1997 Buick Skylark Custom 3.1L V6

Summary:

High maintnance Not one of Buick's best

Faults:

Alternator went at 75000.

Replaced Battery at 75000.

Intake gasket leaking oil/coolant at 80000.

2 front tires replace at 80000.

Lower control arm bushing coming out of position. Needs to be replaced 82000.

Power door lock does not work on passengers side.

Window goes up crooked on both side

Passenger side is very bad.

General Comments:

Very spunky engine smooth shifting trans.

Car does not ride all that well.

Seat belt gets stuck between door and seat. Gets very frustrating at times.

Seems to rust quite fast.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th March, 2004

1997 Buick Skylark Custom V6 3.1 liter

Summary:

A high performance bargain with low maintenance

Faults:

The power windows do not perform as they should. We have replaced them several times. Drivers side twice, both back passengers once each, passenger front once. I do not use the windows that much for them to wear and tear like they do.

Alternator went out at 90,000 miles.

Sometimes when I start my car, it acts like it wants to stall. It acts like it is running out of gas, or not getting enough power, it starts a jerking motion, like its choking on the fuel or something.

There are times that my engine light comes on and stays on, no one can tell me what is wrong with it. It continues to drive normal, after sometime the light will go off. This does not happen very often. The light first came on in 2002.

All and all, My car has been wonderful to me, I have not had any real expensive repairs yet, just the ordinary oil change, tune up, change belt on motor.

I would buy another Buick in a heart beat. It has been the 3rd most dependable car I have owned. Trust me I have purchased some real lemons in my time. Buick is the car for me.

General Comments:

This car has the horse power that I like in a vehicle.

Holds the road great, I live in the country with mountains.

Dependable, Very.

Seats are to low to the ground, and wear very easily.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd March, 2004

1997 Buick Skylark Custom 2.4 Liter 4 cylinder

Summary:

A comfortable ride

Faults:

The alternator stopped working at 63,620 miles - $420.00.

New front brakes and rotors at 75,000 miles - $220.00.

The water pump started leaking (but still worked) at 87,000 miles - $500.00.

Currently my rear windows will not roll down. My mechanic has informed me that replacing both lift motors will cost about $250.00 to $300.00 a piece (including parts and labor).

General Comments:

This car is very nice to ride in for long trips.

It has the coldest A/C I have ever felt in a compact car.

I have never had a problem getting around in the snow, ice, or rain. The traction control system in this car is great.

Parts for this vehicle are very expensive.

I have no complaints about this car. I have owned it for 4 years and I have only had to have three expensive repairs done to it along with regularly scheduled maintenance.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th February, 2004

1997 Buick Skylark Custom 2.4 Liter Quad 4

Summary:

A piece of expensive crap!

Faults:

I had not even owned the car for 1 full day when the car started having problems starting. It would "lock up" for a lack of better terms and then take forever to start. When I took it to the dealer, and they told me TO MY FACE that I was lying. When I picked it up the next day, I had them run the VIN # and a recall turned up. A recall about the STARTER! It seemed that the starter would cause a fire because you had to crank it for such a long time to get the car to start. They gave me a decent loaner the first time I took the car to them. The second time I took it, they gave me a smelly worn out car. I told them I would not be back and would tell everyone I knew not to buy there.

When I had my mechanic change the oil, he warned me that the Quad 4 motor's water pump was an expensive repair. When I told him it was a 6 cyl., he told me it was only a 4 cyl. The dealership had lied to me. I paid the price of a 6 cyl. car, but got a 4 cyl. car and mow owe more than the car is worth.

The car has had to have 2 power window motors.

When I had the tires rotated, they wore unevenly and caused an annoying humming sound for almost 1000 miles.

The trunk leaked and made the car smell like mildew.

The ETS (traction control) causes the car not to spin fast enough to move, so you bury it.

General Comments:

Reasons NEVER to buy a Skylark:

Quad 4 motor gets sucky gas mileage.

When left sitting for more than 3 days, the engine will smoke until you drive for 5 to 10 minutes.

The power window motors go bad about every 2 years.

The water pump repairs cost about $500 (or so my mechanic warned me).

The car isn't very comfortable.

The ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System) causes the car NOT TO STOP in slick road conditions.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th December, 2003

6th Jan 2008, 14:18

This is an example of a not-so-smart shopper.

1. Never believe anything the salesman tells you. His job is to sell cars, not be your friend. And don't assume he knows any more than you do, anyway.

2. Know what you're buying. Claiming you got a 4 cyl. when you were told it was a 6 is just silly. The engine size and type is described on stickers under the hood of every car, as well as in the VIN number.

3. Do some research. A few minutes looking at a site like this or similar consumer-information sites could save you a lot of grief.

4. Don't rush into a buy. Drive the car around for awhile before you make a decision. If they won't let you, walk. It's your money. Claiming after the fact that the car is uncomfortable or noisy doesn't make sense, since you test drove it before you bought it, didn't you?

5. Be realistic. Cars don't get 50 miles per gallon and run 100,000 miles without repairs. Experiences vary, and are subjective. A car seen as bad by one person is probably liked by someone else. Your small car that gets 24 mpg and seems awful to you probably seems very thrifty to the person who drives a cargo van and gets 11 mpg.

28th Apr 2009, 00:51

I own the 1997 Buick Skylark Custom with the 6 cylinder engine and 2 doors. Here is my list of complaints.

- Window mechanisms stopped working after 1 year of owning it.

- Car cannot handle cold weather conditions at all. (Engine will stall out)

- Car refuses to start or will randomly just die as you are driving, and your mechanic will not be able to find anything wrong.

- Back windshield will collect rainwater to the point where you can no longer see out of it.

- Automatic door locks kick in the second the car is taken out of park and do not unlock (unless done manually) until you turn the car off.

- Floor shifter leather cover is likely to fall off dropping the metal holding frame into your shift lever jamming it. This happened to me driving out of my driveway and the car was stuck in reverse for a day.

- Light bulbs for the head and tail lights are very difficult to access if you need to change them.

THE ONLY GOOD THING ABOUT THIS CAR IS THAT IT MIGHT BE HEAVY ENOUGH TO DO SOME REAL DAMAGE IN A DEMO DERBY.