This 1963 Buick Skylark Convertible appears to be a nice car that has traveled a claimed 73,000 miles. It looks to have been kept in an environment that should assist to maintain it in good condition. You will find it listed for sale here on Craigslist. Located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, it is offered for sale with a clean title. The seller has set the price at $8,500 for the Skylark.
Unfortunately, the photos don’t tell us a great deal about the overall condition of the car, but what we can see looks encouraging. The seller is also a person of few words, but he does describe the condition of the car as “good.” Of course, this term can mean different things to different people. The white paintwork and blue soft-top is an attractive combination. The soft-top looks to be in quite good condition, but the rear window is badly discolored, and should probably be replaced.
The interior looks to be quite reasonable, and to be largely original. I think that the carpet may be a replacement, as the fit in the passenger side looks to be a bit odd. The dash and the seats look to be in fair condition, but I think that the seats would benefit from a deep clean. There are also some minor issues with the armrests on both doors. Once again though, any issues are hard to confirm, as the lighting in the garage is not conducive to making solid observations about color or cleanliness.
To me, this is one of the true highlights of this Skylark. The 215ci all-aluminum V8 is a sweet little engine, and this one is backed by the 2-speed Turbine Drive automatic transmission. It is a bit hard to tell, but I believe that this is the optional 215 with the 4bbl carburetor. If so, it delivered 200hp, which was quite impressive for a V8 with such a small capacity. The seller states that the car “runs excellent,” so that’s positive. It also appears that the car is fitted with power steering. The seller also states that the car does come with a spare engine and transmission as part of the deal.
There are times when I look at advertisements and get frustrated by the photos, and this is one of those ads. It is hard to make a definitive assessment of the car due to lack of written or photographic information. If this Skylark Convertible is in good overall condition, then it is an interesting proposition. Nice examples are fetching anywhere from $14,000 up to $26,000 at present, so with an asking price of $8,500 for this one, it could justify further investigation.
We had this car’s “negative” in blue with white top & same white interior.
Great car, roomy for what was supposed to be a compact. Typical for the time Buick floaty & leaning handling. Sketchy brakes when wet. Tiny 13″ tires.
200hp 215 V8 was awesome when fuel & ambient temps cooperated to keep it from spark-knocking due to 11:1 compression ratio. The full throttle kick down from about 40mph into first gear & 4-barrel opening up felt like a powerful a punch in the early ’80s.
Dad sold his to the local Buick dealer for his collection & it pops up occasionally in the showroom.
If this is corrosion free it’s a worthwhile buy i bet. Interested in the spare engine & trans…wonder if it’s high-comp also? i had one in a Vega with 4-speed for awhile. pretty fun & light hotrod.
My first convert. It was baby blue w/white top. Manual steering with optional pwr. windows and 15″ wheel/tire option. Sold it to buy a 1953 MG TD. Sure glad I got smarter when I grew up. Great car, wish it was still in my garage.
Nice combo
A car like this was my first paint job. Bought it out of a junk yard and they brought it to me on a fork lift damaging both rockers. Thanks fellas.
I loved that little engine. I always imagined putting it in a street rod after polishing it all up with it’s aluminum block. Mine even had factory air that was so cold it would freeze the chrome face plate and cover it with ice.
Am I the only one that thinks it’s a little weird that it runs great as the seller states but a spare engine and tranny comes with it.? Does it mean that it will need it very soon and just not telling us. Nice car don’t get me wrong. But it just sound strange to me.
I second that thought Guy. Or Possibly it’s just insurance against the unknown by the owner. Horrible photos.
Mike
I agree, some questions I’d want answered. Some parts are hard to find since they only made the engine three years, but most are plentiful because of Land Rover continuing production for decades. Maybe the extra engine was used to complete the car that’s for sale? And which extra transmission comes with it? The Dual Path automatic in these are a nightmare, always leaking. But again, short production run on that tranny, and parts are very hard to find. Four on the floor would be a blast! I’m always curious as to why a person puts a car up for sale using poorly lit photos in the garage. Makes me wonder if it actually runs, or if they’re hiding something else. I like these cars, I have a 62 Skylark convertible with that engine/transmission combo. Just would have a lot of questions before buying this one.
Ive got an MGB that would love that spare engine,Ive already got the T5 ,5 speed to go along with it.
I wouldn’t read to much into the extra engine. These are starting to be hard to find. The big thing in northern CA now is to put these in MGB’s and people are buying them as fast as the show up. I had two of these little Buicks back in the day, great little cars, fell in love with the engine and put them in several cars, Truimph GT6 and Truimph TR4. Have two engines now, one is going in a TR6 and the other one is going in a home built mid-engine AutoCross car hooked to a Suburu transaxle. Nice little car based on what has been said and the pictures.
So if the engine runs great and everything is kosher, why the hell wouldn’t you back the car out of the garage? This car seems like a bargain but this seller is hiding something. When selling something first impressions are everything. Being lazy is one thing, but make the decision to buy is another. Why make it more difficult to entice somebody to take it? People never cease to amaze me.
extra motor and tranny …. always good to have spares with an old car if you have the room to store them …
I owned a ’64 and loved every minute in it. The car lived in Los Angeles at the time., the top was never up, nice size for parking in a congested city. The aluminum heads melted and i sold the car to a mechanic after several years of joy. Someone buy this ’63.
I find it interesting that the 63-64 and 66 Skylarks shared similar corner tail lights, while the 65 tail lights were full side to side. I owned a 65 skylark coupe for several years, probably one of my better cars! (Although with the 2sp Turbo-Slide trans, it would have been snappier with the 3 speed!)
It has a newer PA antique plate on it (within the last 10 years) – so I doubt it’s been in that barn too long.
When I had my 65 Skylark Hardtop it had the full backend tail lights. The 65 Special had the small tail lights like these. That is on the west coast of Canada. Also had a 65 Sport Wagon & a 65 Olds 85 2 DR HT. Miss them all.
Family owned a few in these years. Grandpa had a beautiful 64 Skylark, maroon with the full taillight panel which delighted my then 4-year-old eyes. Dad bought a 67 Special for mom to drive. Finally, my senior year in high school I located a one-owner 67 Skylark with air. After charging the air system, the cold air indeed would frost up the chrome bezel around the center AC opening. Rear plastic windows are easy to make somewhat clear again using Brasso. Just don’t expect and optically-clear view out the back.