While this 1969 Buick LeSabre probably isn’t on many dream car lists, my wife found the 99 cent no-reserve price attractive enough to place a bid this morning, especially since the car is only two hours away from us. However, our $10.65 bid (no, we didn’t think we’d get it for that little!) was quickly surpassed, so it’s probably up to you folks! This big Buick is located in Denton, North Carolina and is up for sale here on eBay.
The car seems remarkably clean for the claimed 170,000 miles; based on the interior I might have even believed 70k. The lines of this car are relatively restrained, although I personally don’t think the swooped side panels benefit from the addition of the functional but not attractive side molding. The seller notes the 1969 license plate is getting pretty bad and that there’s a dent in the rear bumper, but that the rest of the body is good. Do you think this could be the original paint?
It’s very unusual to see a vinyl roof this old without bubbles around the outside or damage. Despite the faded paint, this car must have spent a lot of time under cover. I wonder what it would look like after some cleaning of vinyl and buffing of paint? Maybe another bid (serious, this time) is in order?
Aside from some wear (but not holes) in the driver’s seat, the interior looks pretty nice, even including the period aftermarket console that I’d leave. I only see what might be one crack in the steering wheel and who knows, maybe the towel on the dash was placed there to preserve a mint condition original? Yeah, I’m dreaming, I know.
The seller tells us that the 350 V8 engine runs but has a skip and therefore needs a tuneup. It’s obvious not a lot has gone on under the hood in a while! I do wonder about the crimp connector going to the coil; I hope whatever changes were done under there were done well. The seller also tells us the car has new tires; I wonder if they are really new or just not very worn (but old). What do you think this car is worth, and what would you do with it? I’ll be following your comments closely!
If it was an Electra 225 or a Wildcat, yes. A basic LaSabre 4 door? Nah. Oh, bidding is no longer 10 bucks. It’s over 700 now. That 99 cent starting price is just to get everyone excited to start bidding and it worked. Happens often on ebay. Nobody was going to have a chance to buy this car for 99 cents.
The fees are a lot cheaper on a .99 cent auction with no reserve also. Pass on this one.
… Perfect 1st car for a local high school kid interested in the ” automotive arts ” that lives in NC … and doesn’t mind 14-18 mpg highway ( hopefully ) ….
Your wife has a better sense of humour than mine does, Jamie. While I look, and dream, and plan, she views my exploits with a certain level of disdain. Maybe I’ve pushed it a bit far over the years, but the hobby would be a bit more amusing if she was willing or able to join in a little.
You’re a lucky cat, that’s all I’m saying.
Mike H., I agree whole-heartedly :-) It’s past what I’d be bidding on it at this point, but it was fun having the discussion around the kitchen table at breakfast!
An Electra or Wildcat would get another bid from me but this is not worth much more than 700 to 800 in my book, in it’s present state. Those tires look like they are decades old so even if they have low miles on them it is time to replace them, so $500+ for tires, $100+ in parts and fluids for a tune up, another $100+ for supplies to clean it all up… Nah not worth another bid now…
Details, details, details…yes, it appears to need some TLC however you folks missed the cool shades in the “aftermarket cupholder”. Surely they have to account for added value?
Different is awesome. If this were cleaned up with correct tires… perhaps thin whites. the car would be a killer. You can have all the Wildcats and such. the cars that I think are cool are the ones you feel comfortable using daily and still get the “look” from people at the stoplight. It’s not a “sexy” 2 door, but it’s a fun family mover and would be a hoot to cruise around in. i had a mint 70’s 4 door Malibu and had a great time in it. it was comfortable, cheap to maintain and made me smile when i went out to drive away in it. I eventually sold it to another fellow who was a family man and saw the same thing I did.
Exactly Bill. This will never be a valuable car, but it’s a hardtop and cruising with all the windows down is awesome. The car is pretty dirty right now, think how good it would look polished up and sitting on Buick Mag 500s. Might be worn out at 170k but if there’s no body rust, that stuff is relatively simple. Chrome and trim look good.
Nice find.. nice family car.. Engine compartment needs some attention to be a looker, but – wow.. What a great car..
at 170000 miles the engine needs a rebuild / and I hope that the all terrain truck tiers on it is not some kind of new fad
Donnie, I would agree that the truck tires are odd.. if a ” little old lady” did indeed own it, I would think she would replace tires with the correct ones. 70K miles might be correct, but probably more like 170K I also think that whomever wrote the ad is trying to impress that it was owned by a little old lady.. ie: meticulous care.. I noticed the dirt/grime on the dog leg in the shot of the back seat.. me being a perfectionist always hit that dog leg when washing/waxing my car . so a good guess it may not have been ” pampered”
With manual windows, this doesn’t look like a highly-optioned car. It is nice but not an especially collectible or desirable model IMO. Unless you are able to do most of the work yourself to make it roadworthy, you would probably never recoup your investment. If you really want this type of car and are patient, you could probably find one in much better condition for not much more money.
Don’t bid higher, I’m going to bid on it for my high school daughter!
Still under $1K. The highly desirable aftermarket cup holder is a steal at that price. It adds at least $5 to the value. They are vintage and not made anymore! And where are you going to find a car with an installed CB these days? 23 or 40 channel is the question though.
Seriously, at 170K the engine is probably looking at more than a tuneup, although you could get lucky. The youngin’s on this site don’t realize that a lot of older iron doesn’t have high mileage because the parts and build quality were a lot worse than your basic economy car of today. I would say that the paint looks original. The interior looks great. Even with a new crate 350, or even a used 350, you could go cruising for years!
It’s near-twin just got put on eBay as well: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Buick-LeSabre-/252259778225?forcerrptr=true&hash=item3abbdabeb1:g:ZqoAAOSwT~9WlvGP&item=252259778225
Does the AC work?
According to the seller’s comments, yes. They have also posted pictures of the bent rear bumper.
FFR, this car sold for $1325.00
The four door sedan brought $960.00