Hi All: I am looking for a summer commuter car to keep miles off my thirsty pickup. What vehicle is considered the high water mark for 3.8 Buicks? I'd like to get something under 100k miles for under 5K. (and run 87 octane) Thanks in advance.
2000 to 2005 LeSabre have the 3.8 non Supercharged engine and the Park Avenue is another good choice. Finding one with under 100,000 miles will be tough to find. Good luck in your search.
Series III is the final version, David. Found in 2004 and newer vehicles. Nothing wrong with the Series II (1995-2003) BUT had the plastic intake manifold that had a cracking problem on a number of engines (aluminum on the Series III) so check carefully if buying one. A number of other changes to the Series III that would make it my choice unless I found a real "cream-puff" with the Series II.
It's a bit over your budget, but after you negotiate you could be close. Worth the trip. https://spokane.craigslist.org/ctd/d/spokane-1998-buick-park-avenue-ultra/7714108486.html
Here's a Lesabre in Newport,KY (Cincinnati) area. https://cincinnati.craigslist.org/cto/d/newport-2000-buick-lesabre/7719964405.html Never mind it must have sold.
I had a 2002 LeSabre as my daily. Over 30 mpg highway cruising 70. Got mine for $4K with under 50K miles and ran it to 180K. No engine issues but there are some weak areas. If you are in the rust belt expect issues at subframe/body mounts and rear air shocks. Wheel bearings are under-engineered and replacements are worse. Other common failures are gas gauge, ABS controller, motor mounts, window regulators and HVAC controls. IMO the drivetrain was great and the rest was disappointing.
Are Regals any more durable than full size? Dad has had supercharged Regals, but they needed premium which messes with the overall goal of saving $$. How about sister models, like Bonneville? Not a fan of plastic body stuff, bit this is an A->B car.
When I wrenching in college these cars and their clones were everywhere. They are ok. The 3.8s were pretty well sorted but not infallible. I did plenty of intakes and gaskets. Head gaskets failed once in awhile as well. Other than that it was mostly normal GM stuff- EGR valves, coil packs, fuel pumps etc. They seemed to rust fast as mentioned already. The interiors always seemed grungy on those. The leather seats were cheap and didn't last, and the cloth interiors were always light grey or tan. Neither looked good in my subjective opinion...
The fourth gen Camaro and Firebird had a NA 3.8 as the base engine in ‘95-‘02. Obviously the v8 big brothers are collectible, which means a lot of common wear items are available used and/or reproduced. Patrick
I bought my 04 lesabre in very good condition almost 10 years ago with 90k on it already for 4.5k, I thought I paid a little to much for it but it was really nice and I needed something. Ive since put 100k more on it using it as my “work truck” out of necessity, beat on it pretty bad, drove it in all conditions up and down the state, it’s still running strong and is still my current daily “work truck”. I take care of as much as I can. The most I’ve done is the infamous intake/plenum/gasket/elbow change. I’ve beat it up pretty bad, and want to get another commuter car but not use it as my work truck this time, and surprise surprise, all im looking at to buy are 2000-2004 lesabres, regals, centurys, and park avenues. With less than 100k are hard to come by, and you’re still paying minimum 6k for one around where I am it, crazy they have held the same market value if not increased….
It's the dollar that has lost value, and I won't go into why. For many years I use to buy beaters for $1000-2000. The same type of car has doubled in price.
