Faults:

Absolutely no mechanical issues or reliability issues with this car since I've purchased it. Does not leak or burn any oil or coolant.

Car drives perfect at 140 km/hr on highway on cruise control with the A/C on full blast and still gets amazing MPG, about 32-34 MPG highway on long trips I've calculated

I bought the car for $500 since the elderly owner had sideswept some parking garage concrete barriers with it. Took a chance on a cheap car and it worked out.

Was really impressed by rock solid reliability. Have taken it on many long road trips. Would drive this car anywhere in a heartbeat!

General Comments:

The Buick Regal has pretty plain looks, very similar to a Camry, Taurus, Accord or Intrigue of the same vintage. However it is an amazing value in the used market as young people generally aren't interested in Buicks. If you are humble, just want a reliable car and don't need to show off, this is a super reliable car that costs almost nothing to own and keeps money in your pocket.

The 3.1 liter engine delivers very reasonable power and acceleration when you need it, as well as exceptional fuel economy for a mid size car. Have had zero reliability problems, which is amazing considering the car cost me $500.

Road feel is very nice for a FWD car. It drives just like a brand new car, fully aligned right and everything. Of course I prefer RWD; have owned Caprices, Crown Vics and Monte Carlos in the past, but the Century handles really great and no complaints here.

Cruise control works amazing, and at high speeds too. Love cruising effortlessly at 140km/hr with ice cold A/C, feet up and tunes blasting!

All power options work great. Keyless entry is awesome to have in a car in this budget. Stock stereo is really good too; have not needed to get an aftermarket one as I do in most of my cars.

This is my second Buick, the previous being an 89 Park Avenue I ended up passing along to a friend who was in a tough situation and needed a reliable car. The 89 Park Avenue was more comfortable with the plush pillowtop seats, which is why I only gave the Century 8/10 for comfort. It's still a super comfortable car with power seats, which is amazing considering it's not even considered a luxury car, but still feels quite luxurious.

I am quite in love with Buicks now. They offer really great value and tons of luxury amenities in a budget car. The 3.1 engine is great and the 3.8 engine is absolutely phenomenal. The Accord and Camry are great mid size cars too, but why bother when a Buick costs a 1/4 of the price for the same year and mileage when used. A Buick is way nicer to drive and better standard options too. Same if not better reliability in the long run too.

I've driven a 2004 Taurus for a while too, which my mom still owns and drives; it has 250000km now. A very reliable car too, but the Regal has better road feel and gas mileage. My brother has a 2004 Grand Prix with 320000km on it; that is a great highway car, more powerful than my Century and a sportier look. Would buy one of those in a heartbeat too; many people I know own them and can only say good things about them.

I bought my Century as a temporary car originally, as my full size Chevy truck was being used by a business partner, and I had sold my Park Avenue to a friend who was desperate for a cheap reliable car. It's now become my daily driver of choice and I plan to drive it until it dies. It was super cheap to buy and only needs gas and oil changes, very good car for the pocketbook, keeps tons of money in my pocket. I could afford a much more expensive and newer car, but why bother when this Buick cost me less than a 1 month car payment.

Highly recommend this car to anyone who wants a cheap, reliable, comfortable, semi luxurious highway car that's low maintenance. Way better than settling for a cramped compact with base options for the same price!

Faults:

Found out after I got the car, both rear window motors were bad. Seller was a relative and said one was bad, but was not aware both were bad. I replaced them, and then the front two window motors went bad less than 3 months later!

I drained the radiator fluid and it had engine oil in it! I had to replace the intake gaskets with updated gaskets to correct the oil in radiator fluid issue. Every intake gasket on every 3.1L Century is bad because of the poor intake gasket material design!

The transmission bangs into gear and I have not had time to fix the transmission. That is a solenoid issue and is another common GM issue!

The alternator was making a horrible noise and I replaced that too. The issue was the bearing was bad, because after I took it off the car, you could barely spin the bearing. I am a GM and ASE mechanic, and all this work I mentioned, would have cost someone in the $3-$5k range!

General Comments:

I got this from a relative that brought it in for service when the advisor recommended it. The issues were not a result of lack of maintenance, but poor quality parts. I would have been upset if I had paid $25k for this brand new car, and after 36k miles, had to pay out an additional $5,000 for all the repairs GM has been aware of for years and refuse to correct!