The best replacement for buffing is polishing.

The best alternatives to buffing are rated as following:
★★★★★  polishing
★★★  burnishing
★★  waxing
★  stippling
★  sanding
★  clay bar
  wet sanding
  polishing metal

Your alternative for buffing is not listed? Suggest!
Speaking about buffing, one probably shouldn't forget about rubbing compound.

Other search terms related to buffing and their ratings are:
★★★★★ rubbing compound
★★ compound
polishing compound
You have in mind a companion for buffing and it is not yet here? Propose!



Google Trends

Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of buffing in all years. Click on graph for more.
buffing
polishing
burnishing