Your Grandparents Were Right! This Is The Car You Should Be Buying!
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I should have bought 1 back in 2016 at a garage sale, $1100 with less than 100k miles.
Besides the the 5.3 pre AFM V8 the 3.8 V6 was the best Gzm engine made. I have a 2000 Grand Prix GTP with simple mods has about 280 hp . It's a cheap little rocketship that will get you over 500k miles! The biggest cause of inflation is the EPA which killed the engine . I guess 30 mpg wasn't enough . Now the newer v6's are boat anchors with DOHC that mechanics won't work on that get 100k then go to the bone yard! Note the EPA has new cars with the start/ stop technology which is the most stupid idea ever for the benefits from it !
I think we've all been there Brother. Keep looking. Deals like this aways come back around.
$6000 now 😂
@@zacharygoeden1282there’s a 2004 with 80k miles here near Houston asking $4000
I paid $5000 for my Buick Regal Joseph Abboud Edition with only 22,000 MI about 2 years ago, it was a one owner car has the two tone chestnut brown leather interior. This car has every option that you could get on it back in 2002. Even the supercharger that was available on the 3.8 . Best 5 grand I have ever spent!
My 16 year old son wanted one for his first car. What a wise young man he turned out to be!
If it was my choice I'd take the old land yacht over ANY brand new POS computer on wheels and Tommy needs an attitude adjustment
Few things I would have brought up that you just don’t find in modern vehicles. The bench seat made possible by a column shifter made it a six passenger sedan. Not a ton of room in that center seat but it worked for kids and that just doesn’t exist anymore. I remember a lot of rides between my dad and grandfather when I was a kid in a Buick just like this. Also the light in the glove box and the floor wells. You hardly ever see that in “average” cars any more. Things like that require a higher trim level that costs $50,000+. These cars were also extremely quiet inside and the power windows were faster than a lot of modern cars. I remember a commercial about the power window speed. It will probably never happen but I doubt I’m only one who wishes we would get this kind of simplicity back in the automotive world.
I am still driving a 2003 Buick. The bench seats can't be beat for comfort. I guess when the car croaks, I am gonna keep the seats and turn them into living room furniture.
I do NOT want to get a newer car. I HATE the seats in every vehicle. Bench Seating was great.
One of the very last decent cars GM ever made. If you get a 1995-1999 model, it comes with a Series 2 3800 V6 with 205 HP and 230 FT LBS of torque, which matched the early supercharged 3800s. Just keep the transmission fluid and filter serviced regularly and keep it cool with an auxiliary cooler. The 4T60E is an ok transmission but not super durable unless it is kept cool and serviced regularly.
Now GM makes cars that’ll last through your lease.
Maybe! lol
Other than the Buick LeSabre or Park Avenue, other cheap yet comfortable cars I would choose is the Mercury Grand Marquis or a Toyota Avalon.
I agree. I have a 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis I bought last year with 43k miles. Best purchase I’ve ever made.
Have one with Series II, I put 3k miles on it monthly and it runs great. Just 10w30 synthetic oil and transmission fluid change every 20k.
I would argue the 90s and early 2000s toyota Corolla and Camry are even more bland and ugly.
the corolla i would argue with you. They did have performance corollas at that time until around the 2010s(ugly depends). But now they are going back to that route again as evidence with the new GR Corolla.
If your car has a bifocal line across the windshield, you're driving a Buick. 😂
I happen to think those are indeed handsome cars 🥹
Don't knock the styling too hard guys
It just looks like a car
anything with a post 1995 3800 GM is pretty much worthless and ultra reliable.. mechanically reliable.. but.. every electric and plastic part is broken. 😂
I had a 98 Oldsmobile Intrigue with the 3800 motor. You are right, the plastics were legendary and electronics glitchy on a good day but that motor just kept goin smooth… I put 260,000 miles on it and someone hit me. Finally sold it to a kid for $500 bucks and he hammered out the body panels and ran it another few years. Just a testament to how GOOD that 3800 is!
I daily a 2000 lesabre. Paid $1800 for it with 185k. It’ll pull 30 mpg on the highways. With decent tires on it, it does pretty well in the snow. Everything on it is cheap and easy to fix. 224k on it, and I plan to drive it into the ground.
Undercoat it with a lanolin based undercoating like Fluid Film, Wool Wax, or Surface Shield if you don't want rust to take it first.
I just bought a 1995 with a leather interior out of California , only 55k miles- Paid $4k. Loving it!
enough, they've done this video 5 times already
Forgot to mention they can get 30mpg all day long on the road too
According to Cpt. Slow (aka James May) the Nürburgring has ruined car development for years (and still counting).
Nice. I like the 2000-2005 models better.
In 1997 I went with my father in law when he purchased a new Lesabre. I still laugh at the fact that the radio's clock had bigger numbers displayed than most alarm clocks! Buick knew how to take care of their customers!
Car Wizard loves these. The supercharged version is quite fast. That was usually the Park Avenue. You didn't mention the fuel mileage, about 20 city and 30 highway.
In Nebraska, that mileage is probably true. In hilly Hudson River valley suburbs north of NYC -- and short commute, you are looking at 15-16 around town.
"This has the legendary Dynaride where they put a little bit of like a air suspension in the back with the Macpherson struts so it softened up an otherwise kind of normal ride and made this kind of ride like a Cadillac"
The Dynaride suspension only refers to the deflective disc valving for the struts, which as said by Buick allows you to tune suspension for both firm handling and a comfortable ride. In other words, you can tune a regular shock for just as comfortable of a ride, but the handling will not be as good. The air suspension, which was not even standard on the LeSabres, does nothing for ride comfort, it is only there for load leveling.
The reason these have such a good ride is simple, they just use soft springs, have shocks that dampen for comfort, fully independent suspension, and a front subframe. The 97-05 Park Avenues and 00-05 LeSabres ride significantly stiffer, despite still having Dynaride, the air suspension, as well as the addition of a rear subframe and longer wheelbase, because they also made the springs stiffer.
Cadillac in the 90s was also going for a more modern European style luxury when Buick was going for a more traditional American style luxury. The Park Avenue and LeSabre actually rode better than the DeVille, and had softer seats.
@JDns-we4fw That's the automatic ride control, which stiffens up the struts based on different driving situations, I'm talking about the automatic level control for the rear struts, which is used for load leveling and was only standard on the Park Avenue. Plus regardless, that is not a Gran Touring model
The kind of car you buy your teenaged driver so they will SERIOUSLY CONSDER going to college or working 2 jobs to buy something else!
And when they did and bought another one..and another and another cause they all died down, they WISHED they would've LISTENED to their grandparents..
Oddly 90s GM was just getting ragged on but now those years are the most admired American, comfortable, and reliable cars still on the road.
I would absolutely drive that car. Very cool.
Just bought a one-owner 2002 LeSabre with 98,000 miles for $2,000. Only problem is the drooping headliner, but thumbtacks have taken care of that. She runs great!
That's a deal!
Which state, if I may ask?
That engine 3.8 GM is equal to 4.0 Jeep engine. Due oil changes on schedule and TLC. There are supercharged 3.8s in Riviera and others. Olds, Pontiac, Buick flavors. I always liked the Olds variety. Riviera has a robust and overbuilt unibody is the best of the bunch is you want to travel in Coupe style with very plush seating. Getting hard to find in salt belt.
To give him his credit James May often stated that the Nurburgring ruined the handling of cars. Specifically because they were too rough.
I'll take my H-body in Eighty Eight LSS flavor, thanks. Specifically, post-1995 so it has the supercharged 3800.
I would drive this all day long. That 3800 V6 is one of the best engines ever made by ANY manufacturer. I've seen these with 300-450k+ mi still running PERFECTLY. The rest of the car will fall apart before the engine does.
Wizard approved pick!
Smooth, quiet, extremely comfortable, low stressed, good mid range passing power and exceptional highway mileage. Sure it's boring. It was supposed to be! That was the market they were going for. Rough day at the office? Your Buick will help calm you down on the way home. Kid borrowing the car? They'll be safe and probably not get into too much trouble, plus all of their friends will pile on in. All controls were well laid out, familiar, and easy to use.What I will say is that these car did have their fair share of electrical gremlins, and window regulators were troublesome. Cars with rear air shocks also had issues. Water pumps, ignition coils and modules and intake gaskets were high failure parts. Other than that, gas, oil and go!
Boring?! My first car back in 2003 was a 1990 Buick LeSabre. I loved that thing!
Seriously, if your grandparents had one of these, it was most likely going to outlive them 😆
Can also confirm that they are built like tanks. Totaled mine when I lost control by clipping a massive fresh pothole going into a curve on a country road. Got t-boned on the passenger side by a GARBAGE TRUCK coming the other way at about 35 MPH and knocked into a ditch. I actually walked away with very minor injuries (heavy bruising on my left leg from hitting the steering column on impact, and light bruising across my shoulder/chest from the seat belt doing its job)
Out of all the cars I've had over the years, I think the only one that would have performed similar was a 1995 Buick Century. Everything else I've owned, I'd have likely been in much worse shape. I strongly feel that 80s/90s Buicks are extremely underrated and overlooked as pretty much all the US cars of the time were just getting their asses kicked across the board by Japanese imports in terms of reliability.
My Aunt & Uncle have had one of those since the 90s and it's still going strong, as reliable and comfortable as ever
All of these were beige. ALL OF THEM.
That color seemed to hide dirt easier
My uncle's green one would disagree. 😂
In Saudi we had lots and lots of Buick Roadmasters back in the day and I loved them
I bought a 1995 Pontiac Bonneville sse in 2021 with 45000 miles on it as my daily driver for 5000 dollars Canadian and I love it. It drives nice it's quick enough I mean how fast do you really need to go and there is loads of room in the engine bay to work on it. Yesterday I changed the oil on my daughters 2016 Dodge Journey and there is no room in the engine bay to work on the engine. I couldn't even see the belts. Give me one of those G.M.'s any day of the week.
This is the epitome of a user-friendly car - no fancy and unnecessary bells and whistles, just decent value for money.
As the owner of a 1989 Park Ave, 1991 LeSabre and 2001 LeSabre...I completely concur. The 3800 is bomb-proof asides from intake gaskets. The later the model, the better these were. Awesome daily-drivers and highway bombers.
Check my comment above. I totally agree, but beware of the intake plenum, which can leak, leading to hydro-lock and the junk yard. take care of that before it happens, and you're good to go. Your 2001 series III 3800 fixed that, and the supercharged engines had aluminum plenums.
@@barrykochverts4149 Yah, I even mentioned the intake in my post above. I've had an ignition coil fail too, but other than that nothing remotely considered outside of regular maintenance. I think a trans rebuild at 188K would be considered maintenance.
Should rename the channel TFL dealer auction lot finds 😅
I had one of these for a few years. Beat the piss out of it and put lots of miles on it. Never walked home. Good car.
I'm in a community band where I play the tuba. I get picked up in one of there the truck has room for a tuba the backseat has room for a tuba. The ride is smooth and comfortable. I remember when these came out and I dug them. Very comfortable for passengers and tubas alike. 😊
I leave the back seat out of my Olds 88. It's almost as roomy as the average station wagon.
90s Buick's were among the best cars ever built by the division. Le Sabre, Century, Regal and Park Avenue sold in record numbers. The 3.8 was bullet proof aside from the eventual manifold leak which is not difficult to replace. Over 300K miles is not uncommon for these engines. They were pure comfort given the average age of Buick drivers. The Roadmaster was also a great and reliable car being RWD compared to the others. Their reliability is why there are still so many on the road today.
Cool it ain't, but practical forever. And, I am retired....
I love these old Buicks. The nostalgia of the 3800 V6 engine sound, great music sound coming from the Delco Radio and Concert Sound II speakers, the door locks sounds like a jail cell door lock when shifting from park, the Dynaride suspension just floats and the cornering light that shines regardless when you turn on the turn signal whether the headlights are on or not.
Driving an old Buick, you have to play music from Johnnie Taylor, Tyrone Davis, Teddy Pendergrass and Luther Vandross. Or on Sunday morning, play gospel music by The Canton Spirituals, Troy Ramey, Debra Snipes and the Georgia Mass Choir.
I'd get a Crown Vic much better car
I’d go with a Town Car but still a panther platform car
@@GermanCarGuyMN I second that I love my Town Car.
@@CadillacGregg309 my grandfather was a loyal Mercury owner for his entire life. They’ve always had a special place in my heart
I’ve Got a 99 Grand Marquis. I love it
Apples and Oranges. They are also bigger, and some people prefer FWD in the winter.
Just bought my kids one 2004 with 47k and top to bottom maintenance for $2500
Tell him to undercoat it with a lanolin based coating to prevent rust.
I’ve had several of these and would give them no less than a 5 star rating. Hands down, these are some of the most reliable and comfortable cars ever made, my 91 park Avenue and the LeSabre limiteds felt like driving my living room couch down the road. The only major downfall is they don’t stand up to rust very well here in the salt belt. I imagine if you got it fluid filmed regularly, that problem could probably be avoided. I will say this to anyone who wants one or is considering buying one; get one now because they are becoming more rare and the demand for them is starting to go up and with fewer clean examples left, they are starting to gain value and are starting to command higher prices. I’ve seen very clean low mileage examples going in upwards of 5 to 8 thousand dollars.
I've owned 1992 and 1999, both were fantastic cars and truly have a "pillow like" ride. If I come across another low mileage example, I'm buying it.
Cars are meant to get you places. That's it. That's all. Tommy's attempt at humour is appreciated. Make all the fun of practicality you want. Smart money makes you money. It doesn't rot and depreciate in the driveway.
Those '90s Buicks with the 3800 truly were reliable. My grandpa and uncle bought two 1990 Regals -- one white, one blue but otherwise identical. They served through 3-4 generations of my family's drivers in great shape. I drove the white one when it was about 20 years old. Everything still worked great, and whenever I gave someone a ride they never failed to comment on how smooth and comfortable it drove and on the digital gauges, which, although dated, were still attractive and fully functional. Ultimately, the blue one began to have some issues after being subjected to abuse and neglect of my younger cousins' teenage driving. The white one was in great running shape when it eventually left the family. I wish I knew the mileage. It had 180,000-plus when I was driving it, but I wasn't the last in our family to use it.
Great cars... I am sick and tired of Buick-bashing... but at least you recognize some of the stellar points of these cars!
I love the design of this car - wish you could get these in Aus! What's wrong with me?
Commodore bro. Same V6
My grandparents might be a little older than that generation! Grandpas last truck was the last iteration of the square body GMC and their last sedan was a mid-70’s Ford Torino! 😁
Reliable, roomy, comfortable like a couch, smooth riding, often a bench seat in the front to have your woman next to ya, cheap parts, easy to work on, etc etc etc.
My first car was a 2000 Buick LeSaber it was such a smooth ride. Way smoother and comfortable then my 2020 Chevy Traverse
I had a '91 LeSabre Custom and it's true that it was kind of leisurely up to 30mph but once the speedo swung past that, the mid RPM acceleration was pretty impressive thanks to the torque of these 3.8 V6s putting down most of their torque in the mid RPM ranges.
My dad had one of these in the exact same color his was a 1999 it was the last car that he owned before he died in 2020 he never was into the nicest top trim level cars he just liked simple basic gm vehicles. That was the newest daily driver he ever had in his entire life he was born in 1960 so he was he wasn't to all the new touch screens and fancy stuff they put in cars now. I drove around in it with him from time to time to be perfectly honest I really liked it and to me it takes you back in time to the 1990s when you are driving in it
Retired GM mechanic. My favorite car to service. I still have my father’s 1989 DELTA 88. Still driving it as a second vehicle. Over 325000. Transmission replaced under warranty at 22000.
8:54 Invaluable doesn’t mean not very valuable. It means that it’s so valuable that it’s hard to quantify the value.
These two aren't educated in the least
Finally, a video sponsored by The Carwizard himself! :))
Lol!
No, I don't think it is necessary to make fun of this car when in the same breath making the point about how great they are. They are great. Period. I had one. It was wonderful. And, I wish I had bought more back in the day. The ultimate, though, is a Park Avenue; however, they are not as easy to find because they were more often a highway car and many miles put on them.
I would replace my Eighty-Eight LS with a supercharged version, which is more tractable on hills.
My grandparents had a 95 in red with red cloth seats. I remember not liking it as a kid. They sold it to a neighbor for $2,000 in 2004
The final car of many people from the Greatest Generation. My grandmother had one in that exact color that she bought brand new in 1994. Loved that car.
Simple, cheap, efficient, reliable, long-lasting, durable, easy to repair and a classic now
I had a 89 Pontiac Bonnie bought new
It was one of the best cars I have owned 65 yrs old now
Got great mpg was great in the snow. Very comphy. And had better styling than the Buick
I’m 65 not the car 😂
I just told my wife about this car! A car that offers ALL the necessary amenities for everyday life, that "floats" on the road, no one wants and is cheap!
Indeed a great Car 🚗
What are you gonna do with the car now that the video is over? If unsure, you can drop it off at my house. I like the split bench seating and I am used to driving those beasts.
Back when people purchased cars for comfort, practicality plus being dependable was the number one reason.
Style was not a huge reason but.......This car looks fine for the day!
Think they got fairly good gas mileage to boot.
Yeah. These days, people are looking for something uncomfortable and useless that will leave them stranded on a regular basis 🙄
Reminds me of an old Jag. Like it
I have a 2003 Buick Regal with the 3800. My only complaint is that it’s not a LeSabre. I want a bigger one 😂
5:51 - Above the Regal (w body), not Century (a body back then). The Skylark was also below the Century at that time. So, no, this was not a middle child. It was only below the Park Avenue.
Undercoat them with some lanolin based undercoating if you want to keep them from rusting.
No car today ride like these old cars
I still have my Buick Park Ave.. & I love my car.. it's very reliable, I have never had problems with it. I recommend these cars.
I had one of these as a rental car about 25 years ago. I’d be willing to bet it’s still on the road somewhere.
I got my aunts 08 buick lucerne from her estate. It's a cx trim with 78,000 miles. And gets 26 mpg.
I would say the Park Avenue is the peak Buick for comfort and reliability.
Comfort yes, reliability, nope. They were more luxurious so more stuff can go wrong.
I liked the 2000 model year right after those. Same engine and the interior felt more roomy
My dad had A 1992 Buick regal with that same engine 3.8 v six , had it twenty five years until you couldn’t get parts any more here in Canada. The only major problem it had on the engine was serpentine belt went with only 5000 km on the odometer( under warranty) and the ac went after 18 years of use. And that it .A lot of rust got to it , suspension parts started to break and those parts were hard to find new and used.
It is a handsome choice…they are as reliable as an axe, comfortable and inexpensive to maintain. I have been looking for a clean one with a sunroof. Can’t find a LeSabre or Park Avenue anywhere :(
That engine was sold into the 2000s. I know you said the "body" was sold '92-'99, but the engine is what matters.
I prefer the park avenue
I have a 1993 Buick Roadmaster Limited. These 90’s Buicks are gems
I’ve seen 2 low mileage ones sell for $12k and. $16k recently
In 2012, I bought a 1SS Camaro and needed a winter car. A buddy had his late father's 1991 Buick Park Ave. Bought it and fell in love. I drove it more than the Camaro. It was like a Laz Boy on wheels. I kick myself everyday for selling it. It was the same color as this one and had that red leather interior. It's an awesome snow car, I drove through stuff 4x4 trucks were getting hung up on. Thanks for this.
My mother had one of these when i was growing up, and now i can't find one for less that $15,000 here in ME in HALF-decent shape!!! SO ANGRY!!!!!!
goddamn pal
This was my first vehicle when I first started driving 😊
Ultra Supercharged Edition. ❤
My grandparents actually drove a 1959 Ford. I guess that dates me. There are not many on the road now, but most people who drive them are now my age.
If anyone is considering one of these. PLEASE, replace the sub frame bolts and bushings. I owned a clean '96 Lesabre . At 90k miles, the subframe bolts snapped, disconnecting the steering column from the rack and pinion. No steering, just brakes! Lucky that it happened at 25mph. As an added bonus, the steering wheel spins past 180 degrees breaking the airbag connection! No air bag if you crash! When I had it towed to the repair garage, thier reply was "yeah this happens often" . I live in the rust belt, but the undercarriage on my car was very clean. Never expected something like this to happen.
my 03 park ave needs this
I bought a 92 Buick LeSabre same color custom for 2850 drove it for 21 years at 100 and 258,000 miles on it when I got rid of it it was a great car and I like the style and the color you can’t go wrong with these cars if you can still find them I now have a 2000 Buick LeSabre which I love to 3800 motor with 94,000 miles on it for 2400 you can’t go wrong with these cars I don’t care what anybody says
Had a Cadillac 2005 deville! Wish I never sold it ! You can’t bet the fantastic ride
Yeah but my dude ... a 2005 DeVille is horribly unreliable. Not exactly a comparison with this LeSabre.
The GM H-body was one of the best platforms GM ever built. I had two. These do get nickel and dimey as they get older though - everything leaks, lots of electrical bits fail, HVAC is a huge pain, brittle plastic, ect. Equivalent to most domestic stuff from this era, but far cheaper to acquire and with great bones (which is what really matters). Used to be able to pick them up for $600-$1500 in awesome shape with low miles, but those days have passed. Personally, I think they're aging out now but can still be very usable today for the right owner.
You’re not wrong. Transmission is absolute garbage. The only thing actually decent is the engine itself. The rest of the car falls apart. We switched from GM vehicles years ago and now don’t have a car payment per month in repairs. I think I had changed every sensor and electrical part on my wife’s impala. My K2500 left me in the side of the road at least once a month. Simple vehicles, junk parts and design. Fuel pump, ignition module, transmission, dip stick broke off and dumped oil.
Them and Panther platform cars are all super solid.
@@joer6571 The first iterations of the 4T60 were garbage, agreed. The 4T60-E seems to be hit and miss, some people have decent luck, others don't. Smart to get away from the GM stuff overall though, I like their older vehicles as curiosity items (from the beginning to about the 2000 model year), but not as something one really has to rely on. It's possible to find outliers that are somewhat trouble free, but again, that's a gamble. Some people can, or must tolerate a GM (or Ford, Chrysler, ect) in "end-stage mode" where everything but the bare necessities are non-functional. I was ok driving junk like that when I was younger, but you quickly tire of it as it cuts into your life.
@@silasakron4692 the trans loses 4th gear and I’m assuming a lot of folks have no idea. Some that I know just keep driving them that way. My next car will probably be a panther lol. My Toyota has 308k on it and runs great, super easy to work on. Also have a Ford van with the 7.3. Plan on keeping them in good shape for as long as possible. My 6.7 power stroke gives me anxiety, no issues, yet. But I’d have a tundra if I didn’t need a hd truck.
I am the right owner. My '98 Olds with 54K on it is very reliable, notwithstanding all the issues you have correctly identified. It's also a bit squeaky, because of the shrunken plastic bits inside.
Been through a few recessions and every time I lost my ass financially there was always a $500 buick to get me to my dead end job and a big enough trunk to put the catalytic converters that were gonna pay my rent. also invisible to cops. win win
cool bro, so you are a cat thief?
Karma is coming for you
My parents had a 93, 95, and 2001 Le Sabres. Yes the styling was snoozy. But even I’ll admit that they were a smooth road trip car with an engine that was bulletproof. I’d buy one as a daily even now.
I recommend it. You do need to downshift on long hills, because at 1500 rpm, you are only getting about 75 hp, though the torque is over 200 just about anywhere in the power band.
about 10 years ago we had bought one that had belong to a 92 year old driver and it had a little marks all around it as it seemed that he never stopped parking it till he touched 10:15 something but it was an excellent car wonderful ride and decent gas mileage
The 3800s were great. The transmissions they were often mounted to were nothing to write home about in regards to reliability, but I'd trust my life to a 3800