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I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today! (Archived)
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:P
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_pillar
Sounds like a Mary Kay vehicle. There is a Mary Kay pink Saturn VUE here in town that I see from time to time.
Now, I have no idea what kind of Buick it is. My grandmother's cousin says it's a big car, 4-door, and the lady that owns it says it has "a big engine". She's going to call this lady back and find out more about it. Y'know, if this is a LeSabre or Electra with a 350 or 403, and I can get it for a reasonable price, I might be adding a new lovebarge to the fleet. But, watch it end up being a hunchback Century with a Buick 231. :sick:
As for the 231 of that period, we've agreed on multiple occasions on this board that it was a problematic engine. But, the Century also could be had with the Chevy 305, which was a decent engine in '79.
I see them at the Carlisle swap meets every once in awhile, and they occasionally pop up on eBay, but yeah, as daily drivers, they're pretty much ancient history. They are kinda neat, in an off-beat sort of way, but I dunno if I'd want one. Maybe if the thing was in pristine conditon, and well-equipped.
As for the 231 of that period, we've agreed on multiple occasions on this board that it was a problematic engine. But, the Century also could be had with the Chevy 305, which was a decent engine in '79.
Didn't a lot of Centurys also get the Pontiac 301, or was that mainly the Regal? I'm still fearful of the 301, but I have heard that as long as you keep up on maintenance and don't neglect or abuse them, they're not bad.
Still, I'm hoping for an Electra or LeSabre with a 403!
I think the '81 LeMans, with its quad headlights, and slicked back front-end vaguely reminiscent of a Trans Am, is pretty sharp looking, but by that time they were really dogged down. A Buick 231 was standard, with a Pontiac 265 optional. I saw one with a Buick 252 (4.1) V-6 once, so evidently that was offered too. Sadly, I think the 252 had more hp than the 265 V-8.
You could get a 301, but only if you got the wagon.
I haven't heard back from my grandmother's cousin yet, but I'm really curious about this '79 Buick her friend has! Probably won't find out until tomorrow.
Would be sweet if it was a two door Electra......
Just don't do this to it! With some normal wheels, this example would be really nice.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
LOL, A good friend of mine in HS had a 1980 Century with a 3.8 turbo. He didn't have it long as it never ran right, but I remember it handling well for the time. We had a tight 20 MPH S curve by our house and he managed to get a ticket doing 58 through it in that ugly Buick.
I remember it having 3 indicator lights for the turbo that IIRC were located on the lower part of the speedo. It was something like green, yellow, and OMG she's gonna blow. I don't know if the turbo ever actually worked, the lights would come on when you punched it, but we never heard any turbo wine and it certainly didn't push you back in the seat. Ugly car though.
Anyhow, if by some weird chance that Buick turns out to be a '79 to '80 Century with the turbo 3.8, I'd buy it if it's in decent shape. They are rare.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
I had no idea that even existed. I thought the turbo 3.8 was limited to the Regal.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
Me either, until my friend bought one back in '88 or '89. It think it was called a Century Turbo Coupe and they were made from '77-80 I think.
A few years later, I found out that most likely what was happening was the mesh timing chain or gear or whatever was starting to fail. Supposedly, if you replace them with a good old fashioned real metal part, they'll be fine. But, it was too late for mine. If the gears in the oil pump were that chewed up, I imagine the rest of the insides of that engine weren't too pretty.
That car wasn't all that fast from 0-60, but it was a good highway cruiser and seemed to catch its second wind at higher speeds. And it seemed to be pretty good at passing. Stomp on it at 45-50, and it would take off. And even around 70, if you punched it, it would go.
I'd usually get 22-23 mpg on the highway as well, and maybe 15-16 around town.
That was quite the car: loose-pillow baby-blue velour interior, 403 V-8, mint. Rode like a true land yacht.
I love the dashboard on these:
If it is anything like this one was, I can heartily recommend them as a neat car to drive and own.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
I still haven't heard anything back from my grandmother's cousin, but I'm going to call her when I get home from work. The lady who owns the car is thinking about just donating it, which is going to screw her. They changed the tax laws for donating a car a few years back, where you can't write off blue book value anymore, but rather, when the charity auctions it off, they send you a receipt stating what they got for it, and that's the figure you get to use.
I'd rather give her a fair price for a nice old car that I'd enjoy and appreciate, and we'd both get something out of it. She'd get a decent price, rather than a small tax write off, and I'd get another old mastodon to have fun with!
Those cars have a handsome squared-off appeal...but I always thought those steering wheels looked odd somehow.
Not sure what engine it has, but when I started to describe to my grandmother's cousin about the sticker on the radiator bracket that would say "5.7" or "350" or whatever, she just stopped me with "I doubt if she even knows how to open the hood!" At that point, I decided that trying to get her to find out the 5th number of the VIN would just lead to a confused "HUH?"
Anyway, in 1979, I think the LeSabre's engine choices were 231 Buick V-6, 301 2bbl Pontiac V-8, and 350-4bbl Buick V-8. The Olds 403 was still around as an Electra option, but I don't think they dropped it from the LeSabre lineup after 1978. It was probably still around in the wagon...can't remember if they called it LeSabre, Electra, or simply "Estate" wagon that year, as Buick tended to flip-flop around.
So, while I was really hoping for a 403 Electra, I guess I could still put up with a 350 LeSabre. If it's a 301 I might pass though...unless it looks like it's been very well maintained.
Oh, and I also haven't found out what color it is.
So, it's white. Not my favorite choice, but, should last forever without fading! It's hard to tell from this pic, but it looks like it might be an Electra, after all! The rear window looks a bit too vertical to be a LeSabre.
No, No, I think he's in the trunk!
You really kept to the title and topic of the discussion: you "spotted" a classic!
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Anyway, the pic above is from Bing maps, and the reason it's pixellated is because I took a screen shot, zoomed in, and then took another screen shot. Googlemaps shows an overhead view, but unfortunately you can't see anything from the street view because there are too many trees and bushes in front of the house.
So, my interest in this car is starting to wane. Although I guess if it's really well-maintained, nicely equipped, and at least has a V-8, it might not be a bad car? I think that year they came standard with a Buick 231, and a Chevy 305 2-bbl was optional in the 49 states, while oddly, a 350-4bbl was optional in California! At least, that's what I make out from the old files on the EPA's website.
Kinda odd, that a 350-4bbl would pass California emissions, while a 305-2bbl wouldn't? :confuse:
It was quite a tour to get there. I was amazed how few cars I could see, so I am not sure how old the views are, although it was in the fall or early spring.
a 4bbl usually has smaller primaries than a 2bbl.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
That was a hectic time! My old car book is showing this for 1979 Buicks:
Pontiac 301-2bbl, 140 hp: standard V-8 for Century, Regal, LeSabre
Pontiac 301-4bbl, 150 hp: optional for Century and Regal
Chevy 305-2bbl, 130 hp: standard V-8 for Skylark
Chevy 305-4bbl, 155 hp: optional on Century and Regal (substitute for the 301 on California cars)
Buick 350-4bbl, 155 hp: Standard on Electra and Estate wagon, optional on LeSabre
Chevy 350-4bbl, 165 hp: optional on Skylark (california)
Olds 350-4bbl, 170 hp: standard on Riviera, replacement for Buick 350 in CA LeSabres, Electras, Estate wagons
Olds 403-4bbl, 185 hp: optional on Electra and Estate wagon
So, I guess along with the Pontiac 301 and 350/400, the Buick 350 was also deemed too dirty for California?
When GM first began offering V-8 engines for the H-body Monza I think there was a Chevy 350/2bbl engine certified only for CA and High Altitude delivery in place of the smaller 49-state-certified V-8. That must have been fun to drive in the rain with, what, 13 inch wheels and tires?
So what's the plan for the Mystery Buick? Going to have a look at it?
I dunno...once I saw it was a Skylark and not a LeSabre or Electra, I sort of lost interest. Which is a shame, because it could be a very nice little car. I guess it couldn't hurt to go look at it. If it's a 305/THM350 setup, it should be pretty durable. Maybe not quite to the level of a 318/Torqueflite, but then the GM car wouldn't have the Lean Burn crap to contend with, and probably better engine management systems in general.
The last thing I need is another car, but sometimes I do take sort of a "lost puppy" approach to them, where I feel a need to take them in simply because nobody else wants them.
And in the better trim levesl, those X-bodies could be really nice inside. Oh, I happened to drive by that house again today, and noticed what the other cars were...a recent GM minivan (back facing the street, so I couldn't tell which one) and a first-gen Buick LaCrosse. So, I guess this was a GM family, through and through!
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For some reason, it seems like a goodly amount of Granadas and Monarchs ended up with the 302, versus the 6, as well. But with those GM X-bodies, while a lot of Novas seemed to get a 305 or even a 350, for some reason, the Skylark, Phoenix/Ventura, and Omega usually ended up with a 6-cyl or undersized V-8.
Regards:
Oldengineer
One of the first manual trans cars I learned to drive on was a 1950 Chevy Deluxe which had been passed down for years in the family. I remember asking what the heck vacuum wipers were...
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2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93