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Buick Park Avenue

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Comments

  • auzivisionauzivision Member Posts: 8
    I have a 99 Ultra that also makes a grinding noise when turning right at low speeds. Couldn't replicate it for the dealer though.

    I think it may have something to do with the brakes. It only seems to appear while or just after breaking and never while accelerating.

    I'm taking it back in next week and will let you know if I learn anything.
  • ctremper1ctremper1 Member Posts: 1
    What do you think is the better buy a
    1992 Park Ave Ultra with 63000 miles. for around 8995, or a 1993 Buick LeSabre with 68700 for around 6995.
  • bigbenmobigbenmo Member Posts: 2
    I've found a nice 94 PA at a local dealer. I've done my research but just curious what this vehicle would have sold for new back in 93. Does anyone know where I can find out what the Original Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price was?
    All the sites I look at tell me whate current model year prices are or what a used vehicle is worth now.
  • sgrizzardsgrizzard Member Posts: 2
    Warm restarts - intermittent failure. Dealership replaced ECM to no avail other than a light wallet. Suspect crank sesnor. How do you get the vibration dampener (balancer) off? Ice cream melting in the trunk at the grocery story.... it will get you there but you can't leave till it cools off. Help.
  • rfashtonrfashton Member Posts: 1
    This is a plug for the new park Avenue. I had a 92 Ultra with a Gran Touring suspension and sold it after 97K miles. Had some problems, mostly electrical - under warranty, but on the whole, the car gave good service once these problems were fixed. Now have a 2000 Park with the Gran Touring package, which was difficult to find. Plenty of power on regular gas and the handling is very good. After 4000 miles, only had the oil changed and there have been no problems. while this is early, this new Park is the best car I have owned. Got 32 mpg on two trips. The car is quiet, rides well and is respnsive when needed -- and it looks great. The heads up window display is a nice feature and the automatic windshield wipers are unbelievable. They speed up in heavy rain and slow down automatically when the rain level decreases. I wonder how they work?
  • macarthur2macarthur2 Member Posts: 135
    That the Park Aves are losing sales to the new LeSabre here in OKC. LeSabre has same engine, newer chassis (shared with Gran Prix and Olds Aurora), same interior room, same engine and transmission. Can be optioned to close to 30K and bought for 27K loaded. The main difference is the trunk space is larger in the Park Ave by one or two cubic feet. Those of you looking at the Park Avenue may want to compare it to a LeSabre Limited. Same luxury and performance for 6 or 7 grand less. Auto wipers and seat heaters and all that available here also.
  • rcegglrceggl Member Posts: 31
    Had same noise on my 97 Ultra. Was, indeed a brake problem which they had a Tech Bulletin on--I imagine same problem now. Car has been good, but, wish there was a way to really communicate with Buick as there customer service people at the 800 numbers are shills. Found my leather upholstery to be the very cheapest in the industry and the seating quality itself to be extremely poor. Buick could care less.
  • mikey54mikey54 Member Posts: 1
    To those that are interested in the longevity expectations of this car, rest assured you will probably get tired of the car before it tires of you. My '88 has nearly 270K and I'm waiting till the wheels fall off in order for me to justify its replacement. I have had to change the water pump at about 90K and an alternator at 175K, same engine and transmission and until recently same top radiator hose. A recent vibration showed up during a long drive to Vegas that turned out to be a "Bubble" in the tire. Nobody found it at the tire store until I bent down and rubbed my hand over the suspected area....BINGO! Replaced the tire and all was well again. The car gets a consistent 23-26 MPG on low octane. Oil usage is nill...but changed along with its filter every 5-6K ( Hmmm, sometimes 7-9K). Interior is taking a beating especially the drivers arm rest...worn badly. The area where I rest my knee is dented showing the abuse it has received over the years.
    The electric windows in front wail in pain when rolled up...but that's the way they sounded a year after purchase so the car has trained me to ignore its protest. I painted the vehicle its original color at the 8 yr. mark.
    Original price of 17.4K has made this car a very attractive 12 yr. ownership. The reason that I'm seriously looking at the Lincoln LS is to change that which has been a similar interior package over the years with little if any real substantive change.
    In closing I can honestly say that this Buick's record will be very difficult to beat in trouble free service and reliability in "Body By Fisher" comfort.
    Switching to Ford? Hopefully not a mistake.
    Mike M.
  • rrf1339rrf1339 Member Posts: 2
    Have a new PA ultra 2000, now with 2100 miles, and I love it. Smooth, quiet, fast, comfortable. Only problem thus far is a creak from the driver's seat, which I am having looked at next week. For the money, I am convinced these cars are one of the best on the market. Features compare well to cadillac and lincoln at 10k less. With respect to the LeSabre, this car is roomier, especially headroom. I tried to get into a LeSabre and could not get my head past the roof overhang. Granted I'm 6'7", but that removed the LeSabre from my list. For those of more diminutive stature, I suppose it would be a tough call.
  • deskjet722cdeskjet722c Member Posts: 1
    I bought a 91 PA two years ago with 89k on it. It's got 128k now and I love it. Options: everything ... it even combs my hair for me! I'll be buying a new one next year.
  • clamachclamach Member Posts: 10
    Help!
    My wife's 95 Park Avenue (58K mi.) recently noted a "fan-like" whirring sound every time it's started. The noise continues for about 5 min. & then shuts off. Had the oil changed this morning and discovered the noise is coming from what looks like a small compressor directly behind the driver's side headlights. Every start, it comes on and runs fo 5 min. or so. The grease-monkeys at the oil change place said they thought it was the pump for the suspension but that it shouldn't run that long...Any ideas would be appreciated.
  • shamblin1shamblin1 Member Posts: 1
    My wife is in sales, which has her driving quite a lot. Her 1993 ultra has delivered her safely for 189,884 miles and still going. Had the transmission rebuilt at about 160000 miles. Have had to replace alternator three times.Which I suspect is just not heavy duty enough,for all the power options. Just recently replaced the water pump and radiator. The rest has been routine maintenance.Changed oil every 3000 miles because of the supercharger. However, to my disappointment two weeks ago she ordered a 2001 lincoln LS. she just has never liked the new bodystyle of the new park avenue. I hope she is not disappointed. P.S. The old buick is now mine ,and, I am going to run it until it is GONE.
  • gusfershortgusfershort Member Posts: 4
    i am just wondering how many of you have solved the vibration problems with the tires and what did you do to correct it.
  • gusfershortgusfershort Member Posts: 4
    I also have a 99 Park Avenue that had tire vibration problems. I just replaced my old tires (Goodyears) with Michelins and the problem is now gone. I read some of these complaints and found (1) common denominator, "GOODYEAR" That name keeps coming up in all of the complaints that I have read. Some of you have replaced your problem with another set of Goodyears and still have the same problems. WAKEUP!!!

    I also read HERE where some of you have found tire solutions. One name (and only one name) that comes up is "MICHELIN." wakeup!!!
    The other solutions are a fancy/expensive tire balance. I guess if your tires are good enough to try a fancy balance then go for it. I see a few successful solutions with this method also.

    I talked with a Service Manager at a GM Dealership, here in Forest Lake, MN and he also advised me to put on Michelins. That also has been his solution to most vibration problems that he has been faced with. (including Cadilacs) He told me that GM has been trying to make some of their cars ride softer and we are now faced with this tire vibration problem as a result. It seems that there are some tire brands out there that do not work well with some GM cars. Cadilac is also having some of the same problems. I guess it all has something to do with the newer designs of the frames and suspensions. (and some tires, for some unknown reason)

    I would like to hear some feedback from some of you that have found some success with this problem and/or if it has come back to haunt you.

    Other than that, I totally love the car. I just bought it and am glad to have found here on this site some solutions to this annoying problem. Thats what it is all about!!!
  • tnauglertnaugler Member Posts: 5
    I had the same vibration problem on my '98 Ultra, and the fix was to replace the Goodyears with Michelins and balance them on the car. Buick appears to have a fundamental suspension design problem with this platform such that the natural frequency of the front suspension results in a resonance at normal highway cruising speeds; i.e., an annoying vibration that requires heroic efforts to eliminate. This problem has been known for several years, and I am amazed that they have not fixed it yet.

    That said, I like the rest of the car enough that I am willing to put up with the hassle of keeping it smooth.
  • gusfershortgusfershort Member Posts: 4
    I agree with you about liking the car enough to put up with this hassle. I test drove and was going to buy a 98 Continental (from a different dealer) about 15 minutes after I drove this 99 Parke Avenue and the Buick was far better in the ride and in the smoothness. In fact I called the Dealership that had the Buick from the Lincoln test drive (during the drive on my cell phone) and told him to fill up the Buick with gas and I will be back to purchase it.

    I really like this vehicle. I traded in a loaded 97 Yukon with 41000 miles on it for the Parke. I was tired of paying the extra money for gas every time I filled up at the pumps.
  • jono4jono4 Member Posts: 8
    I THINK the NADA site. Natl Automobile Dealer's Assn.
  • 99489948 Member Posts: 1
    The headlamps on my new (4900 miles)2000 Park Avenue Ultra can't seem to match the illuminating brilliance and reach of my last car, a '91 Lexus LS400. Low beam and high beam lights have been dealer aligned but low beam visibility is still very poor. Headlamp switch is on. Lenses are clean. Standard 9005 and 9006 bulbs are installed. What did I overlook? Is there an aftermarket bulb replacement available that will provide a whiter, brighter headlamp beam?
  • gusfershortgusfershort Member Posts: 4
    It isn't only Buicks having this problem with this particular platform. $50,000+ Cadilac cars and some full size GMC 4WD pickups are also having this same problem. These All have different platforms.

    I was told this from my service manager at a Buick/GMC Dealership whome also worked at a Cadilac Dealership for some years and has seen many of the same problems. He has also worked for many years at a Goodyear Dealership and he is very aware of the situation.
  • dkgrantdkgrant Member Posts: 1
    I bought a 2000 Park Avenue several weeks ago. When I back out of my driveway, which slopes down to the street, and go down the roll curb onto the street, the slight bounce I get causes the front suspension to creak. The dealer says that the noise is due to a strut bushing that gets stiff in cool weather, that all Park Avenues do this, and that nothing can be done to fix it. Does this make sense?
  • swl625swl625 Member Posts: 1
    I have had my 2000 Park Avenue since June and it has been nearly flawless!
    This is my third P.A. and is the best yet.
    During my 60 years as a driver I have owned and driven hundreds of cars including foreign makes and have read countless reviews and road tests
    In my experience the foreign cars were never as good as the reviews and the domestic products were almost always far better than the reviews.
  • jim0011jim0011 Member Posts: 7
    I just leased a 2000 Pontiac Bonneville SSEI ; it is one month old with 600 miles on it (I think 19 miles when I picked it up).

    Friday night (12/08) I was at the movies with a friend of mine. Moments after starting the car to leave it was determined that my car is on fire! It burnt most of the upper rear portion of the engine block area; the rear half of the intake manifold (or engine) shroud burnt away also. I’m afraid a great deal of that plastic/chemical smell is now entrenched in my interior. One of the firemen had told me, with a qualification he was not trying to be bias in any way, “they” will try to tell me anything but two things would be for sure. He said the car in all probability would never be the same electrically (something about heat traveling along wires) and the smell would always be there.

    The reason I’m on here with this story is that I’m looking for someone that has had a similar incidence as mine and could give me some feedback as to the details of their experience.

    Thanks in advance for any help.

    P.S. I’m am posting this in a number of sedan areas to try and get as much response/help with this as I can, I apologize for any inconvenience it may cause.
  • bobby49bobby49 Member Posts: 1
    I have a six month old 2000 PA with the Memory Seat/Mirrors, etc. option. From inception, the system has been working sporatically at best when using the remote key fobs. Sometimes wrong Driver # appears, side mirrors do not move, seats do not move, or radio setting is from the other driver. Had it back to dealer 4 times so far. Last time, dealer "re-set" the system. Appears to be working better, but the left side mirror sometimes only moves up/down. In order for it to set properly for the driver, left/right, one has to push button on car door or push key-fob unlock button second time. I am only talking about using the remotes, as the system has always worked when using the buttons for Driver #1 or #2 on the door of the car.
    Also, I was told by dealer that I have to lock the car by the particular remote #1 or #2 so the car "knows" that that particular driver is finished using car before the other driver presses unlock on the other remote. (Sounds crazy to me.) Any thoughts, advice, solutions or similar experiences??
  • skyhawk3skyhawk3 Member Posts: 42
    I have a somewhat similar situation with a 2001 Bonneville. My wife and I have different settings for the unlock feature when the car is shut off. The first time I drive after she has used the car, the doors unlock to her setting and vice verse. It is the only setting that this happens too. The rest are to our indivual settings.
  • retguy2retguy2 Member Posts: 1
    I am now driving a Buck Road master and shopping for a replacement. I like the price and most features of the Park Avenue except: the seat belts are short and the need for premium gas for the larger engine is rideicuous. The dealer said they would provide a belt extended but this is tacky and could be dificult to keep out of the way. Has anyone noticed this problem and know of a better solution? Also I'm surprised no one on this site has complained about the high price gas. I'm look for some reason not to buy a Cadillac and would appreciate some help.
  • michaeljaymichaeljay Member Posts: 5
    I just bought a 2000 Park Avenue with 22,000 miles. Car is nearly flawless except for a horrendous noise it makes when bouncing over an abrupt bump (e.g., railroad tracks). It sounds like it's coming from the rear suspension/shock absorbers. I've never had any vehicle make that kind of noise, particularly a large sedan. Any suggestions?
  • mmason2mmason2 Member Posts: 2
    I do not own a PA, but am asking this question for an older friend who does not have web access.

    Is there a way to disable the auto-lock feature when the automatic transmission is shifted into "Drive"? I drive a Ford pickup, and I know there's a way to do it for those.

    Sorry if this topic has been answered previously.
  • woodybuickwoodybuick Member Posts: 33
    Easy one to handle..

    1) If vehicle has memory seats, make sure you use his key fob to unlock the door

    2) Press and hold "ENG MET" button for approx 5 seconds. There should be a message that says "Welcome to Buick Personalized features menu"..or something similiar

    3) Keep hitting RESET button until there is a choice that says door locks in gear..press ENG MET to change the setting.

    4) ENG MET makes a change. RESET goes to next option.

    Hope that helps
  • jazvorbjazvorb Member Posts: 1
    I to am having some slight vibration with my 99 Park Avenue at speeds above 70. I noticed that most of you are replacing the Goodyears with Michelins. What line of Michelin tire is best to use??
  • tpkentpken Member Posts: 1,108
    Hello Park Ave owners.

    I am planning to replace my '90 Grand Marquis this year and could consider a preowned recent Park Ave (not Ultra for premium gas reasons). Other alternatives are the recent Bonneville, LeSabre, Impala (this has been my favorite to date) and possibly Aurora.

    Having reviewed the prior postings here and elsewhere it is interesting that this board is not very active - may mean few complaints here or simply less interest in the Edmunds forum in this car category.

    Other than the tire vibration issue, are there other common problems to look for? I see LeSabres have battery/alt and windshield seal problems. Impalas have suspension issues, etc. How is the road noise with this car? Is the std suspension a typical Buick "Float" or has the new model been tightened up as the LeSabre is reported to be?

    Comments and suggestions are appreciated.

    Ken
  • boat10boat10 Member Posts: 59
    if you are serious about replacing Goodyears with Michlens, by all means put MICHLEN SYMMETRY on the vehicle. This is what I done, now have 15,000 on a 2000 Park Ave. I changed tires with 2 miles on the vehicle. I had a 97 Park Ave. and had the Goodyear Conquest tires, what a disaster, balancing all the time, never cured the vibrations.
    Good luck and try the SYMMERTYS'
  • aprobstaprobst Member Posts: 1
    here is a reason not to buy a cadillac. i have one. it is a 92 deville, and i have had nothing but trouble from it. a friend of mine has a 91 and has had it practically rebuilt. another friend has a 93 and has had a lot of trouble from it. as long as you DO NOT buy the 4.9 v8, you will be ok. be sure to get at least a 95 with the "northstar" 4.6 v8.
  • spindelspindel Member Posts: 8
    I am considering buying a 2000 PA Ultra, but have reservations regarding the premium gas. My question is to you owners of PA Ultras, will the car run on regular unleaded gasoline?
  • ezraponezrapon Member Posts: 348
    We have 4 parks in our family 92, 96, 98, 00. Other than brakes and alternators on the older ones, these cars are outstanding. Spend a week in a 300m or other Chrysler product, then come back here and report your feelings. You got the best, quit nit-picking.
  • 99gtp199gtp1 Member Posts: 2
    I am visitng this site to get pricing on a new LeSabre for someone I know. When I read these posts I just had to say a few words. For those reading Consumer Reports, throw that piece of garbage magazine in the garbage. They have nothing but bad things to say about American cars. I've owned cars they say are bad that turned out to be great! The best example is my stepdad's Park Ave. It's a '94 he bought new and now has 215,000 miles! This has been the most excellent car. The 3800 V-6 has NEVER been touched and it still runs absolutley perfect! For those not considering the Ultra because of premium fuel, you will be very happy with the standard 3800. I drive a '99 Pontiac Grand Prix with the same supercharged 3800 in the Ultra. It's very powerful, but does get a bit pricey ONLY if I tap into all 240 horses! Simply put, you can't go wrong with a Park Avenue!
  • lamont45lamont45 Member Posts: 1
    I just rolled over 170,000 miles on my 94 Park Avenue. Last week the starter went out and this week the AS light came on. Should I start looking for another car or can I expect my Park Avenue to last another 50,000 miles?
    What has been your experience with 94's over 170,000 miles?
  • cpnfantstkcpnfantstk Member Posts: 3
    I bought a 92PA a year ago with 52000 miles on it. I have driven 13000 miles since owing it. I have replaced the alternator, battery and front brakes so far. The power antenna stopped working and the security light comes on when it wants to. The security alarm sounds when it wants also. The vibration after 70 mph is apparent as well. love this car's ride and quietness and will take these recent problems in stride. Any more though and I will get rid of it. Too bad that such a great riding vehicle has to have these problems which by reading other posts are very common ones.
  • chucka3chucka3 Member Posts: 2
    I own a '94 Park Avenue Ultra with 90,000 miles on it. The supercharger is making a mild grinding noise that I can only hear when I lift the hood. Does anyone have experience with these? Is that normal? Should I be concerned? Is it going to get worse? I priced the unit, and a replacement part costs $2,020 without labor. I like the car but wonder if I should be shopping for another. Any suggestions?
  • trekkiejaztrekkiejaz Member Posts: 4
    I've been told that the supercharger on these engines is designed to last between 100,000 - 120,000 miles. It might be on the verge of going out. You might also check you bypass valve. If the bypass valve is faulty, the supercharger can get pretty noisy. As far as I know, Magnuson.com is the only authorized rebuilder of Eaton superchargers. Check with them. You can probably pickup a rebuild one for about $1100.00 and believe it or not, there not that hard to replace.
  • cpnfantstkcpnfantstk Member Posts: 3
    Does anyone know if it is normal for the rpms to go up slightly but noticeable when slowing down to a stop. My mechanic says the car is downshifting. i dont know about that but I never had a car do that so noticeable. Another crazy thing is that i have felt brief jerks when accelerating. It is just started happening but not consistently. Help anyone. My PA has only
    66000 miles on it.
  • baker04baker04 Member Posts: 1
    I purchased a 92 pa in 93 with 9k. still had factory wty. After owning for about 11 months it would be dead when we tried to start-no lights-no power-nothing. If we waited a while it would start. If we hit the pass seat control the trunk would open. It was normal for the seats to stop working and the mirrors but everything else be ok. we took it to the local buick dealer who only served to destroy the wiring harness. They had it for a week at a time-said it was fixed and within 2 blocks of the dealership the issue remained. The car was always returned dirty and removed parts not all re-installed. This went on for over a year! Final resolution only came after going to another dealer and involving buick arbitration (even after wty expiration). The original dealer had cut adn spliced into the wire harness so bad the second dealer would not return car for fear of fire. I was given a loaner for 6 weeks until the complete wire harness was replaced which required the complete interior to be gutted all the way to the metal framing. Since the car has been returned to me there has not been one issue. I praise Mangino Buick of Ballston Spa, Ny and Buick arbitration for resolving what was a very frustrating event. That is customer service!!!
  • tnauglertnaugler Member Posts: 5
    The car is a 98 Park Avenue Ultra. It occasionally makes a muted "Ticking" noise from somewhere under the dash. The noise will last for a minute or so and then stop. Everything seems to work OK, but I am curious about the meaning of the noise. Is it normal? What does it indicate?
  • ezraponezrapon Member Posts: 348
    Mine does the ticking too. Also shudders after coming out of passing gear at hiway speeds.
  • chorobechorobe Member Posts: 5
    Anybody try out the Yokohama Avid Touring tires? They are supposed to be one of the most quiet tires on the market which I'm hoping is true because like many of you guys, my 98 PA has vibration problems at certain speeds along with what appears to be rumbling road noise so I am hoping to kill 2 birds with one stone. I'll let you guys know what happens.
  • chorobechorobe Member Posts: 5
    Got the new tires and I was amazed at how quiet they were compared to my old Goodyears. Not only that there is also no vibration. I haven't had the tires for long and haven't taken them up to a very high speed yet but they sound really good so far.
  • chorobechorobe Member Posts: 5
    Well after having the new Yokohamas for about a week now, I've found that although they are super quiet, I STILL HAVE THE VIBRATIONS!! I've taken it to the tire store where I purchased them 2 more times and although each time it seemed a little better, there was still some resonating vibrations at high speeds(60-80mph) and I could sometimes feel it at low speeds as well. The tire store said that if I need to come in again, they will try replacing the tires...so I will suggest to the the Michelin Symmetry's as was mentioned by boat10. Although they are more expensive then the Yokohamas, if they do indeed solve the vibration issue, it will be well worth it to do the change.
  • annie18annie18 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 97 Lasabre with 84000 miles on it that runs great with the exception of one thing, every once in a while if your coasting and than hit the gas the car appears to miss a couple of times. This also seems to happen when it shifts, but not always. The dealer re programmed the computer but it didn't help. Does anybody have any suggestions?
  • rotaranrotaran Member Posts: 10
    I have a 92 PA for now 2 years and it's a great car. Now i'm want to know how many of them were built and how much of them going to Germany. The Buick Motor Division can't help me, maybe someone in the Town Hall can do.
    Thanks.
    PS: Please, please visit my Homepage (www.buickparkavenue.de.vu) and sign the Guestbook (only in German).
  • eeeleeel Member Posts: 57
    my boss bought one - had to have it - no one has been able to stop the vibration - it'll shake the wheel out of your hand 55-70mph - multiple balances - rotors, all brake hardware has been replaced twice, he also has ac and tranny problems - not much help from buick - they don't think the vibration is too bad - and now he has an overheating problem. this thing is a wahle, looks like a whale, handles like a boat - soft ride, though - like a 70 buick in 2000 !!!
  • andymsnandymsn Member Posts: 22
    I'm considering a 99 Ultra with buckets/center console with approx 20,000 miles and FACTORY moonroof v. a 98 PA with CLOTH interior/bench with 28,500 miles and what doesn't appear to be the Concert II speaker system (I can see only one set of speakers in the upper fore part of the door, not the lower part - are they in there but just hiding behind the carpet?) although each does have the am/fm/cass/cd stack and the steering wheel radio/temp controls.

    I have a some questions and I hope someone might be willing to take the time to address one or all:

    1) I've read with interest about the vibration issue. I'm going to test drive both vehicles tomorrow and am grateful for the heads-up from this board on that issue. I will be very sensitive to it, I'm sure. The Ultra has the G'year LS tires and the PA the Conquests. The PA's tires look like they need to be replaced soon but I don't know what the "wear mileage" on the LSs and Conquests are - any ideas? Also, I like to run winter tires up here (Wisconsin) and I'm wondering whether anyone out there has run Michelin Artic Alpins (or a similar tires like Blizzaks or Hakapalitas) on a PA or Ultra? If so, what were your impressions, especially with respect to the vibration issues? Finally, are the Michelin Symetries a particularly quiet tire? Why might they be recommended over MX4Vs, for example?

    2) I currently own a 97 Tahoe LT, which I do love in snow, especially with its Goodyear Wrangler AT/S tires (at a cost, though - four for 750 bucks - and that was a steal because I knew the guy at the Goodyear store - amazing tires in heavy rain, too). There also another one key difference b/w the Ultra and the PA I'm considering - traction control. I've also owned a 1992 Pontiac Bonneville SE since 1996 and haven't sensed the need for TC on that car (but maybe I just drive sensibly in the snow/ice/slush/rain). Any impressions, positive or negative about the TC on the Ultra/PA?

    3) Does the Ultra run about as well using regular unleaded rather than premium? Part of the reason I want to dump the Tahoe is that I travel about 3k/month (2.5k highway miles) and 32 mpg/hwy sounds a lot better than the 15-17 I get now, but if want the Ultra, ultimately, I think the trade-off in reg v. premium costs will wipe out much of the difference in mpg. I have read that the Ultra will knock some if using regular. Any other issues?

    4) Anyone ever have water leakage problems with a factory install Buick moonroof? I talked with the prior owner of the PA and he said the moonroof was installed at a local very reputable place. However, you can discern a difference between the factory and after market moonroofs because the factory one is absolutely flush with the roofline and the after market is not (I imagine that since the after-market roof is not flush it probably creates some more wind noise, too). I'm checking to see whether the after market moonroof comes with a lifetime no-leak warranty.

    5) What's the reliability reputation for the auto climate control system? If any issues, do they tend to be inherently expensive to resolve?

    6) Has anyone tried to obtain a sheepskin other kind of cloth-like seat cover for the leather BUCKET seats in an Ultra? If so, where did you find them and what kind of cost am I looking at? I don't particularly like leather seats because I tend to stick to them in the summer months, but I think I can deal with it if I have something to cover at least the driver's seat. My impression is that Buick leather is not very breathable.

    7) What would be a fair price for the Ultra and/or the PA?

    If you're kind enough to respond, thanks very much in advance for taking the time to do so. I've learned a great deal about the LeSabre/Ultra/PA models on this board and I sincerely appreciate people taking the time to contribute. I hope to do so in the future, too. FYI, I had been considering an Avalon but I'm just not willing to pay a premium price for a smaller car that's "up-spec'd" off the Camry chassis.

    And, I agree with those who have posted on here saying that perhaps Japanese cars are not quite what CU and others want us to believe. Although I had to replace the tranny and brain box on the 1992 Bonne at about 145k, the per mile maintenance costs over the course of the 130k I've owned it so far are probably half that of the 1987 Mazda 626LX's comparable mileage which I eventually rode to 233k before I traded for the Bonne. The 3.8 V6 is just about bulletproof and you cannot argue with 32 mpg highway for such a roomy and comfortable vehicle. Compare that to the 31/hwy the Ford Focus is rated for and tell me which vehicle appeals to you more if you have to drive 25k highway miles per year?
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