The owner of this 1969 Buick Skylark admits that whilst the car runs and drives, it does need some work. The information that the owner provides is pretty scant, but this is a tidy looking car that might not need a lot of work before it is fit to be used on a regular basis once again. The Skylark is located in Oakland Hills, California, and has been listed for sale here on Craigslist. With an asking price of $5,500, it is possible that this Buick could represent a great project car at a relatively affordable price. I have to say a big thank you to Barn Finder local_sheriff for referring the Skylark through to us.

The owner of the Buick only supplies two exterior photos of the vehicle, and they are both of the passenger side. The Twilight Blue paint that the car wears shows some shine, but the fact that it doesn’t show any chips or marks, coupled with the fact that it doesn’t have a deep gloss, suggests to me that the car has been the recipient of a recent repaint, but that this hasn’t been buffed or polished at this point. The panels appear to be nice and straight, and there are no obvious signs of any rust issues. The glass looks to be in good condition, while the condition of the exterior trim and chrome looks to be quite acceptable. Now I’m going to throw a left-field thought into the equation here. The owner is advertising the Skylark as a GS, but I’m not convinced that it is. There is no evidence of a GS badge anywhere on the exterior. Now, it is entirely possible that these were removed during the repaint, and have never been refitted. However, there is no badge on the grille, and when we take a look inside the vehicle, we can see that the door trims wear Custom badges. All of this would seem to suggest that the Buick might be a Custom and not actually a GS.

Powering the Skylark is a 350ci V8 engine, while the next owner will also receive a 3-speed TH-350 automatic transmission, power steering, and power brakes. While there is plenty of dust to be seen under the hood, the motor appears to be quite clean and free of any obvious fluid leaks. There is some wiring that I would be inclined to look at because some of the aftermarket additions are a bit untidy. It isn’t clear whether the engine has received any upgrades, but it is fitted with a dual exhaust. The owner states that the car runs and drives, but he doesn’t indicate whether it is actually roadworthy. It does look as though the Buick has recently received new tires, and it also looks like the alternator, fuel filter, and some of the fuel lines might have been replaced fairly recently.

The interior of the Skylark is generally quite tidy, and there is no reason why it couldn’t be used as it currently stands. The upholstery looks to be free of any rips, tears, or seam separations, while the carpet should present well if it was to be attacked with a vacuum cleaner. The dash itself looks quite good, but the dash pad does have multiple cracks. It could potentially be repaired, but the fact that a replacement pad can be sourced for around $240 would make it pretty tempting to simply swap the cracked item out. The steering wheel isn’t original, and with the center missing anyway, that’s another item that I would probably replace. Once again, I have undertaken a bit of quick searching, and I’ve had no trouble locating several secondhand genuine 1969 GS wheels in good condition for around $250.

This 1969 Buick Skylark definitely shows some potential, but I’m not convinced that it is a GS. Even if it isn’t, there is no reason why it couldn’t be transformed into a GS clone, which would give the next owner all of the inherent performance without the cost of purchasing a real GS 350. What do you think?