looking for another Riv 95-99 again what to look for

Hi Lisa P here...

Okay, really learned my lesson...bought the 97  (2012) with 68,000 miles on it but lady who owned it chain smoked and parked it on the grass...Rustalina was one stinky car, and I replaced a ton of rusted out parts...she is finally toast frame kaput (2017) with 116,000...new old Riv no-no checklist:

Steering wheel moving, slop
RUST....in the right rear wheel well
Rust anywhere...

Looking at two 95's one supercharged the other straight basic 6...know all about replacing head gasket...out of all the years produced was the 98-99 the best with the improved brakes trans? Or same stuff different day? I know what I'm getting into after 5 years my mechanic should be a counted as a dependant. But he sure can fix 'em....what is the biggest don't buy it tip you folks have discovered?

Thanks

Personally I would go after the one that has the lowest miles and/or best condition. it is really preferable to me to have one that has few owners & has been well cared for. Mine had just over 100Kmiles on it but I got it from the second owner & it had lots of TLC.
The 95's are good but are more difficult to modify & improve performance. The advantage in my mind to the "basic 6" is that it is a series II 3800 vs the supercharged series I.
(again if your not into max performance)
If I just had an choice of any I would choose a 98-99 because of the upgrades you mentioned.
So the best one you can find for the price you want to spend should be the right one.
Good luck.
Jbird

Looks like you pretty much got the right ideas

Rust is the biggest thing to me. I've been searching a bit myself and personally I'm refining my searches to regions away from the rust-belts even though that means I have to travel pretty far to get it. Mileage is a factor but that's more a concern with the drivetrain which is all fixable. If I see something with a healthy amount of miles on it but the interior looks nice (steering wheel isn't all faded, driver seat doesn't look like death, wood trim is nice, etc) I'd go for it.

Check underneath where the filler neck is for rust - that's a problematic area. Put your hands on each of the six cradle mounts to see if anything about them is loose. Check if the parking brake works right - that's a good sign of rust too. Check operation of all the electronics of course - horn, lights, abs system, etc.

If you're not concerned with the improved drivetrain of the later cars, nice clean 95's are probably easier to find just because there's so many more of them out there.

Not sure what your timeline is for buying another riv but ill be parting with my 96 sometime in the next year. Has some miles but 0 rust, and have been meticulously cared for. new motor form 2006 GTP (L32) and newish trans.

Already has the upgraded brakes and suspension, etc plus ~350+hp

For serious modding a 97 is probably the best because of the front suspension (I don't remember what exactly, it's been a few years..... Something about the knuckles and struts....). For reliability and longevity and ease of maintenance a 98-99 is best. 95 had the S1 motor which will be harder to find parts for, 95-96 had the 4T60E-HD and if it goes you're screwed, 97-99 are almost identical but 97 had some oddities so specific parts might be more expensive/harder to find. 95-96 did have the metal buckles though, and the style points from those alone make a 96 worth it