The Electra was Buick’s top-of-the-line automobile from 1959 to 1990. And the 225 was the cream of the crop, measuring in at so many inches (just shy of 19 feet). The second generation was in production from 1961 to 1964, which includes the seller’s 1962 4-door hardtop sedan. This looks like a beautiful survivor-quality vehicle with an unbelievable 17,000 miles (how does this happen?). With no known ills, this big Buick is in Olympia, Washington, and is available here on craigslist for $12,800, for less than the used price back in the day adjusted for inflation. Another Left Coast tip from Curvette!
These big cars were powered by Buick’s 401 cubic inch “Nailhead” V8, which was rated at 325 horsepower. That engine was in the mix from 1959 to 1966, powering many of Buick’s full-size automobiles. The styling of the 2nd gen Electras differed some from year to year, and I found the ‘62s to be the most attractive of the lot. The GM division produced nearly 62,500 copies of the Electra that year, with 27% of them being the same body style as the seller’s survivor.
Surely there’s a story behind this 64-year-old luxury cruiser, but we don’t know what it is. How does a fancy car like this only see 265 miles per year on average? That adds up to nice white paint (that’s a repaint) and factory upholstery that looks like it has hardly been used. The seller rattles off a long list of everything that works as it should on this large ride. It’s well-equipped but was not ordered with power windows or factory air conditioning.
We do get out of the seller that the engine is numbers matching, so we assume the same applies to the 3-speed automatic transmission. The car pilots down the road smoothly and without a care in the world. If this auto needs anything, it’s not apparent why it may be. If you’re looking for a big vintage car to carry folks around in style, could this deuce-and-a-quarter be the one?
Curvette for the win. Very nice find.