Is Buick reliable?
52% of the 38 Buicks we inspected scored 60/100 or higher, averaging 58/100 — they tend to be in slightly worse shape than average.
38
Buicks inspectedreal pre-purchase inspections58/100
Average conditionall cars we check: 61/100Based on 38 used Buicks we inspected, they tend to be in slightly worse shape than average — average condition 58/100 vs 61 for all cars we check. Every number on this page comes from real pre-purchase inspections — cars people were about to buy and paid an independent inspector to go through point by point, engine to underbody, paint depth to error codes. Not owner surveys, not warranty statistics, not forum lore: what we actually found.
What we found
Most common faults
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%
Share of inspected Buicks where each item was flagged.
How they score
Excellent 26%
Good 26%
Mediocre 18%
Poor 29%
Hidden history
What the seller might not mention — how often we find it on Buicks.
71%had a repainted or replaced panelall cars: 74%
0%showed structural repairall cars: 4%
24%had fault codes recently clearedall cars: 24%
Compare with another brand:
Cross-shopping? Buick vs Toyota · Buick vs Honda · Buick vs Ford
How long does a Buick last?
Good cars by mileage
Share of Buicks 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). The dashed grey curve is all cars we check.
Buick models we've inspected
Enclave
12 cars · profile soon
Encore
10 cars · profile soon
Recently inspected:
2023 Buick Enclave · 31k mi — flagged: transmission control module, tires condition & wear. Inspected Oct 16.
2015 Buick Encore · 93k mi — flagged: oil leaks, battery condition, tires condition & wear. Inspected Oct 7.
The bottom line
Buicks here fail more often under the hood than in the structure. Engine oil leaks are the headline fault, often alongside fuel trim out of range and active error codes, so start every visit with a cold underside check and a scan before you trust a quiet idle. Tire wear is the easy negotiation chip; transmission oil seepage is the next place to look if the engine is already wet. Structural repairs did not show up, and repaints track the wider market, so paint alone is not a walk-away. Leave the car if leaks, bad fuel trim, and active codes stack together; treat that pile-up as the default risk.
FAQ
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What are the most common problems with a used Buick?
Across the Buicks we inspected, the items we flag most often are oil leaks (61%), tires condition & wear (45%), fuel trim out of range (37%).
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Based on 38 inspections · updated Oct 22, 2026
