Hello all, I am thinking about purchasing a 1966 buick electra convertible for fairly cheap but i wanted to know if I should look for anything specific? I know most convertibles had/have rust issues by nature but anything specific to buick electras i should look out for? I haven't seen it personally yet only through pictures so far. It has typical year 66 bubbling around wheel wells, has trunk issues, and rear floor needs attention too. Needs a top, interior is there but im going to recover anyway. Bumpers look good/ok for a driver. It runs and has factory ac. I know nothing about 225's but i'm not new to buicks but i also haven't owned one since the last time i poosted on this forum when i had my 66 riv, and 67 lesabre which i regret selling them both. Again its pretty cheap since the girl just wants it gone but i don't want to be wasting my time throwing money away either. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance Jamiel
Sounds like you've got a good handle on what's going on with the car. It runs, drives and has some pretty common issues. So, if you like the Electra, are wanting and willing to invest some time and elbow grease to resolve some of the issues and can foresee yourself cruising down the highway with the wind whipping around your face, I'd say: Go for it! If you have any reservations at all, think about it real hard before committing to something you may not be totally on board with. Wishing you all the best with whatever decision you make! I do like the convertibles myself...
A couple basics. Verify it has the original serial number matching engine. This may or may not matter to you but you want to know for price negotiation. It might matter to a perspective buyer down the road. Go out of your way to inspect for just how bad the rust is in the trunk as well as the floors. Rust in floors can sometimes be hard to see at a casual glance due to undercoating or obstructions such as the exhaust. Usually you can peel the trunk lining back but its more involved to pull the carpet back so you have to investigate from under the car. Rusty floors require one of two things to repair. A do-it-yourselfer with excellent mig welding skills and huge amounts of patience or very deep pockets to pay someone else which will escalate the cost well beyond what the car is worth. Trust me, you want to know how bad the rust is and evaluate the cost and time to fix it before you buy. If the body sheet metal is tight, you can work around everything else and it'll be worth it since its a convertible. Some of the brightwork trim can be hard to find for those as well.
