30th Oct 2010, 13:27

What do you plan to trade your Park Avenue for? I am on my second, and hope to buy a new or very low mile Enclave when my 2005 is paid for in about a year and-a-half. I wish they had kept the Park Avenue and updated it, as they did with the Cadillac DTS. The newest Buick sedans don't appeal to me at all.

12th Feb 2011, 02:37

I have been keeping up with posts for the past few years, and have added to it a few times. I had a '95 Buick PA, which I purchased for $3200 with 95K on it. I really enjoyed this car, and recently sold it for $2500 with 150K on it. Held its value great! My Buick served me well, but I am now in need of a pick up. Thanks for all the great info here, and farewell...

8th Mar 2011, 12:00

I have a '95 Park Ave and recently, on two different occasions, in the middle of the night, the horn started blowing... Not like the security system, but just a constant blowing. You could tap the horn on the steering wheel and it would stop. Is this a faulty horn actuator?

Also, trans is jerking in the 40-50 MPH speed. Don't know if I want to take it to a transmission repair shop or not... They always say it needs to be rebuilt, no matter what is wrong. Is this the torque converter acting up and would replacing the converter fix this?

Also it has problems mentioned in other posts concerning battery charge indicator going into the overcharge (red) area... and a couple times, would not start. It acted like a dead battery and would not even click. I wiggled the steering wheel and it started right up... Weird.

5th Apr 2011, 12:42

I bought my '95 Park Avenue with 140,000 miles and the horns were disconnected. I hooked them up and found out why... they blew constantly. Unfortunately all my internet research so far pinpoints the problem as "shrinkage" of the materials in the airbag assembly on the steering wheel. As it shrinks it presses on the horn actuators. I fear this will be a $300.00++ repair.

So right now I just have no horns.

5th Apr 2011, 12:46

Transmission issue could be the shift solenoid inside the transmission. A costly repair at the tranny shop.

First try draining the fluid, replacing the filter, and adding new fluid + Sea Foam transmission additive. Mine wouldn't shift into overdrive and after doing the above 2 weeks ago it shifts better and better each time I drive.

5th Apr 2011, 13:00

Thanks for all your posts. I recently bought a '95 PA Ultra for $800.00, and think I may have to ask for forgiveness for stealing it. The only issues were/are wouldn't shift into overdrive (shuddered badly) fuel gauge doesn't work, gear indicator isn't working, CD player gives ERR message and won't play, and now the climate control appears possessed.

Body was/is in excellent shape, not a dent. Power everything still works except one rear window.

I changed the fluid and filter on the transmission and added SeaFoam tranny additive, and now it shifts into overdrive flawlessly (after about 2 weeks. There is a hesitation when I "floor it" (any ideas?) Thanks to this posting, I now know what to due about the climate control.

And just a note to the reliability of the Buick... when he died at 80+\- my mechanic had a '76 (?) Electra sedan that had over 750,000 miles on it. Yes those are original miles including the engine. Maintenance and he changed carburation when better became available, but he never went into the block at all.

Happy Buicking all...

5th Apr 2011, 18:56

These LeSabres may have a few electrical problems, especially with the power windows, but other than that, they just keep going and going.

The main reason is because of the 3.8 3800 engine. This is a very durable engine of excellent design.

6th Apr 2011, 17:05

The power window issues didn't start with the LeSabre until the 2000 model. The Park Avenue didn't really ever have a major problem with the power windows.

23rd Apr 2011, 19:32

I had the same problem with the horn going off on my 94 Park Avenue. It does have something to do with the horn/air bag cover shrinking.

I searched the pull it yourself junkyard, and found many similar cars, and noticed that the horns had been disconnected, so it's a common problem. I tested the horn switches for continuity at the junkyard until I found one that wasn't shorted. It cost $35. versus $150 for a used one online. It's still working fine a year later.

I also found that the horn has two switches in the pad, a left and a right. Only one was shorted, so you could also just unplug one side if it's just one side that's bad, and still have a working horn.

24th Sep 2011, 13:16

Update: Haven't posted since last year, but my Park Avenue now has 184,000+ on it and is still chugging along. It hasn't been without its share of repairs. I did some normal maintenance. I replace the spark plugs with platinum plugs, and spark plug wires. I will not replace these again. The car will likely be in the junkyard or wrecked before I have to replace them.

Now for some not so normal maintenance, I had to replace the UIM again after only 20k miles. It has been leaking coolant for about the last 10k miles; I just couldn't find the source for a long time. I think it had something to do with either me not using Loctite to seal the reduced diameter EGR tube the first time, or my coolant temps rising to 240 degrees when my radiator was leaking. My UIM was warped, but I didn't notice it when I replaced the UIM gasket early this year, thinking that was the problem.

Also I finally got around to replacing the A/C compressor again. This time instead of taking the cheap route, I purchased a new compressor. I also had to replace the A/C hose, which I should have done in the first place. I think it was a big contributing factor to the previous A/C compressor failure. It cost me around $500, but is money well spent, considering our hot and humid summers. But I did learned a lesson in being cheap biting you in the rear later.

Also my horn started going off randomly, so I had to unplug the horn relay. A post earlier mentions this, and what he said is exactly true. I never paid attention to it. But I discovered that only one side caused the problem; I just haven't got around to unplugging the one side. I should have left it unplugged when I had the steering wheel apart.

Also had to replace a coil pack again. It's the same one that failed the first time, and the exact same tower on the coil pack. I don't know if it's coincidence or an underlying problem.

Overall I'm still satisfied with my car. I have yet to be stranded. I'm surprised the transmission hasn't went yet, and the engine still purrs. I don't baby the car. It does need shocks all around, the ride has gotten harsher over the years, but it's not terrible. It needs another paint job, but I don't know. I'm also waiting for the fuel pump to fail; I know it isn't in spec, but it just hasn't failed yet. My car has reached mode of transportation status. I just want it to get the job done with minimal investment at this point. I'm itching for a newer used car, but now is not the time, and I really enjoy not having a car payment, so I plan on fighting the temptation for a newer car, and will try to ride this one into the sunset.

One thing I can say is, what has helped me over the years, is doing research on my car, reading on common problems and looking for them, and taking care of the problem before it happens or as soon as it happens. I think that has help me get my car to 184k+ miles in good mechanical condition without a ton of money and not being able to justify replacing it :-).