At what age does it become mandatory to drive a Buick?

[Turd Ferguson]

I'm not too young, and I'm not too old. I'm in my early thirties. There are a lot of geriatrics that live in this area, and they mostly smell of mothballs and drive Buick Regals. Slowly. Veerrrrryyy slowly. I've pondered this for a little while now and would like some opinions.

Do these elderly folks just up and decide one day that they're going to use mothballs as deodorant and that they're going to trade their vehicles in on Buicks?

I've not done any research on what advantages Buicks present over competing automobile chains, nor have I ever driven one either. I'm just wondering what makes these Buicks the "dream cars" of the elderly. And at what age it becomes acceptable to own/drive one.

Discuss.

 

[RoJoHen]

My brother's first car was a Buick when he was 16-years old. Actually, our school's Driver's Ed cars were also Buicks. I actually really liked the way they drove. I also like that they're the size of boats.

 

[B.J.]

My wife & I have noticed the same thing about Buicks and how the elderly drive them slow. We don't get it either.

 

[Amaris]

I think the whole idea is that if they crash, they won't feel it happen, since it will likely be taking place at the bow, and the driver will be amidships, but the airbag will pop out, and then they can take a nice nap.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

The generation ahead of the baby boomers valued large, American-made cars, and they're still driving them. Slowly. There aren't many choices, other than Buick.

Personally, I intend to grow old driving a Prius or maybe another Subaru ("another" because that's what I have now).

 

[shivkala]

My first car was passed on to me by my grandfather. My parents were able to convince him that he shouldn't be driving anymore, and it helped him to know someone was making use of the car. I got my license in 1996 and the car was a 1983 Buick Regal.

Either I got that out of my system early or I'm aging in reverse!

 

[MANT!]

Depending on where you live, not too old..

I see a LOT of Buicks being driven by young kids in some neighborhoods in my town..

 

[scotpens]

I think the whole idea is that if they crash, they won't feel it happen, since it will likely be taking place at the bow, and the driver will be amidships, but the airbag will pop out, and then they can take a nice nap.

Compared to the Buicks of forty years ago, a modern Buick is a go-kart.

Now, that’s a big sumbitch.

 

[Data Holmes]

My last vehicle before the current Toyota Sequoia, was a 97 buick century... I'm 29.

FYI, My cars in order from first to current:

1979 chevy nova, straight six with four barrel carb and headers.
1992 ford Taurus, a beast. Had to gorillia glue the radiator hose on when the mounting flange broke off.
1994 ford Bronco. Loved that truck, but it died.
1997 Buick Century.
2007 toyota sequoia, I love this truck. Heated leather seats, huge sun roof, four wheel drive, 8 cylinder but still gets 17miles per gallon in my area. On a recant trip to FL for a funeral, I got from northern NJ to Gettysburg VA on a single tank with 1/4 tank left.

 

[Q2UnME]

I think owning a Buick is a requirement for getting ones AARP card...

 

[Paulcpick]

Apparently none of y'all have driven a Grand National, GNX, Regal or Riviera T-Type turbo car, or the new Turbo regal. Those cars can shit n get with the best of their era.
I almost bought a Regal Turbo t a year ago, fun car to drive, enough torque to hold you against the seat.
So, I'd say the age you have to be to drive a Buick is the age you realize that niceness doesn't have to trump gofast.

 

[marksound]

Apparently none of y'all have driven a Grand National, GNX, Regal or Riviera T-Type turbo car, or the new Turbo regal. Those cars can shit n get with the best of their era.
I almost bought a Regal Turbo t a year ago, fun car to drive, enough torque to hold you against the seat.
So, I'd say the age you have to be to drive a Buick is the age you realize that niceness doesn't have to trump gofast.

Those Grand Nationals would give a Corvette a run for its money. I used to know a guy who had a tricked out 87 model, and also a GMC Syclone. He and another guy raced the GN and Syclone against a Vette on a stretch of interstate highway in front of the Buick dealership where I worked. The 2 turbo V6s had everything the Vette had except the top end speed. IIRC, both V6s were quicker off the line.

 

[J.T.B.]

For earlier generations, a Buick said you were doing well. Not rich, like a Cadillac or Lincoln, but comfortable, and Buicks had a solid, prestigious reputation without showing off. I think that image still appeals to a lot of retired people with money in the bank. Also, as was pointed out above, there aren't a lot of options for big cushy cruisers any more. Even the perennial police/taxi standard Crown Vic is gone.

In the 1990s Buick was always touting their customer satisfaction and reliability figures in their commercials, and I'd always say "Of course they're reliable, the people who drive them don't put enough miles on them for anything to break!"

Justin

 

[Paulcpick]

Those Grand Nationals would give a Corvette a run for its money. I used to know a guy who had a tricked out 87 model, and also a GMC Syclone. He and another guy raced the GN and Syclone against a Vette on a stretch of interstate highway in front of the Buick dealership where I worked. The 2 turbo V6s had everything the Vette had except the top end speed. IIRC, both V6s were quicker off the line.

Yea, those Syclones and typhoons were badfast off the line with the AWD system.
GM did a lot of really cool stuff in the 80s and to a lesser degree the early 90s with the 454SS, ImpalaSS, Olds Aurora(of which I am a proud owner of a second generation version) the quad4 90s cutlass. It makes me wonder what would be different if GM had pursued that market a more aggressively on into the later 90s with their secondary brands. Instead of the blandism we got from GM for over a decade, and of which they are still not completely away from.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Don't know about Buicks, but I loved the Impala my girlfriend drove in college. Very roomy.

 

[Alrik]

I had a burgundy T-Type when I was 21. It wouldn't lift the front wheels, but it did smoke a tricked out 72 Cutlass 442. Fun car.

 

[Kirby]

My first car was my mom's hand me down 1973 Buick Century Station Wagon, and that thing was a friggin' tank. In my high school parking lot this guy driving a Dodge Omni (or something similar) turned a little too quickly and slammed into my parked Buick going no more than 5 mph and crushed his front quarter panel, while my car had just a few scratches.That said, the car was a piece of crap, it smelled of burning oil all the time, the whole thing vibrated when you got over 50 mph, and was so big it was even hard to fit in a parking spot in the mid 80s. I will never own a Buick again, at least nothing newer than say, 1968.

 

[RTOlson]

IIRC, my father got a Buick as a company car in the late 1980s or ’90s. I agree that it's a vehicle that can show some modest signs of status, but it isn't as prestigious as other vehicles.

 

[-Brett-]

I owned a Buick when I was 20. Drove it at or above the speed limit, though.

 

[J.T.B.]

IIRC, my father got a Buick as a company car in the late 1980s or ’90s. I agree that it's a vehicle that can show some modest signs of status, but it isn't as prestigious as other vehicles.

Not for people who grew up with Jaguars and Mercedes and BMWs around, but for a certain generation those cars don't even register.

Justin