Though it is not as prominent as it used to be, Buick is one of the biggest brands in the history of the American automotive industry. Not only are they one of General Motors' main marques, Buick was actually the company that founded General Motors in 1908. For most of the time since, General Motors has marketed Buick as a luxury brand, not as prestigious as Cadillac but still placed well above General Motors more every day working class badges.

The Buick Lacrosse is a mid-size sedan manufactured since 2004 by General Motors, currently in its third generation. Buick introduced it in order to succeed the Buick Century and Buick Regal models. The 2016 model of the Buick Lacrosse is the last iteration of the second generation.

GM stopped production of the Lacrosse for sale in the North American market in 2019, though it is still manufactured for the Chinese market. But while Buick may not sell new cars in the numbers they once did in the North American market, they are still very popular on the second hand market. So, what should you know about the 2016 Lacrosse before you purchase one?

Buick may not be as popular as it once was, but that doesn't mean they haven't made some great cars recently. Here is everything you should know about the 2016 Buick Lacrosse.

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Features

2016 Buick Lacrosse
Via: Wikimedia Commons

The 2016 Buick Lacrosse was available in a choice of six trim levels: the unnamed regular, the Base, the Leather, the Premium I, the Premium II, and the Sport Touring. The Base 2016 Buick Lacrosse features a 3.6-liter V6 engine that produces up to 304-hp at 6,800 rpm and 264 lb-ft of torque at 5,300 rpm. It puts that power through a six speed automatic transmission, either into a standard front wheel drive system or into the all wheel drive system available as an optional extra.

It gets 18 mpg in the city and 28 on the highway, for a combined fuel economy of 21 mpg. That might not sound super high, but by the standards of big luxury sedans it is actually quite good. An 18.5-gallon fuel tank combined with the above models gives the Lacrosse a long range of 333 miles in the city and 518 miles on the highway. Perfect for long road trips with friends.

On the inside, the 2016 Buick Lacrosse lives up to the luxury reputation of its badge. The interior is very spacious, with 41.7 inches of leg room in the front and 40.5 inches of leg room in the front—nearly the same front and rear. The driver and four passengers will have no complaints about feeling cramped on long journeys.

Reliability And Insurance

Black 2016 Buick Lacrosse
Via: Wikimedia Commons

According to RepairPal, the 2016 Buick Lacross costs $540 per year on average in maintenance. When you consider that the Lacrosse is a big luxury sedan that costs a significant amount when new, that is excellent reliability. Odds are, you will not face many major problems to give you a headache and a big repair bill, though of course there are always exceptions.

According to The Zebra, the 2016 Buick Lacrosse costs $1,837 per year (or $153 per month) to insure on average. The exact price you pay will, of course, vary a lot based on things like your age group, gender, the condition of the car, your driving history, where you live, and what company you are looking at a quote from. But in general, it will cost you around that number.

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The 2016 Lacrosse Has Depreciated A Little In Recent Years

The cheapest 2016 model Buick Lacrosse currently available for sale on Edmunds costs $8,995, while the most expensive costs $29,998. On average, you should expect to pay somewhere in the low 20,000's for a used Lacrosse in good condition.

To compare, when new, the lowest trim level of the 2016 Lacrosse had an MSRP of $32,000, and the highest Sport Touring trim level had an MSRP of $34,990. So it has certainly depreciated in value over the last five years. So overall, the 2016 Lacrosse is a fairly good used purchase among its class. It probably is not a good idea to buy any of the super cheap options, however, as the only reason for them to be so cheap is that they have had a history of accidents or poor maintenance that will end up costing you more in the long run.

Another good point to consider is that, while the 2016 model is significantly cheaper than a newer one, it was also the last iteration before a complete redesign for the 2017 model. So you save a lot of money, but you also miss out on a lot of new features and updated styling that the later models have.