I get a serious Batman vibe with this 1988 Buick LeSabre T-Type. I know, Batman driving a Buick? It has to be the all-black scheme, other than the wheels, which today would be black, as would the windows, the headlights, the license plate, the gas, the… I like the touch of silver on the wheels myself. This one is listed here on eBay in Fairport, New York, and they have a $9,000 buy-it-now price listed.
Buick actually called this color, or tone, “Black.” They also had a Sparkling Black, but that was only available on the Riviera and Riviera T-Type, the Regal, and the Skylark. Almost everything about this car is interesting, at least to me. The way the clamshell hood opens, the monotone paint scheme (Sterling Silver, Garnet Red, and Arctic White were also available), the details, and just being a two-door LeSabre, a car that I think of as a four-door sedan. The seller says this one has had a repaint, but the body is said to be “laser straight.”
The sixth-generation LeSabre was made for model years 1986 through 1991 as a four-door sedan or a two-door coupe, and they were based on GM’s H-body front-wheel-drive platform. They were modern when compared to the previous LeSabres, and were still nice, smooth, quiet cars. Here’s what the trunk compartment looks like (a very nice detail showing the Buick cap in the back window), and here’s a 1988 Buick brochure showing the LeSabre on pages 8 and 9.
Wearing classic 1990s mouse-fur velour seats (leather was available), full power features, and a console that houses the automatic shift lever. The no-airbag era is interesting to look back on now, and this car has automatic shoulder belts. I’ve mentioned how little I like those in the past, so I won’t say it again, even though I just did; sorry. This is the only glimpse we see of the back seat, but I expect it to be as perfect as everything else looks.
The engine is Buick’s 3.8-liter fuel-injected OHV V6, which had around 165 horsepower and 210 lb-ft of torque when new. Power is sent through a four-speed 4T60 automatic transmission to the front wheels, and the seller says it runs great, but the brake booster makes a “sighing” sound when you press the pedal, and the transmission cooling line started leaking, so they fixed it with a couple of hose clamps rather than ordering and installing a new line. Any thoughts on Batman’s commuter car?
If you buy this, don’t accidentally set off the grappling hook. No one is sure where the button is.
I remember seeing one in the showroom, in 1988, when new and parked right next to a unsold 1987 Buick Grand National…..The Salesman told me this was their attempt to continue the “look” of the GN…..