FuelFacts

1986 Buick Century Wagon MPG & Specs — Real-World vs EPA, All Trims

Every trim takes regular — no premium needed.

19–21
MPG combined (17–19 city / 23–27 hwy)
$2,714–$3,000
est. fuel / year (today's prices, 15k mi)
Regular
gas type

Is the 1986 Buick Century Wagon good on gas?

At up to 21 MPG combined, the 1986 Buick Century Wagon is about average for a Midsize-Large Station Wagons — that class averages about 19.8 MPG across 656 EPA-tested versions, so it's middle-of-the-road for its size.

Real-world MPG vs the EPA number

The EPA figures above come from a standardized dynamometer test, not the open road — real-world MPG typically runs a bit lower depending on your driving, climate and terrain. That's true of every car on this site, old or new.

This 1986 model was originally EPA-tested under the pre-2008 2-cycle method, which didn't account for highway speeds over 60 mph, air-conditioner use, or cold starts. When EPA overhauled the test for model year 2008, city ratings fell by about 12% and highway by about 8% on average industry-wide — and EPA retroactively adjusted every 1984-2007 rating to the stricter standard so old and new cars could be compared fairly. The MPG above is already on that modern scale — the window sticker on this car when it was new likely showed a higher, pre-2008-method number.

At today's AAA national average price — $3.80/gal for regular gas as of 2026-07-05 — the most efficient trim runs about $2,714/year (roughly $226/month, about $18.10 per 100 miles) at the EPA's assumed 15,000 miles/year, using an estimated 714 gallons a year. We don't estimate a cost-per-fill since exact tank size isn't in the public EPA dataset, but the per-100-mile figure scales to any tank. Current national average gas prices →

1986 Buick Century Wagon trims & fuel economy

Trim (engine / transmission)FuelMPGFuel/yr (today's price)
2.5L 4-cyl, Automatic 3-spd, FWDREGULAR21$2,714
3.8L 6-cyl, Automatic 4-spd, FWDREGULAR20$2,850
2.8L 6-cyl, Automatic 3-spd, FWDREGULAR19$3,000
2.8L 6-cyl, Automatic 4-spd, FWDREGULAR19$3,000

1986 Buick Century Wagon specs

What the EPA test-car listings record for this model year — every combination sold is a row in the trims table above.

Engine options2.5L 4-cyl · 3.8L 6-cyl · 2.8L 6-cyl
TransmissionAutomatic 3-spd · Automatic 4-spd
Drive typeFWD
EPA body classMidsize-Large Station Wagons
FuelRegular

Other years of the Buick Century Wagon

1993 Buick Century Wagon1992 Buick Century Wagon1991 Buick Century Wagon1990 Buick Century Wagon1989 Buick Century Wagon1988 Buick Century Wagon1987 Buick Century Wagon1985 Buick Century Wagon

Similar cars (Midsize-Large Station Wagons)

1986 Ford LTD Wagon1986 Mercury Marquis Wagon1986 Pontiac Parisienne Wagon1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser Wagon1987 Mercedes-Benz 300TD1985 Peugeot 505 Wagon

Cars that take premium · Cheapest cars to fuel · Where fuel grade depends on the trim · Fuel guides

4 trim(s) · EPA FuelEconomy.gov data retrieved 2026-07-24 · fuel prices AAA national average as of 2026-07-05.