We might be heading into the cooler months, but there are still some great opportunities to enjoy some top-down touring in a classic convertible for a few lucky individuals. There are few feelings finer than to slip behind the wheel with the sun on your face and the wind in your hair. If that sounds like a lifestyle too tempting to resist, this 1965 Buick Skylark could be a hot option to consider. It is rust-free and presents superbly, and features a healthy V8 under the hood. Located in Chester, New York, you will find the Skylark listed for sale here on eBay. It seems that a few people are tempted because this Buick has already attracted thirty-five bids. The action has pushed the price along to $10,300, but this remains short of the reserve.
It’s hard to know where to start with this Skylark because it has so much to offer. The owner admits that it has received a past repaint in its original shade of Sahara Mist Metallic. The paint shines beautifully, with no apparent flaws or issues. It is contrasted by a new White power top, which imparts a classy appearance to the vehicle. The panels are laser straight, and the gaps are spot-on. Rust is not a concern with this Convertible because the owner says that it is clean from top to bottom. There is nothing nasty visible in the supplied photos, and its appearance is further enhanced by the flawless glass, spotless chrome, and an immaculate set of Rallye wheels. Overall, you have to think that this Buick would turn heads wherever it goes.
If the news has been favorable to this point, it manages to remain pretty positive when we start looking at this Buick’s mechanical health. Buyers in 1965 had a choice of several engines to slot into their Skylark, and while some may have opted for the 225ci six, there’s nothing as great as a healthy V8. That is what we find occupying this engine bay. The original owner ordered the car with the 300ci “Wildcat 310” V8, a two-speed automatic transmission, and power steering. That V8 would have punched out a healthy 210hp when new, which was sufficient to launch the Convertible through the ¼ mile in 17.9 seconds. Maybe that didn’t make it the fastest car on the block, but it still would’ve felt fast with the top down. The owner has recently spent a few dollars on the Skylark, and the buyer is set to benefit from this attention. He has fitted new tires, along with new wheel cylinders and brake hoses. He has also replaced the battery, shocks, the dual exhaust and rebuilt the carburetor. The car runs and drives perfectly and is ready to be driven and enjoyed by its next owner. However, there is one issue that potential buyers will need to consider. The engine block had developed a coolant leak, but it isn’t clear where this was. The owner has had this repaired, and it has caused no further problems. He is hedging his bets because he also has an excellent low-mileage replacement 300 that he will include in the sale. You can’t fault this seller for his honesty, and it should cover the buyer’s bases in the future if the leak reappears.
When the buyer hits the road in this Skylark, they won’t be hanging their head in embarrassment when the public spots the interior. It is upholstered in Gold vinyl, and it continues this car’s trend of immaculate presentation. I think that the carpet might be slightly faded in a couple of spots, but there’s little else to criticize. The seats show no evidence of wear or physical damage, while the same is true of the remaining upholstered surfaces, the dash, and the pad. There is no appreciable wear on the wheel, and the overall condition makes the owner’s claim that the car has a genuine 49,000 miles on the clock seem plausible. Life on the road should be made more enjoyable by the inclusion of ice-cold air conditioning and an AM/FM stereo.
Taken at face value, it appears that the next owner will have little to do with this 1965 Skylark Convertible but to slip behind the wheel and enjoy the classic car ownership experience. The bidding has been pretty spirited to this point, and I suspect that there might be some way to go yet before the reserve is met. Given the car’s overall condition and originality, I believe that the bidding could nudge towards $25,000. If two people are keen enough, that figure could go higher. Do you find this Convertible tempting enough that you might consider submitting a bid yourself?
A beautiful car in and out in very attractive colors. Not much to find fault with here as the condition is outstanding. With all the new parts the seller has installed recently, this Buick appears to need nothing; just get in and enjoy the top down experience!
Very nice. A nitpicky comment, but I prefer the parade boot to match the color of the interior. Great looking car otherwise!!
Not nitpicky at all, in fact quite correct. I’m willing to bet that the boot matched the interior when new.
I always liked the looks of the 64 – 65 Skylarks. If I were going to drive it a lot I’d upgrade the brakes, but it looks to be drivable as it is, and it has a/c. It’s up to $12k which still seems reasonable for this Buick.
This could be a Low rider!
God Bless America!
The only downside I see is no power brake booster. Nice convertible though, and winter makes no difference in Houston Texas. Keep it in the garage only driving on non rainy days with top down.
Non low rider though Miguelito, heh, heh.
God bless America
About 35 years ago there was a car club that consisted solely of 1964 and 1965 Buick A body Specials and Skylarks with a high percentage being convertibles. I don’t know what they called themselves but we called them the Skylarks. The cars reflected many individual styles but most were decked out and flashy. Most were lowered to one degree or another with many sporting chrome reverse Astro Supremes and pinner whitewalls. Lots of extra chrome, loud exhausts, custom paint and loud sound systems. I regularly see “members” around town usually in ones and twos and sometimes I would stop and ask about their cars. San Francisco had some aspects of a small town back then. Every so often the club would gather for whatever reason to have a big night out. They usually got together out in Bayview and head out in a pack up 3rd Street heading for the Mission District to eat burritos and cruise Mission Street. From there they might head to the Fillmore and then to North Beach to jam up Broadway and Columbus Street or out to the beach and park along the promenade on the Great Highway. When they were under way there was nothing to stop them. If the lead car took a left turn on a green arrow the all followed and made the turn even as the light cycled from green to yellow to red, they all made the turn. A couple of times I sat at an intersection watching as 20-25 Buicks turned left in front of me. They were loud and rowdy and not to be ignored. They were mostly a bunch of young car guys out to raise some hell. I didn’t get the impression they were causing any real trouble. They were serious about the cars. They didn’t need to start trouble. All they had to do was converge on one block or location to bring traffic to a stop. The loud music and clouds of pot smoke would draw a crowd and there it was, an instant party. Eventually the cops would arrive to break it up and get traffic moving. Since the cops were usually outnumbered they had to do the job with some finesse. The Skylark guys were out for a good time, not to confront the cops. Folks were generally well behaved. They were with their girls and their cars and a beef would be costly because the cops could be real jerks if they wanted to be.
I don’t know what it’s like now but back then San Francisco cops were generally speaking a capable and professional force. If you were someone or part of a group that they didn’t like they could make life very hard for you. Unfortunately there was a fair amount of racism within the police force and by extension the City of San Francisco. When the Skylarks were out and together they were Kings, the city was theirs as long as they didn’t get out of hand and force the cops to react. During the day it was a different story. When any Skylark member was out driving anywhere or even parked they were targets for retaliation by the cops. The cops would pull them over for any petty reason, registration and license issues, fix-it tickets, car searches for drugs and guns. They would write tickets and if they felt like it they could have the car impounded until “issues” were corrected of tickets paid. Lots of guys lost their cars when they couldn’t afford to pay the exorbitant fines.These guys weren’t all angels but it didn’t matter the cops tended to treat them all the same as criminals or undesirables. Sometimes if the cops couldn’t find anything actionable they would deface or cut up the guy’s drivers license. No particular reason, just to show who was in charge.
The SFPD policies were contradictory and frustrating. On one hand the policy was to suppress and control behaviour that might threaten society at large. The idea of a rowdy bunch of black lowriders and car enthusiasts raising some hell is enough to drew the negative attention of law enforcement.
On the other hand SFPD policy is a work in progress to make the force better able to communicate with a diverse population in order to establish a level of mutual trust to improve police services that will be a benefit to citizens. The implementation of this policy is unequal and everybody knows it.
Nothing last forever. The events and circumstances that brought these guys and these Buicks together lasted about two years. It was too volatile to last long. For a short time a bunch of young gearheads found common ground falling for a particularly appealing car that happened to also be plentiful and affordable. The GM A bodies from 1964-1972 are thought by some people to be the successful run of cars ever. They combined many successes into one package and appeal to millions of people. Style, performance, historical relevancy, quality, utility, comfort, economy, value,equipment and suitability for modification of all kinds. Combine that with significant aftermarket support and club activity.
The forces that brought them together also made it impossible to continue together for long. Time and life wait for no one. Change is a constant when you are young. People leave or die or change. Cars are wrecked, seized or lost. The police were constant and relentless. The economics of the city and real estate were always expensive and always becoming more so. One day I realized that I had not seen the skylarks in force for some time. Somehow the beautiful Buicks were a spent force, no longer easily acquired and transformed. It was fun while it lasted. I didn’t think to document the scene at the time. I hope someone did.
Do you have any proof of what you are claiming about the SFPD?
Nice, informative post, Paolo.
Bizarre to have AC in a convertable in my opinion, but i am from the PNW and AC has rarely been needed, necessary. 71 and overcsst baby.
To quote the infamous Sir Mix A Lot, “cut that AC girl, this is a drop top”.
Martinsane, you probably never lived in Florida. Even with a convertible, the summer heat is unbearable. You need to have the top up and the ac on high. But the other 9 months are heaven. BTW…love this car!
A/C in a convertible is nice and isn’t as weird as you might think. Driving in hot weather with the top down gets uncomfortable pretty quickly. When the weather gets good and warm but not blazing hot you drive with the top up but all the windows down including the rear one. This keeps the air flowing through the car to keep you comfortable but without buffeting. When it gets blazing hot or really humid is the time to run the A/C with the windows up. Then you need to run it full blast because the fabric top won’t allow you to keep the car cool for long. In cool weather when the sun is bright but any shade is cold you put the top down, the windows up and the heater running full blast.
All this flexibility is the real joy and pleasure of driving a ragtop.
Well if it is to be a driver definitely upgrade the brakes. I got mine going about a hundred and wanted to see how fast I could stop without locking the brakes. Answer it did not stop. At about thirty it just kept rolling along no mstter how hard I pushed on the peddle. Also bolt on the sway bars from the GS. That with a set of michelins made it a decent driver. Oh yeah don’t be surprised if the pinion gear shaft snaps.
Dennis, I had the same experience with standard brakes on a 68 GTO. The car was nearly brand new. Panic stop from 70 and by the time the goat was down to 30 there were no brakes. Fortunately, the incident that caused me to panic stop moved out of my path. I don’t have much confidence in 60s GM A body standard drum brakes.
My friend had an 67R code Comet. It had amazing brakes. Not to say ford was better just that the big guys could have provided some decent ( adequate ) brakes.
Same here. I experienced severe brake fade when testing the 4 wheel power drums on my 65 Olds 442 going from 80-90mph to a stop. I could bring it down to about 30 mph and then lose almost all stopping power. The rapid deceleration meant almost no manifold vacuum for the brake booster so no power brake boost just when you need it. It was an ugly realization that needed correction. As we know GM seemed not too concerned and it took an inexplicably long time to see real improvement in braking capacity. Once you learned how long it took to stop your car you drove defensively being careful not to drive beyond the capability of the car. Today there is tons of aftermarket support offering massively improved braking systems.
The featured Skylark is a gorgeous car by they way. As far as boot cover color goes all of my convertibles, Buicks, Oldsmobiles and Dodges, had boots that matched the interiors. That’s how they came brand new and I don’t recall if they were offered in other combinations. There isn’t anything that says you can’t do it differently. I’ve seen lots of custom choices made that look fine.
I don’t think the power boost would have helped. Braking is just converting kinetic energy to heat. Once the drums and other components were hot the only remaining source for a heat sink is the air passing over the brakes. I believe this is called heat saturation. Thus all the ducting on race cars. I recall an article somewhere about the sixties that the most efficient braking was to lock up the wheels !