2003 Buick Century: The Ultimate College Car

27 miles to the gallon, seating for six, 0-60 in 8.7 seconds, and it can be bought for about $3,000. These are just a few of the things that makes the Buick Century, and really any of the GM W-Body cars the ultimate car for college. I would know, because I currently have one, and I’m in college, and there isn’t a single vehicle I’d rather be driving besides one of these.

I believe it was Tyler Hoover that said “an old Buick is the best car for broke millennials,”. If I’m honest, he’s spot on. These great land-yachts are built like tanks, drive like couches, and sip gas while soaking up hundreds of miles to and from universities, concerts, beaches, theme parks, etc. While they look like every other car on the road, the interior is where the Century shines.

First things first, the front bench seat. While cramming your friends into the back seat is fun and all, carrying any more passengers than the number of seat belts in your car is not only dangerous, but also illegal. The Century has six belts, three in the front, and three in the back. Meaning that when it comes to just hauling people around, it’s more practical than any vehicle that isn’t a minivan or a three-row SUV.

Next, the cassette player, which is the perfect place to slide one of those iWorld AUX input cassettes and play your favorite tunes from your smartphone, let’s see the CD Player in your Civic do that.

Lastly, we arrive at the gauge cluster, which is incredibly straightforward. Speed? It’s there. Engine Temp? It’s there. Gas? It’s there. Revs? It’s an automatic, you don’t need it. Battery Voltage? It’s a battery, it either works or it doesn’t.

The Century is classy without being gaudy. It comes in a variety of colors from Baby Blue to Forest Green and a variety of tans and silvers. It also came with three different cloth interiors; blue, black, or tan. A leather interior was also an option. The interior is well put together, with durable plastics that don’t feel cheap, but overall, it doesn’t feel anywhere near as nice as a modern interior. Headroom is great and legroom is plentiful. The trunk holds 16.7 cubic feet, which is large by today’s trunk sizes, but there are no rear folding seats.

Power came from two different 3.1L V6s. 1997 - 1999 Centuries had 160 horsepower and 185 lb-ft, while 2000 - 2005 models had 170 horses and 195 lb-ft. Zero to sixty is a respectable 8.9 seconds. The engine’s torque curve is strong, which results in an EPA estimated 20mpg city and 30mpg highway. I get about 23mpg with my lead foot.

So how much does it cost to put one of these jack of all trades in the driveway? Well, not a lot actually. Low mileage examples can be found for about three grand, with some incredibly well kept examples stickering for up to five grand. High mileage examples can found for anywhere between one to two grand.

The Century is a workhorse, with several of them still soaking up miles. Parts are can be found for cheap, though it is important to consider when purchasing older vehicles such as these. Ultimately, keeping up with general maintenance will ensure that it sees 200,000 miles with little effort. In the four years and 28,000 miles that I’ve owned the car, it’s been a dependable and reliable car, capable of shuttling me on my 100-mile round trip loop from my house to college.

I highly recommend the Century as a first car, because it’s easy to understand, easy to drive, and easy to live with.