Red and black just looks perfect on some cars. This 1968 Buick Riviera shows off this combination very well in all the right places. Had the colors been reversed with black paint and a red top, the effect just wouldn’t work. And can you believe that the paint is from 1972?! Stunning. Find this rojo beauty in Loveland, Denver for $14,000 here on craigslist or saved here.
Rivieras are simply beautiful cars. In most years, the chrome was tasteful, the lines sharp, the power plentiful, and the quality top notch. Some people go for the early years, some the boat tails, some the first FWD gen, and some the last generation. It seems the late 60s version gets lost in the mix, but they shouldn’t. The styling on this 1968 is both luxurious and muscular. The black top and polished Rally wheels further help the red paint stand out. Rivieras always look great with hidden headlights and the way these tuck under the hood is both engineering and art.
Rust and rot look absent everywhere. The chrome is shiny, the black roof looks smooth, all the emblems are accounted for, the underside looks corrosion free, and the paint is holding up well. Someone has really given this vehicle a nice life. Under the hood the 430 V8 is very clean and almost factory fresh. Lots of new hoses, gaskets, plugs, distributor, and more means this Buick is ready to hit the highways. Be sure to take a thermometer to see if the R-134 conversion really is ice cold. My experience has been that older cars do not quite cool enough when converted due to less air movement from the mechanical fans. Don’t tell Al Gore, but I have converted a car or two back to R-12.
The spotless interior is almost too austere in black. Rivieras lost their own dash design this year, sharing with the full size models and losing a little bit of specialness. Some wood grain or two tone seats would really brighten up what is a near perfect interior, but then it wouldn’t be original. The seats, dashboard, and carpet all look like that were covered in clear vinyl protectors for decades and just recently uncovered. The only flaw noticeable is a crack in the steering wheel. All the real metal trim is still shiny, the radio still works, and the gauge needles are still orange.
The only thing I really question is the trunk carpeting. Any experts out there that can vouch for what looks like modern trunk flooring? Doesn’t matter, because this car is a knockout. Just try finding another this nice for the price. What is your favorite year for the famed Buick Riviera? Would you kick this 89K mile near original out of your garage?
The location so close
The price, so far…
Gahh…beautiful car, right in my neighborhood. The price…not in my neighborhood.
price is a deal if as described
My favorite body style Rivie. Soooo far away and pricey. Good thing.
Dad had a 1963 Rivi. Never ran the entire time i was a kid and none of us kids ever warmed up to it. The engine was blown, tires flat and had minor surface rust. Guess it was his toy before kids, haha. We did like to mess around in it though, it looked a lot like this one. Black interior was dam near immaculate. Dirty, but no burns, rips or cracking. He finally parted with it 5-6 years ago…for nearly nothing.
What a Beauty!
I’ll bet that the 430 sounds pretty impressive with those glass-packs instead of the quiet mufflers that it was delivered with. If it has additional resonators aft in the pipes, it *might* be ok on the ears. But for me, this not one of the 60’s cars that should be loud, it should be more subtle. At least until you tip into the secondary barrels of the carburetor!
Have never understood the appeal of glass-packs. My neighbor’s teen changed out the mufflers on his Titan PU — rattles the whole neighborhood. Nice Buick and would be treasured by a Georgia Bulldog fan (red and black).
I’m with you Billy Bob. My 1978 Thunderbird has the standard exhaust. My 26 year old son, and even some guys where I got it serviced, think I should put glass packs on it. I told him when I’m gone, you can do what you want with it, but I’m not paying for that noise.
Stunning, simply stunning.
Beautiful car, my favorite still 1963. Though I love the boatails too, just not as much as the 63.
’66 & ’67 Rivs were arguably the most beautiful American cars ever built. When real bumpers were added in ’68 to the Riviera and Toronado the Buick didn’t suffer nearly as much as the Olds did. This is a nice, nice car.
Where else are you going to find something this good for $14K? That may be all the money but it’s fair for a future classic.
I had a ’66 for a while, bought it for $5 hun and it got me around. I remember it had the bouncey speedometer that rolled the numbers at you.
I owned a 69 Riviera. Beautiful cruiser with muscle! Wish I hadn’t sold her. This is good price for this condition
I paid $1,400.00 for my 69 in 74.
It’s a long time ago, and you just can’t afford to buy back your youth.
Some day….
Sometimes you have to pay up for quality. Anyone would be money ahead buying this car rather than a project at 1/4 of the price.
Steve R
One of the most handsome cars ever.
I think it’s worth the money, and so do auction goers, who have recently bought these at a median price of $18,600 according to the SCM Guide.
And I can believe it.
Beautiful car. I had an early 70’s land barge that we coverted to 134, it worked great with the mechanical fan setup.
Beautiful. Heck of a great price too!!
Beautiful automobile. Other than the clock reference I really didn’t see anything that most would consider a turnoff. That would be one heck of a Sunday cruiser IMO. Now that Yellow Monte Carlo behind it in the garage pictures looks to have some merit to it from what little you can see.
They checked all the right boxes when ordering it IMO.
If I was in the market for something like this, I’d go take a look at it.
Just me, but if I had to sell one or the other, it would be the Monte. That Riv is killer!
People are talking about how much the asking price is but according to Hagerty this car is a STEAL if it is as advertised. Money aside, this is one sweet looking car; too bad the days of special cars are long gone; every Toyota looks the same (which helps the Camry), all the Lexus have that same awful front end, etc. I blame it on the first gen Acura Legend; unique styling seemed to go away after that. Where is Saab when you need them?
Couldn’t agree more !
I think the last chance Detroit took in styling was the “son of Kenworth” truck; remember when that front end came out? It got people talking, that is for sure. I read somewhere that Chrysler said they had such a small percentage of truck sales that it couldn’t hurt to try something new.
No power windows or seats? Very unusual. I’d also like to see the trim plate, as bright red was a rare color on these cars (but was listed as available).
That said, it looks great.
This is a no brainer, if I could I would just send him a check. This car will never be worth less money.
I like all Rivs. Over time, I’ve even come to appreciate the blah mid 70’s versions
I like this model, and the price doesn’t seem excessive for a good driver quality car. There is some overspray so I will go out on the limb and say I doubt it is a quality re-spray.
Beautiful car, especially in this color combo! ’68 is my favorite year of the Riviera.
Wow, now you’re talking my language ! I turned 16 in the early 80’s and with the help of my Dad, bought my first car. It was a 69 Buick Riviera GS in Trumpet Gold poly and a black vinyl top. The interior was bucket seats/center console with the horseshoe shifter (as opposed to the other shifter). My friends thought I was crazy buying an “old man car”, until I took them for a ride and opened her up ! I loved that car and was out polishing her every weekend, inside & out. After a year or so, a Toyota Corona pulled out right in front of me going slow, and I had a fender bender. The Toyota was unharmed, but the Riviera’s grill was crushed inward, as was the bumper, and AAA totaled it. I moved on to something else, but you never forget your first ! I felt horrible for ruining the front end of that car. I keep my eyes open for a clean one, hopefully in a good color, and definitely with the bucket seats setup. This one is a beauty, but I don’t think that’s a factory color. The Scarlet Red was a deeper color. Am I right?
Mechanical Fan? Somebody ‘splain to me please?
As opposed to an electric?
A fan mounted on the engine’s water pump.
Pat A,
Sorry for my flippant answer awhile ago. I re-read Cory’s write-up and Craig’s list ad about a half dozen times and finally found what you were referencing. It is a really bad habit to scan over everything you read and not really pay attention. I have several bad habits.
No worries, bruh. I’ve got some doozies myself
Nice car, but needs more power options as has been said, and definitely needs bucket seats and console to represent the sporting attitude it has going with that color scheme…priced accordingly.
My parents had a ’63 in the late 60’s. I have a picture of them and another couple standing in front of the car on Daytona Beach. My father told the story for years that he drove that car 130 MPH with four adults on the beach in Daytona. He loved that car. The man he sold it to lived 30 miles north of us and used it for a work vehicle later in it’s life. I saw it in the early 90’s with a couple ladders on the roof. Sad……
I never met a Rivi I didn’t like. They just stood for style. And for a good while, performance. Always had a thing for the early 60s models with the clam shell headlights. That was the…..!
Imagine seein it drive the sts of Europe @ the time.
Nothing would have compaired!
I owned a 68 River in the early 70’s. Drove it for about 4 years. I really enjoyed the car. I question the hood trim down the center. This trim surely looks like a flat 1969 piece. The 68 piece was a thin but taller hard chrome piece. I also don’t recall seeing a manual antenna that looks like a power antenna base. There is no power antenna switch below the fuel gauge, next to the courtesy light switch. Nice car with questions.
The neighbor lady across the street from me, growing up, had a Riv like this only it was a GS – sort of an olive color with dark green vinyl roof and matching bucket seat interior plus all the power goodies. She had every last bit of maintenance done on it by the Buick dealer. What a nice car that was. I love this body style.
That is amazing @russell s! I had the exact same experience here in Sacramento, except I bought it from her. A beautiful 69 with the GS package that was her deceased husbands car. Bought it in 1985 for $1500. Man I wish I still had that car!