This one hits home. I’m an Aussie, but did a semester of uni (college) in North America. I bought one of these, an ‘01, for $1100 in Canada and it was ruuuusty. Had a hole in the chassis! I was a naiive 19 year old with no idea roads got salted. It was too late though, so I paid some Egyptians for a safety certificate, in the promise it was going to the scrapyard when my visa ran out. Drove it all the way to Key West FL, then back up to Nashville, finally to New York. 15k miles in 6 months. Packed it full of tents and clothes and cookers and junk. Wheel bearing went in Raleigh NC and got it fixed for like $90. The mechanic offered to buy the car, but I still needed it. Ended up breaking my promise and selling it (with full rust disclosure) for $350. That 6 months was without a doubt the best time of my life. And I miss that car dearly 😢
These things really can eat the miles... Something about these old land yachts that's just mystically linked to your soul somehow once they do good for you just a little while...
Coincidentally same engine as the Commodore pre VE. Stout motors those Buick's got alot of Aussies alot of miles. As Mr Regular stated closest thing to a Toyota GM ever made.
Reliable, very comfortable with plush seats and soft suspension, decent enough materials, and if you had a supercharged one it was fast. I don't understand why GM and every other manufacturer in the mid-00s decided that seats must be hard.
I heard that when Tommy Fenstermacher rides the bus, he has to mime putting on a non-existent seatbelt when he sits down, otherwise his body thinks its on the toilet.
I heard that Tommy Fenstermacher reads Sherlock/Watson slashfic to bust. I heard that Tommy Fenstermacher cooks everything in the microwave because he's afraid of the oven. The one time a kid got expelled for bringing an Airsoft pistol to school, I heard that Tommy Fenstermacher asked the teacher if he could have it. I heard that Tommy Fenstermacher cried when his mother took the booster seat out of the car because he "didn't want to be a big kid, yet". I heard that Tommy Fenstermacher's idea of a "wild night" is two shots of Robitussin. I heard that Tommy Fenstermacher has never been to a Hooters because his mother told him he would go blind if he did. I heard that Tommy Fenstermacher won't drink Kahlua anymore because it "makes him crazy".
Make sure the battery is fresh, bad batteries will cause all kinda voodoo in the electronics. Weird door light stuff, crazy gauges, door locks cycling, all have happened before simply from a weak battery
*didnt bash on the car for 30 minutes straight *Is actually a regular car *didn't circlejerk toyota *no obnoxious jokes Wow this feels like a classic one!
Thank you for the flashbacks to when I was 17, working at McDonald's, playing Brock Hampton through an fm transmitter in my mom's Corolla. Thank you, Mr regular, for reminding me of a summer I never grew out of. A moment right before the pandemic upended my senior highschool year. When I would show all my car friends your "Impreza RS 2JZ swap" video and rejoice when they would laugh as hard as I did the first time I saw it. You make my monday lunch breaks the most refreshing part of my day. Now it's monday morning and I'm enjoying a paid vacation day I took because I knew I was DJing until 2AM last night, and who doesn't want to play TF2 all night after playing the club? I hope you make it back to Bradenton Florida someday so I can shake your hand. I'm gonna go listen to the all the Saturation albums again while I trim my horrendously overgrown hedge. Once more, thank you, Mr. Regular, never stop being yourself. You are loved.
Same here my Grandma passed ~2 months ago and I drive her 98 es300. It's a blessing to be able to have a little connection to them by driving what they drove. I keep her little bobblehead bulldog ornament in my center console though cuz I'm not trying to get killed by it in an accident 😂
I sold these new and there was a consistent line of elderly people who would bring in their 10-20-30-40 year old Lesabres and trade right into a new one. I had a grandpa with a Lesabre with 350,000 miles that looked brand new and a grandma with a 70s Lesabre that also looked brand new. Some if the nicest people you could ever meet.
Honestly, Buicks always seem to have had a durable quality. Looking at the General's brass-era cars, there's far more Buicks out there than Oldsmobiles, and definitely more than Chevrolets or '30s Pontiacs. The same isn't true of the 1950s, where the Tri-5 Chevrolets are thick on the ground and the track, but 1960s, 70s, and 80s Buicks are still way easier to find in good shape than the non-doctor's cars. Heck, try and find a Pontiac Bonneville from this generation, and I bet you it's got more holes than Swiss Cheese, but the LeSabre version probably just needs an oil change and the dust blown off.
@jessebrook1688 A lot of that has to do with the people they were marketed to. Pontiac was supposed to be the vaguely youthful brand, so their cars were marketed toward people who didn't know what oil changes were. Chevys are meant for working class people who offen can't afford maintenance, and Oldsmobile was always the weird brand gm would use to test out new designs and technologies, meaning they often had reliability issues. Buick was the conservative luxury brand meant for people who want something nice but didn't want to show off like a Cadillac.
I still drive a 92 LeSabre, it is still beloved. No music but cassettes, no hurry, an awful slushy 4 speed automatic, but I love it dearly. I've never been more comfortable in a vehicle.
@@boostman5792the cassette adapter would sound a lot better than a FM transmitter, at least the ones I've used. But there are Bluetooth cassette adapters, too, I wonder how those are. They would be nicer than the old school cassette to 3.5mm adapter because you get media controls with Bluetooth.
My next door neighbor and the last WW2 veteran I know had one of these as his last car. Pat Malvone a barrel chested NYC goomba. He worked the Rail Road in Boston Massachusetts in the depression was drafted in 1940, was in Operation Torch the Invasion of North Africa, hated the French for shooting at him. He was a 2.5 deuce and a half truck driver He later fought in Sicily where he hit a mine. All he remembers is waking up with his steering wheel in his hand on the side of the road. He raised two kids Robert and Janet after the war with his wife Agnes. He drove for the MTA NYC Bus and retired in 1982. He played 18 homes of golf even after hip surgery and died in November 2021 from Cancer at 101 Years old. He js buried in Calverton National Cemetery with his wife.
Grew up riding around in a 1993 LeSabre, my folks later traded it for a 2001 Park Avenue Ultra (with the supercharged 3.8) when i was in 11th grade in 2002. Was a blast beating up on silly looking early 00s rice burners with that burgandy grandpa crusier 😂
My grandmother owned one of those with the black rag top and that base gold paint job you see on every other Buick. It was actually a pretty amazing car because it had air suspension and that 3.8 liter supercharged V6 was no joke. Many mechanics were shocked it had a supercharger on it. Unfortunately, after a solid 10 years, it started having some electrical gremlins that we couldn't figure out. One mechanic thought it might have been a fault with the anti-theft system in the radio, but we could never find it and they got to a point where it was more expensive to fix it For what it was worth, that said it was probably one of the best cars we ever owned. And I wish we could have fixed it because it probably would still be running today. I have a lot of good memories in that car.
My grandmother had an early 00s supercharged Regal in dark red. So comfortable but of course she never used the power. She traded it on a POS Cruze right before I got my license so I never got to experience the supercharged 3800. I loved how the steering wheel volume buttons turned the volume dial on the radio.
@@bwofficial1776That car was something else. Had the fancy button leather seats with like 7 inches of foam underneath, you basically sunk into em like a comfy recliner. The AC blew so cold it'd fog the windows over. Other then a real subtle "wooooosh" noise from the supercharger at higher rpms the car was completely silent. It was governed at like 115ish mph and it pulled like an absolute scolded dog all the way there. Was definitely a torquey thing, that little 3.8 never spun any faster then like 4800rpm and it pulled hard. It was definitely in old lady mode when my mom was driving it, but it got the cobwebs blown out of it when I'd take it out. That thing would lay waste to the front tires if you floored it with the traction control switched off.
Wonderful video. 2005 fell right on the heart of my teenage years and rolling around in these boats with friends to catch cheap movies, wander the mall, headbang in basements, and smoke shitty weed was how we found our way. Yet another reminder that Mr. Regular and The Roman, even 10 years on, are among the best writers this platform has on offer.
I literally drove this car with my grandpa who couldn’t drive anymore smoking his cigar in the back. A car to make memories with your pleasant grandpa, he’s the most comfortable with you which is why you drove him around that summer, his last gesture to you, a cutout cartoon from the Sunday Funnies for your college dorm door. I still have it 😉
That story at the beginning got me today. I'm about to turn 30, and that is exactly what teenager-hood felt like. Untethered from jobs, mortgages, bills, and adulthood. I'm always amazed at how good you guys are at bringing together cars, nostalgia, philosophy, and just life. Cheers gents.
@@Skidracer21 my kids use this line all the time when we pass Bob Evans. They just keep saying Bob Evans over and over. My son also goes dad can we stop in there for a bag of hot brown?
I was not prepared for “the way a kid holds onto childhood” section. It hit home and I loved it. You’re videos always contain a curve ball section like that and I live for it!
I had an 04 LeSabre for about 3 years. Super easy to work on, parts were bountiful. The Ohio salt ate it alive though. It had body roll for days but it soaked up rough roads like nothing. Great cheap cruiser.
These were my grandparents go to car. Had one as my first car and couldn't ask for anything better to learn how to change brakes, rotors, control arms, and oil on. I roomed with four friends and by default, my car became the "family car" when it came time for us to go anywhere together. Be that to the grocery store, out to eat, just get out of the house, or when we went to go pick up our dog. My lesabre met her end being T boned by a motorcycle speeding around a blind corner while my sister, cousin, and I were leaving our grand uncles' funeral. None of us got hurt (motorcyclist got a broken arm) and my cousin said we should take an "I survived" selfie together in the car. RIP Betty Buick, you were the best old man care a 20 something could ask for.
I disagree. His early work had lotsa philosophy and commentary. He has gotten lazy or distracted for at least the last year. This one is a throwback. It is good, but not his best. (just in comparison to latest)
Flawlessly written, as usual. Took me right back to high school, though unfortunately for me that was before Bluetooth adapters would have been useful with my Nokia 5110. Name-dropping Tommy Fenstermacher is some serious Over the Garden Wall energy and I'm here for it.
"In the way that can of seltzer only vaguely references the fruit on the can" "simplicity is the only time-machine we have." Pretty good stuff, Ol' Hoss. This review reminds me of your old stuff.
I bought a 2001 model with 200k miles at a university's silent auction for $900. It'd been sitting for about a year. Fresh battery. Changed the fluids. Replaced the AC. Put 3,000 miles on it. It was a nice car. Very smooth and comfortable ride. The wife described it as "like a car but with two really nice couches instead of seats." Sold it about 6 months later for $2250 and made a little profit. It was a nice car that I was tempted to keep, but the 2000 Saturn SL2 was my daily at the time and it got almost twice the gas mileage.
This was a car that as a teenager I made fun of, then I inherited one, and now I get it. The 3800 V6 smooth...buttery...dependable. Do not like to be seen in it, but when no one is looking LOVE driving it.
My grandmother had a supercharged Regal from about this time and I wish I'd gotten to drive that car. So comfortable, good enough quality, reliable, and I've heard that the supercharged 3800 was a sleeper. Unfortunately she traded it for a crappy Cruze right before I got my license. I drove the Mercury equivalent of this car in college, a 2001 Mercury Sable wagon with the DOHC V6. Very comfortable, floaty, tons of space, a decent engine let down by a weak transmission, and not that reliable. It was an ugly, uncool car but it got the job done and I still miss it sometimes.
I had the chance to drive one of these earlier this year. It was at one of the last estate sales I worked for my parents before changing jobs. Beige, low miles, old lady's car that she only drove to church and the supermarket. I got to photograph it for our ad and then drive it to get fuel and a wash. The owner had left a Willie Nelson cassette in the glove box, so I popped it in, cranked it up, put the windows down... There was something so blissful about it, just cruising around the backroads of New Jersey suburbs in an old Buick. I was half-tempted to put some money in and buy it for myself, but I totally didn't need it, so I didn't. And in the end, a dad ended up buying it for his teenage son. And I'll bet that kid is out there in his old Buick making the same kind of memories you talked about in the intro. I sure hope he is. And I hope that old boat lasts him a long time.
As a 49 year old man that went bowling with my crew every weekend we could, this intro hit sooooooo hard, with the exception that we rode an '88 Taurus and a home made mix tape was the audio of choice. Sublime writing sir. Good show
The commentary on this actually made me cry, and I’m only 25. I had this car for a few years and it was a time of life I didn’t want to let go and still look back with extreme overwhelming nostalgia.
I heard that Tommy Fenstemacher still has one of those buzzers that goes off when he wets the bed. One time it started buzzing because he busted on it and his mom woke up to check on him.
my buddy had one of these. We would drive together in it and there were times I would nearly fall asleep in those seats, because of how comfortable they are. I love the lesabre. I may try and find one of them for my next car.
Unfortunately panther bodies are no longer the low mileage, $5k estate sale specials anymore. The internet has hyped them up for almost decade and FB marketplace/Craigslist prices show low mileage examples rarely dipping below $7k.
That was a beautiful review; I've never liked the way these looked, they always felt too tied uncomfortably to mortality, but now I can eye them with respect, rather than disgust. Thank you.
Rode in many of these Buicks. First car I ever drove was a 98 Buick Le Sabre. I was 15 and living out at a Church camp with my family; my grandfather gave me the keys and gave me a driving lesson. Funny thing was they just bought the car and I was two months shy of my 16th birthday. Greatest lesson ever. This Buick well always be the car that lives in my heart. 😊
Right idk why but GM now makes cardboard looking seats with zero thickness to them that are just the most uncomfortable things thing sit in let alone trying to drive any of them in a road trip… I’ll take my 1998 Lexus GS300 out on a road trip before the 2023 Chevy Equinox it’s crazy
Because car journalists drilled it into automakers that customers want a “sporty” feel, and it happens to be cheaper to make a seat with less padding in it
The most comfortable cars I've ever been in were early-00s GMs. Thick padding to sink a couple of inches into, soft leather, and soft suspension. The most uncomfortable cars I've ever been in were post-bailout GMs. Hard padding in all the wrong places and stiff "leather" stretched tight across the seat.
Thank you for this true to form RCR video. The type of thing that made me fall in love with the channel since the beginning. The absolute nostalgia and your ability to put me right back in that moment even if it wasn’t exactly mine. And the return of Tommy F jokes lol
Me before video: oh sweet another rcr video After most their videos: the reality of my own mortality sits in. Memories of a wasted youth and the reality that innocent bliss was reachable but is not gone forever
The one thing I loved about these was how comfortable they were to drive. I always enjoy your videos. Thanks for making great videos. These were the cars my buddies would buy when they couldn't afford something nice. But these were comfortable and reliable. They may not look cool but I learned to appreciate them as an adult.
I was hard up at one point and the best car I could find in my price range was a 2003 Buick LeSabre with 303k for $800. Man I could not kill that thing, I delivered pizzas in it for a year before I blew the radiator. Replaced that, head gasket was fine, sold it for what I bought it for with 323k on it. I got pretty lucky with mine being a Celebration Edition and fully loaded. To this day, I still miss that HUD and the DIC, it was just enough technology to not be intrusive, but useful.
I haven’t kept up with your videos for the most part for a couple years but man, this really feels like a peak RCR video from 8 years ago. What a beaut
I had a white LeSabre as my first car, I worked at the local mall 45 minutes away in the city. We called it the "Bingo Bus" but holy smokes, the ride was smooth. I will say it didn't do well in the snow, as I went in the ditch 7 times in a single winter. But I never hit anything, the Buick was a tank! Hit a deer and the deer had a dent in it! Now I have a Ford Crown Victoria and work for the State Patrol, but my Dad has a 2005 LeSabre. When the Vic was in the shop, I drove it and it brought me back to those days. It's a car that stays with you.
@@geddon436 the LeSabre by far, my Crown Victoria has the cloth seats but the LeSabre had the soft leather heated seats. I also felt the LeSabre wasn't as stiff with turning the wheel. The Crown Victoria is more direct in terms of steering. Sometimes I get behind the wheel and the Crown Victoria feels like it needs to driven aggressively. Fast Shifting, One hand quick spin of the wheel. The Buick, is like "hey, take your time. we can go when you want to..." 😆
old land yachts, Buick LaSabre, early Toyota Avalons, Ford Taurus/Sable offered 3 across bench in the front row for Maximum "HEAD" ROOM. Honorable mentions, minivans with removable center console. early CRV and Highlanders with the little folding tray.
Trips to Rutgers undergrad to nyc for Halal platters at 44th and 6th at 11pm. In 2003.... This was the ride where 6 guys would go after studying to get the late night meal
dang this managed to really effectively put into words, what I'd been missing from late teenage/early college years, of the nights of staying outside with close friends well past sunset without much concern for the distant future, cruising around with way more people than should fit in a cheap 2 door 2+2 coupe... The beauty of simplicity. Time to try and ponder that for a while
“You have the freedom of more than you ever had before without the pressure and responsibility of more than you can handle” I think you described the feeling of a first car better than anyone
My grandfather was a engineer for GM, and during my lifetime he had a parade of maroon LeSabres he swapped for a new one every 4 to 6 years, leading up to a final Lucerne which he wasnt happy about.
That 6 seats thing is so true. I drive a 1995 lesabre limited and whenever me and my friends are all going to a place they always choose my car because its the only one that seats six. Its dark green with whitewall tires and looks brand new. Everyone calls it the green bean lol
I dont even look at the cars anymore. I just like hearing you talk. Ben following this channel for years, and in some way, when i hear your voice, i have a similar feeling to what youre talking about in this vid. Great stuff as always. Keep it up. Best regards from Denmark
There's are cars built around couches. Source : owned a 92, 03, and 05. All hand me downs. Everything's accurate but we didnt have a curfew. Then a 07 and 15 lacrosse. I'm old beyond my years.
My mother had a 96 from 2005 to 2013. Was my grandfather's car and when he passed away it was the family car. Car was rear ended and totalled and it was one of the saddest moments in our family. Was such a good car we bought another one but eventually sold it in 2016 when we no longer needed a family car when I moved out. This was such a good car and I still see them everywhere. That's how you can tell it's a good car.
Whenever we went to my moms hometown our cousin would cart us around in a Brown on brown Lasabre. Car felt just like the town stuck in the (rural) mid 70s even though it's 2007
We fit our entire drumline in a LeSabre. Well, not the drummers, but two tenors, four snares, cymbals, and five basses (bass 4&5 on bike rack.) They said we had to walk back, didn't say shit about humping our gear! Truly, a vessel for a good time.
Spent about a decade as a tech at a small town Buick dealership. A large portion of the clientele owned one of these G platforms. Initially I treated them with derision but the more I worked on them, or more accurately didn't work on them, the more I came to respect them, as the vast majority of the work I did was general maintenance. Looking back, the fact that all the long term techs had one as a daily should have been a clue as to how bullet-proof they really are. These days I unironically wish I would have picked one up, especially one of the ultra-low mileage blue hair specials. I have no doubt it would still be running strong today and I would have spent far less time and money working on my own car.
My wife had a 1998 LeSabre and replaced it 6 years ago with a 2008 Lucerne. The engine and transmission in the LeSabre were literally falling out because of upstate NY rust. It still ran perfectly! Thankfully her brother in Florida found her Lucerne with low miles in near perfect condition.
This was our high school years chariot but it was a Buick Century. we crammed 8 people in this car and went to Pittsburgh Mills mall. 6 in the front two in the trunk. sagged out doing 70 on 28 down to the mall. Good times.
I've been watching these videos for some time and it just now struck me; there's a certain Lake Wobegon aspect to this story telling. Detailed in ways that don't really matter but really hit home for some reason. Little jokes you don't really see coming. It's a very comforting story.
My mom had a 2000 buick regal, almost the same car, before my little brother totaled it. it was a miracle from God he didn't get injured or worse. I replaced the speakers in it for my mom when she drove it, and i would legit just go smoke and listen to music in it. it was amazing. such a great car
I used to drive one and the amount of times I got pulled over and tailed by police in this vehicle just because it fits the description of someone else's car was unbelievable 😂
Poignant and kinda brilliant. My first freedom was my parents’ Mk4 Escort Ghia 5-door hatch, solid blue, twin white coachlines, blue velour interior with the 1.6 carb’d CVH and 5-speed manual. I had been servicing it for a couple of years before the Precious Licence Of Freedom was attained and, despite a ferocious insurance rate increase to add a new-qual 17yo as a named driver, my folks stumped-up and made it happen. Cue exploring much of the West Midlands and all it had to offer, with friends who seemed lifelong then but have faded into obscurity due to life, time and family on either or both sides. Thank you for the memories. Mostly good.
This one hits home. I’m an Aussie, but did a semester of uni (college) in North America. I bought one of these, an ‘01, for $1100 in Canada and it was ruuuusty. Had a hole in the chassis! I was a naiive 19 year old with no idea roads got salted. It was too late though, so I paid some Egyptians for a safety certificate, in the promise it was going to the scrapyard when my visa ran out. Drove it all the way to Key West FL, then back up to Nashville, finally to New York. 15k miles in 6 months. Packed it full of tents and clothes and cookers and junk. Wheel bearing went in Raleigh NC and got it fixed for like $90. The mechanic offered to buy the car, but I still needed it. Ended up breaking my promise and selling it (with full rust disclosure) for $350. That 6 months was without a doubt the best time of my life. And I miss that car dearly 😢
Thanks
Thanks for the story. We are slowly running out of them as the world gets boring.
These things really can eat the miles... Something about these old land yachts that's just mystically linked to your soul somehow once they do good for you just a little while...
Coincidentally same engine as the Commodore pre VE. Stout motors those Buick's got alot of Aussies alot of miles. As Mr Regular stated closest thing to a Toyota GM ever made.
For anyone living this scenario, sell the car in South Carolina. There are NO rules for selling cars here.
It breaks my heart that Buick will never build a car this good ever again
Yeah, these old Buicks are truly underrated.
Agreed. I love the Crown Vic/Mercury Grand Marquis/Lincoln Town Car, but these Buicks are equally nice and comfy.
Reliable, very comfortable with plush seats and soft suspension, decent enough materials, and if you had a supercharged one it was fast. I don't understand why GM and every other manufacturer in the mid-00s decided that seats must be hard.
The problem was they accidentally made an indestructible car, so people didn't need to replace their car every 10 years.
No car company will ever build a car like this again. They couldn't even if they wanted to thanks to regulations now
2005 Buick LeSabre Custom: The Official Car of "When Grandpa dies, this'll be yours!"
This literally happened to me 😅
@irjonesy It happened to a friend of mine as well and when I saw that Buick in the thumbnail, that was the first thing that popped in my mind!
ZZmotordports
Exactly the case with my '02 😂
My mom got my grandparents 08 altima
The way, Mr. regular describes youth makes me nostalgic for a high school experience I didn’t have.
They always have a way of triggering a writing exercise in my mind to describe my own youth in similar ways. He really does have a way with words
So you didn't get roadhead by a guy either.... ?
me neither buddy!
@@georgeboyd4619 you beat me to this comment
How he describes it is exactly my highschool experience.
@@georgeboyd4619unfortunately not
These G platform cars with a 3800 will run like shit longer than most cars will even run.
Yeah my 3800 in my camaro ran on 5 like nothing happened for 3 years
Ill hold you
To a 94 dakota
I had a neighbor drive one for a year with an obnoxiously blown transmission.
Yep! This and a Crown Victoria
The car version of the GMT800
I heard that when Tommy Fenstermacher rides the bus, he has to mime putting on a non-existent seatbelt when he sits down, otherwise his body thinks its on the toilet.
And then he busts.
I heard that Tommy Fenstermacher reads Sherlock/Watson slashfic to bust.
I heard that Tommy Fenstermacher cooks everything in the microwave because he's afraid of the oven.
The one time a kid got expelled for bringing an Airsoft pistol to school, I heard that Tommy Fenstermacher asked the teacher if he could have it.
I heard that Tommy Fenstermacher cried when his mother took the booster seat out of the car because he "didn't want to be a big kid, yet".
I heard that Tommy Fenstermacher's idea of a "wild night" is two shots of Robitussin.
I heard that Tommy Fenstermacher has never been to a Hooters because his mother told him he would go blind if he did.
I heard that Tommy Fenstermacher won't drink Kahlua anymore because it "makes him crazy".
LOL
Literally going to look at 2002 park ave later today. This is a sign, I'm buying it
Fate and coincidence are powerful things. This is the universe making the decision for you.
My parents had a 2002 Park Avenue. Solid car.
Good luck.Let us know if you bought it and what it looked like
Look at the waterpump by pass pipe. Original plastic, updated metal.
Make sure the battery is fresh, bad batteries will cause all kinda voodoo in the electronics. Weird door light stuff, crazy gauges, door locks cycling, all have happened before simply from a weak battery
This is the first non gold one I have ever seen in my life.
"champagne" (pronounced cham-pagin)
Sometimes theyre in black and they look kinda sick.
The house behind me had one of these in this dark blue sitting in the driveway with a flat tire and a busted window for a couple of years.
That and silver tend to be the only colors you see
Mine is one of several gold lesabres where I live. I love mine so I have no complaints.
*didnt bash on the car for 30 minutes straight
*Is actually a regular car
*didn't circlejerk toyota
*no obnoxious jokes
Wow this feels like a classic one!
My thoughts exactly! Felt like an old review, I loved it
The jokes were always there since the beginning, but now they seem a lot more lame and drawn out.
Every 30-40 year-olds that went to highschool in North America knows this feeling, but very few could describe it with words in this way.
It's crazy to think our demographic is in our 30-40 now😔
Thank you for the flashbacks to when I was 17, working at McDonald's, playing Brock Hampton through an fm transmitter in my mom's Corolla. Thank you, Mr regular, for reminding me of a summer I never grew out of. A moment right before the pandemic upended my senior highschool year. When I would show all my car friends your "Impreza RS 2JZ swap" video and rejoice when they would laugh as hard as I did the first time I saw it. You make my monday lunch breaks the most refreshing part of my day. Now it's monday morning and I'm enjoying a paid vacation day I took because I knew I was DJing until 2AM last night, and who doesn't want to play TF2 all night after playing the club? I hope you make it back to Bradenton Florida someday so I can shake your hand. I'm gonna go listen to the all the Saturation albums again while I trim my horrendously overgrown hedge. Once more, thank you, Mr. Regular, never stop being yourself. You are loved.
My grandma just passed away 2 months ago and I’ve been driving her LeSabre for the time being. Great highway cruiser car and only 167k miles.
Have your transmission checked. They usually don't last past 175-200k miles. Worth the cost of replacement. The cheapest American car to own.
Same here my Grandma passed ~2 months ago and I drive her 98 es300. It's a blessing to be able to have a little connection to them by driving what they drove. I keep her little bobblehead bulldog ornament in my center console though cuz I'm not trying to get killed by it in an accident 😂
I sold these new and there was a consistent line of elderly people who would bring in their 10-20-30-40 year old Lesabres and trade right into a new one. I had a grandpa with a Lesabre with 350,000 miles that looked brand new and a grandma with a 70s Lesabre that also looked brand new. Some if the nicest people you could ever meet.
they were great cars.
Honestly, Buicks always seem to have had a durable quality. Looking at the General's brass-era cars, there's far more Buicks out there than Oldsmobiles, and definitely more than Chevrolets or '30s Pontiacs. The same isn't true of the 1950s, where the Tri-5 Chevrolets are thick on the ground and the track, but 1960s, 70s, and 80s Buicks are still way easier to find in good shape than the non-doctor's cars. Heck, try and find a Pontiac Bonneville from this generation, and I bet you it's got more holes than Swiss Cheese, but the LeSabre version probably just needs an oil change and the dust blown off.
@jessebrook1688 A lot of that has to do with the people they were marketed to. Pontiac was supposed to be the vaguely youthful brand, so their cars were marketed toward people who didn't know what oil changes were. Chevys are meant for working class people who offen can't afford maintenance, and Oldsmobile was always the weird brand gm would use to test out new designs and technologies, meaning they often had reliability issues. Buick was the conservative luxury brand meant for people who want something nice but didn't want to show off like a Cadillac.
I still drive a 92 LeSabre, it is still beloved. No music but cassettes, no hurry, an awful slushy 4 speed automatic, but I love it dearly. I've never been more comfortable in a vehicle.
you can buy a cassette with an aux cord
I got me a Grandma blue 94 Regal, 3800, pretty minty for a first car-
@@boostman5792the cassette adapter would sound a lot better than a FM transmitter, at least the ones I've used. But there are Bluetooth cassette adapters, too, I wonder how those are. They would be nicer than the old school cassette to 3.5mm adapter because you get media controls with Bluetooth.
Keep it. This is the one car I've owned, that I wish I never got rid of.
My next door neighbor and the last WW2 veteran I know had one of these as his last car. Pat Malvone a barrel chested NYC goomba. He worked the Rail Road in Boston Massachusetts in the depression was drafted in 1940, was in Operation Torch the Invasion of North Africa, hated the French for shooting at him. He was a 2.5 deuce and a half truck driver He later fought in Sicily where he hit a mine. All he remembers is waking up with his steering wheel in his hand on the side of the road. He raised two kids Robert and Janet after the war with his wife Agnes. He drove for the MTA NYC Bus and retired in 1982. He played 18 homes of golf even after hip surgery and died in November 2021 from Cancer at 101 Years old. He js buried in Calverton National Cemetery with his wife.
What a life!
Amazing man
Grew up riding around in a 1993 LeSabre, my folks later traded it for a 2001 Park Avenue Ultra (with the supercharged 3.8) when i was in 11th grade in 2002. Was a blast beating up on silly looking early 00s rice burners with that burgandy grandpa crusier 😂
They went for the Ron Swanson special before it became a thing.
My grandmother owned one of those with the black rag top and that base gold paint job you see on every other Buick. It was actually a pretty amazing car because it had air suspension and that 3.8 liter supercharged V6 was no joke. Many mechanics were shocked it had a supercharger on it. Unfortunately, after a solid 10 years, it started having some electrical gremlins that we couldn't figure out. One mechanic thought it might have been a fault with the anti-theft system in the radio, but we could never find it and they got to a point where it was more expensive to fix it For what it was worth, that said it was probably one of the best cars we ever owned. And I wish we could have fixed it because it probably would still be running today. I have a lot of good memories in that car.
My grandmother had an early 00s supercharged Regal in dark red. So comfortable but of course she never used the power. She traded it on a POS Cruze right before I got my license so I never got to experience the supercharged 3800. I loved how the steering wheel volume buttons turned the volume dial on the radio.
@@bwofficial1776That car was something else. Had the fancy button leather seats with like 7 inches of foam underneath, you basically sunk into em like a comfy recliner. The AC blew so cold it'd fog the windows over. Other then a real subtle "wooooosh" noise from the supercharger at higher rpms the car was completely silent. It was governed at like 115ish mph and it pulled like an absolute scolded dog all the way there. Was definitely a torquey thing, that little 3.8 never spun any faster then like 4800rpm and it pulled hard. It was definitely in old lady mode when my mom was driving it, but it got the cobwebs blown out of it when I'd take it out. That thing would lay waste to the front tires if you floored it with the traction control switched off.
Wonderful video. 2005 fell right on the heart of my teenage years and rolling around in these boats with friends to catch cheap movies, wander the mall, headbang in basements, and smoke shitty weed was how we found our way.
Yet another reminder that Mr. Regular and The Roman, even 10 years on, are among the best writers this platform has on offer.
Mid 2000s some of the best years of my life
Came for the car review, left with existential dread
Thats the beauty of Regular Cars. You get philosophy, comedy and car review all in one.😊
@@Platos-Den That man has one hell of a way with words.
I literally drove this car with my grandpa who couldn’t drive anymore smoking his cigar in the back. A car to make memories with your pleasant grandpa, he’s the most comfortable with you which is why you drove him around that summer, his last gesture to you, a cutout cartoon from the Sunday Funnies for your college dorm door. I still have it 😉
That story at the beginning got me today. I'm about to turn 30, and that is exactly what teenager-hood felt like. Untethered from jobs, mortgages, bills, and adulthood. I'm always amazed at how good you guys are at bringing together cars, nostalgia, philosophy, and just life. Cheers gents.
those first 5 minutes got me aaaall goosebumpy
Same. Waves of nostalgia.
Hahaha Roman looks so old driving this. He’s gonna be a great stereotypical old man at Bob Evan’s
Lol😅!!
"HOT BROWN AND COLD YELLOW"
@@Skidracer21 my kids use this line all the time when we pass Bob Evans. They just keep saying Bob Evans over and over. My son also goes dad can we stop in there for a bag of hot brown?
@@Skidracer21 The official meal of pensioners waiting out the clock..... A PLATE OF HOT BROWN
B O B E V A N S
Great writing on this one, the nostalgia with the yearings of the later years. Thank you RCR!
I feel like this was less of a car review and more of a heartfelt yurn for the past.❤
I was not prepared for “the way a kid holds onto childhood” section. It hit home and I loved it.
You’re videos always contain a curve ball section like that and I live for it!
I had an 04 LeSabre for about 3 years. Super easy to work on, parts were bountiful. The Ohio salt ate it alive though. It had body roll for days but it soaked up rough roads like nothing. Great cheap cruiser.
These were my grandparents go to car. Had one as my first car and couldn't ask for anything better to learn how to change brakes, rotors, control arms, and oil on. I roomed with four friends and by default, my car became the "family car" when it came time for us to go anywhere together. Be that to the grocery store, out to eat, just get out of the house, or when we went to go pick up our dog. My lesabre met her end being T boned by a motorcycle speeding around a blind corner while my sister, cousin, and I were leaving our grand uncles' funeral. None of us got hurt (motorcyclist got a broken arm) and my cousin said we should take an "I survived" selfie together in the car. RIP Betty Buick, you were the best old man care a 20 something could ask for.
I've been watching RCR for over 10 years and I think this might be the best philosophical dive that Mr. Regular has delivered. Thank you
I disagree. His early work had lotsa philosophy and commentary. He has gotten lazy or distracted for at least the last year. This one is a throwback. It is good, but not his best. (just in comparison to latest)
@Redmenace96 Nah this video slaps
I haven't had a strong video like this since like, the Volvo 940. One of the best of this year so far!
Nah the pt cruiser one was actually an unraveling of a human consciousness
@@kevinbialkowski3694 yeah that pt video changed how i look at them forever
“You don’t want to even go to bed because you want more life. “. Mr Regular, you had no right going this deep in the video! This was awesome.
Flawlessly written, as usual. Took me right back to high school, though unfortunately for me that was before Bluetooth adapters would have been useful with my Nokia 5110. Name-dropping Tommy Fenstermacher is some serious Over the Garden Wall energy and I'm here for it.
"In the way that can of seltzer only vaguely references the fruit on the can"
"simplicity is the only time-machine we have."
Pretty good stuff, Ol' Hoss. This review reminds me of your old stuff.
I bought a 2001 model with 200k miles at a university's silent auction for $900. It'd been sitting for about a year. Fresh battery. Changed the fluids. Replaced the AC. Put 3,000 miles on it. It was a nice car. Very smooth and comfortable ride. The wife described it as "like a car but with two really nice couches instead of seats." Sold it about 6 months later for $2250 and made a little profit. It was a nice car that I was tempted to keep, but the 2000 Saturn SL2 was my daily at the time and it got almost twice the gas mileage.
Bench seats need to make a comeback.
This was a car that as a teenager I made fun of, then I inherited one, and now I get it. The 3800 V6 smooth...buttery...dependable. Do not like to be seen in it, but when no one is looking LOVE driving it.
My grandmother had a supercharged Regal from about this time and I wish I'd gotten to drive that car. So comfortable, good enough quality, reliable, and I've heard that the supercharged 3800 was a sleeper. Unfortunately she traded it for a crappy Cruze right before I got my license. I drove the Mercury equivalent of this car in college, a 2001 Mercury Sable wagon with the DOHC V6. Very comfortable, floaty, tons of space, a decent engine let down by a weak transmission, and not that reliable. It was an ugly, uncool car but it got the job done and I still miss it sometimes.
I had the chance to drive one of these earlier this year. It was at one of the last estate sales I worked for my parents before changing jobs. Beige, low miles, old lady's car that she only drove to church and the supermarket. I got to photograph it for our ad and then drive it to get fuel and a wash. The owner had left a Willie Nelson cassette in the glove box, so I popped it in, cranked it up, put the windows down... There was something so blissful about it, just cruising around the backroads of New Jersey suburbs in an old Buick. I was half-tempted to put some money in and buy it for myself, but I totally didn't need it, so I didn't. And in the end, a dad ended up buying it for his teenage son. And I'll bet that kid is out there in his old Buick making the same kind of memories you talked about in the intro. I sure hope he is. And I hope that old boat lasts him a long time.
As a 49 year old man that went bowling with my crew every weekend we could, this intro hit sooooooo hard, with the exception that we rode an '88 Taurus and a home made mix tape was the audio of choice. Sublime writing sir. Good show
🎵a little bit of Buick in my life. 🎶
🎶 a little bit of Lincoln by my side 🎶
🎵 a little bit of Oldsmobile's what I need🎶
🎵 a little bit of Fiat is what I see 🎵
🎵 a little bit of Honda in the sun 🎶
🎵 a little bit of Volvo all night long 🎵
The commentary on this actually made me cry, and I’m only 25. I had this car for a few years and it was a time of life I didn’t want to let go and still look back with extreme overwhelming nostalgia.
It’s law that when you play Brockhampton’s Gold you swerve the car when the song says, “time traveling honda swerving…”
Goldie
THATS SO MERLYN THATS SO MERLYN THATS SO MERLYN
still a heater
I heard that Tommy Fenstemacher still has one of those buzzers that goes off when he wets the bed.
One time it started buzzing because he busted on it and his mom woke up to check on him.
😂😂😂😂
my buddy had one of these. We would drive together in it and there were times I would nearly fall asleep in those seats, because of how comfortable they are. I love the lesabre. I may try and find one of them for my next car.
2005 Buick LeSabre Custom:
DEJA VU
I'VE JUST BEEN TO THIS PLACE BEFORE
HIGHER ON THE STREETS
AND I KNOW IT'S MY TIME TO GO
I like that blue on the exterior. If you squint hard, this looks like a Jag XJ.
When you can't afford a camry there are two paths that open to you. One leads to the GM G body platform, and the other leads to the pantherbody.
Unfortunately panther bodies are no longer the low mileage, $5k estate sale specials anymore. The internet has hyped them up for almost decade and FB marketplace/Craigslist prices show low mileage examples rarely dipping below $7k.
@@oOgy172yup been looking for crown Vic’s like crazy and people want 3k+ easily. But these Buicks they’re still relatively cheap
That was a beautiful review; I've never liked the way these looked, they always felt too tied uncomfortably to mortality, but now I can eye them with respect, rather than disgust. Thank you.
Rode in many of these Buicks. First car I ever drove was a 98 Buick Le Sabre. I was 15 and living out at a Church camp with my family; my grandfather gave me the keys and gave me a driving lesson. Funny thing was they just bought the car and I was two months shy of my 16th birthday. Greatest lesson ever. This Buick well always be the car that lives in my heart. 😊
Look at how thick those seat backs are. So comfy. They are thicker than what you even get in Tahoes and Yukons nowadays.
Right idk why but GM now makes cardboard looking seats with zero thickness to them that are just the most uncomfortable things thing sit in let alone trying to drive any of them in a road trip… I’ll take my 1998 Lexus GS300 out on a road trip before the 2023 Chevy Equinox it’s crazy
Because car journalists drilled it into automakers that customers want a “sporty” feel, and it happens to be cheaper to make a seat with less padding in it
The most comfortable cars I've ever been in were early-00s GMs. Thick padding to sink a couple of inches into, soft leather, and soft suspension. The most uncomfortable cars I've ever been in were post-bailout GMs. Hard padding in all the wrong places and stiff "leather" stretched tight across the seat.
My daughter loves, LOVES the 2000 LeSabre I picked up as her first car.
Thank you for this true to form RCR video. The type of thing that made me fall in love with the channel since the beginning. The absolute nostalgia and your ability to put me right back in that moment even if it wasn’t exactly mine.
And the return of Tommy F jokes lol
Me before video: oh sweet another rcr video
After most their videos: the reality of my own mortality sits in. Memories of a wasted youth and the reality that innocent bliss was reachable but is not gone forever
As the owner of a 2004 Lesabre, everything in this video is spot on.
Yessssssss
The unique cars are nice, but we still need a solid amount of this 90s and 00s true REGULAR car goodness
The one thing I loved about these was how comfortable they were to drive. I always enjoy your videos. Thanks for making great videos. These were the cars my buddies would buy when they couldn't afford something nice. But these were comfortable and reliable. They may not look cool but I learned to appreciate them as an adult.
I was hard up at one point and the best car I could find in my price range was a 2003 Buick LeSabre with 303k for $800. Man I could not kill that thing, I delivered pizzas in it for a year before I blew the radiator. Replaced that, head gasket was fine, sold it for what I bought it for with 323k on it. I got pretty lucky with mine being a Celebration Edition and fully loaded. To this day, I still miss that HUD and the DIC, it was just enough technology to not be intrusive, but useful.
Bro said he misses the "dic" 🙏🙏🙏🗣️🗣️🗣️💯💯💯
I haven’t kept up with your videos for the most part for a couple years but man, this really feels like a peak RCR video from 8 years ago. What a beaut
I had a white LeSabre as my first car, I worked at the local mall 45 minutes away in the city. We called it the "Bingo Bus" but holy smokes, the ride was smooth. I will say it didn't do well in the snow, as I went in the ditch 7 times in a single winter. But I never hit anything, the Buick was a tank! Hit a deer and the deer had a dent in it! Now I have a Ford Crown Victoria and work for the State Patrol, but my Dad has a 2005 LeSabre. When the Vic was in the shop, I drove it and it brought me back to those days. It's a car that stays with you.
I dented a few deer with my '86 Cutlass Supreme.
I've been searching for someone who has driven both Lesabre and Crown Vic.............................Which one was more comfortable to drive?
@@geddon436 the LeSabre by far, my Crown Victoria has the cloth seats but the LeSabre had the soft leather heated seats. I also felt the LeSabre wasn't as stiff with turning the wheel. The Crown Victoria is more direct in terms of steering. Sometimes I get behind the wheel and the Crown Victoria feels like it needs to driven aggressively. Fast Shifting, One hand quick spin of the wheel. The Buick, is like "hey, take your time. we can go when you want to..." 😆
@@presidentmc9054well said
These cars are so unironically good. This one is ridiculously clean, too.
The lunch lady line got me on the floor.. perfectly put into words.
I’m here for the Brockhampton shoutout. That was an era!
This was one of the best videos in years man.
This is the most philosophical video you've put out in a while, and this car is every bit as deserving of that treatment. Thank you, Mr. Regular
old land yachts, Buick LaSabre, early Toyota Avalons, Ford Taurus/Sable offered 3 across bench in the front row for Maximum "HEAD" ROOM.
Honorable mentions, minivans with removable center console. early CRV and Highlanders with the little folding tray.
Trips to Rutgers undergrad to nyc for Halal platters at 44th and 6th at 11pm. In 2003.... This was the ride where 6 guys would go after studying to get the late night meal
dang this managed to really effectively put into words, what I'd been missing from late teenage/early college years, of the nights of staying outside with close friends well past sunset without much concern for the distant future, cruising around with way more people than should fit in a cheap 2 door 2+2 coupe... The beauty of simplicity. Time to try and ponder that for a while
“You have the freedom of more than you ever had before without the pressure and responsibility of more than you can handle”
I think you described the feeling of a first car better than anyone
My grandfather was a engineer for GM, and during my lifetime he had a parade of maroon LeSabres he swapped for a new one every 4 to 6 years, leading up to a final Lucerne which he wasnt happy about.
I own a 2000 Lesabre, exact same colour as the one in the video. I use it as my 2nd vehicle and drives like a couch on wheels. I love it.
Well written, well spoken episode. A future classic RCR video.
The commentary on this video was truly immaculate.
"you don't even want to go to bed, because you just want more life" damn, that one hit 🎯 I still feel that way and I'm 28
That 6 seats thing is so true. I drive a 1995 lesabre limited and whenever me and my friends are all going to a place they always choose my car because its the only one that seats six. Its dark green with whitewall tires and looks brand new. Everyone calls it the green bean lol
See, this is the type of car that would actually get me to enter the giveaway for once.
I dont even look at the cars anymore. I just like hearing you talk. Ben following this channel for years, and in some way, when i hear your voice, i have a similar feeling to what youre talking about in this vid. Great stuff as always. Keep it up. Best regards from Denmark
22 and just baught my 92 yr old grandma's Buick Lucerne CXL V6 with v tech because I recently became a dad lol 😅 best dad car ever
This is the quintessential regular car.
There's are cars built around couches. Source : owned a 92, 03, and 05. All hand me downs. Everything's accurate but we didnt have a curfew.
Then a 07 and 15 lacrosse. I'm old beyond my years.
I miss my 07 lacrosse everyday
Buick
I’m glad it didn’t end with the Lacrosse. Early model Lacrosses and Lucernes also came with front bench seats and 3800 series IIIs.
My friend used to own one of these, I can still remember the feel of the fake wood panel
House phone got me 😂 Your humor is like no other Mr Regular.
A throwback back to the og rcr videos. Thank you mr regular
Cars like this never die. They only get more broken.
My mother had a 96 from 2005 to 2013. Was my grandfather's car and when he passed away it was the family car. Car was rear ended and totalled and it was one of the saddest moments in our family. Was such a good car we bought another one but eventually sold it in 2016 when we no longer needed a family car when I moved out. This was such a good car and I still see them everywhere. That's how you can tell it's a good car.
Whenever we went to my moms hometown our cousin would cart us around in a Brown on brown Lasabre. Car felt just like the town stuck in the (rural) mid 70s even though it's 2007
We fit our entire drumline in a LeSabre. Well, not the drummers, but two tenors, four snares, cymbals, and five basses (bass 4&5 on bike rack.) They said we had to walk back, didn't say shit about humping our gear! Truly, a vessel for a good time.
I love how youre not even pretending to be straight anymore in your little stories. Power to you
Man’s come a long way in accepting himself
Its gross
@@Heatherder If you don’t like it then leave, no one’s forcing you to watch his videos.
Wow, this is awesome! Hits close to home, too, and the way you described everything conjures incredibly vivid imagery. Kudos
Spent about a decade as a tech at a small town Buick dealership. A large portion of the clientele owned one of these G platforms. Initially I treated them with derision but the more I worked on them, or more accurately didn't work on them, the more I came to respect them, as the vast majority of the work I did was general maintenance. Looking back, the fact that all the long term techs had one as a daily should have been a clue as to how bullet-proof they really are. These days I unironically wish I would have picked one up, especially one of the ultra-low mileage blue hair specials. I have no doubt it would still be running strong today and I would have spent far less time and money working on my own car.
My wife had a 1998 LeSabre and replaced it 6 years ago with a 2008 Lucerne. The engine and transmission in the LeSabre were literally falling out because of upstate NY rust. It still ran perfectly! Thankfully her brother in Florida found her Lucerne with low miles in near perfect condition.
This was our high school years chariot but it was a Buick Century. we crammed 8 people in this car and went to Pittsburgh Mills mall. 6 in the front two in the trunk. sagged out doing 70 on 28 down to the mall. Good times.
The videos with no mention of a giveaway are always the best written
Mr Regular at his best right here; waxing poetic about my childhood. Thank you.
I've been watching these videos for some time and it just now struck me; there's a certain Lake Wobegon aspect to this story telling. Detailed in ways that don't really matter but really hit home for some reason. Little jokes you don't really see coming. It's a very comforting story.
Between this and the Wizard recommending them as great used cars, the price on these is about to skyrocket.
My mom had a 2000 buick regal, almost the same car, before my little brother totaled it. it was a miracle from God he didn't get injured or worse. I replaced the speakers in it for my mom when she drove it, and i would legit just go smoke and listen to music in it. it was amazing. such a great car
This does make me appreciate the appeal of simpler things
I used to drive one and the amount of times I got pulled over and tailed by police in this vehicle just because it fits the description of someone else's car was unbelievable 😂
I can see it lifted on 24's with a dealer tag 7mths out of date and bubbled tint.
If that GM 3.8 is a beyblade, it's the ultimate stamina type, for sure!
Nick Roman looks like Dad of the Year 1984 Gary Plauché
Poignant and kinda brilliant. My first freedom was my parents’ Mk4 Escort Ghia 5-door hatch, solid blue, twin white coachlines, blue velour interior with the 1.6 carb’d CVH and 5-speed manual. I had been servicing it for a couple of years before the Precious Licence Of Freedom was attained and, despite a ferocious insurance rate increase to add a new-qual 17yo as a named driver, my folks stumped-up and made it happen. Cue exploring much of the West Midlands and all it had to offer, with friends who seemed lifelong then but have faded into obscurity due to life, time and family on either or both sides. Thank you for the memories. Mostly good.
Can't forget the supercharged version.
These never had a supercharged version, Park Avenue and Regal did though.
This might be the the fondest review that you have ever spoken about lol These and the Panther platforms are 2 of the best cars made IMHO