Hi, Good to be here!

My name is James,

I am 31 years old and live in the Chicagoland area.
Since i was old enough to have a job i have been driving a Riviera.

I never went out intent on buying a Riviera. Never intended to buy a Buick - period
Just always ended up being in the right place at the right time.

Now i'm not one who believes in predetermined fate. But i will say that my experience with these cars,
the circumstances in which i found them - and the conditions i found them in - were as close to convinced i've ever been.

I will be 32 in January, and the 3 vehicles i have bought in my life, all 3 were Riviera.
My first was an 89' 3.8L V6 (Grey).
My second was an 83' 5.0L V8 (Tan)
My current one is a 98' 3.8L SC V6 (Beige)
[In that order]

I am totally in love with my newest one - the 98!
Very reserved driver usually, i prefer to take it slow and let the car be seen.
However, i have taken comfort in the knowledge that these luxury coupes can give most sports cars a run for their money.

I plan on making some modest performance upgrades in the coming months,
while still maintaining the unassuming looks that qualified the 8th-Generation Riv's as 'Sleepers'.
Any advice for someone starting from base would be appreciated!

Trying to sort out some engine issues at the moment.
The vehicle has 74,000 miles, 1 owner, had all the service done at the same dealership they originally purchased the car from.
Hearing a slight knocking/ticking sound (even at idle) that doesn't seem to increase with throttle up.
Sound seems to come and go, and typically disappears at speed.

Another thing that concerns me is i am getting this wave or "pulse". Like a vibration surge traveling from front to back,
but only ever when sitting still in park or at a stop light. It goes away once at speed.
Cursory examination (basically just checking all the fluid levels) came up good.

James welcome!what's going on bro?

The noise you describe is most likely the super charger coupler. Easy fix, just a messy and smelly job. for the vibration, check the engine mounts.

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/t6718-write-up-supercharger-coupler-replacement-series-ii

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSsSctYvOoI

Welcome and Congrats. You have a nice specimen there! You can gut the air box on the 98 and notice alot of difference in sound and intake power. There is a write up on here and no parts are needed. I took a small saw and made the opening as big as I could to allow the most air in as possible. There are a ton of things you can do to make your ride sweeter. Enjoy!

Thanks very much for the warm welcome, i appreciate it very much!

I am looking forward to getting to know you all in the coming years.
Probably should've joined this forum long ago, but better late than never.

Welcome, Jim. Glad you found us. Your pictures have been moved to our Showroom. Enjoy the forums!

Hi James,
Welcome. I also have a 1998, bought new and inherited from my aunt in late 2005 @ 50,000 miles so my 1998, now at 68,000 miles, has perhaps been overly maintained and easy driven since new (never been driven in snow & currently in winter storage). Two years ago Buick worked on my 1998 because in 'Park' felt a slight vibration while touching the steering wheel (only in Park). The Buick dealership found a small crack in a transmission 'cradle' bracket, replaced but did not resolve. Then replaced one engine mount and one transmission mount. Vibration issue resolved.
Keep asking questions as there are many people on this site willing to give you guidance.

Welcome.