One of our family members is selling there 1991 Buick Park Avenue. It has 114,000 original miles on it. The good...the miles are low, the interior is in great shape, has a new a/c system (that is currently not working and needs to be looked at), and they are asking a very reasonable price for it. The bad, one of the calipers is sticking, it needs a new fuel line, and the trunk doesn't close all the way. This would be used for my younger brothers as a first car. What are your thoughts? I drove it last night and it rode great, the only issue being the sticking caliper. Went smoothly up the RPMS and shifted fine, though not as silky smooth as I was expecting. It has the 3.8...but its a 1991 so is it affected by gasket problems like some other 3.8's? How is the transmission reliability with these, as well as general overall reliability? I know its an old car, but overall its in good shape. Im sure it will need work here and there, is this something you would purchase?
Thoughts on 1991 Buick Park Avenue..
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IIRC the 3.8 V6 in that is a Series I L27 3800. Rock-solid engine. It doesn't have the gasket issues that the 1995-2003 Series II 3800's had. The transmission is a 4T60, which is also a reliable unit. Those cars are very easy to work on, and make for great highway cars. Fuel mileage will be about 16-19 mpg combined, and upper 20's strictly highway.
The fuel lines on those are likely nylon. The kit to replace it is a little pricey, but the labor isn't too intensive. The caliper is an easy replacement, but likely needs a 3/8" hex bit for the caliper bolts. PA's and other related cars should be all over the Florida wrecking yards, so a working trunk latch should be easy to come across.
Nice-sounding car, I'd go for it!
The fuel lines on those are likely nylon. The kit to replace it is a little pricey, but the labor isn't too intensive. The caliper is an easy replacement, but likely needs a 3/8" hex bit for the caliper bolts. PA's and other related cars should be all over the Florida wrecking yards, so a working trunk latch should be easy to come across.
Nice-sounding car, I'd go for it!
My neighbor has one of these cars - she beats the thing, never does anything to it upkeep wise and it cranks up every day and goes. It appears to be a pretty solid car.
It is a cheap and easy car to obtain parts for. I wouldn't want one for my first car however. If your brother is into hip hop, expect him to blow money on rims and donking it out.
If it's a FL car then, it should be OK but, it is what it is! It's 23 years old! No one can really answer this question but you!
Best of luck!
CB
Best of luck!
CB
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Originally Posted By: skyactiv
It is a cheap and easy car to obtain parts for. I wouldn't want one for my first car however. If your brother is into hip hop, expect him to blow money on rims and donking it out.
Not into hip hop at all lol. He could take pretty good care of it, I have trained him well
It is a cheap and easy car to obtain parts for. I wouldn't want one for my first car however. If your brother is into hip hop, expect him to blow money on rims and donking it out.
Not into hip hop at all lol. He could take pretty good care of it, I have trained him well
Maintenance is what's going to decide this vehicles actual worth.
The drivetrain is as solid as has ever rolled off any assembly line ever.
Parts are easy to find and inexpensive. How's as good a time as any to teach your siblings the value of being capable of swapping parts. It's a great first car. Reasonably safe,big enough to get his buddies in and reasonably easy enough to fix when something breaks. The vehicles history is known by you for the most part. That's a big plus in my book.
So now it's a matter of cost.
If no rust then I'd expect the drivetrain to be just barely broken in. So stay on top of the fluids and your good.
The body is the weakest link. And I expect that rust will send it to the wreckers and not any drive train problem.
Caliper replacement is easy. Fuel line is no sweat other than accessibility.
Here I'd jump on that for 1500 or less. It's only a couple hundred for the parts you've mentioned at most. But that's in my market right.
In my eyes 2 grand for a clean decent car is a no brainer. With that drivetrain I'd jump on it in my part of the country.
I'm guessing you're looking at 1000 or less in your market. Still a great value especially if there aren't any rust issues.
The drivetrain is as solid as has ever rolled off any assembly line ever.
Parts are easy to find and inexpensive. How's as good a time as any to teach your siblings the value of being capable of swapping parts. It's a great first car. Reasonably safe,big enough to get his buddies in and reasonably easy enough to fix when something breaks. The vehicles history is known by you for the most part. That's a big plus in my book.
So now it's a matter of cost.
If no rust then I'd expect the drivetrain to be just barely broken in. So stay on top of the fluids and your good.
The body is the weakest link. And I expect that rust will send it to the wreckers and not any drive train problem.
Caliper replacement is easy. Fuel line is no sweat other than accessibility.
Here I'd jump on that for 1500 or less. It's only a couple hundred for the parts you've mentioned at most. But that's in my market right.
In my eyes 2 grand for a clean decent car is a no brainer. With that drivetrain I'd jump on it in my part of the country.
I'm guessing you're looking at 1000 or less in your market. Still a great value especially if there aren't any rust issues.
One good thing (beyond what has been mentioned) regarding a PA as a 1st vehicle, is that it will handle like a Buick.... meaning it will be very difficult to 'over' drive it. It isn't a Honda. LOL.
Originally Posted By: mjk
One good thing (beyond what has been mentioned) regarding a PA as a 1st vehicle, is that it will handle like a Buick.... meaning it will be very difficult to 'over' drive it. It isn't a Honda. LOL.
Yeah, I test drove it the other night. It does handle like a Buick, but my goodness its like riding on a cloud. Its awesome!
One good thing (beyond what has been mentioned) regarding a PA as a 1st vehicle, is that it will handle like a Buick.... meaning it will be very difficult to 'over' drive it. It isn't a Honda. LOL.
Yeah, I test drove it the other night. It does handle like a Buick, but my goodness its like riding on a cloud. Its awesome!
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
The Gen II is the bad gasket engine and came around I believe in 97'?
My father drove a 91 Park Avenue Ultra for the longest time. I drove it often, and it was a great car for what it was - basic transportation with luxury.
Engine has good power and it doesn't suffer the gasket issues. The trans is simple and very reliable. It's very comfortable for road trips, and he got better than 30 mpg on trips from WI to TN. The radio was the only disappointment - no CD player and terrible sound.
Being this is WI, brake lines rusted out, as did the lower rocker panels. In FL, that probably won't be an issue but it's something that you should check anyway. Tires were 205/70-15, so they were cheap! The trunk is HUGE, so it's got that going for it.
One maintenance caveat - use the longer PF52 oil filter and access it from the pass side wheel well. The PF48 makes for a miserable oil change.
Engine has good power and it doesn't suffer the gasket issues. The trans is simple and very reliable. It's very comfortable for road trips, and he got better than 30 mpg on trips from WI to TN. The radio was the only disappointment - no CD player and terrible sound.
Being this is WI, brake lines rusted out, as did the lower rocker panels. In FL, that probably won't be an issue but it's something that you should check anyway. Tires were 205/70-15, so they were cheap! The trunk is HUGE, so it's got that going for it.
One maintenance caveat - use the longer PF52 oil filter and access it from the pass side wheel well. The PF48 makes for a miserable oil change.
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I'd totally go for it,I love those cars. It has the Series 1 3800,which is one of the best engines on the planet imo. All it needs is regular oil changes of a good dino 10W30 and it'll run forever.
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Any car that's old enough to have a beer can blow a gasket at anytime. If the price is right, you buy it and hope for the best.
Any engine can "blow a gasket" at any age with any number of miles at anytime.
Most don't.
Any car that's old enough to have a beer can blow a gasket at anytime. If the price is right, you buy it and hope for the best.
Any engine can "blow a gasket" at any age with any number of miles at anytime.
Most don't.
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Any car that's old enough to have a beer can blow a gasket at anytime. If the price is right, you buy it and hope for the best.
Any engine can "blow a gasket" at any age with any number of miles at anytime.
Most don't.
Gaskets wear out, and are a lot more likely to start seeping and eventually leaking with time. After 24 years you're on borrowed time and hoping for the best.
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Any car that's old enough to have a beer can blow a gasket at anytime. If the price is right, you buy it and hope for the best.
Any engine can "blow a gasket" at any age with any number of miles at anytime.
Most don't.
Gaskets wear out, and are a lot more likely to start seeping and eventually leaking with time. After 24 years you're on borrowed time and hoping for the best.
My dad is a Buick man. He was trying in his '98 PA trying to prove American would last longer than my '92 Acura Vigor daily driver. He lost. A lot of accessories broke, including the electric seats.
He takes a driving trip every year, and every year had a breakdown that disrupted the trip. I hop into my car, drive 450 miles, put gas in the tank, sleep overnight, and drive back. He has some good stories to tell though, of breaking down in small towns and how the town phones around to see if anyone else needs anything from the big city a hundred miles away before they send a runner to go get a part for the Buick.
To be fair, one year we took my car on a few thousand mile trip and on the trip my interior fan stopped blowing. I pulled over and pushed the connector a little and got it going again and it never stopped again during the trip. Afterwards, I replaced the fan motor, and it was a pain to do the job. Didn't disrupt the trip, though.
He takes a driving trip every year, and every year had a breakdown that disrupted the trip. I hop into my car, drive 450 miles, put gas in the tank, sleep overnight, and drive back. He has some good stories to tell though, of breaking down in small towns and how the town phones around to see if anyone else needs anything from the big city a hundred miles away before they send a runner to go get a part for the Buick.
To be fair, one year we took my car on a few thousand mile trip and on the trip my interior fan stopped blowing. I pulled over and pushed the connector a little and got it going again and it never stopped again during the trip. Afterwards, I replaced the fan motor, and it was a pain to do the job. Didn't disrupt the trip, though.
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