This 1962 Buick Electra 225 hides its light under a bushel. Looking beyond its tired paint, it is a rock-solid classic with no immediate needs. The owner’s recent big spend mechanically ensures it is a turnkey proposition the buyer can enjoy immediately. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Curvette for spotting the Electra listed here on eBay in Addison, Illinois. It could be yours for $17,999, although the seller will consider offers.
The seller purchased this Buick in 2023, concentrating on ensuring the car was in excellent mechanical health. They ignored its cosmetic needs, with its aged Regal Black paint giving the car a genuine survivor feel. However, with no dings or dents, it appears a cosmetic refresh would be pretty straightforward. The seller confirms that the underside is as clean as a whistle, and the only apparent rust is confined to small spots in the door corners and lower rear quarter panels. They all appear too minor for patches, so zapping them with a MIG welder might be all that is required to eliminate those minor weaknesses. The trim looks exceptional for a classic of this vintage, and would really stand out if the buyer applies fresh paint. The tinted glass is clear, and the Buick rolls on sports wheels, wrapped in new Kumho radial tires.
We’ve reached the point where we can discuss this Buick’s strongest attribute. Lifting the hood reveals a 401ci “Nailhead” V8 that produced 325hp and 445 ft/lbs of torque when this car left the factory. The first owner paired the V8 with a two-speed Dynaflow automatic transmission and power steering and brakes. This classic would have provided competent performance by the standards of the day, but recent work suggests it may be able to surpass its original capabilities. Since becoming its custodian, the seller has installed a new four-barrel carburetor, a timing chain, a water pump, a fuel pump, a battery, and new hoses. They performed a fluid change and treated the Nailhead to a recent tune-up. The final piece of the puzzle is a fresh, professionally installed stainless steel exhaust. The seller provides this YouTube video, which shows the car in action. It runs and drives perfectly, with no issues or obvious problems.
The seller’s enhancements didn’t end with this Electra’s drivetrain. They fitted bucket seats with Black vinyl matching the back seat. A console adds to the luxurious feel, as does the air conditioning, power trunk release, and factory radio with an FM converter. The interior isn’t perfect because the pad has cracked in a couple of spots due to age. However, the upholstered surfaces are free from major problems, the carpet isn’t ripped, and the headliner is perfect.
This 1962 Buick Electra 225 may need a cosmetic refresh, but its lack of significant rust and healthy drivetrain mean the buyer could perform the work as time and circumstances allow. This classic has generated respectable interest, with sixteen people placing it on their Watch List. The seller’s price is probably slightly optimistic, and it would be fascinating to discover how flexible they are on the subject. What do you feel would be a fair figure, and are you tempted to pursue this Buick further?
Is the floor mounted shifter on the console operational? If so why not remove the column shift stalk?
Extremely cool. Just not $17k cool. More like $8k max.
Biblical reference at the beginning. I like it and the car.
Column shift still in place ??
I was thinking the same thing.
Yes, that console is incorrect for the year. It’s a 1963-64 style Wildcat console. If this car had a console when new, it would be a completely different style, with no shifter in the console. Wheels are incorrect for 1962 also. Too many modifications for my taste.
Sharp.
Nice to see a big ride with conventional glass.
Very impressive. The seller makes a great case for this car, but the non working console shift
and that jury rigged exhaust system make me a bit hinky. Needs a factory exhaust all the way back to the rear bumper complete with resonators to satisfy me. What a great car to take Angel 😇 out on a date 📅
But as all of you know, she’d have
to drive us to dinner and karaoke 🎤 And that way, I could hold her
hand ✋ as we cruised. Seeing
this car reminds me of the song
Vehicle by the Ides Of March.
🎵🎶 Well I’m the friendly
stranger in the black
sedan. Woncha hop
inside my car.
I got kisses, candy,
I’m a lovable man
and I can take you
to the nearest star.
I’m your vehicle baby.
I’ll take you anywhere
you wanna go.
I’m your vehicle woman.
By now I’m sure you know
that I want you, (want you)
need you (need you)
I want you gotta have you
child. Great God in heaven
you know I love you.🎵🎶
Sorry folks, big black cars like this one make me wanna go and play some music 🎵 🎶!
Yeah, Summertime Blues – Eddie Cochran for me.
Wish I could tell you just how many times I played that song over nearly 23 years as a traveling musician. Suffice it to say that If I had a dime every time I played it, I’d be filthy stinkin comfortable today. I remember opening for Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels in the summer 🏝️⛱️of 1970. Except for Devil with
the blue dress on, most of the tunes they covered were old ’50s
rock standards. Oh, it really freaked me out when he was doing Devil With The Blue Dress
On and his lead guitarist did a solo and they jumped right into
Good Golly Miss Molly. I can tell
you that my 15 year old self stood there with my mouth open
completely aghast at what I was
seeing! And to make it worse, they jumped right back into the
song they were singing before including all the chord changes!
It was Mitch Ryder who told me to always keep the crowd guessing and shake ’em up once in a while. He was a really nice guy who’d help you out with anything musical if he had the time. I sure learned a lot from him. And yeah, he DID teach me
how to switch to another song on the fly 💸. And boy, did it shake
’em up on the theater and package 📦 show circuit in the ’70s. Yeah Bluesman, it’s been
maybe 35 years since I retired from the business, but those old
songs have a habit of sticking with you. Especially with the crap
they try to pass off as music 🎵🎶 today! Good times and great music 🎵🎶
I had a ’62 Electra 225 convertible. Mom’s had a ’62 Invicta convertible at the same time.
This looks terrible in black.
And where are these people getting their pricing from?
Hi honey 🍯. That must’ve been really something to see with both
you and your Mom owning the same car. Sure wish I could’ve seen it. And you were, without doubt, a beautiful young lady driving around town in that drop top. And I’ll bet you used that Joisey charm of yours to beat the guys off with a stick 🏒. But this
car isn’t that. Since it codes out as a black car, a major repaint would be in order. But you’re right dear, this thing DOES look
really sinister the way it sits now.
That God awful center console has got to go! And if you absolutely have to have it, get the correct unit or have one made from factory photos. Next, get some WSW tires and wrap them
around some really classy wire wheels for that polished look. And once all that stuff is gone, I
could just see you driving us to dinner on a date night 🌃 and then on to Old Town for a Saturday night cruise. And then,
we’d stop at this Karaoke 🎤 bar
I know so I could sing to you. Compared to some of the dates you went on, this might be considered tame, but it’s the best
I can offer up. And there you have it, an old man”s fantasy. And lest I forget a plaque that I
would put on the front of the car
Which would read: MAFIA STAFF CAR. KEEPA U HANDS OFF! I’m
sure Uncle Carmine would approve. 🎵🎶You know I’d go from rags to riches🎵🎶
Hi Ken,
Yes, I wish I had a picture if the two Buicks in the driveway. Mom’s was kind of a teal with a white top and teal interior and mine was baby blue with a white top and baby blue interior.
Hers being the Invicta had less chrome trim, different taillights, not too many options except for p/s and p/b, auto, radio, clock.
Mine being the 225 had all that plus p/w, p/l, p/t, lots of chrome.
Both had the 401 4bbl nail head.
I really miss that car.
I traded it in for a new 1972 MG Midget. Something so small it could practically fit in the Buicks trunk as a spare. Had that for 18 months, sold it and went back to the land yachts, a 1971 Imperial LeBaron.
Anyway, thanks, Ken. Appreciate you.
Thanks for all those YouTube you sent also.
Anytime honey 🍯. It kinda makes my day and lets me know
that my email still works. I sent you a video 📷 of a 1 of 1 Cadillac RV Build. Now so know you’ve seen Cadillac campers before but never like this one.
They should’ve had it towed back to their shop where they could’ve
done everything right instead of
nearly ruining the engine. But that’s what knuckleheads do. They screw around until they eff
everything up. I found some Packard stuff this morning and it was really quite good. Still wanna take a ride with you in this car.
Hi Ken,can u tell me,was Mitch Ryders song Devil in a blue dress or Sock it to me baby banned from radio in late 60s?
That was when payola was in full steam ahead, regardless of any laws.
Manufacturing a ban was a real good ploy. Bring it to a politicians attention, gin up the response. Pretend to represent upstanding citizens. Getting the politician to ask for a public ban was the gold standard.
Inevitably, some station complies. Which turns the dial and sells records.
I think around $6500 is tops , the car is kinda rough all around . Drivetrain sounds good but mickey moused it with the side exhaust . Dreamin’ at $17,900 !! Lol…
Yep. $6500 is kind of a “no-risk/low-risk” price to pay, which means that the buyer can probably find another buyer in that range rather quickly.
Sellers in the old car business have not yet gotten the email that all old car buyers today are risk averse, and will be from now on. It’s a hobby again, not the “investment ploy” that the auction houses promoted.
It was Sock It To Me Baby TC. Came out in late ’67 or early ’68.
They got the idea from Laugh In
where Judy Karne always said it on the show. The censors and a lot of other people thought that it had something to do with sex. But I don’t think that was the case. And as we all know, people are curious creatures that will go
down to the record shop and buy
the record ⏺️ just to see what the
ruckus was all about. Now you take the song Louie Louie by the
Kingsmen. The censors rushed to judgement and banned 🚫 the
song without ever knowing the
story behind it. It seems that the
lead singer for the group had just
gone to the dentist office BEFORE
the recording session that day. The lead singers mouth was so
swollen that all that poor fellow
could do was to mumble the words he was singing and the censors pounced. It’s that way in
literature too. If a book 📖 was
banned in Boston, your first response is to go down to Barnes
& Noble, buy the book and see what the stink is all about. And
like anything elee that’s taboo, people will always find ways to either read or hear something that someone else has deemed
off limits. And that folks, is how best sellers are made and millions of records are sold.
It was Sock It To Me Baby TC. Came out in late ’67 or early ’68.
They got the idea from Laugh In where Judy Karne always said that on the show. The censors and a lot of other people thought it was something to do with s*x,
but I think it may have been something different than that. And as we all know, people are curious creatures who always want to find out why something is
Banned 🚫 by going down to the
record shop, buying the record, and finding out for themselves just what the ruckus is all about.
It’s the same thing in literature too. If a book was banned 🚫 in
Boston, your first response is to go to Barnes & Noble, buy the book, read it and hopefully find out what the stink was all about.
Now you take the song Louie Louie by the Kingsmen. The censors rushed to judgement and
banned the song without knowing the story behind it. It seems that the lead singer for the
group had gone to the dentist office BEFORE he went to the recording session that day. His mouth was so swollen afterwards that was a was all that poor fellow to sing the song
properly. All he could do is mumble the words he was singing and the censors pounced.
And millions of kids bought the record and turned it into a huge hit. And it’s been like that for years. Whenever someone tells us that something is taboo, that’s
when we take an interest in it to
find out why it was made a taboo
in the first place. That’s how books become best sellers and
records become million sellers.