monday night for a new Century. I'd take the reliability and stability of this class of car over the "LUXURY" I am supposed to be getting with the Olds any day.
Best car I have ever owned.