The Wildcat started out as the Buick Invicta’s sport model in 1962, and soon replaced the Invicta in the line-up. By that time, the car had a whole range of body styles, like this 1969 Wildcat four-door sedan. You could haul the whole brood around in this buggy, which should live up to its name with a once potent 430 V-8. This may be a low-mileage survivor previously owned by a senior citizen and it’s been in storage for about 12 years. You could seek it out in Tucson, Arizona where it’s available here on eBay. The seller set a low reserve that has already been met with the bidding now at just $2,338.13.
The seller’s car has seen little-to-no action since being parked under a desert carport in the last decade. Mileage on the odometer says just 27,000, which could be possible as the previous owner was an older person who drove it very little. The body is generally sound, but dirty with a bit of rust around the back glass and trunk lid and surface rust on the undercarriage. The paint is not original, but the color is, as the seller believes it got a respray in the 1980s. The chrome and trim work seem to be in order although a part of one side door protection strip seems to be missing. All the glass is good, except for a few chips in the front windshield.
When you open the doors, you see a car that has been used, but not abused. The front bench seat has a tear or two and the carpet is faded, so those items will need to be addressed. The door panels are fine, but all the armrests will need to be recovered. The windows all roll up and down, but the tracks may need to be cleaned out to make them roll easier. The fuel gauge seems to be stuck on full, but the tank is not. The car has working factory air conditioning, but it doesn’t blow cold, so hopefully a shot or two of freon will take care of that.
The big 430 cubic inch V-8 starts up and runs, but the carburetor has issues, as does the gas tank. For now, it runs off a small fuel canister under the hood. The buyer will likely need to rebuild the carb, replace the lines and possibly the pump, as well as flush out the fuel tank. The seller has driven it around the block and says the transmission shifts okay. The tires are older and mismatched, so a new set of Goodyears (or your preferred brand) will be needed, too. The oil has been changed as well as the various belts.
So, overall, this seems to be a mostly solid and complete car. When the Wildcat name comes up, most people think of a hot, full-size hardtop or convertible, but they came in sedans like this one, too. If it was a two-door hardtop or convertible in super condition, it might bring $20,000. But the number of doors and the need for a good refreshing from sitting all these years will bring the value down. But at the current level of bidding, someone could end up with a nice desert bargain.
Russ the 425 nailhead was only produced from 1963-1966. The engine in this car is probably the final year 430 cubic inch, which would grow to 455 in 1970.
Thanks, I’ll adjust. The seller calls it a nailhead.
When I first started driving, my grandmother had a 67 Wildcat. I always offered to wash and fill with gas. Real reason? Nothing else smoked one tire as long or as far as it did.
Nice find.
Almost bought a ’70 ‘Cat back in high school. Black/black coupe. This ’69 would have the 430. The 430 is not a nailhead as Pat L points out. It is a Buick big block, like the new for 1967 400 and the 1970+ 455.
It was a light engine for its size. A 455 weighed 150 pounds less than a big block Chevy and only 25 lbs more than a small block Chevy. The early 455s also made over 500 lbs/ft of torque.
This is the most homely looking ‘Cat I have ever seen. As this was an upscale model, they usually had vinyl roof and all the bells and whistles.
I agree, the 1963 and 64s were the nicest looking IMO. 1965s and up just looked like gussied up LeSabres.
Oh, I just meant the equipment level on this particular car, not the model itself. But yes, the earlier cars were more distinctive. After 1964, you needed a sharper eye to tell a ‘Cat from a LeSabre. When they went to the Centurion for 1971, it got even harder to distinguish them. Buick ultimately killed the “mid-range” full sized model for 1974.
Beautiful looking car. I love original survivors. I don’t mind patina as long as it’s only on the surface and doesn’t have holes in the body. My grandparents had Buicks in the 50s and 60s, even into the 70s. I don’t recall them ever having a 69 or 70 Wildcat.
An a/c that is “working but not blowing cold air” is much like “ran when parked”
Just my style! Too bad I got stupid and
bought an ’01 Ram 1500 project truck.
The kids might think I’m nuts, but I like it
a lot. Would be a great way to get back
into the hobby without breaking the bank. You say it’s homely, so what! Any
plain Jane is a good starting place to build the car you really want.
If “meh” were a car, it would look like this. It’s a nice, honest survivor and a cheap way into the hobby, but it won’t inspire much passion.
The summer after I graduated (75), my dad gave me a ’69 Wildcat convertible that he’d bought from a transferring Army guy for $450. Seems like the breather said Wildcat 432-four barrel on it. One thing that I do remember for sure is that I could hardly turn a corner without fishtailing, and I couldn’t find top end for fear that the top would rip clean off. Gas was about forty-five cents, and I burned $35 in three days. Living in Panama City Beach, we could drive out on one end of an old bridge, let down the top, and fish all night from the back seat – I did say fish, didn’t I? Magnificent stereo – power everything – man, that Buick was a ride!