Buick Century — What It Is, Where It's Built & Every Generation

Quick answer

The Buick Century is a midsize car built from 1981 to 2005 over 8 generations. Most were assembled in Canada — 71.9% of those on record. Engines offered: 4-cyl, V6. Worth buying? It depends heavily on which year you buy at 3.5/5 — and the year you pick matters far more than the badge (best and worst years →).

1981–2005

Years

Recalls

Top MPG

—★

NHTSA

2040

Complaints

What the Century is

The Buick Century is a midsize car that Buick built from 1981 to 2005 — 25 model years. Our measurements put it at 8 generations, the current one starting in 1997. It has been offered with 4-cyl, V6 power. Its closest siblings in the Buick range: LaCrosse, Regal, Riviera.

Where the Century is built

A badge says where the company is registered; the VIN says where the car was bolted together. We counted the first three characters — the manufacturer identifier — across 1,304 Centurys on record.

FIG.02·Where the Buick Century is built
Assembled in	Share	VIN starts with	Years seen
Canada	71.9%	2G4	1987-2005
the United States	24.4%	1G4	1981-2002
Mexico	3.7%	3G4	1990-1994

ROWS 3·SOURCE NHTSA records, grouped by VIN manufacturer code

Check your own: the first three characters of a Buick VIN decide which of these 8 lines your Century belongs to. What every character in a Century VIN means →

Got the full 17 characters? A free VIN check on a Buick Century adds what the decoder can't see: open recalls, theft and total-loss records, and the safety ratings for that exact build.

Century generations, and what changed

These boundaries are not copied from a brochure — they fall out of the measurements. Where the Century's length or wheelbase jumps between consecutive model years the platform changed: a facelift moves a bumper by centimetres, a new generation moves the whole car — for the Century that gives 8 distinct generations below.

FIG.03·Buick Century by generation
Generation	Length	Wheelbase	Weight	vs previous	Weight change
1973	537 cm	290 cm	1772 kg	-	-
1974	533 cm	284 cm	2042 kg	-4 cm	+270 kg
1975	542 cm	295 cm	1828 kg	+9 cm	-214 kg
1976	538 cm	290 cm	1747 kg	-4 cm	-81 kg
1977	533 cm	284 cm	1640 kg	-5 cm	-107 kg
1978-1981	498 cm	275 cm	1461 kg	-35 cm	-179 kg
1982-1996	480 cm	266 cm	-	-18 cm	-
1997-2005	494 cm	277 cm	1518 kg	+14 cm	-

ROWS 8·SOURCE Transport Canada vehicle specifications, 1971 onward

Buick Century tire size, oil type & owner specs

The fitment Century owners look up most — tires, wheels, oil and batteries. Exact wheel and tire sizes decode from your VIN or the driver's door-jamb placard; the universal items are listed below.

Wheels & tires

Wheel sizeby VIN

Tire sizeby VIN

Bolt patternby trim

Tire pressure32–36 PSI

Engine oil

Oil typeFull synthetic

Gradeon oil cap

Capacityby engine

Battery

Main battery12V · group by trim

Key-fob cellCR2032

Wiper blades

Front bladesby generation

Rear bladeif equipped

Fuses

Fuse boxeshood + dash

Diagramon box lid

Light bulbs

Headlightby trim

Tail / brakeby trim

Fogif equipped

Exact tire, wheel, oil grade, capacity and battery group are added per trim and model year — decode your VIN above for the factory fitment. Universal items shown as-is.

What engines does the Buick Century have? Power & range

The Buick Century is offered with 2 powertrains — 3.1L 6-cyl, 2.2L 4-cyl. Here's the lineup by engine, transmission and drivetrain — 2 for the Buick Century, against one or two on most rivals.

FIG.06·Buick Century Powertrains
Engine	Displacement	Transmission	Drive	Fuel
V6	3.1L · 6-cyl	Automatic 4-spd	FWD	Regular
4-cyl	2.2L · 4-cyl	Automatic 3-spd	FWD	Regular

ROWS 2·SOURCE EPA + NHTSA vPIC

Horsepower, torque and fuel-tank size decode from your VIN — exact figures vary by engine and trim.

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov (engines, drivetrain, range, charge time). Horsepower & torque from NHTSA vPIC on VIN decode.

The Century by the numbers

What the federal and market records say about the Buick Century. Each line opens the full breakdown by year.

FIG.05·Buick Century by the numbers
Topic	Century	Detail
Recalls	71 campaigns	NHTSA, all years
Owner complaints	2,040 filed	What breaks and when
Reliability	3.5 / 5	Best and worst years
Used value	135 listings	What it sells for now

ROWS 4·SOURCE NHTSA, EPA, HLDI and market listings

Everything on the Buick Century

Recalls71 campaigns Fuel economy27 mpg best Reliability3.5/5 Common problems2,040 complaints Check a VINAgainst this exact build DimensionsSize, weight, generations Cargo space42 cu ft Used prices135 listings What yours is worthValue by year & mileage Window stickerOriginal Monroney label Decode a VINWhat each character means

Frequently asked questions

What kind of car is the Buick Century?

The Century is a midsize car, built from 1981 to 2005 across 8 generations. Engines offered: 4-cyl, V6.

Where is the Buick Century made?

Across 1,304 cars in our records the split is: Canada (71.9%), the United States (24.4%), Mexico (3.7%). The first three characters of a VIN identify the plant's manufacturer and country — that is where these shares come from, not from a press release.

How many generations does the Century have?

8 by our measurements, the latest starting in 1997. We draw the boundaries where length or wheelbase jumps between model years — a facelift moves a bumper, a new generation moves the whole car.

What is the Buick Century warranty?

New models carry 3 years / 36,000 miles basic cover and 5 years / 60,000 miles on the powertrain. Worth knowing: across our complaint records the typical car reaches the halfway point of its faults at five years, so most repairs land after the basic warranty ends.

Is the Century reliable?

It scores 3.5/5 in our data. The honest answer depends on the year far more than the model — see the best and worst years, and when this car starts to break.

How do I check a specific Century?

This page describes the model; it cannot tell you whether that car has an open recall or a branded title. Run its VIN against the records — free, and matched to the exact production run.

More in Buick

More Buick models
Model	Years	Recalls	Best MPG	ForCar score
Buick Enclave	2007–2026	57	23 mpg	4.5/5
Buick Envista	2024–2026	4	30 mpg	4.5/5
Buick Encore	2013–2026	42	30 mpg	4.0/5
Buick Envision	2016–2026	16	26 mpg	4.5/5
Buick LaCrosse	2005–2019	44	29 mpg	4.5/5
Buick Regal	1981–2020	173	29 mpg	4.0/5

ROWS 6·SOURCE NHTSA + EPA

Data sourced from NHTSA (recalls, complaints, safety ratings) and EPA fueleconomy.gov (MPG). Best/worst-year analysis is ForCar's own aggregation of complaint volume. Last updated Sep 2026. — ForCar Editorial Reviewed by Denis Kataev, founder of ForCar.