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I have found buying used Buick's to be a great deal. They usually have very little miles and are usually garage kept. Some Buicks have their quirks like any car, but I've found them to be pretty reliable. Though it can be difficult getting the smell of Ben-gay out of the car.
Kids are not usually interested in buying a used Buick, so this keeps their resell value down and affordable. I have qualified for AARP, but I'm still a few years away from 65. My kids do give me a hard time about buying a old persons car. I tell them, it beats a hearst.
My grandparents get a new Buick every few years. Their reasons are as follows:
1. Oldsmobiles aren't made anymore.
2. Bench seats, column shifter, and wide door openings are easy for them to get in and out of and feel comfortable.
3. Conservative, old fashioned styling, simple controls are easy to operate.
4. Reliability is good, routine maintenance is reasonably priced.
5. Decent gas mileage for a big car - mid to upper 20s if you drive like a senior.
They were very upset when Buick stopped making LeSabres, now they have a Lucerne that is "ok" according to grandma.
I would say that I see as many elderly people driving Toyotas than Buicks, which is a surprise here in Chicago.
Personally, old people prefer Buicks as:
1) They are easy to get in and out of as they sit a lot higher than a lot of cars.
2) Rock solid reliability.
3) Every control is where you expect it to be,
4) Good gas mileage.
5) They are reasonably priced. For years, you could buy a good used Buick or Olds for less than a Corolla.
6) The vehicles are quite safe.
The elderly people in my family are migrating from the Taurus (pre-2005) to the I-4 Ford Fusion and are getting as good gas mileage as I am getting in my Corolla.
Well what bothers me most is that they ( seniors ) almost come to a full stop before turning right off the highway. Why??
Oh yea, I'm 73 and drive a Crown Vic, Sport.
My father-in-law drives a Buick, why? Because his wife will not let him buy a Cadillac. I drove his Buick one day and hated it. It felt like you were floating over the road. Very little steering feel and vertually no road feel. Felt like driving a big comfortable sofa.
Dude, most of those old people are of the age to have fought in WWII and probably have. In their own mind, they still see themselves storming the beach with an M1 Garand, knowing that one of the guys at their side isn't going to make it back. When I worked at a repair shop in Phoenix, many of these guys refused to drive or buy anything Japanese--They had those memories after 40 years. And now that I am 44, after a lifetime of adventure, riding motorcycles across America, being a paratrooper, fishing in Australia and Alaska, working as a mechanic in Spain and Malaysia, teaching school in the Aleutian chain, and now moving to Vegas and starting an auto shop from scratch, I say to you, get some experience and then come back.
+1
My grandparents not only wouldn't buy Japanese, they wouldn't buy from ANY foreign company. They lived through the depression so they didn't borrow money for anything and they only supported American companies.
I used to laugh about it and think of them as provincial, but I'm starting to think they were a lot smarter than I gave them credit for.
My father-in-law drives a Buick, why? Because his wife will not let him buy a Cadillac. I drove his Buick one day and hated it. It felt like you were floating over the road. Very little steering feel and vertually no road feel. Felt like driving a big comfortable sofa.
Some people like a car that feels like a big comfortable sofa.
...and despite the stereotype here in the US, Buick is the marque to have among young successful people in China.
My wife, far, far from 65 has a LeSabre. We call it her "old lady car". While it's not what I'd prefer to drive (I find it's handling mediocre and it's ride too mushy) it does get up and scoot and it's great for long trips. Other than the gas gauge, it's been trouble-free.
Oh, and it's front-wheel drive. Does Buick even make a rear-wheel drive?
My parents are nearing 80...they drive a Honda Pilot, a diesel F-250 4x4 and dad's toy--a Mitsu Evo. He says the biggest kick he gets is the double-takes from the boy-racers.
Some people like a car that feels like a big comfortable sofa.
Some newer cars have these rock-hard seats that are murder on my back, including a 2007 Chevy Impala a friend of mine rented when we were in Las Vegas nearly three years ago. For a bigger car, I was amazed at how firm the front seats were! In contrast, my old Chrysler, which is a smaller car than the Impala, is much more like a comfortable sofa on wheels. I drove it from Rancho Mirage, CA back up here to NorCal with only one stop back in September 2005 and my back didn't hurt whatsoever.
We also had a Grand Marquis rental car when Mrs. Northbayeric and I were in western Missouri in March 2008. Loved it! Absolutely terrific on the open freeway. It probably wouldn't do so good on California's Highway 49 in the Sierra foothills.
I'll probably need to donate my old "Betsy" Chrysler later this year and buy something smaller with a stick shift. But for bigger cars, I'd definitely eyeball newer Buick LaCrosses and the Grand Marquis.
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Buick's are a good used car buy... Usually.
