Looking almost like a 1940s film noir closeup of an actress, with the cloudy sheen on the lens or whatever is going on here, this 1973 Buick Riviera looks like a fun project despite the less-than-perfect photos. The seller has it listed here on eBay in Spokane, Washington, there is no reserve, and the current bid price is $2,025 with two days left to get your bids in.
The ’72 Riviera is the one to have because it has a nicer and much smaller front bumper, but this car still has the classic features of that year for the most part. The third-generation Buick Riviera was made for model years 1971, 1972, and 1973 and this car appears to be Willow Green, albeit a very faded Willow Green. The seller says this car was sitting in a field since 2006 and was next to a brush fire so that’s why the paint looks that way, and why some marker light lenses are warped.
The body is said to have very little rust-through, just on the “dog legs” by the rear wheel arches and it’s just surface rust otherwise. There are no photos of the inside of the trunk because the previous owner lost the keys, popped out the ignition, and damaged some of the rods in the steering column, so they can’t get into the trunk and it’ll need a new steering column to be usable.
And, the interior needs work. It doesn’t look horrible inside from what we can see with the oddly blurry photos. They say that some parts can be cleaned but some things will need to be replaced. The back seat looks almost perfect and it’s hard to beat the profile of this generation of Riviera, it’s long, low, and sleek. Hagerty is at $9,400 for a #4 fair-condition car, just as a reference.
The engine is Buick’s 455-cu.in. OHV V8 with 250 horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque. It sends power through a Turbo-Hydramatic 400 transmission to the rear wheels. This one will need to have that steering column fixed and a new ignition before the next owner knows how it runs. They bought it in running condition but then the key/ignition/steering column issue came up and hopefully that can be fixed so this car can get back on the road again. Any thoughts on this Riviera?
I really like the boat-tail Rivieras. My late father drove these when they were new. They were cool then, and still cool now.
Another ’73 GS came up for sale near me, and I went to see it. It was in similar shape, but running/driving (with keys). My thought was to get it into decent “driver” condition. I spent a few hours going over it and doing the math. My conclusion was, even with me doing most of the work, I would still be upside down, when done.
I think this car will be the same. Decent drivers can be had in the $20K range, and this one needs everything…..
To me the two best scenarios for this car are parts, or resto-mod.
The reality of a car that’s been sitting in a field is floor pans are shot and more than likely trunk floor as well. Odd that the keys to the trunk are missing. Cadaver in the trunk? Too many unknowns and unanswered questions. You would be no better off buying a boat sitting in the desert. IMO
Somehow those big bumpers worked on the 73 riv