1988 Rivi Owner here, though id Introduce myself

Hey everyone. I've owned my rivi for a year and a half now. I love the car. when my Olds cutlass died on me I was in need of a car. The rivi was the first I test drove and the first on my list. After the test drive and seeing that the engine was the same as the olds, which meant I knew everything about it for maintenance, I had made my decision. It was $1800 and had my name all over it. Speaking of, name is Ryan, im 21. After getting my first car and feeling the freedom behind the wheel, I became a car enthusiast. Knowing that there are other Rivi owners with just as much pride is awesome. I dont feel alone anymore. A few of my friends make fun of me for caring so much about my car , but after a few easy street races against them, the respect came around. Haha!
The car's name is Pearl for the white color. Looks standard white in pics, but up close you can see the metallic sheen to it. The wheels were painted to match. The original owner took very good care of it. No leaks, all original, and she came with 120k on her. She is fast and classy and I am proud as hell to own her. I hope to make a few friends on here. And maybe get to meet some Rivi owners to brag about our cars. Peace!

Welcome! Sounds like you got a good deal!

welcome! and having a nice car is paramount. i can tell that you love her... and she you...are you sure her name isnt christine?

Welcome! We used to have an '86, the touch screen is a hoot!

Nice intro, and I admire the pride you take in your ride, welcome!

Whats under the hood?

It has a series 1 3800 under the hood I think. It is the same as the Olds Cutlass Ciera, but the coil pack is in the front instead of in the back lke the cutlass was. It is a T-Type, but I wouldnt put a turbo on it just for how old the engine is. Besides, for a turbo, Id like to give it a good cylinder boring and a port and polish for it to use the turbos full potential. A better transmission would be nice too. Aahhh....lottery dreams

Ryan,
As you can see below, my wife and I own two 1992 Rivieras....same era...1986 to 1993. Welcome to this forum...lots of experienced Riv owners here.

What you need to do now is become a member of the Riviera Owners Association. Go to www.rivowners.org and sign up...a number of us on this forum are members....great organization, bimonthly magazine, lots of tips, lots of parts for sale.

Also, you're in luck living in PA. The 2010 ROA International meet (4 day event) will be held in Harrisburg, PA from June 21 thru June 24. This gives you a great chance to meet other Riv enthusiasts and show off your car.

thanks ill keep that in mind. I am hoping to join the ROA, but i need to get the money for the membership first.

Inspiring introduction. I had almost forgotten how excited I was when I found my car. It was a cream puff, one owner, low miles and I was able to negotiate the price for less than I thought I would get one for. Had wanted this generation of Riv since they started making them but couldn't justify the $36,000 in 1998 when I was looking to buy a new car. Ended up with a used Eldorado and a New pick up for less than the cost of a Riviera at the time.
But in 2006 I could finally get one supercharged and loaded.
Your post has reminded me of all that and more.
Thanks and Welcome.

Greetings!

Bert

Glad to be an inspiring voice for ya Rick.

Thought id post some pictures since i know how to now.









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Nice lookin' 88
Your keepin' her looking good

v

Welcome! How do you like the touch screen controls? I always wanted one of these, came close, but lost the car at the last minute. I like the 2 tone, looks sweet!

Well these are older pictures of when I first got her. I have a pic of the digital speedometer with 120k on it and its at 154k now. Dang I put 34k on her in two years. I guess driving back and forth to see my fiancee in Philly put on a lot more then I thought.

I love the touch screen controls. They still get looks from people when they see it. Especially sitting at a stop light. People look over while i'm playing with the radio and tilt their head like a confused dog. Its funny. And the controls havent caused any problems for me like others I've heard.
The two tone was put on there by the previous owner. It does look nice. Heck they even powder coated the wheels to match the top "pearl" paint. Unfortunately, I think they got it done cheap. As of now the paint is chipping off bit by bit. Since I live in the woods it deals with a great deal of bug spatters in the summer, tree bits falling all the time, even just normal wear is causing it to flake. Plus whoever painted the car thought it would be just perfect to paint over the rubber seals around the windshield and sunroof, things like that and its coming off around there too. Im trying to keep her looking clean though. I had to stop using the turtle wax and switched to ICE because I noticed the paint on the trunk was rubbing away to the red underneath. Makes me believe they didnt primer the car before painting either.

And thanks for the props guys. I love my car to death. And even if it breaks down, I am not going to sell it off or junk it. Its worth too much to the right people to do so. Ill do my best to keep her running and running well.

flyineagle96 wrote:

very nice riv she's a little smaller than my 90 i really like that t type the side view reminds me of my 86 somerset i had.

Shouldnt be much smaller at all really. The only major difference other then the inside controls of the car, from appearance standards, is the rear end. Yours just slopes and mine is flat. Thats about it.

Even though the Riviera wheelbase remained the same @ 108" from 88 to 89, Buick added 11" to the rear overhang when the slantback rear end was introduced in 89.

Welcome to the forum, Ryan.
Very nice baby Riv. I had a'90' before my'96' and current'98' not to mention my '65'. It was dark brown with half padded roof and dark brown leather interior. Very classy looking. I really liked the ride of my '90'.
You'll find that the last generation Riv with the supercharged 3800 is much zippier if you get a chance to test drive one, I think. The ROA is a great organization to belong to. I go to the meets that are fairly close to Michigan. Rivs rule !!

Thanks. I do plan to join the ROA. I have it bookmarked. Right now I dont have the money for the membership. I am hoping to have enough for that before the meet this year. Since it is supposed to be close to where I live.
I guarantee that if I ever got my tranny replaced, my riv would go faster then id be able to handle for a bit. Im sure it would be much like my fiancee's '09 galant. It also has a 3800 and it jams you in your seat with a quick spurt of the accelerator.