My 97 Buick Park Avenue

i just came to post pics of my re-done tail lights and painted dash and realized i never made a showroom thread for my car, so here it is!






you can see how faded the tail lights are in this pic before i re-did them. also note the chrome around the lights:


here are the lights now, WAY darker and no chrome:





here are the fog lights that got nite shaded and painted as well:







and heres the dash i just got done with last night, the trim thats usually woodgrain has been black for a while. the black between the top of the dash and the old black is what i just did along with the matching pieces on the doors:

I love Park Avenue's....I like the look.

Not to pick it apart, and maybe I missed something in a different thread, but why is the LR quarter a diff color?

Abaddon wrote:

I love Park Avenue's....I like the look.

Not to pick it apart, and maybe I missed something in a different thread, but why is the LR quarter a diff color?

thanks!
actually its never been mentioned here or any other board but i believe my car was hit in the rear before i bought it. you can also see in the tail light pics that my trunk is a bit out of alignment on the right side. with the tail lights off you can see where they masked for the re-paint. the reason its a different color is because my cars color (silvermist) isnt made anymore and has to be mixed, my guess is that they had a cheap body shop paint it before the sale and they didnt mix it quite right. the pic overlooking the lake is one of the only pics that it jumps out at you in, even in person you have to sit there in stare in the perfect light to see the difference. i have been looking around for a place to just paint the whole car with all the little defects it has from the mismatched colors to the rust and all of the little scrapes and chips in between.

That makes sense. Too bad 'ya didn't live in Michigan, we'd paint it for ya!
There are very, very few modded PAU's around here. The ones that are though, are bad ass. They just have a big, wide, mean looking stance to them. They almost resemble the Mercury Marauder. The back end sits higher, like an older muscle car, and the body lines are simple, but make a point. Even though it's a "grandpa" car, tint the windows and a few other cosmetics change the whole look.

Abaddon wrote:

That makes sense. Too bad 'ya didn't live in Michigan, we'd paint it for ya!
There are very, very few modded PAU's around here. The ones that are though, are bad ass. They just have a big, wide, mean looking stance to them. They almost resemble the Mercury Marauder. The back end sits higher, like an older muscle car, and the body lines are simple, but make a point. Even though it's a "grandpa" car, tint the windows and a few other cosmetics change the whole look.

mines not an ultra, and there are absolutely no modded buicks whatsoever around here, it sucks. thats why ive always loved the park avenues and the rivs, with some wider wheels/tires from the front they look wide and mean. especially with the lights and grill from the front i think my car looks pretty intimidating, now it just needs the power to back it up
i could level the car out but theres 50 psi in the rear shocks for a stiffer feel on corners and no ass drag when i launch it. i had some kid try to make fun of my car before saying why would i mod a grandpa car, as he stands next to a late 80's regal on 26" rims , needless to say he got smoked.
i love how my car looks with the tint, it all got taken off earlier last week though so i didnt have to pay $785 in fines. it sucks and i dont really like it but i guess its just time to focus more on the top swap and suspension parts.

nice ride Tyler.Ever considered an OnStar antenna?I think it'll look cool on your PA.

stan wrote:

nice ride Tyler.Ever considered an OnStar antenna?I think it'll look cool on your PA.

thanks, my car doesnt have onstar and im not sure i would want it. i like the clean subtle look of like colors and no additives so im not sure i would like an antenna as my car doesnt even have one for the radio. honestly i wish i could shave a few things...

nice car.i can see that you love her.but its an odd choice for a 19 year old? why not a coupe?

robotennis61 wrote:

nice car.i can see that you love her.but its an odd choice for a 19 year old? why not a coupe?

i really like the big buick body, and when i was looking for a car i definitely wanted something with the 3800. i dont really like gtps so i was leaning more towards a regal until i found my park avenue at a local dealer. i never really thought about owning a riv until after i had a park avenue but i do like how they only have 2 doors and would love if they made a 2 door park avenue. i still like it a lot with the 4 doors though, i like the space and comfort whether in the front or back seat , theres really nothing that i dont like about it other than it doesnt have a sunroof or console shifter (no park ave does). ive had the car for over 3 years and done nearly everything myself, and i dont feel that im bored or sick of it in even the least bit. honestly i cant see myself selling it, if i were to get another car or truck it would be a winter beater and i would probably still have this car. what is a 19 year old supposed to drive if you dont mind me asking? i dont like rice burners like some other 19 year olds....

That's a sick looking car. I didn't notice the foglights until you mentioned them, and even then I had to look hard to find them. The exhaust looks brutal, too!

[quote="97 park ave"]

robotennis61 wrote:

nice car.i can see that you love her.but its an odd choice for a 19 year old? why not a coupe?

what is a 19 year old supposed to drive if you dont mind me asking?


a coupe

97 park ave wrote:

i really like the big buick body, and when i was looking for a car i definitely wanted something with the 3800. i dont really like gtps so i was leaning more towards a regal until i found my park avenue at a local dealer. i never really thought about owning a riv until after i had a park avenue but i do like how they only have 2 doors and would love if they made a 2 door park avenue. i still like it a lot with the 4 doors though, i like the space and comfort whether in the front or back seat , theres really nothing that i dont like about it other than it doesnt have a sunroof or console shifter (no park ave does). ive had the car for over 3 years and done nearly everything myself, and i dont feel that im bored or sick of it in even the least bit. honestly i cant see myself selling it, if i were to get another car or truck it would be a winter beater and i would probably still have this car. what is a 19 year old supposed to drive if you dont mind me asking? i dont like rice burners like some other 19 year olds....

I think your Park Ave. is a sweet ride Tyler!
I for one have no problem with you posting about it here on this forum.

The Park Avenues would have made a great looking 2 door had they made one. Even a wagon would have been cool.

When I was a teen my friends and myself all gravitated towards the big cars. There were many Caddys, Old 98's, Toronados and Eldorados along with Rivieras. It was kind of our thing as a group.
They all won their share of street races.
That was always fun to wipe the grin off some spoiled jock driving a 396 Chevelle with a '69 Coupe DeVille!

I sold my 20 year old son my '92 Park Ave. last year when he was 19, and he has a line of others his age that want to buy it from him.

IBx1 wrote:

That's a sick looking car. I didn't notice the foglights until you mentioned them, and even then I had to look hard to find them. The exhaust looks brutal, too!

thanks, yea the fog lights pretty much jump out at you in my sig pic but now it looks like i dont even have them anymore.

robotennis61 wrote:

robotennis61 wrote:

nice car.i can see that you love her.but its an odd choice for a 19 year old? why not a coupe?

what is a 19 year old supposed to drive if you dont mind me asking?


a coupe

lol, just any coupe? what if i were into trucks? then what would a 19 year old drive?

Sweepspear wrote:

97 park ave wrote:

i really like the big buick body, and when i was looking for a car i definitely wanted something with the 3800. i dont really like gtps so i was leaning more towards a regal until i found my park avenue at a local dealer. i never really thought about owning a riv until after i had a park avenue but i do like how they only have 2 doors and would love if they made a 2 door park avenue. i still like it a lot with the 4 doors though, i like the space and comfort whether in the front or back seat , theres really nothing that i dont like about it other than it doesnt have a sunroof or console shifter (no park ave does). ive had the car for over 3 years and done nearly everything myself, and i dont feel that im bored or sick of it in even the least bit. honestly i cant see myself selling it, if i were to get another car or truck it would be a winter beater and i would probably still have this car. what is a 19 year old supposed to drive if you dont mind me asking? i dont like rice burners like some other 19 year olds....

I think your Park Ave. is a sweet ride Tyler!
I for one have no problem with you posting about it here on this forum.

The Park Avenues would have made a great looking 2 door had they made one. Even a wagon would have been cool.

When I was a teen my friends and myself all gravitated towards the big cars. There were many Caddys, Old 98's, Toronados and Eldorados along with Rivieras. It was kind of our thing as a group.
They all won their share of street races.
That was always fun to wipe the grin off some spoiled jock driving a 396 Chevelle with a '69 Coupe DeVille!

I sold my 20 year old son my '92 Park Ave. last year when he was 19, and he has a line of others his age that want to buy it from him.

thank you! i just dont understand why i get more hassle here than the regal board when my park ave is way closer to a riv than a regal.
all of my group of friends drive GM except like 3 but most are big cars. theres 2 impalas on 20's (one brand new and one 02 style), 2 gtps, a cavalier, 2 talons, an eclipse, and my buick lol.
ive had a lot of people ask me if i would sell my car and i usually dont even bother to see what theyre offering i just say no. maybe i should put a sign in my window that says NOT for sale.

Looks really good Tyler! Love that exhaust setup.

ParkAvenues are sharp looking cars in my opinion. Especially when you see one in person, so you can walk around it and appreciate all the lines. I personally prefer two doors, but I'd say for a 19 yr old, you have good taste. Nice job on the mods too. Actually, my dad has a PA, it drives very similarly to the Riv and if I needed four doors, thats what I would buy.

Check out this one near me. They want $8000 from the dealer. Has been sitting there for almost a year. Won't budge on price. I'd kill to have this car to finish off the black Buick fleet.

Nice ride Tyler. That is one mean exhaust! Haha.

Great job on the interior, what did you use for paint? I hate wood trim myself and I'm looking to remove it from the Riv soon.

I wonder how the stock wheels from an Ultra would look on a Riv? Like the ones from the pic Rick just posted. Hmmm.

DEMonte1997 wrote:

I'd kill to have this car to finish off the black Buick fleet.

I'd be envious.......

DEMonte1997 wrote:

Looks really good Tyler! Love that exhaust setup.

thanks rick, i really like how it came out. its a little loud but it doesnt bother me, im just glad its not raspy like a lot of gtps i think having more room to work with helps a lot.

BMD wrote:

ParkAvenues are sharp looking cars in my opinion. Especially when you see one in person, so you can walk around it and appreciate all the lines. I personally prefer two doors, but I'd say for a 19 yr old, you have good taste. Nice job on the mods too. Actually, my dad has a PA, it drives very similarly to the Riv and if I needed four doors, thats what I would buy.

i feel the same about the riv lol, if i needed 2 doors id be in a riv years before a gtp considering that regals are only 4 doors too

DEMonte1997 wrote:

Check out this one near me. They want $8000 from the dealer. Has been sitting there for almost a year. Won't budge on price. I'd kill to have this car to finish off the black Buick fleet.

that would be sick, you would have the ultimate ride collection. not only would you have that collection but it would be the murdered out version. i have really been looking for a black park avenue, ultra or not, ever since i had to take the tint off. if i could find one for a good enough deal i would have 2 park avenues but since thats not likely i would probably end up selling my current park ave with rims and all.

VJD2 wrote:

Nice ride Tyler. That is one mean exhaust! Haha.

Great job on the interior, what did you use for paint? I hate wood trim myself and I'm looking to remove it from the Riv soon.

I wonder how the stock wheels from an Ultra would look on a Riv? Like the ones from the pic Rick just posted. Hmmm.

for the wood trim, ive tried a few types of paint that all ended up looking like shit (and still kind of do). i tried krylon fusion that cracked as soon as it dried and looked horrible. then i sanded that down and used "camouflage" flat black (made by either rustoleum or krylon i cant remember) it still has a few small cracks but i think it might be still from the first coat of krylon fusion.
the new stuff that i just posted up was done with duplicolor vinyl and fabric coating, i know the dash is plastic but it worked really good and retained the texture of the original dash extremely well. now that the 2 pieces look different i think i might have to sand the woodgrain down again and hit it with some of that vinyl and fabric coating and see how it looks.

Great, thanks for the tip.

as some of you may or may not know, i had to take my tint off and put the front plate on. i didnt care to post any pictures of it cause i hate the way it looks, but i caught this nice sky at the usual spot.

Nice pics, great sky.

thanks, i really hate how it looks with no tint. you cant really tell in these pictures too much but i have to see it every day.

Fix the rust, on the doors. Then she will look, cherry!!!

Ya, it definitely looks better with the tint on. Was it not legal?