Hello, everyone!

Hello. This is my first post! This is a cool forum. I've lurked around a bit and have found some nice Rivieras around. My dad owned a 1969 and a 1973 (I believe it was a '73) Riviera. He said that the 1969 was fast. Either way, I've liked Rivieras since I was little, especially the last generation supercharged version, Series I or II.

I presently drive a beautiful 1980 Eldorado that I love , but it always has many problems. It also gets 12.4 mpg. I'm going to keep it as a collector car and purchase a second car after the summer (some financing will be involved). My parents would like me to do this just as I want to. I want to purchase a supercharged Riviera. I've wanted one since I was a young guy (17 now), and now that I work............ . I figured that I should ask some questions before I go out and buy one, but I do intend to hang around and show some photos of the Riviera when I do get one. Not to just get to the point, but should I ask some questions under "Riviera Talk"?

Thanks everyone,
Danny

Welcome to the site Danny, but tell us where your from so maybe someone here can help you find your new riv, and tell us a little bit about yourself so we can figure out what we think you should get, and help give you better ideas on your own personal likes

Excellent choice. If you ask some general questions in this thread, the moderator, AA, will most likely come by and drop a slew of links for you to check out!

Once you get the Riv, put the year and mileage along with mods/recent replacements in your signature.

Welcome to the site, Danny
I had a 1979 Eldorado, but I've always liked the 1967 with the hidden headlights. That is prolly why I love my '65' Riv. with the clamshell hidden headlights.
My '98' pearl white S/C Riv is definately THE luxury sports car with balls and decent mileage too.

Hi cadillacman and Welcome!

Wow, hey everyone! Thank you very much for the warm welcome. Jimmyriv, you had a '79? Did you have the 368ci, or the California 350? I have the 350. It's a great car, but not a practical daily driver.

I live in Windsor, California. I'm an hour from San Francisco, and as long as I can drag a parent with me, I could go that distance for one.

I little about myself..... hmmmm...... Well, I love luxury cars. I had been looking at sports cars, but they aren't really me. I like to have a roomy car. The Cadillac has a 9.5 sec. 0-60, and I was hoping to obtain a car with a little more speed. Well, 4,912lb. and 160 hp....... What do you expect ? I'd like to have a car with some balls, like the Riv. Oh yeah, I also like coupes. I like the newer Eldorados, but I like the Riviera styling better. Can't beat that dash! If possible, I'd like to find a series II, but a series I would be fine. I'd like to have a car with as close to 100,000 miles or less on it, as I plan for this to be a future car, not just one for my last year of high school.

I was kind of wondering what kind of mileage I should expect. I know that I'll be running premium, as it's not an option with this car. In the Caddy, as I drive around town, I take off like an "old woman," as my dad says. I'm actually not a slow driver at all, but I try to baby that car, as it's my baby. Well, I won't be taking off that slowly in this car, but I'll just be keeping up with traffic. I will use it's power from time-to-time, though. On the freeway, I'll probably do around 70, maybe the occasional 75, but I'll try to stay away from that. I did that in the Caddy; can you say 10 mpg? If I drive an average of 16 miles per day, 4 miles might be in town, the rest highway. Maybe even less than 4 in town. Could I get 22mpg with a Riviera? If I can get 20+, I think I'll be content.

Another thing that I was wondering. Do these have have issues? With the Caddy, it's always something. I'd like for it to not be an "always something" car, but I don't mind the occasional repair, as I am perfectly able to do so. I've had the engine apart in the Caddy, replaced the computer, almost all the sensors, blah blah blah.

One more question. Are the '95 models ok? That was their first year, so I was just wondering. I run into a lot of '95s.

Hey, 98RIV7777. If I didn't quite hit what you where asking, just let me know. I really appreciate your help. Just out of curiosity, what do you guys think of this one?
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/car/710696881.html

This one probably won't be the one, but it could give me a guideline. I can spend up to $5,000. I just don't want a, well you know....


Thanks everyone,
Danny

Welcome... Where do i begin?


Ok , generally speaking , the later model years have less issues than the earlier model years , not that any are particularly bad , but it tends to get better as you get later into the 90s. I love my 96 but there are a few mod-ability issues associated with 96s , but nothing that can't be overcome. Yes 22mpg is very possible in mostly highway driving.

I get 17.5 100% city driving it fairly agressive , another 96 owner on here gets 9-12 city , but he drives all stop and go and like a nut.

That riv doesn't look too bad , especially for the price , but be wary since he knows how fast it is , as it might be beat...but then again the riv takes abuse like a champ. However i'd look for a 97-99 with under 100k miles if i were you. You can do that in your budget i would think.

Good luck!

Oh and you will use its power a lot... don't kid yourself.

Hi,

I'm new myself and just getting my feet wet on this site also.

It's good to find another '79 - '85 E-body owner. I may be able to offer something of value to you concerning repairs on the '80. Hope to see more of your posts.

Mark

Thanks guys. Hey, Mark. How do you like your Caddy?

If I even get it, this Riviera is going to take a while for me to afford. As of today, I got an estimate for front end work on my Caddy and found that it needs all kinds of crap. Drive axles, CV joints/boots, it ate the front tires that had less than 10,000 miles on them (yes they were rotated at the correct time), etc. It was a $909 estimate, so I'm not happy. I don't want to do this myself because I really don't think I can. It's going to cut into my Riv funds. With the Riv, I'd really like to escape these problems.

Mark, have you had to do any front end work on yours? Thanks.

Welcome!

My '98 has quite a few bolt-ons (see sig) and gets 25 mpg if I'm nice to it on the highway.

Danny, based on what you are telling us you are gonna wanna (drive like a nut) (like most of us) at least once in awhile and if you start doing a mod or two, your gonna end up getting the mod bug, like most of us so I would recommend you getting a series II suoercharged 97+. Its easier to find certaim parts and most little bugs/defects have been corrected from the 95's. Remember if you have any specific questions let us know and we are always more then happy to help

Anthony (98RIV7777), you hit the nail right on the head. I would like drive it fast every once in a while and I probably will do some mods. I live in California, so I have a pretty rigorous smog check to go through, so I might be fairly limited. Although, in a few years we will probably move out of state, so.......... .

So far, I've basically decided that I am going to put a wood grain dash kit in, maybe a carputer w/ touch screen (I'm a bit of a computer nerd), window tint (depending on car color), and possibly different rims with some low profile tires. You know, something sporty that's not chrome. Every gang member around here (not necessarily everyone that does have these are affiliated with a gang) has large chrome rims, although those rims don't look out of place on these cars (there are many beautiful Rivs on this sight with these large rims). Plus, people might laugh when they see a nerdy white kid driving a pimped out Buick . I'm not trying to go racial or anything, I'm just trying to poke some fun at myself.

I'm going to get a couple more estimates on my front end in the Caddy and see if I can't get a better deal. It would be nice if I didn't have to cut into the Riviera funds over this, although it would also be nice to be able to drive in the wind and stay in one lane too! I appreciate everyone's kindness that has been presented towards me. Could I post a picture of my Caddy in the showroom section, or is that pretty much Riv only? I'd just like to show that it's in much better shape than the front end is in!

Edit: How does this one look? I really like this color:
http://sacramento.craigslist.org/car/716515844.html

Too bad they didn't list the mileage.....

Hey man, welcome to the board. I've had my riv for 12 years now and love it just as much if not more than the day I bought it. Usually I'll only own a car for about four years, so to me, that's saying something. I haven't had any major problems with mine. You can do a lot more tuning to a Series II Riv so you might want a 96 or newer. Mine is plenty fast. I don't go to the track but I do drive it like I stole it! The white one on craigslist looks good. Make sure the dash and stuff isn't cracked. Interior parts are hard to find for our cars. I think we share the same taste. I LOVE big coupes. They just have a certain "class" about them!

Danny, just remember one thing if you do go with low profile tires you will be takeing away from the smoothness of the ride. Alot of people dont mind this and would rather have bigger rims but I only had 19's for a little over a month and I went back to the stock wheels because I enjoy the smoothness and comfort way more then just the appearence of bigger rims.

Yeah, that's something to think about. I figured that I could end up sacrificing the ride. Maybe I'll keep it a sleeper .

Jax95riv, comments like yours make me want one more and more. I think that's great that you have had a good experience; I'd surely like to. I do like the big coupes over big four doors. You are right, they do have a certain level of class. Plus, I'm a 17 year old kid. Why do I need a four door ?

Thats the same way I felt when I got mine, I'm not tryin to start my own family yet, big coupes are more MY style

Danny,

I put an extensive post for you in the Suspension forum. Hope it helps you and others, If there are any of us !!

It's titled " '79 - '85 E-Body Front End "

Mark

98RIV7777 wrote:

Thats the same way I felt when I got mine, I'm not tryin to start my own family yet, big coupes are more MY style

Exactly! I'll just make sure my wife has the four door .

Mark, thank you so much for the post. I have a Cadillac Service manual as well as a Chiltons (the service manual is much more precise, while the Chiltons actually speaks English, if you know what I mean). Your post has encouraged me to take another look into doing it myself. I really, really appreciate your help. Hell, even if I just do the cv stuff, I could cut a couple hundred off the estimate. Are there any mean people on this forum ?
Thanks,
Danny

Danny, go for it.

Between trying to teach my 15 year old and my friend trying to keep his 14 year old out of the way (different kids and the Dads' different mind-sets), we did the work in about 3 1/2 hours and neither of us had done it before. That includes R&R'ing the sealed bearing assy.'s and washing / painting the non-replaced parts.

We did have air tools available, but it's still do-able without them.

Don't be afraid of anything Danny, you'll enjoy it and have great satisfaction doing it..

Mark

p.s. Replace that intermediate shaft bearing no matter what it costs !!

Hey, Mark. Thanks for the help. If you don't mind, could you help me once more?

Les Schwab Tires gave me an estimate for what they said that it needed:
A pitman arm, an idler arm, and two drive axles (not mentioning tires, alignment, etc.)
So, I guess a couple of these:
http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=PWL&MfrPartNumber=CV10014&PartType=945&PTSet=A

One of these:
http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=TRW&MfrPartNumber=18809&PartType=63&PTSet=A

One of these:
http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=TRW&MfrPartNumber=18843&PartType=69&PTSet=A

I suppose both of these:
http://www.partsamerica.com/images/spaclear.gif

Is that it? Both Kragen's and Autozone do not have any listing for an intermediate shaft bearing for my car. Do those axles have the boots with them, or do I need to purchase them seperate? It looks as if they do, but I'm just making sure.

By doing this myself, I should save almost $400 on the job. I didn't go for the cheap parts, as these have a lifetime warranty and cheap Kragen parts tend to break on me. I bought a fuel pressure regulator that actually started leaking out of the middle just recently. I got around 3,000 miles off of it. I won't go cheap again.
Thanks for all your help,
Danny

Oh yeah, how do I remove the axles? The book isn't really elaborating upon that. Hopefully this will eliminate the loud "snap" that I hear at around 2 miles per hour while stopping. You can feel it through the car.

Here is my car:
Just scroll down a short way to 1980, where you will see a colonial yellow model.
http://www.fvn.no/amcar/dailycap/cadillac1.html

I have the same interior, same color combination, but I have the factory aluminum wheels, which were a $300-$400 option. That's about the cosmetic condition it's in too . The interior is great with a couple spots. I love it and don't think I'll ever sell it!

Beautiful Danny, just beautiful.

Can I get back to you tomorrow on your questions? It's after 1:30 a.m. here in Bay City and I'm really tired. That's what happens when you get older !

Talk to you then,
Mark

Oh, hey! Take your time! I really didn't expect anything immediate. I just appreciate the help. Hell, it's 11:00 p.m. here and I'm tired! Have a good nights sleep and I'll talk with you later.
Thanks,
Danny

Danny,

Let's move this discussion over to my thread in "suspension" and let this "welcome" thread run its course and expire o.k. ?

I'll be over there later and address everything then for you.

See you in a little while,
Mark

Sorry to get back so late, Yes, Danny I had the 350 w/ throttle body intake. Also I get over 25 MPG on trips easily with my '98 Riv'.