New Member from Dallas TX

I do not own a Riviera but thats sort of the reason i joined to get some help in looking for one.
For some reason Texas seems to be a desert - cant find a single decent one for sale.
I can see myself gently cruising in a white 99/98 rivi with sunroof on a gentle Texan spring... well its a dream.

welcome Zaranj , on-line you can buy whatever you want even a nice `99,so no worries i'm sure soon you can get one,we can help....
Welcome.

Thanks!

What ive found is that the ones most covetted obviously are the single owner, pristine condition type cars. They're really hard to come by but follow a set pattern, an older couple having bought it as a pleasure car in the 90s who are now retired (or gifted to their kids) dont get out much and keep the car in the garage. These are the really awesome cars, I hope i get one.
I have seen a couple on autotrader and a few other sites, ive never bought a car online and had it shipped but lets see , theres always a first time

The ones with the dealers are the worst!

Welcome to the site

People are always posting ads they find on here. I'm sure you could locate one at least in the next state...

Zaranj, you're not alone. Where I live, you may come across another Riv once in a blue moon when the planets align just right and the moon is eclipsing the sun. About 90% of the time, they look like absolute crap around here. But, keep looking online and you'll find a nice one. There's one for sale in Philly on eBay that looks very nice. They will always pop up, and like Scott said, we try to post them when we see them.

Welcome! Post pics when you get one!

macjt wrote:

I do not own a Riviera but thats sort of the reason i joined to get some help in looking for one.
For some reason Texas seems to be a desert - cant find a single decent one for sale.
I can see myself gently cruising in a white 99/98 rivi with sunroof on a gentle Texan spring... well its a dream.

I may be able to help. I don't want to violate any rules but I have just inherited a '97 SC. It is maroon with a maroon interior. I have been wrestling with keeping it versus selling it. Next step?

KenBluder wrote:

macjt wrote:

I do not own a Riviera but thats sort of the reason i joined to get some help in looking for one.
For some reason Texas seems to be a desert - cant find a single decent one for sale.
I can see myself gently cruising in a white 99/98 rivi with sunroof on a gentle Texan spring... well its a dream.

I may be able to help. I don't want to violate any rules but I have just inherited a '97 SC. It is maroon with a maroon interior. I have been wrestling with keeping it versus selling it. Next step?

Actually I couldnt send a PM, Im a new member as well.
Can you send me some pics and details about the car to ..?
Also where are you located?

macjt wrote:

KenBluder wrote:

macjt wrote:

I do not own a Riviera but thats sort of the reason i joined to get some help in looking for one.
For some reason Texas seems to be a desert - cant find a single decent one for sale.
I can see myself gently cruising in a white 99/98 rivi with sunroof on a gentle Texan spring... well its a dream.

I may be able to help. I don't want to violate any rules but I have just inherited a '97 SC. It is maroon with a maroon interior. I have been wrestling with keeping it versus selling it. Next step?

Actually I couldnt send a PM, Im a new member as well.
Can you send me some pics and details about the car to sap.deepnatgmail.com?
Also where are you located?

Your email address was rejected. Try again?

macjt wrote:

KenBluder wrote:

macjt wrote:

I do not own a Riviera but thats sort of the reason i joined to get some help in looking for one.
For some reason Texas seems to be a desert - cant find a single decent one for sale.
I can see myself gently cruising in a white 99/98 rivi with sunroof on a gentle Texan spring... well its a dream.

I may be able to help. I don't want to violate any rules but I have just inherited a '97 SC. It is maroon with a maroon interior. I have been wrestling with keeping it versus selling it. Next step?

Actually I couldnt send a PM, Im a new member as well.
Can you send me some pics and details about the car to sap.deepnatgmail.com?
Also where are you located?

Your email address was rejected. Try again?

Deleted

Can someone please give me some perspective here.

Ive found some pretty decent cars in and around and was hoping longer owners can give some perspective with this matrix.
1995 -- Fewer miles ~ 92k SC
1996 -- Medium miles ~ 102K
1998 -- Much more miles ~ 158k

So as a rule of thumb, since 1995 was actually the first year this model came out, were there any significant issues that Buick fixed in later models or were they pretty rock solid starting out?

Is it better to buy a 95 car with fewer miles than a more recent 99 car with more miles?
http://easttexas.craigslist.org/cto/4350232912.html VS
https://tinyurl.com/ke5td9z

Sorry I dont have rights to post to the for sale thread thats why im posting here.
thanks!

It all depends if you are the person looking for modding/performance potential, or a nice driver. '95s can make very nice drivers. If you are looking for performance increases '95s are very difficult to tune, '96s are not easy, and there are plenty of tuning options for '97-'99. '98 and '99 had larger front brakes and slightly different front lower control arms. The rest of the '96 - '99 is basically the same.

'97 and up had a slightly beefier transmission than the '96 and '95. '95 SC was a Series I 3800 (and the very unusual OBD-1.5). '96 and newer SC are Series II 3800 (and OBD-II). The '95 NA was a Series II 3800 and I'm not sure what kind of OBD plug it had (I think it's also a 1.5 but not totally sure)

Personally I was looking for performance potential so picked '98 or '99 but when I was searching there were a lot more to choose from.

If I were looking for another Riv', price and overall condition would be my first concerns. Mileage is not as important as say, condition of paint and interior. Obviously you want an engine that runs well and a tranny that operates properly, but mileage such as the '98 you posted would not worry me if the car looks well maintained. A car with low mileage and bad paint would be much more expensive to fix up than a car with mechanical issues. Good luck in your search for the right car. 8th gen Riv's are special cars. We can't help but become obsessed with them. I know you will love it, no matter what you find.

Cosmetics, cosmetics, cosmetics...make sure the paint is good and preferably original with no body damage and no rust topside or underside. Be wary of cars from the snow-belt states. If the cosmetics have not been cared for properly, it's a sign that mechanical maintenance has been overlooked as well. Look for a car that has NOT been modded. If you're a fan of mods, do them yourself or under your close supervision and be sure they're done right. Above all, be patient. There are still some very, very nice Rivs out there. GOOD LUCK & ENJOY THE SEARCH !!!