It’s amazing how nostalgia works. We can take something that was wholly unremarkable, if not downright poorly engineered, and make it seem lovely decades later simply because enough time has passed. And it’s not just cars I’m talking about: VHS tapes, clothing, home decor – whatever we remember from younger, simpler days can be washed in the glow of yesteryear. The Buick Century shown here on eBay is undoubtedly one of the best surviving examples of a car that was otherwise unremarkable and certainly not a high watermark for GM. Still, it might trigger someone to open their wallet for a chance to relive their days in the backseat.
The seller has opened bidding at $2,500 with a reserve; there are no bids yet. The Century was smack-dab in the middle of the malaise era, and sadly, GM was losing the the battle with overseas competition badly. There was a formula at the time that seemed to subscribe to the notion that if we simply improved fuel economy enough, consumers would ignore everything else that was subpar about the car. Unfortunately, GM really didn’t solve the MPG problem, either, so you were left with a car that didn’t achieve remarkable fuel economy, or anything else for that matter. The Century offered a torquey V6 engine and rear-wheel drive, so thankfully it offered some relief in terms of driving dynamics.
However, that’s not saying much when it comes to early 80s GM products. If you weren’t impressed by the engineering, Buick attempted to wow you with luxury-grade features like leather seats, fake woodgrain trim, and some power features. Sadly, you didn’t get power rear windows for all that style, but your money did buy you powered rear vent windows. I don’t know how much comfort those would provide if the A/C ever failed, so best to get that R134 conversion done as soon as possible if you buy this example. The seller believes six can fit comfortably in this Buick, but I believe the transmission hump will make that a challenge in the back seat (or at least uncomfortable.)
The V6 churns out 110 horsepower and 190 lb.-ft. of torque, channeled through a 3-speed automatic transmission. Power is sent to the rear wheels in one of the final years of conventional RWD layout before GM transitioned to front-wheel drive in 1982. The seller notes that the reason this Century has survived in such lovely condition is because it belonged to snowbirds who left it in Florida each year when they returned home to New Jersey, sparing it the road salt and slush from up north. If you ever spent time in one of these cars as a kid, you may find yourself wanting to go back down memory lane and take a shot at this survivor Century. Would you, or is it simply best to leave it as a relic of the past?
Sweet Buick Lavery a great find. Thanks for the article. Reminds me of the gorgeous Seville. Look at those elegant square lines. 🤌
Pretty clear,,,to me, people today are so bamboozled by their info screens and all, they wouldn’t know a wonderful car if it ran them over. I want to thank the staff for featuring cars with plausible prices lately. It’s very refreshing, however, I’ve noticed, generally, cheaper cars don’t last long. I don’t know what the deal is here. I had the Olds counterpart, and was a wonderful car. Even ex-wifey couldn’t kill it. Most of us that are on their last vehicle, would love to have this. The only thing I can figure, is the “ipod generation” just laughs at this, nice try gramps, shame, great cars, nice seats, great heat/ac, things we have just grown accustomed to, had it all right here.
The dealer has it listed on their website for $7,995. No matter how nice, it would be surprising to see bids reach that level. These are probably too generic to generate that kind of interest on eBay.
Steve R
This car deserves a V-8 engine to compete with today’s aggressive drivers.
I had it’s Pontiac counterpart an 83 Grand LeMans.minus the a/c but with the same 3.8 V-6. It was nice, quiet and reliable and although slow was quite frugal on gas. This one should find a nice home soon