In my recent article on the Buick Enclave, I highlighted the fact that crossover SUV models have completely taken over Buick’s North American model lineup. 2020 was the last model year passenger cars were offered. It was the end of a very long line going back to 1903. The passing of Buick cars in 2020 should have been the occasion of months of pitched lamentation across the land, sackcloth and ashes, at least according to lovers of the marque. It certainly was more important than anything else going on in 2020, a slow news year if ever there was one.
Well, when I ran across this nice 2019 LaCrosse, in a fitting color for mourning, I wiped away the tears and snapped a few pictures. I figure any reason is a good one to look back at the greats, so click through for a memorial celebration of Buick sedans of the recent and distant past.
2019 was the last year for the LaCrosse, but the Regal soldiered on into the 2020 model year. While this LaCrosse isn’t quite the last sedan, as the highest model in their lineup at the time, it is the last one that could be considered any sort of flagship. The final generations of the Regal and the LaCrosse were actually built on different length versions of the same platform (P2xx and E2xx, respectively). Kind of a latter day LeSabre and Electra.
What you think of this particular LaCrosse is subjective, except for the fact that it’s better looking than its immediately preceding generation, which is objectively irrefutable. Contemporary road tests were pretty laudatory of the new LaCrosse. It was a competent and winsome sedan both functionally and stylistically. The biggest complaints were on the interior comfort and high price.
Seeing Buick’s last big car got me thinking. How would it stack up against some of Buick’s greats? Any reason is a good reason to look at classic cars, so I decided to make a top 10 list of my favorite Buick sedans. Accordingly, this list won’t include Rivieras, musclecars, convertibles or wagons. For the purposes of this article, by sedan I simply mean any two or four door with a roof and trunk, not the more dogmatic official definition.
So, here is my unranked, chronological list with some short elaborations of my thoughts. Your favorites should vary and I’d love to hear your opinions below. I got all my pictures from either brochures or advertisements and I took some care to find images that bring out each car’s beauty as much as possible.
Packard said you should ask the man who owns one, but Buick was a bit more inclusive with their sales material. Both men and women could appreciate the fine qualities of a 1933 Buick, especially in an idealized artistic picture like this. Buick’s 1933 advertising campaign had their cars in front of mythical figures to create rather striking images. The car is certainly drawn to be a little more rakish than it was in real life. Still, this is my favorite period of the full classic era, when the fenders filled in some and the headlights were still separate (mid and late 30’s).
1949 was Buick’s first all-new postwar design and it’s notable for having one-year-only styling. It’s quite a clean design, with the rear fender bulge being a bridge between the previous world of separate-fendered cars and the new slab-sided look.
I said no Rivieras, but I lied because this Roadmaster is technically a Riviera, which is what Buick called their early hardtops. This is the first and only 1949 model to get the sweepspear, which would extend to all models by 1951.
1950 had the same body shell, but heavily restyled to differentiate it more from other GM divisions. The design got busier but the flowing sides were quite attractive. Even by 1950’s standards, the new grille was extreme. It makes me think of many modern Toyotas, as it has the same “what in the world were they thinking?” quality to the front end. Whatever they were thinking, they changed their mind when the 1951 grille was significantly toned down.
I personally think the 1956 models were the best looking of the 50’s. It was the third year for the body, with two years of minor tweaks that really put it in a sweet spot. I especially like the vee’d grille that was added for 1956. In case an unfortunate pedestrian is wondering exactly what car is about to hit him, the emblem on the grille says “1956 Buick”.
This picture really worked for me because of the background. The mid-50s were the tail end of the oceanliner era and nothing portrayed the ideal Buick lifestyle better than an occasional European vacation (Cadillac owners could go every year!). Of course, parked dockside by a beautiful modern liner, people naturally stare at the Buick instead!
The 1958 is a love it or hate it car, and I’ve always loved it, especially in coupe form. I like the rear-canted C-pillar and rear fenders on which each GM division put their own super chromo-ramic ornamentation. The grille was a bit overwrought, but at least you can’t accuse them of cheaping out. It was called the FashionAire Dynastar grille and consisted of 160 individual chrome squares.
Only GM could have pulled off a brand new body after only two years. The rapid changes may not have been the most conducive to high quality, but GM sure styled the heck out of them. Longer, Lower, Wider never had a better application. The Buicks are just so extreme, I can’t help loving them. I really dig the continuous line from the taillights upwards across the entire side and across the canted headlights and grill, then back down the other side. The theme is repeated in the rear, going from the front door, across the tailfins and back up the other side. The four door hardtop cantilever roof is also great.
I like every 1960s Buick, especially in the full size department. There’s not a bad year, though for me it all came together on the 1965 B and C bodies. Wildcat was where it’s at, Daddio. I picked the ’66, which is quite similar to ’65 but I like the meaner-looking front end a little better. I’ll take a red coupe with chrome wheels just like this older young person, who is clearly living the good life.
Jump forward 10 years and a universe away from the full-size-muscle vibe of the Wildcat. This 4129lb LeSabre has a 3.8L V6 and improved fuel economy (and with 105hp, a complete resistance to acceleration). Sharp-looking car, though. I admit this is a personal bias, as I have owned a 76 Estate Wagon and a 75 LeSabre convertible (both with a 455, thank you!). I really do think that the 71-76 B and C body Buicks were nicely styled, even if they have their shortcomings functionally. Especially on the 76 with square headlights, it may be the cleanest-looking of the bunch and the big bumpers really don’t come across badly, as cars of that era go. The line running from the grille to the taillights is reminiscent of 59-60. I prefer the hardtop sedan, but the coupe isn’t bad. Notably, the coupe is also still a real hardtop even with the giant C-pillar window.
I needed to put a mid sizer on the list, because Buick had some really nice ones over the years. Even considering some of the great 60s and early 70s models, I have to say the 81-87 Regal coupe is my favorite, at least from a design standpoint. It has a wedgy, light look to it, one of my favorite interpretations of the “sheer” look GM was using on everything by that point. It looks best without the vinyl half topper most Regals came with. The only bare-roofed one I could find in the brochures was a T-type, which may violate my no muscle cars rule for this list, since it came with a 180-235hp turbocharged V6. Even though it shared that engine with the Grand National, the GN is undeniably the musclecar black sheep of the family.
I’ll round the list off with a car I didn’t care much for at the time but have come to appreciate quite a bit: the front wheel drive Electra. What I once saw as bland and unworthy of its forebears, I now see as amazingly reserved and understated.
Buick had a T-type version of just about every model for much of the 80s, amazingly even the 1985-90 Electra. I don’t know if that strategy was truly successful, but I think it was admirable that Buick was trying to inject some performance into their cars in a notoriously low-performance era. This one definitely couldn’t be accused of being a musclecar, with the 125hp 3.8L V6 it shared with standard Electras.
How much technology has marched forth can be measured by comparing the LaCrosse’s power to its 1985 Electra predecessor. The 3.6L naturally-aspirated V6 made 305hp, 180hp more, or a 144% horsepower increase with a smaller displacement. And it still got better gas mileage despite weighing about 600lb more.
Functionally, it could probably be proven the final Buick sedans were superior to most every historical Buick sedan. They ride, steer, accelerate, and brake better in a safer, more rigid body and do it more reliably and efficiently. But should that make it #1 on everybody’s top ten list of the best Buick sedans of all time?
Hardly, because we humans aren’t driven entirely by checklists, statistics and graphs, rather we are creatures of the heart as much as the head. Nothing could replace all the old beauties in our hearts, no matter how practical. As for their current lineup, my head says why should Buick continue to sell passenger cars if the market just isn’t there? My heart still feels it’s a tragedy that the legacy of so many elegant, alluring cars is now a lineup of tall, boxy people movers.
2019 LaCrosse photographed Houston, TX April 19, 2021
related reading:
Vintage Snapshots: Buicks – In Their Best Decade by PN, lots of great 1950s photos
It is hard to be something special, when there are three other GM divisions offering essentially the same vehicle. Buick, after 1959, began to lose its uniqueness and while it did a marvelous job covering up its genetic identities among the GM products, there was always an Oldsmobile version that was just as good, or another division’s offering too similar to give Buick the definite edge.
So, in my opinion, the best real Buick products are pre-1960. They are the most dissimilar to their GM counterparts, the most “Buick”.
The Golden Age of Buick stretches from 1939 to 1959.
So – no, I don’t consider a 2019 Buick LaCrosse a best anything, let along a Buick.
My LaCrosse is a very nice ride. You should rent one. The haptic feedback in the seat and steering wheel. Sensors, massaging seats, list goes on….
I think you have to include the 1991 Park Avenue. I remember seeing it for the first time at the Toronto auto show and was impressed with the flowing lines and the sculptural look to the car…Jaguaresque. Buick had been on a downsizing ride since 1977. The cars continued to get smaller and ornament and sculpture continued o disappear. This was the first model to steer away. Larger with curved lines and thank god a nicely flowing roof line. I was so tired of the “formal” look roof that GM tacked on every car.
The 1991 Park Avenue also had a decent engine the venerable 231 was a modern engine now. Smooth, quiet, efficient, relatively quick and reliable. A far cry from the 105hp lump from when Buick “reintroduced” the engine.
I think the Park Avenue needs to be on the list.
You make a great case. I actually had it on my list, but I was at #11 and felt I should limit it to 10 and decided to err in favor of older over newer. I would have no argument with dropping the 1950 or the 85 Electra in favor of the 91 PA.
I was just watching the 1994 Nick Nolte movie Blue Chips and he has a couple brief scenes where he drives beautiful brand new Park Avenues. He also shows up driving a 1975 LeSabre convertible in a parade. Be still my heart!
For chrissake, Jon, it was a fully loaded Lexus!
Ha! I thought it was a Japanese Buick! Actually, a Lexus was his personal car (and the under the table car for Shaq), but he drove a couple presumed rental cars and apparently he always chose a Buick.
I was coming here to say this. I’d say this is the last of the really special Buick sedans (the last Riviera was also a very nice car also IMO.)
I’ll always remember the Essence show car that became the ’91 Park Avenue. Gorgeous thing. And the Park Ave it spawned was darn good looking too.
Love the PA. About 10 years ago, I had a GN and a mint low mileage one owner park avenue with low (~45k) miles.
The GN was my dream car, the PA was bought as an inexpensive daily. Long story short, I wound up loving the PA and selling the GN.
Even wrote it up for CC, but as I lived in the country and had few curbside shots, Paul decided it didn’t fit the site.
Fantastic highway car. Really striking in metallic blue. It got a lot of looks and comments. I miss it.
Was this potentially the last GM car to have the push button door handles?
I think the related LeSabre through 99 was the last.
Looking at that 2019 LaCrosse, it’s easy to see how sedans have fallen out of favor and why American automakers just can’t seem to sell them anymore. The styling is so generic and bland. No effort was made to give it an interesting roofline, side window shapes, taillights, bumpers, etc. And that colorless interior — drab, dull and depressing! We need auto designers with some imagination. ALL of the other Buicks in the photos are more interesting than this one, despite its last-year status!
Generic, bland, no-effort styling with drab, dull, depressing monotone interiors are defining traits of the crossovers that replaced the sedan. That isn’t why sedans have fallen out of favor.
“Generic, bland, no-effort styling with drab, dull, depressing monotone interiors are defining traits of the crossovers that replaced the sedan.”
And what is it about the sedan that somehow makes it inherently better for styling?
Petrichor, how do you reckon generic, bland, no-effort styling and drab, dull, depressing monotone interiors somehow define crossovers so afflicted, but not the sedans equally so afflicted?
While it technically won’t meet your ‘sedan’ definition, being a sportback, the Buick Regal (and TourX wagon variant) – also not home-grown, being captive import Opel Insignias – are capable, comfortable and “Buick-like.” The US market unfortunately didn’t get the V6 powertrain, but we’ve found our EcoTec-powered TourX to be adequately motivated for our driving style.
But I have to agree with Vanilla that these don’t hold a candle (from a brand promise and distinctiveness standpoint) to the post-war Buicks.
It could’ve been so much more, but they never really marketed it or pushed more than minimal inventory out to dealers since Opel was on the block from the launch and already sold off early in its’ run. Once that happened it was all about fulfilling their end of the contract with PSA/Stellantis and not putting a single whit more into selling them.
Ultimately you have to answer the question: Why buy a Buick?
There are easy reflex answers for Lexus (quality) Mercedes (exclusivity and quality), BMW (the driver’s choice), Volvo (Winter driving and safety), and nowadays Cadillac (American style)…. l could go on but the point is made.
What is your reflexive answer for Buick?
I remember that for my Grandpa, it was a way for him to have a nicer car without it being too flashy or pretentious. Which back then mostly meant Cadillac.
The same might be said about the subject car. It’s not particularly flashy or pretentious, but as you say there really isn’t much to differentiate it from everyone else, and that includes things like a decently equipped Chevy.
I agree it was the “ poor/working man’s Cadillac” The 2019 all wheel drive lacrosse is getting close to $50,000. I own a 2017 lacrosse and it does drive very nice however they don’t hold their value like a Toyota or Lexus or Hyundai but nonetheless is very sporty and quick when you need it to be but drives excellent and has all the bells and whistles of a much higher end cars
I see the Buick as offering something from all of those things. The car is cheaper than a Lexus or Mercedes; more American than a Volvo; nicer made than a Chevrolet and less ostentatious than a Cadillac.
The market is now very polarised so cars with a character that is midway need something like unique technology and excellent styling. As I have said elsewhere on-line, maybe we need to revise the idea that every marque needs a full-line up. Buick should exist and it could make a living selling two or three cars: a saloon, an estate and a personal coupe. What Buick can´t be is a full-line of products since we don´t want or need a small, medium or full size SUV/CUV but there are customers for some Buick saloons and a coupe. Mercedes and BMW and Audi are offering these. There is demand for a car body that is in line with Buick values.
Thanks for the excellent read with a number of great rhetorical questions.
My vote is for the 1949, because it makes me think of Rainman’s Roadmaster Convertible. And I love that movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU1A0sHWYQg&ab_channel=Movieclips
“I’m an excellent driver.”
But really, I would welcome any of them up to the end of the C-bodies where the front ends just lost me in all of their right angles. And well, the 2019 and 2020s? No thank you. It is – IMO – indeed a shame that Buick had to end the sedan run at a time where car design in general seems to be artistically challenged. Then again, maybe once the whole transfer to electric vehicles thing is done, automotive tastes will continue their constant evolution and we’ll be offered something other than trucks or the “boxy people movers” (great term!) that we currently mostly have.
(Boxy people movers)
Perhaps instead of SUV/CUV we should just be honest and call them BPMs.
That ’33 could be classified as a BPM. Maybe we’ve just gone full circle in the past 90 years.
I don’t believe I’ve ever seen the words “winsome” and “Buick” used together before. Ever.
😉
I grew up in a family with a two-tone green ’55 Buick Special convertible. A very cool automobile it was.
That 55 Buick sounds winsome
*like*
😉
win·some
/ˈwinsəm/
adjective: winsome
attractive or appealing in appearance or character.
I’d call that ’81 Buick Regal more winsome than regal.
The driver looks like he’s hoping to win some ladies.
Neighbor had one, quite a nice profile. My 15 year old son noticed it too. He couldn’t understand why he traded it for an the ugly GMC Ter-rain..Mid 60’s Buick are the best!
I like the LaCrosse, but it, like a plethora of GM cars, was simply a shared platform, mildly differentiated, and sold to a demographic that seemed to like the BS GM was feeding it.
Like the XTS, this was just a really nice Impala.
And the Impala was a nice car. But a nicely trimmed Impala had all the same features, all the same comfort, and usually sold for less.Buick used to mean something, but that time and place no longer exists. Only a few buy into the “just snobby enough” camp like we did years ago. And I don’t think Buick carries any weight when it comes to others perceiving brand snobbery. So, the question boiled down to why one would want the Buick, or Cadillac, or Chevy when all are more similar than not. Not shockingly, it happens now with CUV/SUV models, but the brand snobbery seems to be favoring the middle range over the others, with GMC offerings hitting the sweet spot for large SUVs (not a gauche Caddy, but not a lowly Chevy either) and the Buick CUVs doing similar duties. And they have avoided the Envision being hammered as a Chinese import, when rightfully it should be. So GM still understands marketing, if not product.
The car my Dad always said he “shoulda kept” was a black ‘49 Buick 2-door…straight 8 with a 3-on-the-tree, like the illustration I have attached.
I love GM’s 1930s/40s fastbacks! Dang it, I should have put one on the list.
Technically speaking, the 1903 Buick wasn’t a sedan, and to all intents and purposes the current Buick lineup is still passenger cars, so the sedan distinction is a little artificial. Nit-picking pedantry out of the way, I have four memorable Buick experiences in my lifetime. First, when I was about five, riding in the back of a family friend’s huge black Buick, with portholes, mohair upholstery and a fuzzy robe sash which I clutched (no seatbelts of course). It was probably of the 1949- generation. Next, a fun stint behind the wheel of a colleague’s Turbo Regal, in 1981 I think, followed by a few memorably forgettable drives in FWD Century rentals. Finally, a trip to China in 2013 – Buick’s everywhere, and quite a few miles as a passenger in tour company minivans. I asked one of our guides why they were so popular: “because Buick’s are quiet and comfortable”. She was very surprised when I told her they were more common in China than in the States.
I welcome pedantry! To your point, I didn’t actually say sedans went back to 1903, just passenger cars. Good question, though, when was the first Buick sedan?
The Buick China relationship is one of those unexpected historic twists our wacky world specializes in.
Buick and the Chinese are sort of like Jerry Lewis and the French, eh? 😉
A black ‘60 Buick Electra 4-door was the last car my Grandpa bought, he passed away in 1964. He had a black ‘55 Buick Special 4-door before he got the ‘60. Before that he was a Packard guy.
Any durability discrepancies aside, that last LaCrosse was probably a fine alternative to an ES350 and undoubtedly the most competitive car Buick made in quite some time. Looks good in and out, slighly upscale but not fussy, contemporary but not extreme, powerful and competent but not compromised for comfort.
Figures that they get it right just as the entire segment enters terminal free-fall.
CC EFFECT?
I saw one of these LaCrosse just yesterday, in black even. I was surprised to see such a large sedan and with the Buick name on it. The size was striking, but I am not so sure the styling is all that striking…in a good or bad way.
When I was a kid (in the 50s) my father sold insurance and sometimes he would let me ride around with him as he visited (potential) customers and/or check up on the cars of customers that were in body shops after accidents. One afternoon we went to a body shop to check on the car of friends who were former neighbors. The car was a black/white 55 Buick Riviera, like the yellow/white example pictured here. I thought it was a striking car back then…beautiful and sporty, AND A BUICK. I hadn’t paid attention to Buicks until seeing that car as different neighbors had a really conservative, almost ugly 49 Buick sedan.
It’s kind of a shame that a brand with such a glorious ” back catalogue ” quickly pivoted to SUVs and CUVs exclusively. (Yeah, I know, every other brand has too, though not all those other brands have these classy cars in their history. )
Full Disclosure: Biased Opinion Below.
If I had to pick a favorite Buick Sedan, I’ll have to go with the 1998 Regal GS.
When my Dad bought one new, I asked him to NOT trade it in when he was done with it, as I wanted to buy it. Sure enough, I got my chance and bought this car (just like the one pictured below). (Actually my wife at the time bought it for her use.)
While I liked my ’97 Grand Prix GTP Coupe better than this car, the Buick was more comfortable on a trip than the Grand Prix.
While the W-Body was way past its sell-by date by its end in the next Century, pun intended, the 3800 Series II Supercharged engine was a great powerplant. This car lived up to the storied “GS” moniker that it received.
The Regal GS gets bonus points for being the smallest vehicle with the Series II supercharged 3800, albeit not the lightest–that would probably be the Grand Prix GTP.
She still weighed 3500 pounds. I can’t remember if I ever weighed the Buick.
I would think that the Monte Carlo SS (which got the engine later and it may’ve been called a Series III at that point) would be the lightest. Right around that time that they dropped that engine in the Monte, the GTP became a sedan only affair. The coupes anymore are rarely seen.
The shot below showing it on the scales was after I had filled it up. I seem to recall with an empty tank it clocking in at 3420. That scale was for big moving trucks, and I think its resolution was 20 pounds.
I remember seeing this when it debuted and was then displayed at the Denver Auto Show, which I reviewed here: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/car-show/car-show-classic-2016-denver-auto-show/
At the time, this is what I had to say about this LaCrosse: “This appears to be the new 2017 Buick LaCrosse, available this summer, not that you’d know it by the signage. The only clue that it wasn’t the current model is the fact that you weren’t allowed to touch it. And thus couldn’t fall in love with it on the spot, which is kind of the point here, isn’t it? It’s probably a great car, but will probably not do much for Buick. The man in the plaid cap seemed very interested though.”
And that says pretty much everything – Buick way too proud to let the huddled masses at the auto show even touch their car or heaven forbid, sit in it, and then offer practically no promotion for it and then be curious about why it didn’t sell. The only person interested was an old duffer who was probably thinking about what had ever happened to the Buick he used to love…
I too have owned two Buicks, both very good cars, both flawed with cheap interiors that were not nearly as good as the rest of the package. Now the most interesting Buicks to me are the two little Encore siblings which is really saying something.
Familial bias here as dad’s pride ‘n joy was his ’41 Special fast back sedan, & my first kid memory of motored vehicles. His next dream car was the ’51 Roadmaster with 4 doors, & 4 portholes, a MUST when movin’ on up. It was my teen learn-to-drive car, & body builder when it came time to park it. Later a ’55 Super coupe occupied the driveway. The chain was broken by a ’59 Olds Dynamic 4 dr. “Hardtop”, but I continued the tradition with a ’57 Special 2 dr hardtop with 3-on-tree no less. I’d definately replace your ’58 that I still regard as hideous, with any ’57, but personal tastes do seem to vary. At least we not all driving Trabants.
I’ve always had a soft spot for Buicks, including the 1965-66 LeSabres, Wildcats, etc. and then again with the first-generation downsized cars of 1977-79 in both B and C body forms. And, of course, my first car was a 1984 Regal coupe, which, I agree, may have been the best looking of the 1978-87 generation of A-body two-doors (or tied with the 1982-87 Cutlass).
I looked closely at purchasing the last LaCrosse in 2017 and found an attractive one in navy blue with a tan and brown leather interior at a dealer who was willing to deal. In the end, I bought a slightly smaller, though loaded, Ford Fusion instead, which seemed to me a better interpretation of a modern sedan; by that point, the Buick name did not seem worth a premium.
I do question whether there is room for an upper-middle marque, such as Buick, in the passenger vehicle market these days. Most of the low-priced lines can be equipped to close to luxury levels these days, while luxury brands often fish in the lower-priced ponds with lease deals on base models, which are often very Spartan indeed. GM seems to have followed Ford’s lead after Mercury was put to death by pushing Chevy upmarket, into the vacuum left by the demise of Pontiac and Oldsmobile, while Cadillac, at best, is a Lexus equivalent and no longer the Standard of the World. GMC seems to be the choice for those who want something a bit more prestigious than a Chevy truck but find Escalades too glitzy or overpriced. Buick’s niche grows smaller by the day and may already be past the point of no return.
Buick should have pushed plush, roomy, and comfortable when Cadillac went cramped and stiff a decade ago. Instead, the sloped roof ruins rear headroom and the giant console, front manspreading room. The trunk is dinky compared to the XTS. I don’t know how they ride, but the wheelbase is only 111″, shorter than the Lucerne, LeSabre, and Park Avenue.
The railroads wouldn’t deliver cars during WWI, so a large group from my grandparents’ town in NC took the train to Flint and drove back at least 4 Buicks, two of which were for my gf and his father. My grandmother went, too, properly chaperoned of course, because she loved to travel, and they married a year later “to the surprise of their friends”, the news clipping said. They later had ’30 and ’48? Buicks.
Their last Buick was a black ’56 Roadmaster sedan bought a few months before he died. Grandma then had ’64, ’70, and ’72 base Cadillacs in black. Dad had ’68, ’77, and ’87 (T type) Electras, but got a 2000 LeSabre because it had cloth seats with memory, which the step-monster insisted on, though she never drove it. A pecan tree my ggf had planted in the 1890’s fell on it in a hurricane in 2018.
His ’87 had 150 hp, the ’88s had 165, so GM was responding to the plummet in fuel prices–and the hatred of the early 80’s slugs. His 2000 had 200 hp.
I like that LaCrosse. Keep oil in the 3.6 and you’ll be fine.
Currently daily driving an ’09 Lucerne that has been very reliable and, with the exception of the too-soft suspension, a great car. Superb highway cruiser.
Needs a straight eight to be a real Buick so no.
If considering Flint was the home of Buick for almost a century, a nomination should be this particular car: Last Buick LeSabre made in Flint ( and the last Buick made in Flint )
It’s a local museum collection and currently in display at Bishop airport.
Signatures were by the workers that day.
What year was that?
1999
As always, GM went out on a high note with this one. I agree that the final LaCrosse is an underrated vehicle. It actually rode on a longer (by 3″) wheelbase than either the Impala or the XTS.
Buick is a brand we`d never seen in Latinamerican roads , that`s a big absent mark . And this so called Buick La Crosse could be easily get mistaken with the Nissan Teana or at least looks a Nissan Teana with exteded wheelbase measure.
No need to cry for the late Buick sedans, they had a good run. Plenty of good older examples are extant to enjoy. Times change, taste change, its inevitable.
I own a 2017 LaCrosse Premium in red, 20 inch wheels. Amazing people have asked me about the car. Having owned many cars including several Cadillacs this is so far the most problem free car I’ve owned. It is sad BUICK has given up making sedans for the U.S. market while making improvements in the LaCrosse for the Chinese market.
I own. 2015 premium Lacrosse on 19 in wheels and have friends and family who have new Cadillac s Lexus Mercedes and many more high level cars and when they ride in my Lacrosse they are all impressed I mean impressed. I don’t no where these people are getting that the lacrosse isn’t a great automobile
Loved this entire read, and liked all of your picks. This was a timely read also because just this past weekend, I had seen a final-generation LaCrosse like your featured car (also in black) stopped at a neighborhood intersection. It looked like such a beautiful sedan that I tried to snap a picture of it with my cell phone, but the light changed and I missed my opportunity. That LaCrosse was soon as gone from that intersection as they have been from dealerships. Made me a little sad.
Thanks! Yes, you are a Flint boy aren’t you! Yeah, in some ways I agree with the commenters who say it’s a generic modern car that lacks the classic Buick appeal. Then the other side of my brain sees it in the metal and says it’s actually a pretty nice looking ride. Not a bad way to go out. I would say that at the very least it is the nicest sedan they have made since the last Park Avenue.
It may not have much objectively to offer over an Impala, but it does have a little more formal look and style. It’s also significantly rarer, which I don’t think was Buick’s intention but it does make it seem more special.
Buicks took over in my family toward the end of my father’s life, say the last ten years. Which was quite an accomplishment, seeing he was a die-hard Chevrolet man since before WWII.
For me, my favorite Buick will always be my first car: 1937 Buick Special 2-door luggage back (sort of a fastback, it didn’t have the late 30’s hump trunk) sedan.
When better cars are built Buick aint building any. RIP.
Good one! Maybe times will change and Buick will build better cars again. We can hope.
The last LeSabre was everything a Buick should be.
Then DexCool ate your intake manifold gasket.
Oops.
Technically, the acid that floated on top of DexCool instead of being carried in suspension.
The sticker on the Lacrosse was appropriate.
But sweet baby Jesus, the depreciation.
Had they presented a production version of the Buick Avenir show car, without compromise, properly executed, we might still have Buick sedans available.
Buick should still make this car. To keep it in the spirit that seems to be animating GM right now, make it electric. It would give Tesla Model S a real run for its money.
As one of the few people under 50 who would Really Rather Have A Buick, I’d take this over a 3/S any day.
And, the front:
Ich besitze seit über 33 Jahren einen buick 350 gs special von 1968/69. Dieses Auto wurde in dieser Art nur 4933 mal gebaut da er den vergaser vom gs 400 besitzt. Ferner besitze ich einen 89er buick Century Station Wagon mit der Front eines oldsmobil.
Ich bin der Präsident des classic buick Club of switzerland. Man nicht genug Berichte über buick schreiben da dies mit Abstand die älteste Marke von Amerika ist. Der vorliegenden Artikel hat mir sehr gut gefallen!
Paul, can you help us out on this one?
More or less literal translation:
Joe has owned a ’68/69 Buick 350 GS Special for over 33 years. This car was built 4933 times in this configuration as it has the carb from a GS 400. He also owns an ’89 Buick Century Station Wagon that has the front end of an Oldsmobile on it.
He is the president of the Classic Buick Club of Switzerland. There aren’t enough articles about Buicks out there, especially considering it’s America’s oldest marque. He very much approves of this post!
Danke, Joe!
Thanks Jim! And Joe I hope you can write about the Buicks of Switzerland! (schreibe über Schwizer… Buicks? Sorry, I’m just awful at foreign languages. And English.)
I just bought one of these because I wanted a full sized American sedan, and Buick always did it best.
Wow, (super late) I was totally unaware of Buick ending production on sedans, I’m a little sad hearing this. I recently bought a used 2013 Lacrosse that was/is in outstanding condition! I really love everything about this vehicle. My father during the 80’s had a Regal and then a Somerset (neither were my favorite lol). In my early 20’s I really liked the Lasabes and Lacrosses of the early 2000’s….super comfortable rides without the luxury tag! Lastly, in my neighborhood in Philadelphia, Buicks were like the hood version of Mercedes lol!
In 2012 I paid my siblings their share of my dad’s 2011 CSX LA CROSSE. It had 12k miles on it, it now has 154k miles. I took it to my mechanic to prep it for a 7k mile cross country road trip. Up to this time, just tires, a water pump, A/C compressor and recent radiator fan and two windshields have been replaced; all reasonable repairs. I figured the time had come to finally replace the original brake pads, plugs, belt, and suspension bushings — NOPE! The only thing thing that required replacement was the interior air filter. My buddies and I have a very honest mechanic here UT. And, I have a great Buick … more accurate, a great, very good looking car.
How could you forget the Buick 2004 LeSabre! Best car ever! Also, I’ve had several people who work in the automotive industry say the Buick LeSabre 2003-2005, especially the 2004, were the best sedans ever made!
After owning several Cadillacs with ‘issues’ in 2017 I want another big luxury Sedan at reasonable cost. I decide to buy a 2017 LaCrosse Premium. It is now 6 years old. Except for general maintenance [new tires] I haven’t had any issues. So far in it is best car I’ve owned. Too too bad Buick discontinued selling the LaCrosse though it continues to be marketed/sold in China