1995 Buick Riviera 3.8L supercharged
Summary:
Beautiful, luxurious, quick, handles like a charm!!!
Faults:
CV joint need replacing at 140,000 miles.
A/C went bust at 150,000 miles.
Water pump went out at 130,000 miles.
Radiator replaced at 150,000.
Alternator replaced at 140,000.
Other minor repairs done, now sitting, starting car every so often, not driving due to needing some minor repairs, which will take only a few dollars. Have an alternate car to drive, love this car and want to save the miles on it!!!
General Comments:
I bought in this car in October 2005. I fell in love with this car, and although with the higher miles, we had some repairs, which I consider to be just par for the course, I absolutely love this car, and plan to keep it and restore it even more.
I regret having to put so many miles on it, but we live way out in the country, and my husband commuted 55 miles one way to work with it, since it was the car that got the best gas mileage. Now we have quite a few miles on it, I have let the car sit and am driving a 2001 Ford Taurus, which I absolutely love also, but want to save the miles on the Riv, and fix it up more to drive it this summer after my broken ankle heals.
It has been a pleasure the years I have had it to drive it; it's like a Cadillac with extra power :). I would recommend to anyone to buy one of these in a heartbeat. They handle like a charm and are very quick. The suspension is very good and it handles curves very precisely. It feels like you are sitting in your living room.
The sound system is great for the age. One of the biggest complaints I had about the car when I first got it is that the paint faded on it, but I solved that by getting a very nice paint job on it from a reputable body shop, and it looks like a champ!!!
I believe one day these will be collector's items, and plan on keeping it and enjoying it for a lot of years to come.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 19th May, 2012
7th Jan 2010, 16:39
That steering wheel smoking was likely caused by the clock spring shorting out. It still could be a fire hazard and should be repaired.
Low coolant and overheating go together. I would have it checked out. It could be a simple to fix coolant leak or as complicated as a head gasket going bad. If you do nothing, it only will get worse.