About 25 years ago, I decided that I was going to buy a first-generation Riviera the first chance I got, but because I was a young man at the time and a comedy of errors kept us apart, it took me over 20 years to finally seal the deal and buy my beloved ’63. Between then and now, I’ve had the good fortune to test drive several of them, and one that “got away” because I was being a cheapskate was a dark green ’65 with a green interior. I can’t say that I’m staying awake nights wishing I would have bought it (honestly, I like the ’63 better personally), but I would have lived a perfectly contented life with a green ’65 had I gone through with it. If you’re the kind of person to suffer non-buyer’s remorse, it’s time to jump on this ’65 Riviera on craigslist in Castle Rock, Colorado (brought to us by Barn Finds reader Mike F.). It’s advertised as a project, but it looks like a work-as-you-drive project to me.

So what makes this Riviera a project? The seller is not really forthcoming, but it doesn’t take a master sleuth to see that it hasn’t run this calendar year. It does have a new water pump, alternator, and Edelbrock carburetor, so there is hope that it runs, but the lack of a v-belt on the air compressor lets you know all you need to know about that. It’s also missing a battery, which gives me an opportunity to mention that a coat of rust encapsulator (or an anti-rust paint of your choice) would constitute a good weekend project. The engine itself is Buick’s 325-horsepower 401 “Nailhead.” The “Wildcat 445” sticker on the air cleaner denotes the torque rating, and all that torque was channeled through a Super-Turbine 400 transmission and 3.23:1 gears out back (a little lower than the standard 3.07:1 in Electras and Wildcats). The seller will include a new power brake booster, which is a finicky but not difficult task to replace. The toughest part is fitting the booster rod over its corresponding pin on the brake pedal.

This Riviera has the optional power seat and power windows, but it does not have the “Custom” interior option, which included fancier upholstery and door panels. This one does have new upholstery and carpet, and the seller will throw in a few goodies to finish the job, such as “door trim panel boards” and a new dash cover. New dash pads are not reproduced for Rivieras, but plastic glue-on covers are (and a new one appears to be sitting atop the dash loosely in this photo). I can say with some authority that removing the dash pad on an early Riviera is one of the easiest jobs of that nature you’ll do on a car; remove four screws, pull up and toward you, and you’re done. The hardest part is clearing the steering wheel.

For all this Riviera beauty (the paint appears to be Midnight Blue, by the way, an excellent choice), the seller is asking $15,000. That’s not a bad price, but I would prefer if it were obviously up and running. Given that ’65 Rivieras appear to be at the top of their value curve right now, I can’t imagine finding one in similar condition for much less. In all seriousness, if someone buys this one, please share with us how it works out. Some of us might be suffering from a pang of non-buyer’s remorse.