My '96 Rivie

i rele like it and its a gorgeous car but i dont care so much for the floor mats :-/ need some originals or something

if they are black then it's b/c there is dirt in them. have you tried clay baring the car before you wax it?

Nah, just stock exhaust. I plan to get some tips eventually but I've not found some that I've been satisfied with yet. I use those floormats because they're extremely heavy duty. I like them because they have a lip too so they keep most of the dirt in them until I shake them out. I actually have another set of carpet floormats underneath them. The one on the driver side is actually one from the dealer we got the car from (It has their logo in rubber).

I never really cared because I've always used those big rubber mats. It's much easier to just vacuum or spray those rubber mats than to shampoo the carpet kind. Do they even make mats that fit our cars that say something like Riviera or R on them?

Never tried a clay bar. In fact, I've not really heard of it other than a few you all talking about them. We never use them on any of our cars so it's not like my dad would tell me about them. Knowing me and thinking of something I'd have to rub on the entire car that would make my car washing process take an extra hour or two...

actually to be honest with you i dont even no what my floor mats look like without walking out and physically looking lol

Shintsu wrote:

I took some pics after I really scrubbed down on the car today. I felt so satisfied after cleaning this time because it's been dirty for so long. The weather was finally good enough that I could wash it today. It's funny that those scratches all over the car never show up in pics but the whole time I was wiping it down I saw it everywhere and it really stood out badly.

Btw, how much would it cost to buy replacement cornering lights or whatever those lights are that are inbetween the headlights and the fenders? Mine are all dark and you can't really see through them. I'd clean them but I think the stuff is on the inside.

AA wrote:

I think they're about $100/pr. Car looks nice!

If the paint isn't in too bad of shape you might try getting it buffed? Buffing can take care of quite a bit that polishing and using a clay bar might not? But, you can buff too much too...

Part numbers for the lights are:
1996
w/Cornering Lamps
w/Black Edge........R/L....5976414-3
w/o Black Edge.....R/L...16524978-7
w/o Cornering Lamps
w/Black Edge.........R/L...5976456-5
w/o Black Edge......R......16524980
..............................L.......16524979
Not sure on price or availability but there you go.

That sounds like the entire headlamp assembly. You can't just buy the cornering lights? Btw, what is that black edge?

Shintsu wrote:

That sounds like the entire headlamp assembly. You can't just buy the cornering lights? Btw, what is that black edge?

No, it's just the "Cornering/Side Marker" light, in '95 & '96 some came with the edge of the light painted black.
'97-'99 were all w/o the black.

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Try not to fret over the scratches and chips. Its a daily driver. If it had a show car quality paint job you would not be able to use it like you can now...
It looks great. My favorite color of all time.
I used to have a bitchin pearl white 67GTO...

Drive It.

Bert

I don't think you can enjoy a car unless you drive it! I've never had a a garage queen.

Well, that could never happen to me as we don't even have a garage! Sure would be nice when the weather is crappy to still be able to work on the car though.

I know the paint doesn't need to be perfect but I'd at least like it to have some shine and it never really likes to. I like how black cars get super glossy when clean and waxed, this one never shines hardly at all. Some of the spots are actually little bits of rust starting to form so it would probably be to the car's benefit to get it repainted if not just to prevent the rust from spreading. There's a tiny little spot smaller than the end of my pinky next to the driver side door if you can see it at the top there. It looks like a little black spec, it's rust though.

Just got some estimates today. At the big Chevrolet dealer: $3,500. Went to another independent place that is pretty good $3,300. Hell with that. I think I'll drive around with the crappy paint. Why would I bother spending more than the car's worth to get it painted to add at best $500 to it's value (And that's questionable)?

I at least found out the problem. My clearcoat is cracking and due to the pearlescent white color it doesn't spot up like other cars it's just cracking. The guy at the Chevy dealer was nice, said he really liked those cars when they came out and when we said we've beat Mustangs in it he was like "Wow, that's awesome!". The other guy said it was a shame because the car looks good until you get up on it. Always what I said. I suppose it's better that it looks like that than looking like shit even from a distance.

Damn you GM and your cheapass paint! I know someone else on here has this same issue that I do and I've heard the Caddy's from the same time also have the problem in their white paint. Figures I get such a pretty color and now I can't restore it to it's original shine.

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if u cant find a spot i will buy it

BTW is wasnt just GM with paint like that in the mid 90s. the primers sucked , which causes crazing like my riv had, were the clear would peal right off. it was all over, in most cars. most paint makers. a big one was DuPont. had to come out with something fast so they made this crap and just sold it. its not just ur car.

just thought i would share some of the facts with you

Oh, well I knew Chrysler had paint issues and some of the old Fords did too but didn't know they were all related. That really sucks but I guess there's nothing else I can do about it other than repaint it or deal with it.

yupp u can go thank DuPont for that crap

Don't suppose anyone has filed a class action lawsuit or any such against them?

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nice man

Got any interior shots of the GTP?

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Shintsu wrote:

Why would I bother spending more than the car's worth to get it painted to add at best $500 to it's value (And that's questionable)?

To make it last longer. It's never financially advisable to spend any money on a car, unless you want to keep it. If you don't care how long it's going to last, don't get it painted. If you want to make it last, how much is it worth vs replacing it with a newer car in a few years? It's not resale value you are interested in, it's 'longevity value'.

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Nice car, Shintsu. "Purdy". I like those exhaust tips, too. You did the chrome tape grille thing too, huh? Not sure if I really like that, though.

(And why was it again you'd rather have a BMW when you can cruise around in that sweet baby of yours?)