With a lifespan lasting nearly 50 years for the Buick brand, the Skylark wore several different trim levels throughout the decades, with the name starting during the fifties as a high-end luxury offering. Although the car began losing its place in that hierarchy as time passed, this 1989 model sure looks plenty comfortable inside for a late eighties coupe, and moderately sporty. It’s not exactly a common sighting nowadays either, as of 61,540 Skylarks that were produced this year, only 14,230 were of the 2-door variety.
The seller doesn’t give us much detailed information about the Buick’s past, but he does provide a link with several additional photos, and an inspection report, along with a couple of videos where we get to view the car being driven and hear the engine running. This one’s got the 2.5-liter inline four under the hood, and with a horsepower rating of 110, it’s not exactly a powerhouse. However, the driver steps on it pretty well in the video, and the engine sounds healthy. It’s paired with an automatic transmission, and with just 53,000 miles on the combo, there’s perhaps still some good life left for the future owner.
From a distance, the body appears well preserved, but it’s when you start digging into the additional close-up photos that a few rust areas begin to appear. The corrosion severity is a bit complicated to fully evaluate, as the lower plastic trim potentially conceals some of the compromised areas. Even so, the panels appear straight overall, and hopefully, this is more of just a cosmetic than a structural issue.
Down below, the platform still looks solid, and I had never seen underneath one of these cars before. The front-wheel-drive eliminated the driveshaft, and I thought it was interesting how GM incorporated the catalytic converter in the center, followed by surrounding it with a heat shield.
Red was a popular interior color during this period, and the velour has held up nicely over the years here. It’s fun to find buckets and a console inside, and I’m guessing this one’s capable of turning its fair share of heads going down the road. This 1989 Buick Skylark is located in New London, Wisconsin, and can be found here on eBay, where the no-reserve auction is up to $920 so far. What are your thoughts on this one?
Iron Duke, automatic, rust and awful red velour inside.
Nope.
I’ve seen pictures of the beautiful ’53 Buick Skylark, then look at this example of forgettable 80s engineering and I think, “how the mighty have fallen”. If this car was mint, it might be worth a second look but as it is? No thanks.
Iron dukes.. do the head gasket.
1988 Grand Am – same thing . Cool style – but a friggin woof getting out of the way .
110 hsp is equivalent today of a bicycle with electric motor . Hard pass .
Go find a Skyhawk Turbo T
My mother had a 1989 skylark with the quad 4. Peppy car but had a problem stalling out at intersections and just when you step on the gas to go it would stall out again and do it at least 4 times before it would go. I like the look of the 1989 skylark but will never buy a buick again.
A good buy for someone in dire need of a car that gets good gas mileage and is relatively comfortable. Point A to Point B car.
I owned a 1969 Buick Skylark, 2 door hardtop, bucket seats, auto in center console, 350 V-8, ps, pb, and a/c. What a difference 20 years makes, and IMHO not a good change.
Someone mentioned the 53’ Skylark and then looking at this little heap is a sin. Name it something not Skylark. What kind of people make these decisions? Tsk Tsk Tsk