There seems to be a new type of retro theme developing in the classic car scene. While vehicles like the First Generation Mustang and the Tri-Five Chevrolets remain a staple, buyers have begun to shift their gauge towards vehicles that emerged in the 1980s. We see it with cars like the Fox-Body Mustangs, but the trick seems to be to find something affordable. That’s where this 1986 Buick Somerset Limited could fill the void. It offers luxurious motoring with plenty of futuristic touches, and its overall condition is impressive for its age. The owner has recently spent some significant cash ensuring that it is in an excellent mechanical state but has also decided that the time has come for the car to head to a new home. It is located in Portland, Oregon, and has been listed for sale here on Barn Finds Classifieds. You could be driving away in this high-tech classic for a mere $5,500.
The owner says that the Somerset wears its original Code 40 White paint, and it presents extremely well for its age. It isn’t unusual to see these cars looking tired and dog-eared, but the overall condition of this one is well above average. There are a few minor nicks and marks, but nothing that would cause lost sleep. At the end of the day, this Buick has thirty-five years under its belt, so it would be unfair to expect perfection from a car that sees regular use. The panels are straight, and there are no rust issues for the buyer to worry about. Probably the thing that impresses me the most about this exterior is the state of the plastic. It shows no evidence of cracking or deterioration, and the painted sections haven’t discolored as you see on so many cars from this era. The trim is spotlessly clean, while the glass appears to be flawless.
Buick offered potential buyers a couple of engine choices for their new Somerset, and this car features the more desirable 3.0-liter V6 that produces 125hp. Those ponies find their way to the road via a three-speed automatic transmission, while power steering and power brakes are part of this package. The performance that Buick extracted was impressive in 1986, allowing the Somerset to gallop through the ¼ mile in 17.4 seconds. Our feature car is in sound mechanical health, and this is due to two factors. The first is that it has accumulated a mere 82,000 miles during its lifetime. The second factor is that the owner has recently spent $2,000 on the vehicle to address any potential shortcomings. The list is pretty comprehensive and includes flushing the cooling and braking systems, replacing the water pump, and installing new plugs and plug wires. When you add new tires, a new mass airflow sensor, a crank position sensor, and an oil and filter change, you can see where the money has gone. Place that expenditure against the asking price, and this Somerset looks like a better deal by the second. It seems that the buyer will have nothing to do but drive and enjoy this classic.
Buick marched to the beat of a different drummer during the 1980s, which explains why they produced turbocharged V6 muscle cars like the Grand National and GNX while other companies focused on extracting respectable power from their existing V8s. Nowhere was this lateral thinking more evident than when potential buyers looked inside the new Somerset. The gauges are all digital and must have looked like something from a sci-fi movie when this car was new. There are no analog dials, and the AM/FM radio is located in a unique “floating” pod above the heater controls. To add further to the quirkiness, the cassette player is fitted separately below those same controls. The overall condition of this interior is impressive, although there is one issue that the buyer may choose to address. The Red Sierra-Grain leather cover on the driver’s seat has some splits and damage. There is also a split visible on the center armrest, and locating replacements for both may be challenging. However, it would be worth the effort to consult a leather specialist because I believe that they could address these issues without charging a fortune. Otherwise, a set of high-quality slipcovers could hide the problem without spending a fortune. The remaining upholstered surfaces appear to be excellent, as are the carpet and dash. As well as leather and an excellent stereo, the buyer will receive air conditioning and cruise control.
Buick only produced the Somerset between 1985 and 1987, meaning that its stay in the new car market was short but sweet. The 1986 model year saw 75,620 examples roll off the production line, but spotting a tidy one today, particularly a V6 Limited, is a rare treat. I even searched through the thousands of cars that we’ve featured over the past decade here at Barn Finds, and this is the only one that we’ve ever seen. Couple those factors with the car’s quirky nature and overall condition, and it makes this classic worthy of a closer look.
I was just thinking about these generation of cars the other day having sold them when they were new. And now one pops up on Barn Finds!
I was more partial to the Grand Ams, but we did sell quite a few Somersets and Skylarks. If I remember correctly the Somerset was renamed Skylark at some point.
Great looking car, although my preference would be for whitewall tires with the wire wheel covers. Good luck to the seller.
Yeah, these were still produced thru ’91, but after ’87 they dropped the different Somerset badging for the 2-doors and just badged them all as Skylarks, same as the 4-door model.
Fun fact: although the 2-door N-bodies launched first, they actually designed the 4-doors first and derived the 2-door designs from that, because that approach tends to result in better-looking outcomes than the other way around. (Source: my uncle who was chief of the Pontiac design studio that did the N-body Grand Am.)
What a strangely optioned car. I expected to see an Iron Duke under the hood, so the 3.0 was a surprise. But what really stands out is that it has leather paired with crank windows and a digital dash.
This is a local car to me, and if I were interested, I’d want to see underneath, as NW cars tend to have rust issues for obvious reasons.
That said, seems like pretty clean car with an asking price that’s about $2500 to high.
This takes me back because i took my driver’s test in a 1989 skylark custom edition 4 door version of this, with the peppy quad 4 engine. It was this car that soured me on american cars and buicks. Why? This 89 had a odd problem of dying suddenly on the road then starting then immediately dying again. Ugh! Toyota loyal from now on!
Toyotas are very dependable cars, but in 32 years I would have tried at least one or two other brands.
I can see wanting something that gets the job done, point A to B, but Toyotas are SO boring.
If you play BeamNG.Drive, this looks like the Wendover
Nice on the outside, but you don’t want the digital dash or the unique radio to fail. I used to fix these in the late 90s and parts for them even back then were hard to get.
The body style was shared with the Cutlass Calais in those days, the Calais wasn’t equipped nearly as well as the Somerset.
What could you get on the Somerset that you couldn’t get on the Calais? (except for that odd radio).
Reminds me of the pristine Buick Century from the same timeframe I saw a couple days ago. It was like seeing a old ’80s sitcom on TV, I paused for a second and I thought not as good as I remembered before switching the channel.
Interesting how the Skylark name started on the most expensive Buick in 1953/1954 and worked its way down the ladder to the entry level Buick. Buick changed the Somerset to Skylark and previously the Apollo .
My aunt had one. I fail to see how it’s considered a collectible or a classic, it’s just another run of the mill GM, just like every other GM built during that era. Somebody help me understand?
The design of the seats look just like those from the 1986-1991 Buick Riviera. I had (2) Rivieras from that era, both with leather seats, and I found myself sliding in the seat at about every turn. There is no lateral support — period! Too bad about the driver’s seat splitting, and the design looks great in red.
I believe in the earlier Regals they built a Somerset and it was 2 tone blue and cream color
You are correct! Buick built a Somerset edition of the Regal coupe. I don’t remember if it was offered for one or two years. It was a dark blue and cream/tan combination. My girlfriend’s mother had one at the time and it was a nice looking car.
Yes – I had a 1980 Somerset Regal. Then, by chance bought a 1981 Regal Somerset II.
’80 had the Cream (Tan) and Dark Blue paint scheme and funky matching interior
’81 was dark brown with caramel two tone and inside was tan with dark brown piping. Matching turbine wheels, too.
Loved them. Rust took them away.
I was working in Sales @ a Buick Dealer in New Orleans when the first Somerset Regal (which was what they were called in the 1st Model Year) came off the hauler. Went over it inside and out, looked at the dealer and said–These aren’t going to sell very well. They didn’t.
I like these cars. And I have to sell mine. It has only 6400 miles no it. So it runs they well. Parts are getting had to find. You do not see these cars on the road anymore.
I had a 1987 two-door burgundy coupe with the V6.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THAT CAR!
Later sold it to my sister who loved it as well.
If I was ever able to run across one to barn find or wherever.
I WOULD ABSOLUTELY BUY ANOTHER ONE!
Thanks.
It’s up for sale right now in Tillamook, Oregon.
https://portland.craigslist.org/nco/cto/d/beaver-rare-1986-buick-somerset-make/7757988055.html