How Many Miles Can A Buick Enclave Last? (Answered)

How many miles can an American-made Buick Enclave last? When you’re in the market for a new or second-hand Enclave, that’s, of course, a very reasonable question to ask. After all, you’re probably looking to get the most bang for your buck. In this blog, we’ll look at this question in great detail but first, let’s start with a quick answer:

On average, a Buick Enclave lasts between 200.000 – 220.000 miles. An Enclave needs to go to the garage for unscheduled repairs about 0.54 times per year, with an 18% chance of severe problems. Furthermore, Buick Enclave owners spend an average of $720 per year on repair costs.

Having said that, we’re certainly not done. Below we’ll first explain in more detail how many miles a Buick Enclave can last. After that, we’ll also show you how much an Enclave costs per year and which production years are most and least expensive. Furthermore, we also discuss the common problems that the car can have. Read on!

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How Many Miles Can A Buick Enclave Last?

To answer this question, we have compiled hard facts and carried out extensive research to give practical data instead of computer-generated estimates. We went to many different sites and researched to see how many miles they can last without posing any major issues. The average highest mile turned out to be around 270k miles.

This is a respectable number, but the competitors have been seen with a much higher number. The next question that we were able to answer is that more than 5% of the Enclaves listed for sale had crossed the 150k miles barrier, which is good, but for SUVs, we expect to see this percentage close to 9%.

A normal car is considered reliable if we get more than 3% crossing 150k miles, but in SUVs, it’s better if they are close to 9%. But we can give the Enclave some grace marks as it hasn’t been in the market as long as the competitor has been; thus, most Enclaves didn’t cross this mark. 

Amount Of Miles	Percentage Of Cars
Cars With 150.000+	5.72%
Cars With 100.000 – 149.000	16.19%
Cars With 45.000 – 99.999	32.55%
Cars With 0 – 44.999	45.53%

Just a single test won’t be able to decide whether or not it’s reliable, so we have a list of rigorous tests that will decide the final verdict.

How Reliable Is A Buick Enclave Compared To It”s Competitors?

This is probably the most important test of all, the comparison of Enclave with its competitors. We have done extensive research, analyzed all of that data, and made it easy to understand.

When we compared the data, we learned that Buick Enclave isn’t doing that great against its competitors.

Model	Sample Size	Cars With 150.000+ Miles	% Percentage Of Cars With 150.000+	Highest Mileage
Buick Enclave	5978	342	5.72%	270000
Chevy Traverse	10876	564	5.18%	360000
Toyota Highlander	12777	971	7.60%	329000
Ford Explorer	22876	1158	5.06%	397000
Honda Pilot	10095	987	9.78%	376000
GMC Acadia	10499	585	5.57%	266000
Chevy Blazer	1891	98	5.18%	260000
Mitsubishi Outlander	1550	50	3.22%	250000
Chevy Tahoe	11515	1378	11.97%	340000
Ford Expedition	4642	545	11.74%	290000
GMC Yukon	6311	728	11.53%	280000
Toyota Sequoia	1243	436	35.08%	380000

First, the percentage crossing the 150k mile is less than most of the SUVs on our list, and on top of that, the average highest mileage is the second-lowest. This data isn’t in favor of the Enclave at all. Normally, if the 150k mile+ percentage is low, we compare the highest mileage to see if the vehicle in question has potential, but the situation is pretty dire in this regard as well.

But, we have plenty of other tests where the Enclave might shine. So let’s take a look at our further tests and analyze the results.

How Reliable Is A Buick Enclave Compared To Other Buicks?

So the next test on our list is to see how the Enclave will perform among its own brethren. The database was surprising, and we can see a similar pattern in all of the Buicks that we have analyzed. No matter how old a Buick is, take Le Sabre, for instance; the number of vehicles crossing the 150k mile mark highly depends on how long the time span is.

After a long time, many vehicles will inevitably cross that 150k miles barrier. But the thing to be noted is that almost all of them would give up around 260k miles. This 260k miles has turned out to be the time when the Buicks would go to heaven and leave their owner standing or sitting.

So if you are in the market looking to buy one of the Buicks, make sure you go for the lower miles because if you get a high mileage one, sooner or later, they will abandon you. These 260k miles is the highest they can go, so they can easily go to heaven even way before this mark.

Model	Sample Size	Cars With 150.000+ Miles	% Percentage Of Cars With 150.000+	Highest Mileage
Buick Enclave	5978	342	5.72%	270000
Buick Encore	9.891	70	0,71%	240.000
Buick Lacrosse	1.927	123	6,38%	250.000
Buick Regal	1.178	47	3,99%	280.000
Buick Le Sabre	271	83	30.63%	270000

How Much Does Maintenance Cost Per Year?

$720 is what you will have to spend annually on maintenance of your Buick Enclave, but this cost is basically just the maintenance, and if you take a look at the repair costs, this number will go higher and higher. The earlier models are the worst in terms of reliability in any manufacturers out there, and the Enclave is no exception.

Model Year	Annual Maintenance Cost
2010	$806
2011	$791
2012	$778
2013	$699
2014	$604
2015	$542
2016	$540
2017	$648

Make sure you avoid the earlier models as they had many problems which were slowly figured out, and the later models were made better. The biggest issue was the transmission problem that cost many dollars to fix, but thankfully, the Buick/GMC had made a recall for this.

You can enquire about the transmission status if you buy one of these. It’s better to go for the later models as they would be lighter on the budget; the older models would always cost you more on maintenance and repairs.

Also read: The Complete Cost Of Maintaining A Buick

Buick Enclave Common Problems

It’s important to know the common problems so that you would have a clear picture of what to look out for when you are looking to buy one of these. Our research has shown the following problems to occur commonly.

NOTE: Before buying a used car, I always like to make sure the vehicle isn´t having any problems that you should be aware of. The easiest way to do this is by buying an OBD2 scanner. These scanners can easily be plugged into any car you’re interested in, and they’ll give you a rundown of potential problems.

Also read: 8 Common Problems Of A Buick Enclave 

Transmission Won’t Go In Reverse And Won’t Go Above 40 mph

This is a problem that ruined GM’s reputation. It not only happened with the Buick, but it also happened with the many of the Chevys that had the same transmission fitted in them. The transmission had a manufacturing fault that later on had a recall, but because some replacements also had the same problem, all of the Enclaves didn’t go back to normal.

It’s better to check the history of the one you are looking to buy and see if the transmission had any heating issue, any slipping, or if there is a problem going reverse. This problem has been reported in models up to 2017. It happens at 80,000 miles on average.

Check Engine Light

These lights are not always a bad sign; they can be illuminated due to a fault as small as the fuel cap not being tight properly. So you can tight the fuel cap and the light, due to that, will go away. Sometimes the fuel cap itself might require replacement. The diagnosis for the fault code usually costs around $100.

Software Issues

If the regular maintenance weren’t carried out properly, you would face some strange behavior from your SUV. it is advised to have a computer reset and a software update for your vehicle to keep going without any bugs that can distort the normal functionality SUV.

Extended Life Coolant

These coolants are supposed to last you about 100k miles, but they would need replacement if contamination.  In the case of the Enclave, there have been some reports that the coolant gets contaminated. It’s better to check all the hoses and reservoirs if there is any crack through which they could get contaminated.

Electronics Issues

These Buicks are known to have many electronics faults, and some of them can even cost you $1000+ to fix, so it’s better to check the electronics thoroughly if you are looking for one in the used market.

Is a Buick Enclave A Smart Buy?

Without the extended warranty, it would be a nightmare to buy the Enclave. The data for the Enclave hadn’t been promising, and all the statistics have been against our Buick Enclave.

The depreciation value after 5 years turns out to be 54%, and even though it’s not much, it’s still not a very good choice overall. If you are one of those Buick Enthusiast and you want to buy them anyway, we recommend that you go for the recent models and avoid the older ones as they would have a lot of issues.

The most important thing to consider is that how many miles are there on the odometer. If they are at less than 45k, then it’s good, they have some juice left in them, but if you are looking at one with 150k+, you should not consider that as they would become a money pit very soon.

Buick Enclave Maintenance Schedule

It’s important to know how to maintain your Buick Enclave properly. If you have it regularly maintained, you won’t have to spend thousands of dollars on major repairs. So let’s dive into the maintenance schedule that your Traverse needs.

Before/On Every 7,500 Miles

• Change the engine oil
• Change the oil filter

Normally most manufacturers recommend changing the oil at 10k miles, but you should change that engine oil before that to maximize the performance and help keep your engine healthy.

Before/On Every 15,000 Miles

• Inspects the brake rotors
• Inspect the brake pads
• Check for any leaks
• Inspect the driveshaft boots if there is any grease leak or damage

Before/On Every 20,000 Miles

• Check the fuel hoses
• Replace the air cleaner filter
• Relevel the rear axle oil
• Check the transfer oil level
• Check the brake hoses for any leaks
• Inspect the coolant hoses for any leaks
• Check the exhaust system
• Inspect the suspension components for any damage
• Check for any clogs or leaks in the PCV system and the EGR valve

Before/On Every 40,000 Miles

• Check the transmission fluid level
• Check the drive belt condition
• Inspect the rear brakes and the rear wheel
• Inspect the ball joints for any damage
• Check for any oil leaks
• Check the electronics for any short circuits

Before/On Every 60,000 Miles

• Inspect the spark plugs and replace them if necessary
• Inspect the ignition coils and replace them if necessary
• Inspect the fuel injectors and replace them if necessary
• Inspect the fuel line for any leak
• Check the fuel pump
• Have a complete engine diagnosis to check for any misfiring cylinder
• Inspect the wiring harness of the ignition system

Other Maintenance Tips

Normally, the manufacturers suggest changing the engine oil at around 10k miles, but that’s too good to be true; you should change the engine oil on/before 7-7.5k miles to ensure that the engine remains healthy for a longer period of time.

Another important thing is to use high-quality can of petroleum in your fuel tank regularly; it will help keep the internals clean and save you a lot of dollars on expensive service for the engine internals, like the throttle body EGR cylinder heads, etc.

To keep your SUV protected from rust, you have to make sure that it doesn’t retain mud on it for more than 4 days because mud contains moisture, and when moisture is there with iron, you make rust, and you wouldn’t want that, so keep your SUV clean, it will keep it rust free.