I loved seeing this one. I had a 92 Century with the same 3.3 powertrain as this one, but no driver air bag in 1992. One thing I really liked about this car is that the aerodynamic headlamp assemblies have glass lenses, not plastic, and I also remember the name "Carello" molded into the glass lens. Another thing I had for a while was something you could find in the 90's, but maybe not today. Moog (and maybe others) made a front upper engine mount (the dog bone mount) that had a hydraulic damper in it, like a small shock absorber. That made the engine feel even smoother, even at idle. The mount didn't last so long, so I went back to the standard style. I took the car to around 180K miles using it to commute to work, and then passed it on to another family member, so it gave us our money's worth. This one looks to be in great condition, and it's super that it's a wagon. Another memory of my Century is that the foam in the driver's seat broke down. I used a piece of thin paneling under the foam for a while, and then I was able to buy the proper foam from the local GM dealer, and the seat was back to normal. It was a heavy piece to remove from the car to do the work, and it was a very comfortable seat for a 60-90 minute daily commute in each direction for several years.
Love this! Back in 1994 mother bought a "GM program car" or some kind of fleet lease return silver sedan 1992 model. I still remember the day she brought it home. Nicest car we had ever had with just over 30k miles on it. She kept that car for over 2 decades and finally sold it with over 260k miles on it, STILL running and driving like new! Original engine, transmission, never once even had the valve covers or oil pan off. Incredible cars from the long gone days when GM actually TRIED to build a super reliable Uber comfortable long haul road trip car. I was like 14 when they got it. Dang I miss that car (and her).
My mom had the bare bones Chevy version of this car. Small engine, no options. I had an '87 Buick with the 3.8L, I loved that car. It was silver and fast. It had every option. My friends regularly used the third row. In its heyday it had a CB and a Sony Discman velcroed to the dash with the cassette adapter.
It's very nostalgic. I was driving this car that was imported to Japan. It's small in America, but it was the perfect size in Japan. It was difficult to maintain in Japan. When special parts broke down, it took a long time to repair them. I owned it for about 6 years.
Friend had a Chevrolet Celebrity Eurosport wagon in white-same chassis but the Chevy 3.1 V6. The 3.3 Buick motor in this car was a better engine with more low end torque; the Eurosport suspension in the Chevy had better wheel control and was less floaty. My friend's Chevy did have the rear-facing rear seat, which I was able to sample on occasion. Fine for a short trip, more sized and cushioned for the kiddies. But you could fit eight people in the thing relatively comfortably and go down the Interstate at speed, something that prior to the minivans would have required a much larger car. These continued to sell over time because they were a good value for people who preferred a more traditional body style and ride.
For a while, my late uncle Frank had two Centuries, a light blue '89 and a gray '90, both sedans. The 89 suffered from paint blisters, and both had leaky rear windshields, which would dump water into the spare tire area, so he had to drill holes to let the water out. The 90 had a mysterious drain on the battery; if it was parked with the engine off for longer than a half hour, the car wouldn't start. He went over a wiring diagram three times for it and found a fuse under the hood that, if pulled out, stopped the drain, and when plugged back in, the car would start.
I miss when car manufacturers made Station wagons, I actually owned a 95 Honda Accord LX Station Wagon that car was nothing but problems, but if Toyota made a Corolla Station Wagon I would buy one.
Still have fond memories about my 1993 Olds Cutlass Cruiser. It was basically the same car with the same engine, but in a tasty condensed-milk color and a woodie trim. Loved it!
My first job was working at a Buick/Isuzu dealership. Those were awesome cars; Some of the best from GM at the time. I’d take a 90’s Roadmaster and a Park Avenue All day long.
My grandpa had a 81 Chevy Malibu Wagon & 89 buick century wagon red paint red interior so comfortable I remember falling asleep all the time I thought about searching for another wagon for the memories
My Grandma had one of these. I just remember sitting in the back of the red velvet interior, gasping for air out of the rear child safety windows that barely rolled down while she smoked cigarette after cigarette. Good times! lol
My aunt and uncle had an 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlas wagon. Pretty similar to this era's Century Wagon. It was brown with "woodie" panels on the sides. My cousins and I used to call it the "S**T Wagon" As the thing was a shade of brown that was the color of well.......Anyway, the car rode great for its time. Not fast by any means, but it was adequate enough. When my cousin got her license, we drove that car "down the shore" from Kearny, NJ to Seaside, NJ. Let's just say that wagon was not the stand out it would be today.
I own a 2018 Buick Regal TourX wagon. 2020 was the last year they were available in the U.S. The Regal TourX and Sportback are assembled in Russelheim Germany. They are sold as the Opel Insignia in Europe and Vauxhall Insignia in the U.K.
I grew up and learned to drive in a 1986 Century Wagon almost exactly like this 1993 one. Ours had the anemic 2.8L carbureted V6 mated to the four speed overdrive transmission. I loved Buick wagons so much I bought a Regal TourX (white of course). The TourX is much more luxurious than this wagon, and has over 100 more horsepower out of a turbo 2.0L four cylinder. Glad my kids got to experience life in a Buick station wagon.
I wish people could have the option to buy 2023 or 2024 vehicles with a floaty-boaty suspension. There are way too many new vehicles that have a harsh ride to them.
I had a '94 Century that was identical to the video car except that it was a sedan and had power mirrors. It was an awesome car and one of my favorites of the many vehicles I've owned over the years. The Buick Century and the Olds Ciera from the early & mid-nineties were really terrific cars. I miss mine a LOT!
OMG, you know how many of these (sedans) I rented throughout the 1990s? Every time, it was a Century or Cutlass Ciera. Fun fact, for a mid size, standard range car, did you notice that this car came with electric power seat recliners as standard equipment. Not power windows, nor a power driver’s seat (optional). That was an option on even Eldorados, yet standard here on the “A” car.
On the walk-around part of the video, notice how the bumpers are rubberized, with bump stops in the front. They actually do the job they are designed to do, which is to protect the car from minor damage. Today's plastic color-keyed bumpers have themselves be protected. The slightest impact and you are looking at a $ 1000 repair bill, including a respray. The one thing I hated about GM models of this era was the looking door feature above 20 mph. It was anything but discreet. In fact, it sounded so much like a jail door slamming shut.
The cramped rear legroom is because they carried over the X-Body (Chevy Citation) platform without a wheelbase stretch. The good reputation came from that choice too - the X-Bodies took all the hits from having the initial teething problems and baffling cost-cutting decisions and by the time this car was built they had well and truly worked out all the bugs.
I had a 92 sedan with the 3300 and it was a great motor when it wasnt humid out. Would have to clean contact points often as well as went through quite a few coil packs. The motor was moody as hell when it rained but the ride was like floating on a cloud. Mine didnt have a temp gauge in the cluster, all it had was a red light that would turn on if it started gettin hot and you never knew the actual temp of the coolant. The “Map Light” feature was nice for when some one needed to load a bowl of herbs at night and you dont want to turn on the dome light.
I had a 1990 BUICK century station wagon. It had the wood siding. I drove it for 218,000 miles A/c didn’t work and one day I got tired driving it and gave it away..white w burgundy interior. Didn’t need a key to start it.
i love a bodys ! i have a vivid memory of my dads friend had a 88 chevy celebrity and the jump cargo foot area he had full of chanterelle mushrooms. MMmmm early models had a 4.3 diesel or 3.8 buick v6 option as well as the iron DUKE
I guess because I'm old we always had a new Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser every year with the woodgrain sides growing up. Great car and we always did long trips with them. My Dad would walk in to the dealer every year and plop down cash and bought a new one. That tightwad never spent money on anything but had to have a new Old's every year. lol
Unlike other people going through mid life crisis, sports cars have less appeal to me at my age, while these old domestic wagons I found disgusting in the 90s now seem desirable, a way to relive my youth. 2 of my friends drove centuries in high school, and I wanted one too. Kinda like the new balance dad shoes of cars. Just understated, humble, dependable and comfortable. Before people needed to drive flashy, attention seeking, clout chasing cars... these kind of cars remind me of long American car dominance and American heritage in cars long gone.
I've been hoping for this one since I started watching your channel years ago! This was my family's first car when I was a toddler in the 90s. I still remember pretending to drive it (parked in the driveway). And of course loving that rear-facing seat, waving at other drivers. Thanks for the throwback, Zack!
I still like the sedan with this model design had tail lights clear across the whole back of the sedan. I'm a sucker for any car that has tail lights clear across the back. I also like cars like my 97 buick Le Sabre. It had dash lights clear across the top of the dash.
Looking at neighbors “woody” wagon with 100k miles RN. Asked him what he wants for it, hopefully I’ll know soon. We had a family 88 Cutlass Ciera when I was younger and it was a good car
I had two of those A platform car, and they were great for the time...kinda wish GM still knew how to build CARS... A recent version of this would be cool, the flufiness and comfort...not a cheap version of a german car, you know?
Its funny hearing you say its a 'big' car....it was midsized in the day, and is probably dwarfed by some of midsize sedans of today. Nice review though. Our family had a 84 Wagon like this one (Limited spec) and an 86 Limited Sedan with the 3.8 V6. Great cars.
Seat facings: much closer to courdury, certainly not crushed velour (there is no velvet car seat fabric - at least not unless you go back to mohair velvet, but that's long, long before this channel's test subjects were made).
Funny seeing the same Delco head unit and GM HVAC controls as my mom’s 1986 Cutlass Ciera. GM kept the 80s going into the 90s… good or bad ? I guess it depends on the customer.
Wow, we had a 1985 Buick Century sedan. The interior was exactly the same, not a single change in so many years! The spot lights on the dome light worked well too that wasn't mentioned.
delco in the 80s/90's was rebranded bose.. as nuts as that sounds.. also, not all of the wagons had the 3rd row.. also.. these aren't big, they were small when new, and really small now.. big is a late 60's buick to mid 70's.. these were part of the CAFE requirements..
Good old GM badge engineering. These, the Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, Pontiac 6000, and the Chevy Celebrity used to be everywhere. This looks pretty nice for an American entry-level luxury car but it's very different from the German and Japanese approach. I wish comfortable, floaty cars with soft color-matched seats were still a thing. This car is in great shape for a car that wasn't built to last. You haven't heard a car horn like an old Cadillac horn. Up until the 90s they used three- or four-note horns tuned to sound like a freight train. A few top of the line Buicks came with that horn too. Only the Mercedes-Benz 600 compares.
but it was it has a push rod (ohv) engine , so no timing belt service . and the water pump is belt driven so if that goes out its only an hour or so or less . vs driven by the timing belt or chain like a lot of cars today. this was when a buick was built like truck with a steel oil pan , aluminum intake , good parts on these A body cars.
I don’t think this one came with the 3rd row from factory based on the mechanism for that cover. If I remember correctly, the ones that were optioned with it the rear panel would flip up first with the backrest attached and the front panel was hinged in the middle. It would flip over and back and become the seat bottom.
It did have a third row, the lower half of the seat belts are still there because the previous owner just cut them off. He told me he removed the seats and that he didn't have them anymore when he sold it to me
My Gram had a 93 Century sedan that was brand new. Same engine and same blue interior this car has. This was a good middle ground if you wanted descent milage and a larger car.
By itself, this was a fine car. Once it was compared to *anything* else from 1993, this car was more embarrassing than any other US-manufacturer model. Buick was supposedly more luxurious than Chevy, but not this model.
Hell yea I'm excited to see this one. Been trying to find one of these old century wagons to use as a daily driver for a while. They seem perfect for the job.
They are super cool wagons, but I have no clue about the reliability/quality. You would probably be better off with 93-96 Camry V6 Wagon. Those things are so damn cool. I find myself scoping them out on the rare occasion I actually see one, plus they will last virtually forever and parts are cheap and it's easy to fix. Drawback is the paint kinda sucks and doesn't seem to last.
Great review. People were satisfied with these back in the day I remember. So you take an a body car (not as advanced as the Taurus) and fancy it up into this Buick, and it’s ok. Take a k car, fancy it up into a dynasty, and it was like putting lipstick on a pig. The driving dynamics were so crude and atrocious (except for the smooth Mitsubishi v6 engine) that it just embarrassed itself on any road challenges, ungraceful. But on this Buick, good enough.
You keep calling it a big car but it’s really not that big. Even for 1993 that’s a mid-size car. But aside from that I really like these cars and would like to get one, especially the wagon.
I don't understand how Toyota the world's largest automaker and the most popular brand in the NA market, can't bring a wagon here but can bring something like the 86, Supra, and Corolla GR.
My friend had a 92 sedan, maroon with maroon interior. She had it for 4 or 5 years until it died. I liked driving it over my Mazda 626 4 cyl because it had more pick up, and those seats were very comfy. The problem with these was more that they were on sale at all at this point. The new Regal had been out for 5 years and while this sold well it took volume from other GM cars. People weren't price shopping one of these with an Accord.
