r/mildlyinfuriating • u/DifferentCoyote4562 • 11h ago

I saw a ducky once Buick brake lights are too low

Gallery image

Gallery image

Not my pictures, but saw this car today. The brake lights are definitely not where you'd expect them and annoyingly low

7.2k Upvotes

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49

u/natepelayo 10h ago

I'm shocked that Buick is still in business. I rarely see these cars on the road and when I do they are driven by boomers.

51

u/TheMaadMan 9h ago

Buick has been killing it lately. For the current market, their vehicle are way at the top of reliability charts. They've also been praised recently for cost/value ratio.

Not shilling, just a car guy who pays attention to that kinda stuff

16

u/F133TWOOD 8h ago

Also like to add, Buick was not one of the several brands that GM sold/killed off like the others during their bankruptcy rebuild phase.

Buick was saved for various reasons, but a big one was due to the sales in China that I remember reading from news back then. Unlike the U.S. population, Buick was sold more in China, obviously with a population of over 1 billion is hard to ignore.

5

u/OneOfAKind2 8h ago

Yep. China is the only reason grandpa's brand is still around.

2

u/mondaymoderate 6h ago

If you’re driving a Buick in China you’re hot shit for some reason

7

u/UNMANAGEABLE 9h ago

And they are still comfy as hell to sit in. It’s a strange world, but Buicks being a good buy is nowhere near the strangest.

3

u/RC_CobraChicken 9h ago

Yea, it was what pushed us to pick up a cpo 2 yr old one for our daughter. Good gas milage, cheap maint, decent safety and visibility/sight lines. I fucking hate the thing but that's because I like pressing the gas pedal and being pushed back in my seat.

2

u/Justyn2 8h ago

I think like Chevy who also is doing well in this segment, many of them are desinged and built in Korea

1

u/tino_tortellini 9h ago

I think Buick is also very popular in China, at least that's what I've read

1

u/itstoes 9h ago

My partner has a 2022 Encore, multiple issues popped up right at the end of the warranty period. Purge pump & some electrical related issues. Had to fight Buick to get some compensation back on the purge pump. It's a nice car but I'm concerned about the long term reliability.

1

u/upsidedown-funnel 9h ago

I don’t love Buicks but I see rendezvous and lesabers on the regular. (Cars from the early 2000’s). When you’re still seeing a certain old model car frequently, it’s usually because it was made a little better.

1

u/Pastubio 8h ago

I genuinely enjoyed driving the regal while they were still making it.

1

u/Inflatable90sChair 7h ago

I had one as a loaner, suprised the shit outa me when i found out it was a hatchback

1

u/Bleades 8h ago

I always question those reliability ratings and wonder if it's more their demographic. For the most part they are just rebadged Chevy's and GMC's. Which score lower. However the Buick demographic drives less and often maintains their vehicles better.

1

u/AntiPiety 6h ago

Every new vehicle works relatively fine but every conventional US automaker is hammered dogshit long term

1

u/Miserable_Counter_72 6h ago

agreed. Buick is quietly becoming the new Cadillac. The cars are much sharper, advanced tech, etc. It's not your grandfather's Buick anymore.

1

u/DustyRacoonDad 6h ago

Buick is also a massive name brand in China which is the largest auto market right now. 

1

u/Craigglesofdoom 3h ago

The Buick regal wagon was soooo nice

0

u/bae125 9h ago

I have no idea how that’s possible. I had one of those for a rental recently. It was absolute hot garbage, and I didn’t go in with big expectations.

Their lineup is rebadged crossover/suvs from Chevy.

26

u/heavensto_mergatroid 10h ago

Travesty that they took out Pontiac or even Oldsmobile and kept fucking Buick instead

8

u/TingleyStorm 9h ago

Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Saturn all suffered because in the end GM decided to strip them of everything they were known for in favor of turning them into rebadged Chevrolets.

Buick maintained itself as a luxury brand in China, and even in America GM did enough work on Buick to make it stand apart from the Chevrolet counterparts.

0

u/Salsalito_Turkey 8h ago

Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Saturn all suffered because in the end GM decided to strip them of everything they were known for in favor of turning them into rebadged Chevrolets.

In the end? Pontiac and Oldsmobile were just re-badged Chevrolets for at least 35 years before the brands were killed off. The very last Pontiacs (the G6 and G8) were actually a re-badged Opel and a re-badged Holden, respectively.

Saturn's cars were a bit more unique, but nobody actually wanted to buy them.

3

u/Cloud-VII 7h ago

Since GM acquired it Buick has always been marketed as a semi-luxury car positioned between Chevy and Cadillac. A middle class luxury car.

Add-ons make up the bulk of profits on vehicle pricing, so gross margin on a Buick will be more than a Chevy. That alone made keeping Buick around worthwhile.

Pontiac was basically Chevy 2.0. Cut for redundancy.
Oldsmobile was basically Buick 2.0 Cut for redundancy.
Saturn was an economy car a step up from Geo. It wasn't super profitable, despite it's very strong cult following that it developed. However, sales for Saturn slowed because by the end of their life, ONLY their cult following was buying them as regular consumers realized they were just cheap plastic cars.

2

u/heavensto_mergatroid 3h ago

Historically Pontiac was their muscle car division. Oldsmobile was their luxury division under Cadillac. Only after oldsmobile was cut did Buick step up as a semi luxury division.

Before that you had the Buick Grand national and Skylark and Skyhawk and Cutlass etc when Oldsmobile had the big olds 98 which was pretty much like a Cadillac and the midsize 88

2

u/Salsalito_Turkey 8h ago

I owned a Pontiac in the 2000s. Killing the brand was the right decision. Their cars were terrible for years and the brand had become worthless. Buick still had some brand appeal in Asia, so it was spared.

1

u/heavensto_mergatroid 3h ago

I've owned a Pontiac for 30 years. A 4th generation Trans Am. It's basically a Chevy Camaro but it's a lot better looking.

2

u/Wolfrages 2h ago

Love those olds

2

u/heavensto_mergatroid 2h ago

Yeah They were like the poor man's Cadillac lol my dad had a Olds 98. I think it was like a 79. That thing was a boat with lazy boy recliners built in lol. It had a decent amount of get up too.

2

u/Wolfrages 2h ago

Olds were what you bought once your tailbone couldn't handle the potholes your sport car let you know where there everytime. 🤣

1

u/scottawhit 9h ago

The olds aurora was so far ahead of its time it wasn’t even funny. It looked like a spaceship on the road at the time. They should have just run with that, but no…

1

u/Mister_Brevity 9h ago

Doomed by its cool but crappy engine, those damn torque to yield headbolts

-9

u/dont_eat_chalk 10h ago edited 9h ago

Buick is Ford, Pontiac is GM. There is no “they”. It’s 2 different companies.

Edit: that was such a dumb ass comment by me, I am leaving it up and taking the down votes. Sorry lol

9

u/Excellent-Basil-8795 10h ago

Damn. You said that with so much confidence. Lol.

3

u/Less_Weather9111 10h ago

Incorrect 😅

1

u/heavensto_mergatroid 10h ago

Lol

1

u/dont_eat_chalk 9h ago

Yep took dumbass pills today it appears lol my bad

3

u/donutsnail 10h ago

Buick was literally the first brand to be incorporated into GM after GM was created

2

u/TheWildManfred 10h ago

Ford has Lincoln and had Mercury. GM has Buick, Chevy, Cadillac, GMC, and had Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Saturn, and Hummer. And Geo. And Oakland. And LaSalle. And Saab. And Holden. And Opel/Vauzhall. And Daewoo.

2

u/KINGKONGHAS-ED 9h ago

Love this 🤣 also love the self awareness

1

u/Oneilcruzsucksass 9h ago

Someone ate chalk

1

u/dont_eat_chalk 9h ago

My comment is so dumb. It seems like I ate lead paint for breakfast not even chalk lol

1

u/TingleyStorm 9h ago

You know what? Upvote for realizing the mistake and taking it on the chin.

9

u/daylax1 9h ago

Buick is one of the few manufacturers that actually makes a decent mid suv for families, so while you think that these people are boomers it's really just people with children, which would start to include some of the older gen Z now lol

15

u/OsamaBinWhiskers 10h ago

Buick is literally goated in China

0

u/NissanSkylineGT-R 10h ago

Really? What makes them goated over there? I heard the same about Escalades but that’s mostly because it’s a hiphop icon.

3

u/AlexLuna9322 9h ago

Nope, Buick it’s incredible big in China, like, Escalades are the Hummer of China, if you want to show you made it, you get a Buick

4

u/ContributionTime6151 9h ago

Really? I see them all the time. Driven surprisingly by young people that speed around thinking they’re fast. It’s a weird sight lol

4

u/Dystopian_Ennui 10h ago

Huge in China, apparently.

2

u/mb10240 9h ago

I’m pretty sure there was a plan to make every car in the Buick marque an electric vehicle simply because of how popular the brand is in China and it led to a few dealers here in the US to abandon the brand.

2

u/KristyNoemsZombieDog 9h ago

They're alive and well in metro detroit

1

u/tff_silverton 9h ago

Only reason I still have mine is it is so damn cheap, 2018 Buick Encore, insurance, gas, and monthly payment is around 250-350 a month.

1

u/justhereforfighting 9h ago

They sell around 180,000 cars a year, which is just slightly more than Tesla but about 1/4th as much as Hyundai and less than 1/10th Toyota, Ford, and Chevrolet.

1

u/reidft 9h ago

Their cars are pretty cheap these days too. The one in the pictures starts in the mid 20s USD. And you can get it in BRONZE

Shame about the brake lights, it being a 3 cylinder, and the massive fucking screen on the dash

1

u/The_H0und 9h ago

I drive one at 46. Very quiet, smooth ride. I feel like Buick fills a niche, where they provide a bit of an upgraded cabin at more affordable prices than luxury vehicles...especially purchasing pre-owned.

1

u/DramaticPinkumni 8h ago

You can thank China for keeping interest in the brand up

1

u/Producer1701 8h ago

I still remember a Motor Trend article in the late 90s or so that called them “training coffins” because even then their demographic was basically “OLD.”
Maybe they’re a rite of passage that comes with a Social Security check

1

u/Streifen9 8h ago

I feel like they’re only around so GM can get a bunch of tax credits.

1

u/Cloud-VII 7h ago

They have made a big comeback in the last decade.

1

u/-Not-a-Crackpot- 7h ago

They are quite common here in Michigan.

1

u/Jolly-Patient-5955 7h ago

Yea Buick is on the comeback as of late. They are actually the most popular brand among female drivers (55% of owners are female) largely in part because a lot of the engineers are females, so they are pretty much designed for them in mind.

1

u/affectionateanarchy8 have fun at HEB loca 6h ago

Nah the women that matured out of Altimas love Buicks

1

u/Swimming_Agent_1063 6h ago

They’re decently reliable and luxurious cars driven by boomers

1

u/PlumpyDragon 6h ago

Buick has like 13 models being sold in China. In the US, they are trying hard to change their image of grandpa cars.

1

u/Samsquanch-01 6h ago

Buick consistently ranks towards the top with reliability/dependability. They're also reasonably priced for what they come with. But yea i get it, youre definitely better off buying a clapped out Audi to look cool in that you'll never be able to afford the mountain of problems you'll have.

1

u/handleyourlicker 6h ago

Then you aren’t paying attention. The Buick Envista is a huge success story. And the Envision is touted as one of the best bang for your buck cars on the road today.

1

u/rustbeltloser 6h ago

The Chinese love Buicks. It’s why GM kept the brand and dropped olds and Pontiac.

1

u/ryohazuki224 6h ago

China. For years, China has loved Buicks for some reason. They've kept the brand afloat.

1

u/AFieldAway 4h ago

My husbands uncle was prescribed a buick from his doctor, and healthcare paid for it. Unoperatable back damage or something, cracked me up that it was possible, i forgot about one of our sons being prescribed steaks every day, because he was underweight for his age, grocery store would have a box waiting every week.

1

u/BlindlyCoherent 3h ago

The only reason they live is because Chinese consider them the top tier American vehicle. Even above Cadillac and Lincolns.

1

u/OverallSupermarket90 3h ago

im 36 and my 302,000 mile buick might outlive me. dont you ever disparage their name again

1

u/CNote_89 3h ago

Buick isn’t Buick anymore, it’s owned by a Chinese conglomerate.

1

u/catman453 1h ago

I agree it’s def a boomer mobile . The new buiks are pricey too .

•

u/Rip_Skeleton 56m ago

I have a 2020 Buick Encore GX and I drive it 3 hours a day.

I really like it.

•

u/Specialist-Box-9711 15m ago

Buick sells a lot overseas. China loves Buick because Buick decided to give in to the gaudy gimmicky shit that Chinese luxury buyers love. Cadillac is viewed as a lesser brand there because of this.

1

u/Conscious-Start-4514 9h ago

The funny part is that some Buick models are actually quite good vehicles with more muscle to them than their competing models. True for both older and newer models. But they get a bad rep for being slow cars because, as you point out, boomers love them

1

u/McBeaster 8h ago

Yea, I have a 2018 LaCrosse. It's unapologetically a grandpa car, but with a 310 hp V6 it boogies for something that has absolutely zero pretext of being sporty.

0

u/SupportCa2A 9h ago

I'm millennial and I loved my old 20 year old Le Sabre, it was great, it was gigantic and super comfortable with some really great features for a car from the late 90s. I wish I still had it. 

1

u/jbrady33 9h ago

had a 92 Roadmaster - great car!

0

u/Both_Painter_9186 8h ago

They’re huge in China. I drove an Envision (in the US) as a rental recently. Very comfortable. Decent power. But the nanny state level computer bells and whistles are downright aggravating. Constantly beeping, booping, no clear way to turn them off (and I have a 26 Pilot, so I’m not some luddite either. They also use a transmission shifter stalk that is in the exact location as the windshield wipers on like… 98% of other cars. You flick it to change from drive to neutral to reverse. I literally dropped it into neutral twice on the highway. I pray it has some kind of computer lockout to prevent you from accidentally sending it into reverse. Like who the fuck is asking for that?

1

u/Wakkit1988 7h ago

The forklift controls mimic a tesla. Also, that's the typical location of the column shifter, which was almost universally standard on American cars for decades.

0

u/Both_Painter_9186 5h ago

I am well aware of column shifters. They weren’t sensitive little flick sticks like a Nintendo controller. This is dog shit, and look around, no one’s a fan. Anyone who thinks Tesla is a model to follow deserves to go out of business.