After many years of a car being introduced to the market, it is used, sold, traded as a second-hand vehicle, and then eventually retired out of the market due to natural selection or extinction due to some design flaw/shortcoming. It’s simply the circle of life of an automobile. When a vehicle that stood out at its time of introduction as being truly beautiful or possibly saving a brand shows up as an ordinary used car, it’s like seeing the high school baseball superstar bagging groceries.  The Buick Riviera had the nameplate and the looks to earn a fair amount of notoriety when introduced, but now, it’s a used car like any other. This 1998 model listed here on craigslist is said to be in near 10 out of 10 condition according to the seller, and is offered with an asking price of just $3,450.

The Riviera was once the golden child of the so-called “personal luxury car” era when domestic manufacturers cranked out big-body vehicles that prioritized land mass and indulgent accommodations. There was very little thought given to performance or handling characteristics, and certainly next to no consideration for fuel economy. When consumer wallets began to feel a squeeze and fuel economy came into focus as a priority, the booming personal luxury car market went out with a whimper, and nameplates like the Riviera were forever changed. The 5th, 6th, and 7th-generation Rivieras were truly a fraction of what the car once represented, both in terms of scale and grandeur.

Then, the 8th generation models shows up, and seemingly restores some order to the world where a Riviera is considered a badge of honor if one occupies a spot in your driveway. The completely transformed car combined big coupe styling with a clean-sheet interior design that featured front heated bucket seats for the 1998 model year. Power still went through the front wheels, as it did once downsizing began generations earlier, but that didn’t necessarily translate into any significant downside. It was a beautiful car that seemingly signified a rebirth for both the nameplate and for Buick in general.

And, in 1998, the legendary supercharged 3800 V6 became the standard engine, offering brisk acceleration with a run to 60 in under seven seconds. A year earlier, the gearbox was beefed up with a stronger torque converter, and the overall engineering of the model seemed locked in by ’98. However, sales figures still weren’t what they needed to do, and the model was permanently retired in 1999. The seller’s car looks quite clean with a reasonable 111,600 miles on the clock, and he claims to be a local body shop owner who has prepared the car for sale with new tires and brakes. For the asking price, you could do far worse for a daily driver, and to park something that still looks this good in your driveway for under $5K is almost unheard of. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Curvette for the find.