1996 Buick Regal consumer reviews

I am the proud third owner of a 1996 Buick Regal GS. My brother, the second owner, bought this car in 1998 and then sold it to me for a dollar in 2008. I have replaced several parts, including an engine, and it is still fun to drive. In case the police are reading this review, let's just say this car still likes to dance, and I don't mean anything of a waltz tempo. I realize it has over 25 years on it, but for all I know it might have 25 more. I'm not exactly thrilled with the windshield wiper setting, the exterior door handles and the antenna in icy cold weather. But what did I expect for a dollar? I will make modifications as necessary and keep driving this car until one of us can't drive any more.

its very comfortable and rides smooth down the road even at high speeds, but one thing I don't like is no cup holders. other then that its a great car to keep around for long drives with the family.

When my parents bought me this car used, in 2002, it had 70,000 miles and they were offered a $7,000 price (including all associated costs). The transmission started going out (but held on for dear life) almost as soon as I drove the car off the lot. Within a couple months, the driver's side interior door control panel had popped off of it's screws, and never was able to be screwed back down correctly, as the screws are proprietary, so no one had the right ones to fix that with. A few months after that, the windows started grinding or getting stuck, and eventually, I just quit using them unless absolutely necessary. Within a couple years, the cruise control went out (it wasn't just a contact-point problem, either), then the A/C wound up with some a leak that would have meant tearing out the whole engine just to get to the correct line to replace it. That would have been a $1,500 repair, so it never got done. About the same time, the paint started wearing off, and the "Regal" decal on the driver's side broke in half. Maybe 3 years after that, the lights on the dashboard went out, so I couldn't see my speed or my gear positions at night, and that would have also been expensive to replace, so I stuck some LED lights on the steering column, aimed at the speed indicator, and plugged into the cigarette lighter, because that only cost me about $5 or so. I don't smoke, so no biggie, but I find that utterly annoying, and have been learning that this is a common problem with Buicks - their dashboard wiring doesn't last long. The breaks were perpetually wearing down too soon even though I wasn't doing anything to cause that, and the car came without one of the parts that stabilizes the breaks (I no longer remember the name of that part, sorry). A couple years after that, something went wrong with the gas system - this car was leaking gas into the ventilation system, to the point where even taping down the vents and not using them at all wasn't enough - I had to keep all the windows rolled down, even though the weather was cold, rainy, and at times even snowing. I also had to wear a painter's mask, for all the good that did me. Had I done anything else, I would have been gassed to death while trying to drive this thing. The repair for that was several hundred dollars (I don't remember exactly how much anymore). Not long after that, the black plastic exterior driver's side door strip next to the window (upper half, straight up, not angled) blew off in the wind as I drove through a storm. There were always problems with the driver's side lock. The engine assembly under the hood (engine + other parts) is poorly designed so that, no matter what repair needs to be done to it, it requires everything being pulled apart to get to the part that needs fixing or replacement, so that's always highly expensive. There's a weird, needless "crossbar" over the battery that gets in the way even of that being used to do a jumpstart or getting replaced when needed. The steering fluid input (or whatever that's called) is hidden clear in the back and way deep down, next to a lot of hot items (if your engine has been running at all), and dangerous to use to refill that. About three years ago, the radiator blew when I was in a hospital parking lot, sick as a dog, and definitely not in a position to deal with a "sick car." About a year ago, there was some leak in the line for the steering fluid that, again, would have required much of the engine assembly to be pulled apart, just to replace that line. More money down the tubes that I didn't have - and then, almost as soon as that had happened, the head gasket blew, and that would have cost $6,500 to deal with, because the parts needed for that would have cost the same as a new engine, about $2,000, but to replace the engine meant also paying for a lot of other parts + labor + taxes, and altogether, it would have cost me the same as another used car or a downpayment on a new car. Still, I tried to get to a place where I could somehow pay for that anyway, but was unable to do so, and wound up selling it to a steel & salvage company, and getting $125 for it. I had this car for 17 years, which were long, hard years, and for all it's problems it was a long-time part of my life, and though I had to prioritize the repairs (some never got done due to low priority and high cost), I still dumped tons of money into it and feel like I did not get a good return on that investment in the end.

This car was extremely reliable until after a short commute lately mmute lately. After arriving st home a fire self ignited in the engine bay. The fire destroyed the car.

First of all I have to say this has been the best car I have ever owned and still own. Got my 94 Buick Regal Custom at 130,000 miles in 2005. Since then I have driven the car everywhere. Daily driving to work and back, transporting the family, and anything else needed. Just rolled past 300,000 miles on the original motor and trans. The 3800 V-6 is an amazing motor. Have been putting on at least 100 miles daily the past 8 months, and still is getting at least 27 mpg hwy(Got over 30 mpg when it was younger). Starts right up in 0 degree weather. The performance is amazing too. It can really go if you put the pedal down. Have taken it from MI to FL and back with 6 people (Comfortably) and a trunk full of luggage and averaged 26.5 mpg. Aside from general maintenance, nothing major have ever gone wrong with it, and I drive it HARD. If taken care of it will last for nearly ever. I plan on taking my car past 400,000 if my car and wife permit. All-in-all, best car I ever still owned.

I bought this car from a guy that I work with. The inside of the car was disgusting, but that was not the car's fault! haha. I love the car so far. I have only had it for about a week, but I am very satisfied with how it performs! It rides really nice and it gets me where I need to go. It has 196,000 miles on it and it is still in really good shape! I love this car and I would recommend it to anyone!

got the 96 regal GS with the 3800 series 2 V6 motor. owned since 2002 at 87K. It is awesome! 160K miles on original motor/tranny and still going strong. 4 speed transmission is pretty good. car shifts very quickly from a stop and on the fly. handles great and rides smoothly even over bumps. Fit and finish of car is mediocre. The body is rusted underneath and will probably rot before motor dies. Plastic interior is starting to fall apart and leather stitching is coming apart on seats but then car is 14yo. Biggest downside to car has been body. Power antenna is bad design and breaks easily in cold weather. Had to repaint car and fix door handles. my advice to others would be to find a clean example of this car w/o rust that has been kept in the garage. Might be hard to do. I plan to keep mine for 200K maybe more. this would make a very cheap 1st car and if it's been well maintained you won't have to do much aside from tires/brakes and oil changes over time. Good luck!

great car not real slow it keeps going and can take a beating great first car. lot of space in it too carry things it can have a hitch put on it a nd tow about 1000 lbs not mutch but it is enough to tow a small trailer and lawnmower. it is a comfertable and smoth ride can take the turns mutch faster than other cars. to sum it all up it is great!

I bought this car new in 1996 and 12 years later I still own it! Love the look, love the drive-the only complaint I have is the lack of lateral support in the drivers seat. I am new car "browsing'", but this one will be hard to replace!

This car runs great and it has almost 140000 m on it i will say that brakes are costly but over all keep colent chagend and oil and trany fluid you will never have a problem with this car