1967 Electra 225 custom convertible - $12000

https://chicago.craigslist.org/nwi/cto/d/hebron-1967-buick-electra-225-custom/6788109855.html

 

If the mileage is accurate, it’s worth every penny of the asking price

 

Nice list of options, great colour, and the asking price isn't bad. If it's actually true that this is a low mile car that has sat for years, it'll need a lot of work to make it reliable again.

 

I like!!

 

Anyone notice the what looks like, unbroken center grill emblem?

 

Odds are it probably has. The car is 52 years old, and I have yet to hear of anyone who bought one of these and tossed it into storage after light use. More often than not, these cars were well loved and extensively used. They were good for 100,000 with minimal maintenance back in the day when most cheaper cars could barely do 100,000 before being shot.

 

Having dealt on,owned, and cared for more ultra low mileage big Buick’s of that era and into the early 70's more than average person I have found even on ultra low mileage examples the engine compartment is the first to go if storage isn’t absolutely perfect. To suggest this car may have rolled because of the rust and non pristine condition of the engine compartment is an armatures mistake. A convertible with 100,000 mile does not have a pristine interior like this one is showing nor a pristine trunk compartment and cardboard covers in the trunk. It is obvious that seat is not refinished nor has it seem 100,000 miles of use. So many people are also used to seeing cars that have already been cleaned up and detailed before being put up for sale, which cleans up and hides years of poor storage, I believe this car to be an honest representation that is exactly what it is advertised to be. I do agree the front bumper is tweaked in the center as mentioned. Not knowing the condition of the rear bumper I would be more concerned if it is dented etc than rusted as mentioned, that will not be the case on this car. I am also one that does not follow the worn brake pedal rule religiously as a sign of mileage as many older people tended to ride the brake and wear the pad out over the years, it can be seen this pedal is pristine as well. You have to look at EVERY detail not just a couple

 

My GS has almost 90K miles of use and the original interior looks as good as that so it is possible.

 

As the former BCA tech advisor for the 67’s I have a pretty good working knowledge on them but you still learn stuff every day, the speedminder is correct, they came in black with white ball, black with yellow ball and yellow, the yellow being the last rendition. I am guessing the wire you see in the trunk is for the power antenna. The blue steering wheel is notorious for changing color even NOS ones I have for my 67 vary in color depending on where they were stored. The ad says it has been garaged for years, it does not say it has always been garaged. I know the original top on my 69 was curling and doing he same thing as this one and it was always under cover even during the day at work as it was owned by the President of US Steel and kept in the parking garage when he drove it on occasion. People somehow can’t understand that just because a car is low mileage that they often are far from pristine. I wish I could get this one, it would be the perfect match for my 67

 

I agree the top will need replaced as there is no way it will come back to bright white, It still has useful life in it, but not as a show car, but could be used for a driver for a while, my comment was that it was in similar condition to my 69 original top - it is a rare occurrence that an original top is in "like new", many think they have an original top and it had been replaced years before - many people that think they know often claim to have and original top and it is a quality replacement with some age.

I guess when you have bought and looked at and cared for as many full size Buick's in the 10-20K mile range you get a pretty good feel for them. Not that I won't get burned, but in 46 Buick's I have yet to make a mistake and not bought exactly what I thought it was. Alot of guys maybe do walk into a situation like that and buy a car believing what they are told and those same people probably don't have a clue at what they are looking at regardless.

It's amazing how much of an expert you have become in the short time you have owned your car Bill, I remember when you got it you had lots of questions and didn't know much about it.

The wire is not coming out of the bottom, it is actually dropped down from being being in behind the cardboard.

There is no question that this one has not had the best storage, but there is a diamond there waiting for someone to give it some love.

I guess I have had good fortune with the low mileage cars because I don't automatically discount them as not being low mileage if they are a little dirty or look anything but pristine and I have been able to buy them for myself or obtain them for others with little issue. I have yet to be wrong on any that I have gone to look at, purchased, or obtained for others, so I trust my judgement. I wish I was still in PA as this one would probably be heading to my garage, unfortunately I haven't even gotten my 67 down here yet and that has to take precede

 

There is something off with the power window (?) switch on the passenger side door panel... it should be on the armrest, not the panel under the pull strap. I'm not sure where a power lock switch would be, but power locks are not listed as an option.

 

That is the door lock switch. The window switch is in it's proper place on the door panel shelf.

 

Thanks Erik! Mileage correct or not, the price seems right considering condition and options!

 

OK V-8 Buick People: This is really an unusual car. Does one blow it apart and make it spectacular or does one just knock most of the hair off it and have a super tidy driver? I like #2 myself. Hard to determine price because this is such an unusual piece. The market's gonna tell us..... hopefully, sooner than later. Mitch

 

Another reason the pointer on the speedo could be a different colour is because this car has Cruise Control, and not a Speed Minder. That option is fairly rare in both Electra and Wildcat; so if a guy was interested in this thing it would be a nice bonus. Regardless of whether or not it's mileage is as advertised, this car is definitely worth a good hard look.

 

Growing up on Long Island, my parents owned a ’67 Electra 4 dr hard top in the same blue inside and out, but it had a black vinyl top. I loved that car and it was mom’s grocery getter that was always garaged. I learned how to drive and took my road test in it. Mom had a heavy foot, so I remember the yellow speedo was set around 75-80. Us kids called her Penelope Pitstop. They kept it for years, until the early 80's they gave it to my younger brother to use and he ran it into the ground. Looking at these pics, especially the interior, brought back a flood of good memories.

 

Is that interior black or dark blue? A little hard to tell.

 

I'm hoping that in Erik's second picture the car isn't actually running, because that looks like the Oil Pressure light might be on.

On a long-term storage, old engine car I could see that being an issue; I've had Buicks that idled well, but once they got hot the oil pressure light would flicker, and only once was it a bad sensor. The other times it was an oil pump that had the clearances knocked out of it (bad timing cover) which didn't show up as bearing noise (yet) but would soon be if uncorrected. How the timing covers got ruined was in being started in very cold temperatures unplugged and then improperly (or not at all) warmed up; - the result was the oil had turned to butter, and that poor aluminum timing cover got the crap scored out of it when the gears started spinning and heating up; - different metals, different coefficients of expansion and instantaneous heat. It was what killed many a Big Block Buick in cold climates.

Another engine killer (especially on long term stored engines) would be galvanic corrosion on the aluminum caused by the reaction of steel and aluminum and the oil going acidic as a result.