Originally available as basically a fancy trim package on Buick’s rear-drive Electra Limited models in the mid-1970s, the Park Avenue became its own model, moved upscale, and the drive wheels moved up to the front of the car by the mid-1980s. The seller has this 2000 Buick Park Avenue posted here on craigslist in San Diego, California, and they’re asking $9.000. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Jack M. for the tip!
I probably didn’t have to say “Senior-Owned” on the title for this one, eh? Not many young folks own Buick Park Avenues. That isn’t to say that only people who are retired or collecting social security drive these cars. They are very nice, smooth, and quiet cars and are mostly reliable and fairly safe for the era. They can be good winter cars with front-wheel drive, and there are a ton of reasons why a lot of us would want to own one. The 16″ aluminum wheels shown here were standard on the Park Avenue.
Unfortunately, the seller is light on photos other than good examples of the exterior and interior. As in, there isn’t a photo with the trunk lid open, so we can take a peek at its 19.1 cubic feet of storage space. And the clincher, as is too often the case with craigslist ads: there is no engine photo. Sigh. Condition-wise, though, everything else looks fantastic from what we can see. The Titanium Blue Metallic paint appears perfect. Here’s a brochure on the 2000 Buick Park Avenue line.
The odometer shows 43,232 miles, and I love seeing the retractable cup holder poking out of the front center armrest. I miss that era when vehicles weren’t designed around where your cupholders go, and where the #$% 49″ flatscreen, junkbomb, warranty fodder media screen goes on the dash. Not that I’m bitter about that last one. The early 2000s may be the last somewhat simple era in vehicle design, when it wasn’t all about technology. There wasn’t even an iPhone yet in 2000. How did we survive?! (cough)
With no engine photo, I’ve included a photo of the beautiful back seating compartment, swathed in the same Medium Gray leather as the front. The engine should be a 3.8-liter OHV V6 with 205 horsepower and 230 lb-ft of torque. There was a supercharged version, but this isn’t the Ultra model. Power is sent through a Turbo-Hydramatic 4T65-E four-speed automatic to the front wheels, and the seller says it’s in excellent condition, and it sure looks like it is. Have any of you owned a similar Buick and used it as a daily-driver, or… gasp, a winter car?
Really nice Buick. You don’t see many Park Aves like this anymore. Not in this clean a condition. Seems like they used to be everywhere. I’d definitely not want to see this be a daily driver or winter beater. This is a really nice shade of blue on this one. When they were new, I didn’t really pay much attention to them. But now, I appreciate them. This thing will eat up mile after mile. The 3.8 is a known bullet proof engine. Its really hard to believe this Buick is 26 years old, I never thought I’d see one of these eligible for historic plates…. But here you go, we’re in 2026 now. And time keeps marching on.
Dahling I love you but give me Park Avenue,,,I don’t know, Dave, you don’t get around senior housing apartment complexes much, do you? These practically inundate those parking lots, in-between all the Toyotas. These are the cars that the (elderly) owners refused to give up. Detroit , or what was left of it, knew there was still a market for these types of cars, I think Ford was the last with the Crown Vic, but people like my old man, knew what they wanted, and it wasn’t some econobox. Another giant middle finger in a great act of defiance,,,and were wonderful cars, in true Buick fashion. Well, time marches on, and I’m not sure of the appeal here, I went to an estate sale a while back, lot of people, they had an Olds, in similar condition, not one bid. I think if I pulled in the lot with this, instead of the Jeep, people would figure, I finally crossed that line.