13th Sep 2010, 12:24

@3:42

We don't see 1969 Honda Civics around because they are collectibles? You see people driving 1969 Buicks? NEVER! Exactly! And what exactly is your point? I thought this review was about the Buick LeSabre? Stay within the topic, and do not turn this into another one of those domestic VS import things.

Cars, regardless of their country of origin have many components that are manufactured in many different parts of the world. Honda's, Toyota's are built in the USA. The Volkswagen Routan is made in Canada. Accura CSX, MDX are made in Canada. Chrysler Town and Country, Caravan, 300, Charger, Challenger are all made in Canada. Ford Crown Vic, Grand Marquis, Edge, MKX, Flex are all made in Canada. General Motors Camaro, Impala, Allure, LaCrosse, Equinox, Torrent, Terrain are all made in Canada.

I guess your domestics aren't all that domestic are they, since many models are made in Canada. And the Ford Focus? Made in Mexico. Yup, very American!

13th Sep 2010, 16:01

I actually saw a '61-'63 Buick Electra 225 Convertible (I think) today. I have seen several old (30+) Buicks on the road. It seems like you see more older Buicks from the '80's and early '90's than a lot of the other makes. That may be in part to the fact that they are generally owned by older more mature adults who don't put a lot of miles on them, and then hand them down or sell them with a lot of life left in them.

14th Sep 2010, 12:16

What do you think of your "domestic" Chrysler being owned by Italians? Pretty soon you will be seeing rebadged Fix It Again Tony's on American roads again, or maybe on the side of the road, as they were frequently seen. How domestic are your domestics?

14th Sep 2010, 16:32

12:16, I have never owned a Chrysler nor have I ever wanted to. So, I for one could care less who owns them. In fact I wouldn't even really care if they stopped manufacturing automobiles (save for the employees that would be affected). They haven't offered a viable vehicle for years; frankly I don't think any of their products would be missed much.

15th Sep 2010, 12:08

"I see older model Buicks on the road all the time 60s, 70s and 80s."

Hey I love Buicks, but here in the big city, if anyone drove a car that old, people would think they were from Mars.

So I guess it all depends on where you live.

16th Sep 2010, 07:30

To 07:39

I think he meant the Ford Fusion. The Ford Fusion is a Mexican Car. Indeed, so will the Ford Fiesta. While I'm at it, so are a lot of Lincolns.

16th Sep 2010, 15:12

1997 Buick LeSabre sub frame mount failure.

Driving with my wife.. heard loud bang noise... had no steering!!! Taken to a garage... put on lift... all four rear sub frame retainers had failed and sub frame and engine had dropped down... steering had de-knuckled. A VERY DANGEROUS LIFE THREATENING OCCURRENCE!!! Found this site and now understand that the problem is HUGE!!! GM should recall and repair or be sued!!! Our government should be kicking their butt not bailing them out. Repairs over $1100. No more GMs for me!!!

19th Sep 2010, 15:08

I'm glad I read this.

I just lost one insulator and the rubber of the other three is loose or gone, along with the lower bushings. The bolt was eroded as like a rock in the center of a violent river. It was thick by the head and as thin as pencil lead at the center. I didn't know how important of a role the insulators played until I learned they keep the subframe and drivetrain off the ground. I didn't even know there was a subframe (like many innocent victims). I should be able to replace all six of the insulators for about $240 from the GM dealer.

I'm thankful I have no scary stories to share. I urge all owners to check their insulators for corrosion.

30th Sep 2010, 12:33

Like every other 1998 Buick LeSabre owner, the crossover/subframe mounting bushing rotted out and popped off, even though the car has been garage kept and properly maintained. This should have been a recall item. The retaining large washer is apparently made from inferior steel. A call to Buick at 800-521-7300 results in the response that there is nothing they can do about the widespread failure.

8th Oct 2010, 16:14

I have a 1997 Buick Lesabre Custom and the passenger side where the subframe is attached has rusted though and is hanging down, a very dangerous situation indeed!!!

I live in Illinois, so yes rust is a problem, but it makes me angry because the engine and trans are in great shape for 228,000 miles, and could get many more miles because I take care of my cars mechanically. Yes, I have washed it weekly since I bought the car when it only had 63,000 miles on it.

Will have to think long and hard before dumping any more money into it though. The brake lines are all rusted and leaking, and the fuel lines are not leaking, but in bad shape, and the car needs brakes all the way around, but I rebuilt the trans at 200,000 miles, and the engine is original, but runs fantastic still.

Car needs a few other items like a windshield pump, and a new driver's seat, which I have replace already at 100,000 miles. The body is in great shape except for just below the driver's door where Buicks usually rust, and the floor is starting to get pretty rusty, but still OK for now.

10th Oct 2010, 18:24

I think you can get the set of bolts for the sub-frame fairly reasonably from the GM dealer (around $300) for the whole set. Of course labor would be on top of that, if you can't do it yourself.

19th Oct 2010, 16:42

Drove my 96 LeSabre last night to a t in the road. Started to make a left turn, when there was a loud pop and I lost steering. Luckily I hadn't started to go very fast yet, or made it a 1/2 mile down the road where there is a s curve where several people have been killed. Ironically, I was in the process of buying a new car to replace this one, and had 2 weeks earlier taken it to Carmax who gave it a clean bill of health. I've been under the car before to change the oil, and never seen any rust, so I can confirm that this issue has to be looked for specific, as both myself and Carmax missed it. I'm now worried though, as I was buying my parent's car, which was a 96 Park Avenue, so it should have the same problem with the frame. Can any one explain what to look for in layman terms? I don't feel like pressing my luck a second time, and don't really want to take the car into the shop and spend a couple hundred, just to tell me if there is a problem.