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Set Your Sights On Century: 1984 Buick Century

Living in the Midwest comes with so many advantages, changing seasons, vacation destinations, and some very lucky cars. As the 1980’s are nearly 40 years ago, its hard to think that these little GM A-Body cars could ever be considered classic. As the average age of a car to be considered antique or classic is at least 25 years old or older. To see a very clean, almost factory appearing Buick Century in the Midwest is a sight to be seen. This early fifth generation Century is the Limited trim level featuring all the amenities one could have wished for at the time from General Motors. This beautiful 1984 Buick Century Limited is currently for sale on here on craigslist in Evanston, IL.

Sporting a gleaming orange paint color, its not original, but rust free and featuring a period correct trunk mounted luggage rack. The only feature to this car that could make or break the deal is the choice of wheels, but to each his own. Finding some more original GM wheels is like finding flour in a bread factory… anything within a 10 year time span will suit this Buick well.

The brown and tan interior color combination is so naturally Buick and kind of timeless as its not a common color choice in modern cars and this particular Buick wears it well. A really nice, well kept car all together and waiting to be someone’s first car or show stopping classic at the next cruise night.

Comments

  1. Avatar Miguel

    Does anybody remember these cars being sold in this hue of orange when they were new as the sales ad says?

    I don’t.

    Like 2
    • Avatar Dirk

      That’s called “ghetto orange” and came stock with the window tint and the wagon wheels. Value guides say to deduct $4k for those options.

      Like 41
    • Avatar Will Fox

      Definitely not. I sold my Dad a new `85 Century Ltd. sedan that year, and NO orange or rust shade was even offered.
      Sorry; this is one car I’d have to stay clear away from…..

      Like 1
  2. Avatar David Zornig

    I ordered that car new, when I was the fleet manager at Fanning Cadillac-Buick in Chicago.
    The color was one of the Maple Metallics they offered that year.
    The owner is a regular at the Monday Night Car Shows in Skokie, and it still has the books with our then salesman’s and service writer’s business cards in it.

    Like 7
    • Avatar Miguel

      I can’t tell if you are joking or not.

      Like 6
      • Avatar jdjonesdr

        lol Neither can I!

        Like 3
      • Avatar CanuckCarGuy

        Part of me hopes that he is!

        Like 1
      • Avatar David Zornig

        Ha!
        I am not joking guys.
        Here is a photo of the owner’s manual with the business cards I mentioned.
        I took this at the car show.
        I am still in contact with many of our former Fanning employees, including both of them.

        Like 5
      • Avatar Miguel

        OK, so this car was originally a kind of brownish purple color.

        I wonder if the current owner is color blind and thinks that what color it still is.

        Like 1
      • Avatar David Zornig

        Maybe I am thinking of the Russet color from a few years later.
        There were some orangish ones, but not that bright,

        Like 1
    • Avatar Dick Johnson

      My daughter bought a car from the dealership you worked for.. The dealership had already tinted the windows for a little more profit.. Guess who paid the fine for the blacked-out windows your vendor had done? Your salesman told my daughter that they were legal.

      My favorite; one of your salesmen was creating “hail damage” cars with a ball-peen hammer during one of your sales. A great way to get way over retail for over-stock. I don’t know if your management ever found out about it. Makes for great bonus money.

      Like 2
      • Avatar David Zornig

        Sorry, just saw this now Mr. Johnson.
        The only new car we ever added tinted windows to, was an `84 Sedan DeVille for the then president of Treasure Island, who refused it after realizing he wanted a Seville.
        He was a bit of a character, and we created the car to his specs, on spec…
        That car then went back into stock.
        And thus, not tinted “for a little more profit”.
        The Seville he ultimately got was stolen and never recovered.
        So I can only assume it was a used car then, that already had the tint on it.
        Which would have been sold as-is, with the exception of a used car warranty. Regardless of what the salesman said.
        Even I wouldn’t have believed a salesman who claimed an addition that was suspect, would be legal.
        Typically the aftermarket items we added to new cars were simulated convertible tops, pin stripes, wheels & tires etc.
        Certainly nothing safety related that would come back to haunt us.
        We even stopped adding Vogue wheels & tires at one point, when GM balked at warranty issues completely unrelated to wheels and tires.
        A standard in-house undercoating was done to all Cadillacs, and was reflected on a $290 addendum sticker.

        As far as the hail damage you claim to have witnessed, all of our cars were stored indoors at two locations, and GM knew it.
        It was one of our advertising points.
        Even the used cars were indoors on our fourth floor.
        With the exception of a front line of 7 to 8 used cars in our service lot, as space permitted.
        Being used already, there would have been no benefit in damaging them.
        Not sure of the logic that we could get over retail for a damaged new car.
        Who would pay that?
        Any new car that incurred more than $500 in damage before delivery, would have required a signed statement by the customer acknowledging such at time of delivery.
        Any damage less than that, would have been warranty paint work, and thus not an avenue to make money off of.
        Overstock was never one of our issues.
        Because we had an indoor warehouse on Balmoral & Broadway, and I was personally responsible for the inventory from `85-`90.
        They watched me like a hawk, because we paid GM floor plan money for inventory based on it’s age in our stock.

        Not sure what year your interactions were there, but I never witnessed any such activity, `82-91.
        After `90 it became Sun Auto Group, and I cannot vouch for their management. They only lasted two years.

        Like 0
  3. Avatar Miguel

    Here is a link to the 1984 Buick colors

    http://paintref.com/cgi-bin/colorcodedisplay.cgi?model=Buick&year=1984&con=yo

    Nowhere on this page is an orange color.

    When the seller says this “THIS CAR IS IN NEAR MINT CONDITION WITH ONLY 63000 ORIGINAL MILES! CUSTOM PEARL COAT PAINT JOB TO MATCH ORIGINAL.”, I take that to mean he repainted it the same color it was when purchased new.

    Somebody is smoking something.

    Like 4
    • Avatar PatrickM

      Either that or blowing smoke somewhere… Up some tailpipes, imo. First thing I’d do is check underside and engine, as there are no pics. Second, get rid of those wheels. Take it from there. Careful where you walk. Sounds like this seller also deals in cattle.

      Like 1
  4. Avatar DETROIT LAND YACHT

    I just can’t imagine anyone being “nostalgic” for ANY GM…Ford …or Chrysler product from the 80’s. As I remember…that was the decade when The Big Three basically ceded the car market to Germany & Japan….and decided that trucks and SUV’s was the future.I also remember it as the decade when aftermarket styling exploded.Probably in-part as a result of all the hideous “product” (EXHIBIT A)…that was out there.I don’t expect to tune into a Barret-Jackeson segment on “domestic 80’s classics” and see 6 figure bidding wars….EVER.

    Like 4
    • Avatar PatrickM

      Ford says so, again

      Like 0
  5. Avatar Nick G.

    Usually when these things are painted for “donk” duty, they are bottom-of-the- barrel, Macco paint jobs. This one appears to actually have a good paintjob… probably worth more than the car itself. Even the door jams are painted.

    Like 2
  6. HoA Howard A Member

    The wheels look ridiculous,,,there, I said it.

    Like 10
    • Avatar DETROIT LAND YACHT

      The ridiculousness of the wheels is a response to the blandness of the car design.THAT is how the aftermarket business blew up in the 80’s. It was a response to the sadness & uninspired garbage that came out of the (mostly) American design studios.

      Like 4
  7. Avatar RoughDiamond

    From the Seller except I deleted all caps “I Also Have All Original Wheels”. Well, I see that as a plus. Hopefully, the Seller stored the original wheels and tires up off the ground, but if not one could sell the current wheels and tires and recoup some money for new tires. Looking at the back of the car it appears like the rear bumper is pushed in. Is that a Cop in one of the pictures?

    Like 1
    • Avatar Dirk

      Parole officer.

      Like 11
    • Avatar Miguel

      From what I remember only the cheapest models came with hubcaps.

      Buicks had a few sets of wheels that were offered on these, so if he has the original wheels and caps put away, it wasn’t the fully loaded car he claims it to be.

      Like 0
      • Avatar JonS

        Actually, the top trim wheel option for this model Century was steel wheels with locking spoke hub caps if memory serves…

        Like 2
      • Avatar Miguel

        The emblem does say limited, so you might be right.

        Like 0
  8. Avatar David Frank Member

    I can hear the music thumping from here! Just another cheap used car with tint, loud window rattling base and dubs. Sometimes I wish I lived where these 80s car would have rusted away.

    Like 5
  9. Avatar Bob C

    If anything Thats an orange from a 1970’s buick skaylark or GS

    Like 2
  10. Avatar Bob C

    OOPS Skylark

    Like 0
  11. Avatar J Paul Member

    I get the feeling authors sometimes post up cars with the motivation of “now let’s see how mad THIS one gets them!”

    An otherwise-anonymous and dishwater-dull ’84 Buick, painted a cartoon color and sitting on gigantic, gaudy chrome wheels? Well played, author. Well played, indeed.

    Like 8
  12. Avatar Todd Priest

    $5K?? Good luck.

    Like 1
  13. Avatar Keith

    Obviously, those wheels are oversized, meaning the computer was tweaked or, more likely, left alone so it doesn’t show the true mileage

    This is obviously a ghetto special and I for one wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole!

    Like 2
  14. Avatar Lino

    Jeez…beauty is in the eye of the beholder…😂😂😂

    Like 0
  15. Avatar CanuckCarGuy

    Wonder if it comes with a chrome grille for the new owner, yo?

    Like 2
  16. Avatar W9BAG

    A hideous car. The wheels alone make a total turd. You show some really fantastic car on BF, but this is just a total waste of time. John, please refine your “finds”.

    Like 2
  17. Avatar Dan D

    Is it April 1 already?!

    Like 0
  18. Avatar DN

    Oh boy. Here we go. I knew what direction some of the comments would be heading toward as soon as saw this car. It’s as unfortunate that the rhetoric would verge into social economic speculations based on wheel choice and window tint alone just as much as it harped on ‘80’s GM products. Granted, this car might be from the ‘hood. Granted, it may not have been the point of light from GM in this era. But it should be appreciated that it has survived in relatively well-maintained condition and as we all know (I hope) window tint and wheels are not permanent. Mind you, this was from the same company who brought us a much-revered Regal just a short time later.

    Like 1
    • Avatar RichS

      DN – you are one of the few here who seem to get it. I am not a fan of the “Donk” movement either but I actually respect them for taking what others cast aside as not important or desirable and making it their own. Having gotten my license in ’84, they are reviving a lot of the vehicles I saw as new when I was just getting started as a driver. I wouldn’t buy this, but I am glad someone liked it enough to keep it around.

      Like 0
  19. Avatar canadainmarkseh

    Run Forest run, run away fast, fast as you can.

    Those wheels are some kind of fugly, weren’t these a front wheel drive transverse v6. If so its probably slow off the line, I say that because with the oversized wheel you in affect changed the final ratios. I’ll bet total wheel circumference is a good 12″ longer, and if you don’t think that that won’t make a difference you would be mistaken.This is fine once your rolling on flat ground but I’ll bet it’s a dog when it comes to going up a long hill. I personally don’t care for the 80’s buick styling, and frankly I feel this where throw away engineering started. As well built as our modern cars are there really designed to be driven to distruction and then recycled. JMHO.

    Like 0
  20. Avatar John B. Traylor

    Those low profile tires need to go.

    Like 0
  21. Avatar greg Wentzell

    I like the color, although not on this car. The wheels have to go. Yes, this is a survivor. My Dad had an ’88 Century as a company car. It road okay, no acceleration (standard I4) and if you are tall (like me) you had to be a contortionist or sadist to fold yourself into the back seat. Any car that has survived is worth a look. It is not worth what they are asking. I wonder how bad the handling is with these cartoon wheels. No. Just, no.

    Like 0
  22. Avatar steven m

    I was behind one of these last week in the BK drive thru…..I thought wow pre 86 no 3rd brake light. I had not seen one on the road in a decade. It was running soooo rich it made me sick to my stomach, but I could not get mad, it had a Vietnam veteran plate on it.

    Like 0
  23. Avatar Mark

    What’s happening here? Does an 80’s 4 door car with a “period correct trunk mounted luggage rack” really qualify as a “Barnfind”…….defined here as “Unrestored Classic and Muscle Cars For Sale”???

    Like 0
    • Avatar Jesse Mortensen Staff

      Well, it’s 34 years old so technically it is a classic by definition.

      Like 1

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