Thoughts on Late 90s to early 00s Buicks?

[CupCak3]

In looking for a new car to replace my aging Sunfire with ~140k, cheap older Buicks have been catching my eye. I’ve been looking at late 90s/early 00 Buicks most of which have been supercharged Rivieras or Regal GSs. I’ve had a hard time finding ones which are well kept, yet less than 150k miles or way overpriced (at least for me). Anything I need to watch out for in these cars? Any other models I should consider?


One car which I just found today is a ’98 Skylark with less than 70k. Supposedly the seller has all the maintenance records of the car. I was hoping for a supercharged 3800 but the Skylark is priced around 2k. Any thoughts on this? I haven’t found much recent feedback on the car and I’m really not familiar with the engine either.


Thanks!

 

[herm0016]

the 3800 is nearly bullet proof. great engine. the only issue is the very common intake crack around the thermostat housing/water jacket that will let water into your engine and destroy it.

i had a 99 olds 88 that had this happen, other than that it was an awesome car.

if you get one get the newer intake gaskets and upper manifold that fixes the issue and you will have no problems with the car.

 

[CrackRabbit]

The 3.1 and 3.8 ltr engines almost always develop a coolant leak at the intake manifold gasket. When looking at one find out if it has been replaced yet or not.

Another issue is that GM used plastic for the water pump bypass inlets and outlets, they can crack and leak and in some cases may break off.

Changing the oil is also a pain in the ass unless you have a good lift, I usually had to take the passenger side front tire off when changing the oil on my GF's old Regal.

 

[Vette73]

one with a 3.8L and put on a aftermarket manifold (not that much check rockauto) and do the basic stuff and 200k should be easy.

I had a little over 200k on my 87 3.8L LeSabre and it ran fine but first gear went out.

 

[Arkaign]

I had a 95 LeSabre that still ran like a top with way over 200k miles, all original drivetrain. Interior and body were worn / paint peeling, but other than that everything worked including the arctic AC.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Used Buicks are usually a good bet ... The majority of Buicks are driven by the elderly, and usually, they are driven very casually .... sometimes they may go through a farmers market or something, but ... usually ... they don't see much "action"

 

[CupCak3]

Nice guys, thanks a lot for the feedback, especially with the intake manafolds.

I just got off the phone with the person selling the Skylark. It does have the 3100 and not the 4cyl available that year. Anything of concern with the 3100 (or really teh Skylark in general)?

 

[Vette73]

^
What year?

 

[angry hampster]

Nice guys, thanks a lot for the feedback, especially with the intake manafolds.

I just got off the phone with the person selling the Skylark. It does have the 3100 and not the 4cyl available that year. Anything of concern with the 3100 (or really teh Skylark in general)?

It's a colossal POS and every piece of the interior will break. Not to mention it is 100% hideous.


I was close to buying an '02 Regal GS last fall. It had 75k miles and wasn't in great shape. The dealer was asking $1000 over blue book. I laughed in their faces when they wouldn't budge on price and walked away. Purchased a car from a competing dealer later that day.

 

[CupCak3]

^
What year?

1998


One that that worries me is I found in doing more research that 98 was the last year for the car and it was only available as a fleet vehicle. My concern is that being fleet only and the last model year is cheaper materials were used. The owner did say there is a small hole already in the exhause.

 

[angry hampster]

Why are you even considering buying a fleet vehicle?

 

[Throckmorton]

Why buy a supercharged FWD car?

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Go with the 3800 Series II engine

Regal, LeSabre, Park Ave

Grand Prix, Bonneville

 

[Vette73]

The skylark is not really bad, but being ti was a fleet only car that year it may have been a rental. So it could be good, get the price down, or be beaten up bad.
If you need a smaller car then look into it. If you can handle a mid-size like a LeSabre then hold out for a 3.8L car.

 

[BlackTigers]

We had a 2000? LeSabre, and it was a decent car.

Great ride, smooth handling, and it was quiet as hell on the inside, very good sound deadening.

It had the 3800 in it, that engine hauled pretty good when necessary. Lots of torque on tap for freeway passing when needed. It ended up with the intake manifold leak though, but we kinda knew about that.

 

[SearchMaster]

Even if it was a rental, it's been 10+ years. If it had abuse-related issues, they've probably been uncovered already.

 

[Homer Simpson]

skip the 3.1 skylark and stick with any 3800 w-body. the supercharged ones dont have a plastic intake so will likely not have the coolant leak issue.

 

[Hecubus28]

My 97GTP which had the supercharged 3800 and it did have the intake manifold leak. It started a little after 100k miles. I was able to fix it myself and I think parts were under 100.00. I dont think there are many of them that don't get this leak as time goes on. The gasket that GM used for these were crap.

It was a pretty fun car for the time I had it though.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

I wouldn't call it a fun ride, but if you want a comfy highway cruiser that's reliable, they'll serve you well.

 

[CupCak3]

I was close to buying an '02 Regal GS last fall. It had 75k miles and wasn't in great shape. The dealer was asking $1000 over blue book. I laughed in their faces when they wouldn't budge on price and walked away. Purchased a car from a competing dealer later that day.

They seems to have a little cult following so dealers hike up the prices b/c people will pay. Saw a 02 Regal GS w/ ~60k posted on Autotrader for $8k. It sold w/in 3 days.

The skylark is not really bad, but being ti was a fleet only car that year it may have been a rental. So it could be good, get the price down, or be beaten up bad.
If you need a smaller car then look into it. If you can handle a mid-size like a LeSabre then hold out for a 3.8L car.

I am going to hold out a for a bit bigger car w/ a 3800. The After having my Sunfire for the past 9 years, I'd appreciate something bigger. Not to mention the 3100 doesn't seem to get that much better gas milleage for the hit in HP.

Even if it was a rental, it's been 10+ years. If it had abuse-related issues, they've probably been uncovered already.

Very good point.

 

[CupCak3]

skip the 3.1 skylark and stick with any 3800 w-body. the supercharged ones dont have a plastic intake so will likely not have the coolant leak issue.

Nice. that's good to know.

My 97GTP which had the supercharged 3800 and it did have the intake manifold leak. It started a little after 100k miles. I was able to fix it myself and I think parts were under 100.00. I dont think there are many of them that don't get this leak as time goes on. The gasket that GM used for these were crap.

It was a pretty fun car for the time I had it though.

At least it was an easy fix. Does the Haynes manual go into enough detail to do the change or would it be better to get a service manual off eBay? (though I'm sure there are a million and a half threads on the inet about doing this change)

I'm assuming the coolant leak issue was into the crankcase and not exterior to the motor. Is that correct?

I wouldn't call it a fun ride, but if you want a comfy highway cruiser that's reliable, they'll serve you well.

My daily drive is about 30 minutes each way, mostly highway. I'm definately looking forward to something much more spacious, quieter and which actually has some get-up-and-go!

 

[CupCak3]

Thanks everyone for your responses thusfar. They've been very helpful.

In looking at the supercharged 3800s, is there anything I need to watch out for? Is there a general lifespan or when they should be rebuilt? I've seen a couple people mention 100k.

Also, does anyone know any good forums dedicated to Buicks or 3800s?

Thanks again!

 

[Homer Simpson]

clubgp.com would be a good place. its geared toward the grandprix's mainly but any suspension or drive train item would be the same for any other w-body. plus i believe they have some subforums for the non-gp stuff. thats typically where i got my info when i had my 97 gtp.

 

[BoberFett]

I love the last Riviera and it's what I was looking for last summer. Every Riviera I looked at was a POS. Beat to hell and back. I ended up with a Mark VIII. For about the same money you get a lot nicer car.

 

[CurseTheSky]

I personally would stay away from anything supercharged for a daily driver.

It's not that the engine is going to blow up magically at 100k, but it is one more moving part and extra strain on the engine, not to mention premium gas.

What about a Bonneville or Impala? You might be able to find one in decent shape with 60k+ miles for a fair price.