1976 Buick Skylark 2 door Hatchback 3.8
Summary:
70s groovy
Faults:
Nothing.
General Comments:
Bought this car from the estate of a 92 year old Lady who had purchased it new. Always garaged, the car is like new with under 18000 miles when purchased. It is new palm green with a white top and black interior. The car has the 3.8L (231ci) odd fire V6 with a 200 TH 3 speed trans. A 2 door hatchback, the interior is pretty basic with just an AM radio. Fun car to drive and gets lots of looks.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 28th March, 2016
3rd Apr 2016, 13:09
Nice advice, but not sure how much it will benefit the reviewer, who has only put just over 700 miles on the car in four years of ownership?
10th Apr 2016, 02:55
Re: Advice - I'm just an old Buick guy, who learned the hard way, and doesn't want to see others make the same mistakes I made.
Peace :)
21st May 2016, 00:17
A white top with a black interior seems like an unusual combination. I think a white interior would have matched better.
21st May 2016, 17:55
3 colors never do. I never ever bought a new car with a vinyl top. I think it breaks up the lines of the car. Even a triple black isn't as nice in my opinion.
3rd Apr 2016, 03:24
Wow - neat review!!!
You're dealing with a GM powertrain that was the source of much grief for GM.
Odd-Fire V-6. Beware of two things -
1. Timing chain wear. The odd-fire combustion pattern introduces some large amplitude forces into many engine parts - the timing chain on the Buick V-8 (upon which the V-6 is based) was not known for its longevity. The large, irregular power pulses don't help. Have your mechanic do a slack check periodically.
2. Oil pump wear, and resultant low oil pressure. Too many Buicks have been consigned to the scrap heap when they spin a rod bearing after the oil pump stops providing adequate oil pressure to the engine. Install a decent quality oil pressure gauge and watch your oil pressure. At idle, you want to see at least 10 PSI idling at a stoplight with a warm engine (has been running for at least 30 minutes). Off-idle at higher RPM, you want to see 35 PSI or more. If you don't, start looking at oil pumps. You may want to consider installing an aftermarket replacement oil pump before trouble strikes.
Having said that, you can't help but but like the exhaust note of the odd-fire V-6. A fun hybrid of a 6-cylinder engine with a 8-cylinder engine - good stuff!!!
The TurboHydraMatic 200.
Change your fluid and filter every 12,000 miles minimum. If you want to change it more frequently, you won't regret it. There was not much margin for abuse on these. The emphasis was on low power loss (for fuel economy), and low manufacturing costs (for obvious reasons). Put the two together, and you have fun for the hapless owner.