High Mile Club

Subject: Re: High Mile Club Fri Sep 18, 2009 10:11 pm

Rickw wrote:

Do you mind me asking what you paid for it.
You found a nice 98 with LOW miles. A lot left in her.
I did the same thing, found a one owner car with 70K miles.
All the previous owner did was regular maintenance stuff like oil changes, belts and some other small things. I then had to do some of the bigger ticket items after getting it and driving for a while I realized it needed suspension all the way around so i bought all new everything. Brakes, replaced with expensive rotors and such, did an upgrade. Had the trans. flushed and started having tranny problems not long after that, ended up having the trans completely rebuild around 80K miles just so I wouldn't have problems later and I did it while I had the money. Then the 100K miles stuff started to go, A/c compressor, Alternator, Level ride compressor, corroded brake and fuel lines, belts, pulleys, etc, etc.
What if I bought it with more miles, would these things have already been done?? i don't know, but at least I know what i have now and never planned to get rid of the car so i didn't mind sinking money into it And doing some Mod's along the way. But I don't regret buying the car in Dec 2006 for $4500.00.
Felt like i had done some good negotiating after talking the seller down. In hindsight i think he knew what the car needed and about how much it would cost.
In your case you didn't have an opportunity to talk to the original owner as he was 6ft under by then.

I paid the same $4500 for it. I've pretty much gotten or am going to get everything taken care of within the next few weeks hopefully. I know the car has low miles so I know I'm going to need a few bigger ticket items down the road. But like you and I both said, at least we know what we have into it. This guy was older that owned it before, so I doubt he really put anything into it besides regular maintenance and with 65,000 I doubt he thought it necessary.

I replaced a corroded gas line already, but the brake lines seem to have a lot left to them (I know I'm gonna end up doing it sooner or later, I've never owned a Buick where I haven't had to). The AC compressor is being replaced this week, the suspension will be complete this week, wheel bearings will be all new once again this week too, The parasitic drain will be fixed too, along with the horn issue. I already did the brakes and rotors (the guy replaced the brake pads, but rotors were original), replaced a bunch of trim pieces that were bothering me, and got the hood repainted due to the famous paint peel.

Major things I know I'm gonna have to do in the future involve a waterpump, the intake manifold gasket, alternator, supercharger, probably the transmission will need some sort of work I'm sure. I think as of right now though a fluid and filter change would do it the best good. It seems to hesitate going into overdrive under light throttle. You can feel it go in and the RPMs will go down, go back up momentarily and then go back down. It's almost as though it can't decide if it wants to go in or stay out of overdrive. Of course my last Buick did that from mile 187,000 to when it threw a rod at 330,000 miles so who knows. Kinda funny, the transmission in this Buick behaves EXACTLY like my last Buick's transmission. Yet my last one was all mechanically controlled, and this one is pretty much all electronic.

I figure this $4500 car has already ended up costing me around $6000, but you know what? I know what I have into it, I know I'm going to be driving it for a long long time to come, and it's a car I've always wanted. So yeah, it probably wasn't the best deal out there, but it was available, and I definitely wanted it. Honestly the thing that worries me the most is the body. Our winters are harsh. My last Buick was from Florida and in four years went from looking almost brand new to looking like something that sat in a salty brine for three years. I'm a huge 3.8 fan, and have confidence that it'll go the distance with some work here and there. Actually I've only ever owned Buicks and they've all had the 3.8. I don't know what I'm going to do when it gets hard to find 3.8 buicks. lol

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1998 Riviera w/ 65,200 miles. Completely stock except for wood trim, Hella Foglights, and a stereo system. Waiting to get it up to my standards before doing any mods.

Subject: Only 12k miles Sat Oct 10, 2009 9:27 pm

11680 to be exact...
I prurchase my Riviera last year and it had only 4500 miles.

Subject: Re: High Mile Club Sat Oct 10, 2009 9:50 pm

Hey Kyle - you mention the issue with New York's passion for road salt in teh winter.

You can greatly delay the rusting if, each time the temp goes above freezing this winter, you take the car to a self-serve car wash and rinse off the underside with the high pressure hose. The wheel wells, the rockers, behind the bumpers. If they are clean then change the sprayer over to 'wax' and spray the wax the same places you rinsed off. Wash it off too if you have time and $$ change, and be sure to hse the high pressure sprayer to flush the dirt out from behind the trim and from the cavities in the fender at the front and rear of the wheel openings that collect dust and dirt.

Albertj

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1998 with all fac. opts. (exc. CD changer and subwoofer); 209,000 miles. Mods: KYB front struts, extra noise barriers, fire extinguisher, Magnecor 8mm plug wires, 4-note horn, custom-made stainless exhaust.

Avatar is missing.

Subject: Re: High Mile Club Sun Oct 11, 2009 9:21 am

eumilea wrote:

11680 to be exact...
I prurchase my Riviera last year and it had only 4500 miles.

Hey, this is the high mile club thread!

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Subject: Re: High Mile Club Sun Oct 11, 2009 9:41 am

eumilea wrote:

11680 to be exact...
I prurchase my Riviera last year and it had only 4500 miles.

Rub it in why don't ya!

Just turned over 90k , bought with 74k about 2 years ago. Only gripe is that i live so close to work that i don't get to drive it to its potential very often.

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1996 Riviera, 89k miles
Show: Tint ,Sherwood dash kit , PAU 17s , Magnaflow tips
Go: 1.9s ,FWI , 99+, Stage 1 TB, Plog + DP , 3.4" , Ported Gen III , decent tune.
Handlng: STB , Ma822s. STS 22mm rear sway bar.
Up next : KYB GR-2s ,

Subject: Re: High Mile Club Fri Nov 20, 2009 1:59 am

First lamp of gauge cluster burned out tonight (left side of speedo) at 193,785 miles. Otherwise everything's fine.

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Subject: Re: High Mile Club Fri Nov 20, 2009 1:19 pm

214,000 km on the Black Pearl and still running strong. Just got an electrical gremlin right now with my stereo I am trying to find.

Subject: Re: High Mile Club Fri Nov 20, 2009 4:27 pm

The Riv just turned 240K

I am the second owner and bought it with 74K on it 11 years ago. Car has the original motor and tranny. Other than maintenace items like brakes and belts. I have replaced the pulleys, supercharger coupler, water pump, radiator, struts and shocks, driver side window and door lock switch and fuel pump. Items that need attention are the mirrors that don't work, the climate control unit with burned out bulbs and the stereo which stopped playing cds and tapes awhile ago ( using FM transmitter at the moment ) She still looks and drives like new and will keep her as long as possible! cool

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Modern "Muscle"

1996 Supercharged Riviera, Black Cherry Ext., Burgundy Int., over 200K

Subject: Re: High Mile Club Fri Nov 20, 2009 5:32 pm

^^^^^I'll assume kilometers. smile

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Subject: Re: High Mile Club Fri Nov 20, 2009 5:50 pm

Yes!

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Modern "Muscle"

1996 Supercharged Riviera, Black Cherry Ext., Burgundy Int., over 200K