1983 Buick Electra 307 V8 from North America
Summary:
Cadillac alternative
Faults:
Nothing went wrong with the car despite the check engine light came on and off a couple times. This was sort of typical for the time do to the GM "CCC" system being still relatively new.
General Comments:
Loved this car. Comfort, style, soft ride and large size were a perfect blend. The car was pretty loaded up with power and convenience options.
Lots of highway and long trip usage. Didn't buy it for fuel economy, but yet it delivered good on the highway with the 4 speed overdrive.
Being from the smog era, the power for the 307 wasn't that bad for passing power or highway driving. Press the accelerator with a lead foot, open up the secondaries on the carb. and it really started to move effortlessly and smoothly.
IMHO this was the best large GM luxury car from the early eighties along with the Olds 98. Have driven a Cadillac DeVille from this era and the Buick is just as good as far as comfort and ride quality for a lower price. Also this car used a much more reliable engine as opposed to the Cadillac V8 that had a well known reputation for being a nightmare. The 307 Olds in this car was actually used in Cadillacs a few years later.
When looking up these Electras for sale, it's nice to see that a lot of them were well preserved over the years. A dime a dozen back then, but not anymore.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 7th March, 2023
8th Jan 2016, 07:47
These cars are pretty uncommon nowadays, at least where I live. The same could be said about the same generation Oldsmobile 98 too, but there's several more of them around than the early-1980s Electra.