Twenty years ago this September, I saw a ’53 Buick Special Riviera for sale in the newspaper classifieds (remember those?). I knew the car and had been ogling it as it sat in its owner’s driveway for about two years, so I drove over to my dad’s house with a blank check (I had to go to work) and told him that as long as it wasn’t a rusty mess, make a deal and buy it. He did, and although I’ve put a lot of work into it (and continue to do so), I still love just about every mile behind the wheel of my beloved Buick. Therefore, you won’t find me badmouthing a ’53 Special, and you will definitely not be surprised that I jumped on this ad that our friend T.J. found on Marketplace in Pacifica, California. The seller says that it’s a solid, all-original 70,555-mile car, but it “ran when parked.” Because of that, it’s a good thing he’s willing to negotiate on his $15,000 asking price.

According to the ad, this is the first time the car’s been offered for sale in 45 years, and it has “zero rot or rust…other than surface [rust].” The ’53 Special was the last of the Buick straight-eights and the last Buick with a six-volt electrical system; everything else in the line got the new 322-cubic-inch Nailhead and twelve-volt electricals. The 263 was available with a three-speed manual or a Dynaflow (this one has the three-speed). Synchromesh cars got solid lifters while Dynaflows used hydraulics, and Dynaflows got a compression ratio bump thanks to a thinner head gasket (7.6:1 compared to this car’s 7:1). The end result was similar: 125 horsepower for the manual, 130 for the Dynaflow.

Just a note if you are considering buying this or any straight-eight Buick: The exhaust burble is one of the world’s great sounds; I sometimes sit on the back bumper of mine just to listen to the engine idling.

The Special’s interior was unsurprisingly not as well-equipped or luxurious as a Super’s or a Roadmaster’s. The dashboard was completely different, and indeed the body itself was about three inches narrower (and few body parts will interchange). Regardless, the Special has full instrumentation, including an ammeter, oil pressure gauge, temperature gauge, and of course, a gas gauge and speedometer. This one appears to have the optional clock, as well. Clearly, the interior will need some work, and the only source for material is SMS. I recently, however, had an upholstery guy sew and install new covers on mine using (gasp!) cloth from a Toyota and gray vinyl. It looks great, and only the diehards will notice (and that’s fine with me).

The body does look solid, but the paint’s appearance will attract none but the patina crowd (and it definitely attracted a can of errant house paint), and that brings up a point that makes me a little melancholy. I don’t think there’s any way that the seller will come anywhere near fifteen grand, especially considering that it’s not running. Don’t mistake me, I think these are beautiful cars, and they draw so much attention that I might as well be driving a flying saucer when I go out in mine (which is fairly often), but they’re just not that valuable. In fact, I have my nice (but not perfect) driver insured for not that much more than the asking price of this one.

Therefore, I hope that the seller can come to terms with a buyer who will appreciate this old Buick (which is a beautiful color by the way, Teal Blue from the look of it). I love mine (a lot), and once you get the bugs out, it’s a sturdy old Buick that will take you anywhere.