While the decade of the eighties was a challenging time for domestic automotive manufacturers, General Motors managed to hold its own, the Buick division in particular. The knives were drawn in the form of CAFE mileage standards, emission control rules, enhanced safety regulations, and the unrelenting march of foreign competition. That didn’t intimidate the General’s oldest division as they still pressed on with high-quality, well-built V8-powered, rear-wheel-drive luxury cars such as this 1984 Buick Electra Park Avenue. Today’s discovery, found by Mitchell G., boasts only 17K miles of experience, so let’s check it out and see if that’s the case. Mankato, Minnesota, is where you’ll find this exceptionally clean sedan, and it’s available here on Low Miles No miles for $26,900.

Electras were offered in two trim levels in ’84, Limited and Park Avenue, and either was available in a two or four-door body style. Total Electra production reached approximately 74,000 units in 1984, with 21,000 wearing the Park Avenue badge. I find it interesting that auto manufacturers don’t use established upscale geographical names like they once did; you know, Park Avenue, Fifth Avenue, New Yorker, St. Regis; even California names like Malibu and Catalina have fallen into disuse. Hyundai/Kia still favors Western locales, however, with models like the Telluride, Tucson, Palisade ( may want to rethink that one), and Santa Fe. I wonder what lower-priced models could be named today; maybe Buick Bayonne, Kia Cleveland, Chrysler Camden…No, on second thought, I guess that wouldn’t work.

The listing states, “The exterior retains its classic white paint…in remarkable condition, free from corrosion, rust, or any visible defects such as nicks, dings, or scratches. The full vinyl roof is intact and well-preserved…” This one is a classic in all its GM 1980s glory; it looks like it did the day it rolled off the Flint, Michigan assembly line. Where it has been all of these years is hard to say, but it has clearly been well stored. As the seller claims, “The overall condition reflects meticulous upkeep and careful use.” While this Park Avenue is a member of the downsized generation (’77-’84), it’s still a sizeable ride, stretching out at 221.3 inches while riding on a 118.9-inch wheelbase. The real shrink is in weight, where it tips he scales at 3,800 lbs.; its 1976 predecessor was 1,000 lbs. heavier!

I wish I’d bought futures in maroon velour fabric back in the early eighties; I would have made a killing considering how much of that stuff GM, alone, used across its five brands. And that’s the case here, in full pillow-top regalia. I gotta admit, it looks comfy, almost too much so; I’m afraid one might fall asleep while cruising America’s highways and byways at the 1984 double nickel posted speed limit. Anyway, the entire environment’s condition mirrors that of the exterior; it’s like new with nary a hair out of place. The faux wood is a bit overdone, but that was a mark of the times. The listing mentions that the A/C system has been converted to 134A refrigerant and the system is fully functional.

The engine is listed as a 305 CI, 5.0-litre V8, and that’s half right; it’s actually a 140 net HP, 307 CI (5.0-litre) Oldsmobile V8, coupled to a Turbo-Hydramatic 200R4, overdrive automatic transmission. The seller adds, “The car drives smoothly, with tight cornering, and systems including turn signals and cruise control function properly.”

Cheesy-looking wire wheel covers, or not, it’s hard to dislike this Electra Park Avenue – especially compared to the reasonable facsimile of an automobile that Buick produces today. I’ve read that the brand is only in existence today because it sells in China, but that’s a poor excuse for what GM has turned this once exalted brand into. But hey, you can relive Buick’s glory days with this almost new 1984 Electra Park Avenue, and say, “Yes, I really would rather have a Buick,” right?