When looking for a reliable car, the obvious candidates tend to be vehicles produced by Japanese manufacturers such as Toyota or Honda. While these are the popular and well-accepted choices when it comes to sourcing a dependable car, sometimes as gearheads, something a little different represents an attractive option.

General Motors' once-glorious Buick brand has always been placed further towards the luxurious end of the organization's portfolio, ideal for drivers who didn't want the ultra-plush land yachts traditionally offered by Cadillac. HotCars therefore decided to comb through Buick's history of offerings to find the most reliable of them all.

How we made our model selection : HotCars explored every Buick model ever produced to find the most reliable. We used data from trusted sources that collate consumer feedback including maintenance and repair costs such as Kelley Blue Book, RepairPal, and CarSurvey.

The Lucerne Is The Most Reliable Car Buick Ever Built

Buick Lucerne Reliability Scores

After considerable searching and number crunching, HotCars crowns the Lucerne sedan as the most reliable vehicle that Buick has created thus far. The model, which first hit the streets in 2005, replaced the iconic LeSabre and Park Avenue nameplates as the range-topping sedan in the manufacturer's product line.

It came with a range of engines, including the base 3.8-liter GM 3800 V6 and the top-of-the-line 4.6-liter Northstar V8. Both were later replaced with newer evolutions for the 2009 and 2008 model years, respectively. Despite the potent engine options, the Lucerne was without a doubt designed to be a luxury cruiser. It came with a single transmission option across all its powerplants, a four-speed automatic unit.

The Lucerne performed extremely well across a range of consumer feedback outlets, such as Kelley Blue Book. It achieved an impressive 4.7/5 stars in terms of reliability, while a strong 93% of the 437 owners that reviewed it would recommend it. This is a solid start, especially given KBB estimates the 3.8-liter V6 entry-level model should only cost around $4,365 on the used market in 2024.

The Buick Lucerne Proves Trustworthy Even At Higher Mileages

Common Issues With The Buick Lucerne

• Fuel Filter Needs Replacing Every 30,000 Miles To Prevent Fuel Pump Failure
• Oil Leak From Front Crankshaft Seal
• Check Engine Light Due To Gas Cap Issue

The Lucerne keeps performing well on CarSurvey, where it achieved an average reliability score of 9.6/10. This is backed up by its perfect 100% score on whether drivers of the model would recommend it. The base V6 Lucerne tended to get most of the love, with one owner having crossed the 160,000-mile barrier in his example.

Owner-Reported Buick Lucerne Problem Areas

The driver reported that the car ran smoothly given the mileage it had covered, and had barely any issues. He explained that the transmission began slipping at 142,000 miles, though this was due to the previous owner flushing the system, which isn't recommended. The only other failure was the front passenger wheel sensor at 155,000, but the owner was confident the Lucerne would remain reliable for many miles to come.

This experience is backed up by the Lucerne's performance on RepairPal, which logs any issues owners have with their vehicles and works out the average repair price yearly. The site predicts the model should only cost its owner around $585 per year to maintain.

The most common ailment reported by Lucerne owners was its fuel pump, which tends to fail prematurely unless the fuel filter is replaced every 30,000 miles. A total of 169 drivers logged this problem, while 70 shared that they had suffered annoying oil leaks from the front crankshaft seal. A further 59 owners ran into a strange issue where the check engine light would come on due to a faulty fuel cap.

Lucerne's V6 Is A Dependable Workhorse

Arguably the trustiest engine option for the Lucerne is the 3.8-liter Buick L26 3800 Series III V6. The powerplant first hit the market in 1962 and was subject to continuous upgrades and evolutions to make it effective and dependable until it was finally axed in 2007.

The L26 Series III was the final form the engine took, with the key enhancement being a set of stronger connecting rods and new aluminum upper and lower intakes. As well as the Lucerne, the engine was also used in the Pontiac Grand Prix, which is one of the most reliable Pontiac models ever produced.

The Park Avenue Is Another Highly Reliable Buick

Buick Park Avenue Reliability Scores

While the Lucerne comes out on top of our ranking, the classic Park Avenue sedan is another strong Buick choice, and for an even cheaper price. A 2005 Park Avenue, the direct predecessor to the Lucerne, can be had for a little over $3,000 according to KBB. The car also gets a stout 4.7/5-star reliability score, the same as its successor.

This impressive showing continues over on CarSurvey, where the venerable Park Avenue model picks up an average reliability score of 8.5. A strong 85% of owners who reviewed their vehicles would buy a Buick in the future following their experience of the Park Avenue, though in terms of running costs, its fortunes take a slight hit at 6.8/10.

Some examples have also seen exceptionally high mileage, such as a 1980-registered vehicle with a smooth 5.7-liter V8. The review was posted back in 2005, and the car had covered a cool 1.2 million miles in that time. The owner had purchased the car new from the dealer and reported that he'd had little in the way of problems other than the usual maintenance expected from cars as they age.

Another high-mileage hero featured on CarSurvey was a 1991 model, which had covered 900,000 miles by the time a review was shared in 2005. The owner had picked the vehicle up at 600,000 miles just two years earlier, so had covered an impressive 300k in that period. He reported that the only issue he'd hit was a broken key, though the engine had recently begun to stutter when it was turned on.

Common Problems Seen On The Buick Park Avenue

• Climate Control Door Actuators May Fail
• Failed Mass Air Flow Sensor Causes Engine To Stall
• Ignition Lock Cylinder Wires Can Break, Making It Impossible To Start Car

The Park Avenue's robustness is further illustrated on RepairPal, which predicts that it should set owners back just $352 a year to keep it on the road. The most common problem encountered is the climate control system, which can cause fluctuating temperatures and airflow when the door actuators fail.

A total of 220 owners shared this issue, while a further 199 drivers ran into an annoying issue with the Mass Air Flow sensor. The component failure caused the engine to continuously stall, a problem that costs around $300 to put right. The wires in the ignition cylinder barrel also have the tendency to break over time, with 130 people flagging this particular issue.

All in all, any gearheads looking for a used Buick model will find it hard to go wrong with the brands' top-line sedan models. While the newer Lucerne edges its way to the top from HotCars' research, the older and cheaper Park Avenue is also a smart choice for a cheap long-termer.