Let’s cut to the chase, this 1965 Buick Electra 225 is a real Whammer-jammer – no doubt about it. Yeah, it’s big, that’s how the “225” designation is derived – its length. It’s supposed to be 225 inches (eighteen feet, nine inches!) in length though the official documentation puts it at 224.1 – close enough! The seller of this big Buick is being forced to sell due to an emergency and that’s a most unfortunate turn of events. Located in Torrance, California, this four-door hardtop is available, here on craigslist for $13,800.

OK, the finish is pretty ratty looking but beyond that this limo-sized four-door shows as OK. The trim is intact and I don’t see any sign of dents or crash damage. The image of the driver’s side isn’t as detailed as it could be. It reveals what looks like a lower section of the quarter that has been cut out and some rot in the lower fender leg. Back to the finish, the deterioration is typical for California, Arizona, etc. domiciled cars that have spent decades dealing with the hot sun. The horizontal surfaces go first (and that’s a lot of real estate on a car the size of this Electra) and in this case, the fade has crept down the sides. The wire wheel covers are an appropriate touch but it’s doubtful that they’re original to this car. As big as this boat is, it was also available in two-door form, imagine the size of the quarter panels on one of those!

The Great Plains sized hood covers over a 325 gross HP “Wildcat” 401 CI, “nailhead” V8 engine. It seems that in this case, that engine would be more of a “Tamecat” as this is a whole lot of steel to be lugging around and 325 HP is unlikely to facilitate that with alacrity though I suppose that non-original open-element air cleaner might help a wee bit.  Not disclosed is how this Electra motivates. It does have a Super Turbine 400 (Turbo-Hydramatic 400) automatic transmission which is a great improvement over the “Turbine Drive” that inhabited earlier Buicks.

The interior’s upholstery is a cloth and vinyl affair and still shows pretty well with the vinyl disclosing more of the wear. Interestingly, the front seat doesn’t match the rear one and the rear’s all vinyl covering seems correct. The odometer reads 41K miles but that’s not a claim to the actual mileage. Actually, considering the exterior’s aesthetics, the interior is in surprisingly good shape. Items like the dash pad, the top of the rear seat backrest, door panels, etc. are the things that usually take a beating due to the non-stop invasion of ultraviolet rays. In this case, they appear to have withstood the test of time.  A/C was still an option in ’65 and it appears this Buick is without – there’s no sign of an underhood compressor or the necessary dash vents.

You might be able to make a case for this Electra based on price per pound, but in aggregate, $13,800 seems a little high. More details, such as how this big car runs, drives, and stops, along with a listing of what works and what doesn’t would help to better cinch a deal, wouldn’t you agree?