Buick’s midsize A-body car was all new for ’73, as were all of its GM cousins. Buick’s nomenclature was a bit confusing, but what wasn’t was how much this Century series had changed from its 1972 predecessor. Today’s discovery, courtesy of  Jack M., is a Regal coupe, Buick’s top drawer model from the new Colonnade series. It appears to be all original and resides in Sag Harbor, New York. Interested parties will find it here on craigslist, where it’s available for $6,500.

The Colonnade body design was introduced in late ’72 as a ’73 model, stayed in production through ’77, and covered four of GM’s five divisions, including the Chevrolet Chevelle, Pontiac LeMans, and Oldsmobile Cutlass. Body styles were three: a two-door coupe, four-door sedans and station wagons – hardtops and convertibles were a thing of the past. At Buick, the mid-sized cars were all referred to generically as the Century. The trim levels were the Regal Colonnade, Luxus Colonnade, the 350 Colonnade, and the standard Colonnade. While the Regal was a two-door only body style, the other trims were produced in four-door sedan and station wagon styles. Not to be forgotten was the performance-oriented Gran Sport, which made a return engagement for ’73. The consensus regarding these new Colonnade body styles appears to have engendered a love-it-or-hate-it position. Styling, as I often say, is subjective, but these 1973-1977 models are a radical departure from the beautiful lines of the ’72 Century/Skylark, a design that was, arguably, one of Buick’s best and hard to improve upon. That said, 91K buyers decided that they would really rather have a ’73 Buick Regal coupe.

The seller claims, “All original, good condition, 39,207 original miles.” Examining this car, I’m having a tough time with that mileage claim; there’s no provided documentation, though the originality is apparent. We’re told this Regal has been on a ten-year siesta, and it still looks pretty fair. The finish is faded, there’s a contusion or two, but the vinyl top has survived the test of time, there’s no indication of rust, and all four original wheel covers are still in place – a true surprise at this point.

Basic Buick power in 1973 was a 150 net HP, 350 CI “Buick” V8 engine. GM hadn’t yet gotten into that hide-the-weeny business with their engines in ’73, so the four non-Cadillac divisions all had their version of a 350 engine. All four, however, had the same challenges with ever more stringent emission control rules, thanks to the Clean Air Act of 1970. Lower compression ratios, EGR valves, reprofiled cams, and A.I.R. pumps lead to miserly HP outputs. And at a time when GM’s cars were getting heavier, in some part due to mandated five MPH bumper standards, performance was out the window, and poorer fuel mileage was the order of the day. Three-speed manual transmissions were still standard equipment for Regals, but our subject is equipped with the typically found Turbo-Hydramatic three-speed automatic transmission.

The seller states, “interior good shape driver seat needs reapolstry (sic).” And that does appear to be the case, as the driver’s side of the front bench seat bottom is losing its blue vinyl upholstery. Beyond that, the rest of the seating surfaces are either showing wear or mould (or both), and belie the condition one would expect to find in a 39 K-mile car. The remainder of the interior environment has a grimy bearing about itself.

Conclusion? I’m probably not the one to take an objective position. I spent a lot of ’73 and ’74 working on Colonnade cars at a Chevy dealership and was never terribly impressed. They rode, handled, and braked well, but cheap materials, indifferent workmanship, a plethora of rattles, and somnolent power detracted from the driving experience. That said, I know many appreciate this version of GM’s intermediate A-body, and they did sell quite well. Let’s talk price; at $6,500, do you think this one is priced right or not quite?