1986 Buick Century T-type from North America - Comments

Right off the bat: catalytic converter and radiator.

Timing chain sprocket went at around 112,000.

Starter went at 114,000.

Left CV joint started making noise around 116,000.

After my GLC's transmission failed & repair parts were no longer available, I thought it was time to upgrade to a REAL car. What a mistake!

I bought the Buick from one of those little used car lots. It was in almost immaculate condition, except one tire was pretty much toast & it was lacking in power.

The lack of power was due to a plugged cat converter. Then it started overheating and I learned that the radiator was beyond repair. So just like that, almost $300 went into the thing.

The 3.8 V-6 had very good power and average fuel economy (around 20 mpg.)

Seats were comfortable and "creature comforts" were within easy reach. A/C was more than adequate, & the cruise control performed flawlessly.

However, the engine had some "features" which left a lot to be desired, especially for a Do-It-Yourself mechanic.

Starter & rear bank of spark plugs were virtually inaccessible.

The kicker -- Timing chain sprockets were made of PLASTIC, and their failure cost me over $1500 in repairs.

I first took the car to a Buick dealer in Ontario, Cal. for repairs -- it was after hours so I had to authorize repair expenditures on an envelope - I entered "don't spend more than $300", thinking it wasn't too serious, & they charged me $280 to open it up & tell me what I had already suspected -- the timing chain sprocket had failed. Estimate for repairs - $1500. So, disgusted, I took it to a third-party mechanic who had to do a complete upper-end job (valves bent due to small valve-piston clearance) & charged me $1200. The $1500 Buick was going to charge me was for replacing the chain alone!

Not too long after that the starter wore out, & I bought one at Chief, thinking I could just slap it in. WRONG! The starter could not be removed without discharging the A/C system & removing some A/C tubing first. I had to pay some garage $120 to have it installed.

When I finally unloaded this heap, the engine was starting to make strange knocking noises. Plus, the paint on the roof was peeling off in large sheets. I'm glad I was able to get $1500 for it -- small consolation for the almost $2500 in repairs I had to make after the initial purchase price of $2999.

I know Buicks have a long reputation for building decent cars but this lemon trashed all faith in the brand for me. It was really a wolf in sheep's clothing for me.

This post kinda bothered me. The car was purchased at a little used car lot. What can you expect from a gypsy lot? The previous owner probably didn't take care of the car at all, just kept it looking nice. That doesn't mean Buicks are bad cars. I bought a '86 Century Limited @ 92,040 miles. I've replaced the tires, turn signal in front, tail light lens, hood strut, and alternator. I need to also replace the water pump and washer pump. Other than that, these cars are great! Just because someone beat up that particular car doesn't mean it was a bad car. It was just abused beyond what it could take.

It also bothers me when people complain about dealer prices. The dealer will use OEM parts (which cost more) and the labor rate at a dealer is generally much higher than at an independent repair shop. But the dealer will generally give a better warranty on the repair.

This seems similar to my experience. I had to replace many expensive engine components. The coils, fuel pump, electronic ignition unit, just to name a few. It is very difficult to work on this car as a lot of parts that should be readily accessible are buried and difficult to reach without removing the ac and many hoses. Not to mention there are so many different engine configurations that it is difficult to repair something even with a chilton's manual handy. The last problem I had to deal with on mine was it wouldn't spark, I took it to the dealer and they couldn't even tell me what was wrong with it. To finish, there were a lot of problems with this car I didn't have in other vehicles I have owned.

It's amazing to me (and it takes a lot to amaze these days after the amount of stupidity I've witnessed in the last 55yrs.) that an individual would whine about a car with over 100,000 miles needing a timing sprocket, or ANYTHING else engine related. Particularly one that he knows no previous history on. They never mentioned how many miles it had when purchased. Converters are supposed to be serviced after 60,000, and I'd bet the farm his had way more than this at the time of purchase. Had he ANY mechanical ability, he'd have known that removing the front mount's bolt and tilting the motor forward enables one to service the rear bank of the motor. What are his driving habits and maintenance practices? The last years of this car may have been it's most demanding(read traumatic). The fact that it needed nothing block, head or transmission related is a testament to build quality of the Buick 3.8 motor.

I agree. I had a Century T-Type that served me well for over 200,000 miles - of course I bought it from my dad and it always had Mobil 1 synthetic. I had to replace the fuel filter, two injectors and a fuel pump (and of course numerous tires and brakes). I sold it and bought my dad's 1989 LeSabre T-type which also served more than 200,000 before I sold it. Parts break and stock timing chains are cheesy if oil is not kept changed. As far as spark plugs go, not many front wheel drive V6 or V8 cars have accessible rear spark plugs (look at a Lumina Z34 if you really want to shake your head).

I'm sorry the owner had a bad experience buying a used car from what appears to be a less-than-reputable used car dealer. I agree with previous comments that evaluating the quality of an automobile one purchases second-hand at 100,000 miles is questionable, however this particular Buick Century seems to have been a VERY costly purchase considering the expenses the owner discovered after the purchase was completed. As an owner-enthusiast of the GM FWD A-Body cars (built from 1982 to 1996) I can say that my experiences with these vehicles have been the opposite of this owner, and that my A-body cars have been economical, easy-to-service, reliable, and a pleasure to own. Since about 1995 I've owned one Pontiac 6000, three Chevrolet Celebritys, two Olds Cieras, and two Buick Centurys. From my 10+ years experience I highly recommend these cars. I'm presently driving my recently restored 1990 Buick Century station wagon, and I hope to complete the restoration of my 1989 Chevrolet Celebrity Eurosport during the summer of 2006.

I would like to buy a Original Buick Century 1986 in California. I'm in Valencia City 91354 area.

Let me know at: bigformat@sbcglobal.net

Attn,

JGB/LA.