For a very long time, one of the best options for “cheap wheels” was any big General Motors product with a 3800 under the hood, because they were well-known for lasting at least 200,000 miles, even if the body was disintegrating around you. Don’t look now, but the 3800 hasn’t been offered in a new GM in over 15 years, and those Impalas, LeSabres, Electras, and Park Avenues are getting a little long in the tooth to be reliable daily drivers (at least in Michigan where I live). Therefore, it might be time to reevaluate the status of the big GM front-drivers as collectibles. For example, this 1990 Buick Park Avenue is now 35 years old and has only 83,000 miles on it. Unfortunately, the transaxle has failed, and it is being sold on craigslist in Bethpage, New York. Barn Finds reader Zen sent us the link, and this Buick could be yours for $700.
In retrospect, Buick was really on its game in the 1980s and 1990s. They were selling handsomely styled sedans in addition to Grand Nationals and GNXs. They had an active racing program in both NASCAR and CART. In 1999, when it was (sadly) closed, “Buick City,” the facility in Flint where Buicks were built, won a J.D. Power award for assembly plant quality. Buick’s styling has aged well, in my opinion; there is no way that this Park Avenue looks like a 35-year-old car. And perhaps Buick’s greatest success was the 90-degree 3800 V6; loosely based on their own 1962 198-cubic-inch V6 architecture, the 3800 was introduced in 1988. It had balance shafts, “on-center” bore spacing, sequential fuel injection, and more upgrades that helped it to produce 165 horsepower and a useful 210 lb.-ft. of torque, all while delivering highway mileage in at least the mid-20s.
The seller says that this Park Avenue is in beautiful condition inside and out, with no rust, dents, or broken lights. It looks like the back seats have never been used (honestly, the front seats look amazing for being 35 years old). If you repaired the transmission and checked out all the perishable items in the cooling system and suspension, this could easily be a reliable daily driver today.
But as I said, it might be time to start thinking of this Buick as a collectible; I know it would still be valued in its Flint, Michigan, birthplace. My dad took me for a tour of Buick City in 1986 when I was nine years old, and I still remember it today: All those LeSabres being welded together at the beginning of the tour and being driven off the line at the end. While the plant itself is long gone, it’s nice to see that some of those Buicks are still around, and I can imagine that someone will jump on this one soon.
Super comfortable car with a reputation for reliability and longevity, I’ve seen these with over 200k miles on them. I wish I could buy it, it’s definitely worth putting a tranny in and riding in comfort. Too bad Buick doesn’t even make cars anymore, and their SUVs come with hard seats and 4 cyl. turbos.
Honestly I think these and the Olds 98 of this same vintage were about the nicest looking cars, even to this day. Love this body style.
Well worth the asking price and getting the trans rebuilt. My 04 Impala has the 3800 V6 and is going strong at 215K. You can look on YouTube and see a report of an 04 Impala with the 3800 that went 590K. Certainly one of the best engines ever.
Even if a new transmission costs $2500, this car is well worth the investment! It will run for many more years!
Sorry guys, I just don’t see it, sometimes you just have to let it go. Time is up!
A bad 440T4? So what else is new.
I was a GM dealership parts guy from 1980 to 1995. I well remember one of our fastest moving parts, number 8658903, which was the reman 440T4 transmission for the 1985 and possibly 1986 version of this car.
This car came with the upgraded 4T60. Failure at this mileage was unusual, although due the lack of use, that may be the cause.
rebuilt trans for 1200.00. you could have a good hooptie for about 2grand. if it were new i would not hesitate but i hate working on these with the way the hood opens
Wish it was closer. I’ve got my mother’s 1990 she stopped driving when she had a stroke at 92, and, while it’s got a perfect engine and trans (under 100,000), the subframe rotted off the body mountings, making the car immovable. $700, plus swap what I’ve already got? 1 + 1 = 1 great one. But, distance makes transporting it a deal breaker. Oh, well.
In the mid-90s, I bought a ’86 Electra 380 (Limited). Seller had paperwork proving an engine & transmission replacement. And a Georgia car. First thing I did was lose those flex wire wheel caps, which made the car sound like it was falling apart going down the road. Later found a decent headliner replacement at a salvage yard.
When I first filled up the tank, it leaked away under the car. Turned out the previous owner had mounted his cell phone base under the back seat cushion and the screws put holes in the top of the tank! Being in Mn., the best tank I found was the one already on the car. So we patched ‘er up. I added rear glass with the defogger which meant finding a different climate control panel.
Good car while I had it.
They were great cars, had plenty of power and got great mileage. Those 3800’s were very efficient and outlasted most all other engines of their time, with proper maintenance.