1994 BUICK Century Owners Manual

A- - Century

U GENERAL MOTORS, GM and the GM Emblem, Buick, and the Buick Emblem areregistered trademarks of General Motors Corporation. This manual includes the latest information at the time it was printed. We reserve the right to make changes in the product after that time without further notice. For vehicles first sold in Canada, substitute the name “General Motors of Canada Limited” for Buick Motor Division whenever it appears in this manual. Please keep this manual in your Buick, so it will be there if you ever need it when you’re on the road. If you sell the vehicle, please leave this manual in it so the new owner can use it. VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN WE SUPPORT CERTIFICATION THROUGH AUTOMOTIVE EXCELLENCE SERVICE Narlonal Instatute for We support voluntary technician certification. For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a French Language Manual: Aux proprietaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous procurer un exemplaire de ceguide en francais chez votre concessionaire ou au DGN Marketing Services Ltd., 1500 Bonhill Rd., Mississauga, Ontario L5T lC7. 2

P - Buick Motor Division provides one of the most dramatic and important chapters in the history of the American automobile 3

Walter Marr and Thomas Buick Buick’s chief engineer, Walter L. Marr (left), and Thomas D. Buick, son of founder David Dunbar Buick, drove the first Flint Buick in a successful Flint-Detroit round trip in July 1904. David Buick was building gasoline engines by 1899, and Marr, his engineer, apparently built the first auto to be called a Buick in 1900. However, Buick traditionally dates its beginnings to 1903. That was the year the company was reorganized, refinanced and moved from Detroit to Flint. Buick has always been a product innovator. Buick engineers developed the “valve-in-head” engine, a light, powerful and reliable engine which would eventually influence the entire automotive industry. William C. Durant was instrumental in promoting Buicks across the country using his Durant-Dort Carriage Co. outlets and salespeople as the nucleus of a giant distribution system. He knew the Buick as a “self-seller”. If automobiles could be this good, he thought, maybe it was time to switch from the horse and buggy business to automobiles. William C. (Billy) Durant At the 1905, New York Auto Show, Durant took orders for 1,000 Buicks before the company had built 40. On Buick’s success, Durant created a holding company, September 16, 1908. He called it General Motors. 4

Durant also created a racing team that won 500 racing trophies in 1909 and 19 10, including successes at Indianapolis two years before the Indy 500 began. The success of Buick engines was visible not only on the race track, but in endurance tests across the country and around the world. Buick was the only car to complete a 1,000-mile Chicago-to-New York race in 1906. And a Buick was the first car to travel across South America, driven from Buenos Aires, Argentina, over the Andes to Santiago, Chile in 19 14. 1911 Model 21 Touring Car on Buick’s Test Hill Buick drew plenty of attention because it could climb hills and run through mud like no other car. Buick’s endurance and reliability were world famous. During World War I, Buick built Liberty aircraft engines as well as Red Cross ambulances so successful that one Buick ambulance was awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French government. As a builder of premier automobiles, Buick was hard hit by the Great Depression. However, new General Manager, Harlow H. Curtice created popular new models including the Special and the Roadmaster. Buick sales soon flourished. First Buick Factory 5

In World War 11, Buick built aircraft engines, tanks and other military hardware. This post-war period brought great styling and engineering changes which resulted in increased sales. The torque converter automatic transmission, Dynaflow, was introduced in the 1948 Roadmaster. Buick’s famous “portholes” came along in 1949. I949 Roadmaster A high-compression V-8 engine was introduced in 1953. And Buick’s famous vertical pillar “toothy” grille, (introduced in 1942), became more massive in the post-war era. I953 Skylark Motor Trend magazine named the 1962 Buick Special, “Car of the Year”. The first production V-6 engine was used in the Special. 6

I962 Buick Special Built inside the walls of the old buildings in Buick’s former Flint complex, which formed the cornerstone of General Motors, Buick City, is a state-of-the-art assembly facility with more than 200 robots and other high-tech equipment. It was completed in the fall of 1985. Buicks are, and will continue to be, premium American motorcars with smooth power, high performance, rich detail and comfortable accommodation. I Ed Mertz, Gener-ul Manager, Buic-k Motor- Division Our mission is simple: “Buick will provide Premium American Motorcars backed with services that exceed our customers’ expectations, throughout the purchase, ownership, service and repurchase experience.” Buicks are SUBSTANTIAL. Buicks are DISTINCTIVE. Buicks are POWERFUL. Buicks are MATURE. 7

1994 BUICK Century Owners Manual

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