The 1982–1989 front-wheel drive Buick Skyhawk (J-body) was available as a 2-door sedan, 3-door hatchback, 4-door sedan or 4-door station wagon. It was similar to the Chevrolet Cavalier. The standard engine was a corporate 1.8 liter OHV carbureted four-cylinder, with a Brazilian-built 1.8 liter overhead-cam TBI four as an option. A turbocharged version of this engine was available on the T-Type model from 1983 through 1986. Both 1.8 engines were replaced by a 2.0 liter version for 1987, one with throttle-body injection, the other with multi-port injection. The Buick Skyhawk, along with its sister vehicle, the Oldsmobile Firenza, was built in Leeds, Missouri from 1982 through 1988, 1988 being the last year of Oldsmobile Firenza production when Leeds Assembly was then closed due to slow sales. For 1989 GM moved Buick Skyhawk production to its Janesville, Wisconsin assembly plant where it also produced the Chevrolet Cavalier. Production of the Buick Skyhawk ceased after the 1989 model year. The Chevrolet Cavalier was also produced at Leeds for some of the model years.
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The Roadmaster was an automobile built by the Buick division of General Motors. Buick revived the Roadmaster name for a B-body station wagon in 1991, replacing the Estate station wagon in the lineup. The wagon was called the Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon. A sedan joined it for 1992. The Buick Roadmaster was very similar to the Chevrolet Caprice, and Oldsmobile sold a nearly-identical Custom Cruiser wagon for 1991 and 1992. Standard on all Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagons were woodgrain sides and a Vista Roof, a fixed sunroof over the second row seats. The Estate Wagon could seat up to eight with an optional third row seat. All these wagons initially used Chevrolet’s 5.0 L small-block V8, but both Buicks used the larger 5.7 L version from 1992. However, GM discontinued both the Buick Roadmaster sedan and the Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon in 1996. This was blamed on the smaller Park Avenue growing in size, but was in reality a response to the SUV craze. Buick Roadmaster is the car Neil Young drove from his home in Canada the whole way to L.A where he started his solo career. He also wrote a song dedicated to it, “Long may you Run”.
The Buick Riviera is a full-size coupe or personal luxury car. The E-body coupes were converted to unit body construction and further downsized for 1986, to a 108 in (2,743 mm) wheelbase shared with the Buick Regal. The V6 was now the only engine, rated initially at 142 horsepower (106 kW) SAE and 200 lb·ft (270 N·m) of torque. It used the Turbo-Hydramatic 440-T4 automatic with a 2.84:1 final drive ratio. This generation was noted for advanced electronic instrumentation, including the first automotive touchscreen controls, which were on a dash-mounted 9-inch (230 mm) CRT display. Four-wheel disc brakes were standard. The Riviera placed fourth for Motor Trend’s 1986 Car of the Year contest.
The Buick Rendezvous, introduced in the spring of 2001 as a 2002 model year vehicle, is a sport utility vehicle. The Rendezvous boasted the ability to carry seven passengers when equipped with a third-row bench, a class-leading feature that Buick brought to market before its competitors. The Rendezvous is able to carry within its interior the proverbial 4′x 8′ sheet of plywood, a common and useful task most of its competitors are unable to perform. In support of the Rendezvous’ intended role as a versatile accoutrement for busy, upper-middle class people with families, it provided a center console with storage space and power points for a laptop computer as well as a separate spots to hold a woman’s purse, a cell phone, pager or other small items that the owner would want to keep organized and readily accessible as well as an optional rear cargo organizer system and rear seat stereo system controls with headsets. On the uplevel CXL model, a driver information center on the instrument panel provided the outside temperature, compass functions, a trip computer that included readings of fuel economy, range and fuel used. An optional second generation heads-up display was also available.
In 1997, the Century and the Regal once again became versions of the same car. This period held the fastest Buick since the days of the Grand National, the Buick Regal GS. This car was now supercharged instead of turbocharged and produced a very respectable 240 hp (179 kW) and 280 ft·lbf (380 N·m) of torque. It has gained a reputation amongst those who know automobiles as a sleeper, or a car that performs better than one would expect from its looks. When introduced in 1997, Buick advertised the Regal as the car for the supercharged family. Buick also released two other model types, the LSE and 70the GSE. The LSE stayed with the 200hp engine with upgrades and the GSE stayed with the 240hp supercharged engine with upgrades. Also, in 2000 Buick came out with a concept GNX that had the 3.8L, but was supercharged instead of turbocharged. It had 300 hp unlike the original that had 276 hp.
The Reatta sported its own unique body style and was crafted with an attention to detail and quality of finish uncommon for a mass-produced automobile.[citation needed] Initially offered as a hardtop coupe, a convertible version was added for 1990. The Reatta used GM’s ubiquitous 3800 V6 with 165–170 hp (123–127 kW) and 210–220 ft·lbf (285–298 N·m) of torque with the highest output in the last year of production. The car sported a fully independent suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes with ABS, and front wheel drive. Top speed was electronically limited to 125 mph (201 km/h). The Reatta was rated at 18 mpg (13.1 L/100 km) in the city and 27 mpg (8.7 L/100 km) on the highway. Every Reatta included a leather book containing the owner’s manual, a flashlight, tire gauge, among other items. Each unit came with a Craftman Log with the signatures of the supervisors for the assembly of the car’s various systems; these slightly unusual items were an attempt to sell the mass-produced car as one built with individual care.
The Buick Rainier was a mid-size SUV sold by the Buick division of General Motors. Introduced for 2004 to replace the Oldsmobile Bravada, the Rainier was the first truck sold under the Buick marque the unibody Rendezvous might also qualify, as it is classified by the EPA as a light truck since the 1920s, and was the first body-on-frame V8-powered Buick since the 1996 Roadmaster. It is also the first rear-wheel drive Buick since the Roadmaster. The Rainier was only available in a 5-passenger configuration, yet was one of only four GMT360 SUVs to offer V8 power in this configuration along with the GMC Envoy Denali, Saab 9-7X 5.3i, and Chevrolet TrailBlazer SS. Both rear and all-wheel drive models were offered. An upscale CXL trim added a better Bose stereo and XM Satellite Radio.
In 2007, General Motors reintroduced the Park Avenue nameplate in the People’s Republic of China on a luxury sedan that replaced the Buick Royaum. Like its predecessor, the vehicle is based on the Australian-built Holden Statesman (this time on the contemporary WM generation), though, unlike the Royaum, it is assembled by GM Shanghai from CKD kits. The Park Avenue is powered by Australian-built versions of the GM High Feature engine. The engine is available with two different displacements, a 2.8l (201 bhp) and a 3.6l (250 bhp) version. The engine control unit is a Bosch E77 32-bit ECM processor. Buick/Shanghai GM is offering the Park Avenue in five different versions, ranging from the 2.8l Comfort (RMB328,800) to the 3.6-liter Flagship (RMB 498,800).
The Buick Lucerne is a full-size car sold by the Buick division of General Motors that replaced the Park Avenue and the LeSabre in 2006. Although the rear-wheel drive GM Zeta platform was considered, the production Lucerne introduced at the Chicago Auto Show on February 9, 2005 rides on the revised H-body platform of the late Pontiac Bonneville. Initial sales of the Lucerne have been strong, with the car claiming 24% of the full-size sedan market in the United States. The Lucerne uses a Cadillac Northstar V8 engine in addition to the standard Buick 3800 V6. The Lucerne also became the first V8-powered Buick car since the demise of the Roadmaster in 1996. The Lucerne is also available with the Corvette’s Magnetic Ride Control, an active suspension technology. The Lucerne’s base price is lower than that of the LeSabre, its predecessor, though the V8 option causes the price to reach price levels of the Park Avenue. In keeping with Buick tradition, the Lucerne features “Ventiports” on the front fenders corresponding to the number of cylinders in the engine – three on each side for the V6 or four on each side for the V8 Northstar.
