Finding an affordable daily driver that comes with a touch of luxury can be a challenging assignment. However, that appears to be what is on offer with this 1998 Buick Riviera. It presents well, and its supercharged V6 engine should make it a spirited performer. The interior features enough luxury touches to make any journey feel like a special occasion. If all of this sounds tempting, you will find the Riviera located in Quincy, Illinois, and listed for sale here on Barn Finds Classifieds. The owner has set its sale price at $4,500.
From a styling perspective, the 8th Generation of the Riviera was a radical departure from its predecessors. The motoring world had moved away from boxy designs, and there are virtually no straight lines to be found anywhere on this Buick. However, those changes brought with them some welcome improvements in aerodynamic efficiency, meaning that the car could achieve more with less under the hood. When we examine this Riviera, we find that it presents well for its age. I believe that the paint shade it wears is called Light Sandrift, and the paint appears to be consistent across the entire vehicle. There is no evidence of fading or patchiness, and it manages to hold a pleasing shine. The plastic trim pieces like the rubbing strips and bumpers are free from damage or deterioration, while the panels look straight for a vehicle of this age. There are no dings or dents and no apparent signs of abuse. One pleasant surprise is the state of the wheels. These show no evidence of damage or curb strike, and there is none of the staining that can develop over the years from long-term exposure to brake dust. All in all, the impression that this classic makes is pretty positive.
I’ve always felt that there is nothing wrong with owning a car that can serve as a daily driver, but that can provide a feeling of luxury and comfort. That is what we find with the Riviera, and it is a philosophy that harkens back to the model’s earliest days. The seats are upholstered in leather, and both front buckets feature power adjustment. There is a driver’s airbag, power windows, power locks, power mirrors, cruise control, air conditioning, an adjustable wheel, and a premium stereo that comes with both a cassette player and a CD. The overall condition of the trim is pretty good. There is some wear on the wheel and some marks on the carpet, but it would be interesting to see what sorts of results a professional detailer could achieve if they were set loose inside the car. I suspect that they could return it to close to a factory-fresh state, and the cost would not be exceptionally high.
The owner supplies no engine photos, but when you step back and consider this car’s drivetrain configuration, you start to realize how crucial clever engineering and the art of aerodynamics can be in extracting excellent performance from a relatively humble package. The Riviera is powered by a 3.8-liter supercharged V6 engine that delivers 240hp. Those ponies find their way to the front wheels via a 4-speed automatic transmission. If the owner were to point the Riviera at a ¼ mile, it would complete the journey in 15.5 seconds. If they held their foot to the floor, that V6 would eventually run out of breath at an incredible 142mph. Adding to the impressive figures, the Riviera can sip its fuel at a mere 28.5mpg on the open road. Overall, the news with this Buick is pretty positive. It runs and drives well, but it does have one issue that will need to be addressed. The automatic transmission occasionally slips, so that will require some investigation.
By the time this 1998 Riviera rolled off the production line, Buick knew that it intended to retire the badge. When this decision was announced, few people knew that it would mark the permanent end for the Riviera. The last cars rolled off the production line in the dying days of 1998 to be sold as 1999 models. At the end of the day, these final Rivieras remained essentially faithful to the aim of the original model. They offered impressive performance in a package that was crammed with comfort and luxury. Whether the Riviera name will be revived is a matter of conjecture. If it isn’t, would you like to park the last of the breed in your garage?
I think Buick copied the looks of the 54 Panhard only with a little more power. At the very least they both swim in the same ocean if you get my drift.
The Panhard was a catfish as noted yesterday, but leave my Buick alone, I have one of these, don’t distort my love…sniff sniff….
I like the Panhard so the comment was meant as a compliment. Now all you need is a Daimler SP-250 to complete your collection. Remember odd is king.
Good looking car. Awful color.
Alphasud, Add Studebaker Packard creation too.
I owned one of these, a black ’99. I tried selling it at 180k miles, but the only interest I could get was from drug dealers and deadbeats. I wound up donating it because I didn’t have time to mess with it anymore, and it had a good transmission. Every seal in that car– window, trunk, sunroof — leaked like a sieve. Half the electronic gizmos didn’t work. Keyless system was fried for no apparent reason. Leaked every fluid, including supercharger. SC idler pulley had a tendency to seize. Interior was fragile. With a bad trans, this guy is dreaming. Limited production transmission, heavy duty, expensive, cannot use just any 3800 trans or it will chew it up. $1000 car at most.
Your 99 Riviera must have been a lemon to start with, because this car does not have any leaks whatsoever. The interior on this car is in near excellent condition and has no electrical problems. Evidently you car was not taken car of in the first place as this car has been well taken care of. The only problem that I have ever had is for some reason the trans is starting to slip and that has just happened recently
My friends mom had one of these when we were in high school. What a great ride. The car was pretty nice too.
Looks nice.
What is the mileage on the odometer?
Any service records?
This particular seller doesn’t seem to disclose the mileage on any of his sales. ????
Don’t answer questions that almost every buyer would ask. That seems like a great way to eliminate most interested buyers.
Had a 96 Riviera, Supercharged. Loved it!
This car is gorgeous! Don’t listen to the few who didn’t care for it like this one. I wish I had the room to take this one home!!
I owned the 97 version of this model and I wish I had never gotten rid of it. It was the most problem free car that I had owned. Not only good looking, but fast accelerating and pretty easy on gas (premium) for a large car. It didn’t handle real well but it rode beautiful. I used it as my business car and drove it over 150000 miles. Aside from wear items I never had any major problems with it. This probably the best Riviera model that Buick ever built. Quite advanced for its day. I think it won some styling awards as well.
Good luck to whoever buys it, seems like a pretty good deal.
I had 2 98,s and 1 97 some of the best cars I ever owned. Wheel bearings, fuel pump and rear air shocks other than that you would think it was a Toyota dependable
Rivieras have occupied a corner in my heart ever since I owned a 1966 model when young and VERY foolish – because I sold it.
Had a 98 that I used up and then gave to my son as his first driver. Front wheel bearings and a water pump about all it ever needed. Great car in my estimation. Wondered why they never used that SC 3800 in boats, it was so good on fuel.
I remember their slogan. “The concept car you can drive today.” Cool looking car, but don’t like the color.
This was an exceptionally nice car when personal luxury cars weren’t in fashion anymore. Styling was very advanced especially compared to the crap being produced today.
I recently bought a used motorcoach very near to quincy, IL. Probably a good thing I didn’t know about all this stuff for sale when I picked up my coach or I would’ve ended up with even more stuff I didn’t need.
As a side note, I had a 96 park ave with the 3800SC. Very trouble free and reliable car that with good maintenance gave me no issues. Buicks from the late 80s thru the 90s were very underrated and some of the best built cars you could get, and yes I’ve owned and own plenty of hondas and Toyotas. My buicks were every bit as reliable as the imports and had better steel and plastics used in them as well
I always liked this style Rivvy. I like the color of this one too. But a failing transmission knocks the bottom out of the value.
An interesting styling detail of this era Riviera not mentioned is that the instrument panel was styled after the ’63-65 models. Beautiful, fast and luxurious. I’ve had 3 – a ’95 and two ’96’s.
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