The LeSabre was Buick’s “bread and butter” car from 1959 to 2005. It was positioned below the Electra in terms of trim, much like the Chevy Impala was to the Caprice. The cars were part of General Motors’ downsizing initiative that began in 1977, so the seller’s sedan is lighter and shorter than its immediate predecessor. Located in Levittown, New York, and available some weeks ago here on Facebook Marketplace, this daily driver is offered for $4,800 with only a headliner being the stated flaw. Kudos to Dennis House for the tip!
In French, LeSabre stands for “the sabre” – an interesting naming choice on Buick’s part. As a full-size car, it took over for the Special and held its place in the Buick hierarchy well into the 21st Century. As a result of the energy crisis of the mid-1970s, GM started putting all their cars on diets starting in ‘77 and the B-bodies like the LeSabre came first. Though 800 lbs. and 10 to 15 inches shorter than before, the revised automobiles had more interior space for people and luggage (why didn’t they think of that sooner?). Buick built just shy of 20,000 standard LeSabre 4-door sedans and 104,000 LeSabre Custom 4-door sedans in 1977 (we’re not sure which applies to the seller’s car).
Though we’re told this auto runs great and is used regularly, there is no mention of what’s under the hood. It could be a 231 cubic inch V6, or one of three V8s (301, 350, or 403), all made by different divisions of GM. Whatever the case, the car has an automatic transmission and just 65,000 miles. Grandma’s runabout perhaps, driven only to church on Sundays and to the store?
We do know that the Buick has only had two owners and the only stated needed repair is above your head. The rest of the interior seems okay. The body looks fair from what we can tell, but the blue paint is faded and scratched in a few places. Some wax and elbow grease might rectify that. These were said to be good cars for their era, but not many are left running around these days.
Brings back memories of my youth. My first two cars were g bodies of this vintage. I can attest that they could take a licking and keep on ticking, and they handled reasonably well. Back seat was large enough for the usual teenage extracurricular activities. Comfortable ride and room for your friends. Hope this one is preserved and doesn’t receive the ridiculously oversized wheel treatment.
I said g body but I think actually these were b bodies. G body was the monte carlo of this era, IIRC
BTW, to answer your question, it’s a Custom (vs base LeSabre).
These were everywhere in Canada 🇨🇦 back in the day. Often in a green or brown hue 🎨
Ours was a ‘76 bicentennial edition. Blue interior and a blue pin stripe alongside a red pinstripe one a white four door body.
Nice to see an old car that used to be everywhere, these were nice, comfortable cars. A faded 4 door, no mention of the most important thing, the engine, and few options, I don’t see it going for much. If it has the Buick 231 V6, it’s junk. Any of the V8s were far better.