16th Nov 2018, 03:47
I wrote the review above. Still own the car a year later. Mileage is now 295,000.
Repairs this year:
Motor mounts, May 2018.
Plugs, wires, fuel filter, May 2018.
Needs a catalytic converter. Still runs great.
18th Nov 2018, 19:11
This is one of the best reviews I've seen here, and I wish more reviews at Carsurvey were as detailed and comprehensive as yours. It's also great to see a follow up as well. A 77-80 Park Avenue is one of the cars on my wish list, but as Steven says, most of the Electras of this era have been used up while the Devilles, Fleetwoods, Continentals and Mark V were preserved by people who thought they would be valuable some day. It turns out that so many Cadillacs and Lincolns from this era have survived that I could buy a nice ones in my area any time for $5000. Yet I really prefer the elegant, understated style of the Park Avenue, and IMHO the interior is one of the nicest of all time.
19th Nov 2018, 23:52
Right on. The Park Avenue of this vintage was pretty much a step down from Cadillac. Many years ago my dad used to own an '82 Electra PA followed by an '85 LeSabre 2 door Collector's Edition. Both of which had identical comfortable interiors, loaded to the max with cool options for the time and ride quality that was about the same as Cadillac. Both were also equipted with the Olds 307 and the reliability that went with it. I remember the LeSabre was driven over 100 thousand miles in a little over 5 years with no trouble.
Not sure what Buick is up to today, nothing compares to these older Buicks, especially now that the division is following today's trend of crossovers and small sedans. I myself will be sticking with the last generation Lincoln Town Car as a daily driver for a while... A long while!
20th Nov 2018, 14:24
The only issues with the Lincoln Town Car were its very heavy fuel thirst, vague handling and parallel parking. I inherited a well kept 88 and promptly gave it away to another relative. Felt wrong selling it. I like full size cars, but not this one.
20th Jun 2020, 16:01
I wrote the review of this car in 2017. I still own the car as of June 20, 2020. I finally did buy a new car, and I no longer daily drive my 78 Electra, but I still own it. In fact, it’s going in to the shop today for a new starter. This will be its first starter replacement in 42 years. Mileage is still at 295,000 and some change. Love the car as much now as I did when I bought it.
24th Dec 2017, 21:33
You may be able to bring back the luster on that paint job without having to pay someone to repaint the vehicle. There is an amazing amount that can be done these days with the right polishing tools, and you are fortunate to have a car that had multiple thick layers of paint and a thin layer of clearcoat. The clearcoat you probably need at this point, but you likely have plenty of paint left.
Your car is actually going up in value, and in ten years it may be worth more than three times what it is at present. Malaise era cars are incredibly light on the ground and yours is one of those precious few that wasn't a full blown out high-end luxury car. Cadillacs and Lincolns still abound, but your Buick is a far more rare breed.
If the costs bother you, it may be worth looking into having it used for local movie shoots. You don't have to actually show up (a movie company will haul it to and from your house) and I find that the revenue manages to pay for insurance along with a good chunk of your gas bill. Just Google/Facebook 'movie cars' or 'casting company' and add the nearest metro area to your search and you should find plenty.
All the best!
Steven Lang (yep... THAT Steven Lang)