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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchThere is no definitive, universally agreed ranking of Buick’s best cars. A meaningful list has to account for different eras and roles: early engineering, distinctive luxury design, and later performance. These ten standouts show how Buick’s identity changed—and what each car contributed in its own time.
How these Buick standouts were chosen
This is an editorial selection, not an official ranking. The cars are included for a mix of historical importance, design identity, engineering or performance significance, and recognition among Buick enthusiasts. They are not directly comparable on raw specifications: a 1905 runabout and a 1980s performance coupe answered very different needs.
General Motors describes its heritage collection as spanning milestone production vehicles, concepts, experiments, and race cars. That breadth is a useful way to think about Buick history, but it does not establish a universal top ten. Buick’s story includes more than one kind of standout.
10 Buick cars worth remembering
1. 1905 Buick Model C
The Model C belongs on a history-minded list because it represents Buick at an early and formative point. General Motors says the oldest surviving Buicks include 14 Model Cs from 1905, and identifies the car in its Heritage Collection as the fourth oldest. Its collection entry also records a five-mile time of 6 minutes and 19 seconds for two-cylinder cars at Readville. That is a historical milestone, not a modern performance comparison.
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See GM’s 1905 Buick Model C collection entry.
2. Buick Riviera
The Riviera stands out as Buick’s long-running personal-luxury nameplate and a design-led alternative to conventional family cars. Its appeal lies in a different kind of distinction from the later Grand National: style and a luxury identity were central to its place in Buick history.
Buick Heritage Alliance highlights the 1979 Riviera S Type as the marque’s first front-wheel-drive model and notes its turbocharged V-6. Those details describe that specific model year and trim, not every Riviera. The Alliance’s history also points to the S Type as a heralded Buick; this list does not treat that recognition as a universal award or a definitive ranking.
Read Buick Heritage Alliance’s Buick history.
3. Buick Grand National
The Grand National turned the Regal into a memorable Buick performance car. Buick’s history of the GNX explains the family relationship: the GNX evolved from the Grand National, which was based on the Regal. That connection makes the Grand National an important chapter in Buick’s performance identity rather than merely a prelude to the more exclusive GNX.
Rank #2
- Step-by-step procedures written from a complete teardown and rebuild, giving you the confidence to tackle repairs at any skill level.
- Over 700+ clear photos and diagrams that simplify complex systems, helping you complete jobs faster and with fewer mistakes.
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Read Buick’s GNX history and GM’s account of the GNX.
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4. 1987 Buick GNX
The GNX is the most focused performance choice on this list. Buick says the 1987 project aimed to create one of GM’s fastest coupes to that point, describing the car as a defining performance model. That is Buick’s account of the project’s ambition, not an independently stated ranking of every GM coupe.
Hagerty’s valuation report dated November 19, 2025, says 547 GNX cars were built. The figure is useful context for the model’s limited production, but it is Hagerty’s reported production total, not a number attributed here to Buick or GM.
Rank #3
- Step-by-step procedures written from a complete teardown and rebuild, giving you the confidence to tackle repairs at any skill level.
- Over 700+ clear photos and diagrams that simplify complex systems, helping you complete jobs faster and with fewer mistakes.
- Comprehensive troubleshooting and fault-finding guides to quickly diagnose problems and reduce costly downtime.
Buick’s GNX history · Hagerty’s 2025 GNX valuation report.
5. 1991 Buick Reatta
The Reatta offered a more unusual take on Buick personal luxury. Hagerty describes the 1991 model as a front-wheel-drive personal-luxury coupe with a soft ride and an automatic transmission. Those qualities make it a distinct alternative to the performance-first Grand National and GNX: its appeal was comfort and a personal-luxury character.
Read Hagerty’s 1991 Reatta overview.
6. Buick Skylark
The Skylark is a natural nameplate to consider in a broad history of Buick, but the available historical material here does not support a specific year, technical detail, or defensible rank. It earns a place as a reminder that Buick’s history extends beyond the handful of celebrated specialty models—not as a claim that one particular Skylark is objectively among the marque’s ten best.
Rank #4
- Step-by-step procedures written from a complete teardown and rebuild, giving you the confidence to tackle repairs at any skill level.
- Over 700+ clear photos and diagrams that simplify complex systems, helping you complete jobs faster and with fewer mistakes.
- Comprehensive troubleshooting and fault-finding guides to quickly diagnose problems and reduce costly downtime.
7. Buick Roadmaster
The Roadmaster is another major Buick nameplate worth considering when looking across the marque’s history. The sources available for this selection do not establish a particular model year’s specifications or a precise reason to rank it above other full-size Buicks, so its inclusion is best understood as recognition of the nameplate’s place in the broader story.
8. 1979 Buick Riviera S Type
The S Type merits separate mention from the Riviera nameplate as a whole because Buick Heritage Alliance identifies this 1979 model as a front-wheel-drive milestone for Buick and notes its turbocharged V-6. Those are specific historical and technical distinctions; they should not be generalized to earlier or later Riviera models.
Buick Heritage Alliance’s historical overview.
9. Buick Regal
The Regal matters to Buick’s performance story because the Grand National was based on it and the GNX evolved from the Grand National. That lineage makes the Regal an essential part of the relationship among three better-known performance models, even though the Regal name covers a wider range of cars than those special versions.
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- Step-by-step procedures written from a complete teardown and rebuild, giving you the confidence to tackle repairs at any skill level.
- Over 700+ clear photos and diagrams that simplify complex systems, helping you complete jobs faster and with fewer mistakes.
- Comprehensive troubleshooting and fault-finding guides to quickly diagnose problems and reduce costly downtime.
Buick’s explanation of the GNX’s connection to the Grand National and Regal.
10. Buick Electra L7
The Electra L7 belongs at the edge of an all-time discussion as a sign of how different Buick’s market context has become, not as a proven historic great. In an announcement dated July 17, 2025, Buick introduced it as a China-market smart electric luxury sedan and described China as the brand’s largest market. Its inclusion provides a contemporary contrast to Buick’s early cars and American performance models; the announcement alone does not establish its long-term significance or consumer reception.
Read Buick’s Electra L7 announcement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What makes these cars stand out
| Car or nameplate | Why it is included | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|
| 1905 Model C | Early Buick history and a documented historical speed record for two-cylinder cars at Readville. | GM’s collection entry reports the 6-minute, 19-second time but does not give a publication year for that statement. |
| Riviera | Personal-luxury identity and design distinction. | The turbocharged V-6 and first-front-wheel-drive distinction cited here refer specifically to the 1979 S Type. |
| Grand National | Regal-based performance model and the predecessor in the GNX lineage. | Its significance is historical and brand-related, not a comparison with cars from other eras. |
| 1987 GNX | Performance ambition and collector recognition. | Hagerty reported 547 built in a valuation report dated November 19, 2025. |
| 1991 Reatta | Distinctive personal-luxury coupe character. | Hagerty describes the 1991 model as front-wheel drive, soft-riding, and automatic. |
| Skylark | Represents Buick’s wider history beyond the headline specialty cars. | Specific year, specifications, and ranking are not established here. |
| Roadmaster | A significant Buick nameplate for a broad historical view. | Specific year, specifications, and ranking are not established here. |
| 1979 Riviera S Type | Buick Heritage Alliance highlights its front-wheel drive and turbocharged V-6. | These details apply to the S Type, not the Riviera range generally. |
| Regal | Provides the platform lineage for the Grand National and GNX story. | The Regal name covers more than those performance variants. |
| Electra L7 | Shows Buick’s more recent China-market luxury and electric direction. | Buick’s July 17, 2025 announcement does not establish the car’s long-term historical standing. |
How to read an “all-time best” Buick list
Historical importance, enthusiast reputation, and present-day desirability are not the same measure. A car can matter because it marked an engineering milestone or changed Buick’s image, even if it is not the most sought-after model in every market today. Collector interest and value also vary with condition, rarity, geography, and market timing, so this selection makes no current price claims.
The strongest through-line is Buick’s ability to occupy different roles: an early automaker building engineering milestones, a maker of distinctive personal-luxury cars, and a brand with a notable performance chapter. The GNX lineage makes the last of those especially clear, while the Model C and Riviera show why Buick history cannot be reduced to horsepower alone.
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