The Buick Skylark is a compact car built from 1981 to 1998 over 5 generations. Most were assembled in the United States — 100% 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 →).
What the Skylark is
The Buick Skylark is a compact car that Buick built from 1981 to 1998 — 18 model years. Our measurements put it at 5 generations, the current one starting in 1992. It has been offered with 4-cyl, V6 power. Its closest siblings in the Buick range: Verano, Skyhawk, Somerset.
Where the Skylark 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 374 Skylarks on record.
| Assembled in | Share | VIN starts with | Years seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| the United States | 1G4 | 1981-1998 |
Check your own: the first three characters of a Buick VIN decide which of these 5 lines your Skylark belongs to. What every character in a Skylark VIN means →
Got the full 17 characters? A free VIN check on a Buick Skylark adds what the decoder can't see: open recalls, theft and total-loss records, and the safety ratings for that exact build.
Skylark generations, and what changed
These boundaries are not copied from a brochure — they fall out of the measurements. Where the Skylark'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 Skylark that gives 5 distinct generations below.
| Generation | Length | Wheelbase | Weight | vs previous | Weight change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 526 cm | 310 cm | 1549 kg | - | - |
| 1972 | 521 cm | 303 cm | 1634 kg | -5 cm | +85 kg |
| 1976-1980 | 509 cm | 282 cm | 1538 kg | -12 cm | -96 kg |
| 1981-1991 | 460 cm | 266 cm | 1130 kg | -49 cm | -408 kg |
| 1992-1998 | 481 cm | 263 cm | 1225 kg | +21 cm | +95 kg |
Buick Skylark tire size, oil type & owner specs
The fitment Skylark 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.
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 Skylark have? Power & range
The Buick Skylark is offered with 2 powertrains — 3.1L 6-cyl, 2.4L 4-cyl. Here's the lineup by engine, transmission and drivetrain — 2 for the Buick Skylark, against one or two on most rivals.
| Engine | Displacement | Transmission | Drive | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V6 | 3.1L · 6-cyl | Automatic 4-spd | FWD | Regular |
| 4-cyl | 2.4L · 4-cyl | Automatic 4-spd | FWD | Regular |
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 Skylark by the numbers
What the federal and market records say about the Buick Skylark. Each line opens the full breakdown by year.
| Topic | Skylark | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Recalls | 47 campaigns | NHTSA, all years |
| Owner complaints | 668 filed | What breaks and when |
| Reliability | 3.5 / 5 | Best and worst years |
Frequently asked questions
What kind of car is the Buick Skylark?
The Skylark is a compact car, built from 1981 to 1998 across 5 generations. Engines offered: 4-cyl, V6.
Where is the Buick Skylark made?
Across 374 cars in our records the split is: the United States (100%). 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 Skylark have?
5 by our measurements, the latest starting in 1992. 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 Skylark 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 Skylark 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 Skylark?
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.
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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