It should come as no surprise that Buick isn't attempting to court GEN-X customers, a fact that is even more apparent when sliding behind the steering wheel. The Century bespeaks comfort over speed, with rich cloth seats, wood grain accents and luxury features such as power windows, power locks with remote trunk release, power mirrors, dual-zone air-conditioning with pollen filtration, cruise control and tilt steering as standard equipment.
While a 3.1-L V6 engine is also standard its 175-hp hardly provides neck-snapping acceleration - not usually impressive to this crowd. However, the rather old-tech OHV architecture will deliver smooth acceleration through a standard 4-speed automatic transmission. Penny pinchers will appreciate its impressive 9.8 L/100 km combined city/highway fuel economy rating made even more frugal by the use of regular unleaded gasoline.
What does all this cost? In standard trim, or Custom as Buick calls it, the Century lists at $25,820. A $510 convenience package including a 6-way power driver's seat and body-color exterior mirrors can be added. If more luxury is desired delete the convenience package in place of the Century Limited that includes the 6-way power driver's seat and color-keyed mirrors (heated mirrors have been dropped for 2003), plus dual illuminated vanity mirrors, a split folding rear seat, an AM/FM/CD/cassette audio system with steering wheel controls, as well as 15-inch machine-finished aluminum wheels, all for $1,975 over the base price. You get a $410 discount thrown in for no apparent reason when you do, so the standard Limited total comes to $27,385. From there options include P205/70R15 all-season tires - the same size as the standard tires but with white sidewall embellishment - for $150, leather seating surfaces and trim for $940, driver's side seat-mounted side-impact airbag at $495, OnStar at $995 and 4-wheel anti-lock brakes for $795 that also includes a tire inflation monitoring system and Enhanced Traction System (ETS), bringing the total to $30,760 plus $1,075 destination and tax.