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Buick vs Nissan Reliability

Nissan leads on our inspections: 62/100 average condition vs 58/100 for Buick, from 310 real pre-purchase inspections. The average car we check scores 61/100.

vs
Head to head
BuickNissan
Cars inspected38272
Average condition58/10062/100
In good shape (60+/100)52%56%
Repainted or replaced panel71%78%
Structural repair found0%7%
Fault codes recently cleared24%24%

Green = the better number of the pair. Condition reflects the mix of cars that came to us — age, price, model — so treat small gaps as a tie.

How they score
Buick
Excellent 26% Good 26% Mediocre 18% Poor 29%
Nissan
Excellent 21% Good 35% Mediocre 27% Poor 17%
How long do they stay good?
Good cars by mileage
▬ Buick▬ Nissan▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Buick, 40–60k mi: 64%, drawn from the nearby bands (8 cars in this band)Buick, 60–80k mi: 65%, drawn from the nearby bands (5 cars in this band)Buick, 80–100k mi: 52%, drawn from the nearby bands (6 cars in this band)Buick, 100–120k mi: 32%, drawn from the nearby bands (5 cars in this band) Nissan, 0–20k mi: 98%, drawn from the nearby bands (12 cars in this band)Nissan, 20–40k mi: 90% in good shape (21 cars)Nissan, 40–60k mi: 80% in good shape (35 cars)Nissan, 60–80k mi: 67% in good shape (43 cars)Nissan, 80–100k mi: 71% in good shape (42 cars)Nissan, 100–120k mi: 36% in good shape (36 cars)Nissan, 120–140k mi: 37% in good shape (35 cars)Nissan, 140–160k mi: 24%, drawn from the nearby bands (18 cars in this band)Nissan, 160–180k mi: 21%, drawn from the nearby bands (16 cars in this band)Nissan, 180–200k mi: 17%, drawn from the nearby bands (8 cars in this band) 40k 80k 120k 160k 200k mileage when we inspected it
Good cars by age
▬ Buick▬ Nissan▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Nissan, 1 years old: 95%, drawn from the nearby bands (11 cars this age)Nissan, 2 years old: 93%, drawn from the nearby bands (17 cars this age)Nissan, 3 years old: 83%, drawn from the nearby bands (16 cars this age)Nissan, 4 years old: 52% in good shape (23 cars)Nissan, 5 years old: 68%, drawn from the nearby bands (19 cars this age)Nissan, 6 years old: 71% in good shape (24 cars)Nissan, 7 years old: 66% in good shape (29 cars)Nissan, 8 years old: 46% in good shape (26 cars)Nissan, 9 years old: 46% in good shape (28 cars)Nissan, 10 years old: 52%, drawn from the nearby bands (11 cars this age)Nissan, 11 years old: 45%, drawn from the nearby bands (16 cars this age)Nissan, 12 years old: 35%, drawn from the nearby bands (10 cars this age)Nissan, 13 years old: 18% in good shape (11 cars)Nissan, 14 years old: 15%, drawn from the nearby bands (9 cars this age)Nissan, 15 years old: 17%, drawn from the nearby bands (9 cars this age) 2y 4y 6y 8y 10y 12y 14y 16y vehicle age when we inspected it

Share in good shape (scoring 60+/100) by mileage and by age when we inspected them (each dot ≥5 cars; a band under 20 cars follows the nearby bands, so a run above the all-cars line stays above it, and a band of 20 or more uses the rate we measured; where a band has too few cars, the line follows the trend between the bands on either side; rolled-back odometers excluded from the mileage curve). Dashed grey = all cars we check.

Most common faults
Buick
Oil leaks · Engine
61%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
45%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
37%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
34%
Oil leaks · Automatic transmission
24%
Nissan
Oil leaks · Engine
48%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
37%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
31%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
24%
Low coolant / cooling system issues · Engine
17%
Trajectory by generation
Buick

Not enough Buicks at the 5–10 year checkpoint yet to draw a generation trend.

Nissan ↘↗ Dipped in the mid-2010s — the newest generation recovered 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 60% in good shape (age-adjusted; 29 cars, raw 55%) 60 2015–17: 48% in good shape (age-adjusted; 49 cars, raw 47%) 48 2018–20: 71% in good shape (age-adjusted; 47 cars, raw 77%) 71 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018–20 2021+

Share in good shape when inspected at the same age (5–10 years, age-adjusted), by model-year generation; dashed = all-brand average. All brands →

FAQ
?
Which is more reliable, Buick or Nissan?
Nissan leads on our inspections: 62/100 average condition vs 58/100 for Buick, from 310 real pre-purchase inspections.
?
What are the most common problems with used Buicks and Nissans?
On Buicks we flag oil leaks (61%), tires condition & wear (45%), fuel trim out of range (37%). On Nissans: oil leaks (48%), tires condition & wear (37%), active error codes (31%).
?
How many Buick and Nissan vehicles have you inspected?
38 Buicks and 272 Nissans — 310 real pre-purchase inspections. Updated Oct 27, 2026.
?
Should I still get a pre-purchase inspection?
Yes. Badge averages don't sort the good car from the tired one. We still find repainted panels on 71% of Buicks and 78% of Nissans, and recently cleared fault codes on 24% / 24%.
Buying a used Buick or Nissan? Get a pre-purchase inspection before you pay.
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Based on 310 inspections · updated Oct 27, 2026