[Centurion]

During the much-maligned era of Roger Smith and GM's "cookie cutter" school of design, the folks at Flint's "Buick City" continued to build stellar automobiles.

You may be among those who doubt whether Buick produced any interesting automobiles after 1972. If so, you may freely bypass this topic. Please consider, though, that I once held such a view. What persuaded me to re-consider these Buicks of more recent vintage? That's easy -- the pleasure of ownership.

Certainly, some enthusiasts focus on the Riviera convertibles produced during the 1982 - 1985 era. Others regard the Grand Nationals and turbo Regals of the mid-1980's as the most significant performance cars of the decade. And it's easy to appreciate the attributes of Buick's two-seat Reattas of the 1988 - 1991 period.

For me, it's the LeSabres of the 1986 - 1991 era (and the closely-related Electra/Park Avenue models of the 1985 - 1990 period) that have captured my interest, and I'll be sharing the story as I have opportunity during the days ahead. Please continue to check back for additional photos and narrative.

I'll begin by introducing my cast of characters -- my newly-acquired 1990 LeSabre Limited coupe (Gunmetal Gray Metallic, 44,000-miles) and my long-time driver 1989 LeSabre Limited (Ruby Red Metallic, 208,000-miles). The '71 Centurion and '59 Electra share the garage behind them.

[Centurion]

When this generation of front wheel drive LeSabres arrived in 1986, I recall some of Buick's advertising, touting that the 2-door model marked the return of the "great American coupe". The ads talked about the wonderful coupes of the past, and I remembered again the beautiful hardtop coupes of the 1960's, like the 1965 Buick Wildcat I learned to drive.

From a styling standpoint, I could only think about how this shrunken, squared off, compressed little car was in no way in the same league as a 1960's era LeSabre or Wildcat coupe. There was nothing voluptuous or captivating about the style, which seemed to find its inspiration in the little 1982 Chevy Cavalier rather than Buick's spectacular coupes of the past.

[Centurion]

With this second wave of downsizing of its standard car lines, GM was clearly responding to the late-1970's fuel price increases. Further anticipated price increases in the mid-1980's failed to happen, and many prospective buyers were turned off by the small size of GM's most expensive passenger cars.

The cars' smaller size and lighter weight makes them especially relevant today.

By most accounts, the LeSabre coupes of this era weigh in at about 3,300 to 3,400 lbs., making them significantly lighter than, for example, the new 2010 LaCrosse, which tips the scales at over 4,000 lbs.

[Centurion]

The early FWD Park Avenues and LeSabres were plagued by transaxle failures, but GM quickly straightened out the problems.

By 1988, the new 3800 V6 was an available engine option for the LeSabre, replacing the port fuel-injected 3.0 and 3.8-litre V6's. The 3800 became standard equipment for the 1989 through 1991 LeSabres of this body style.

Truly, it was the 3800 engine -- built at "Buick City" -- that "made" this car. Former "Road and Track" magazine executive editor Peter Egan marveled at the excellent mileage figures he achieved with his winter beater 1988 Buick Park Avenue. He contacted a number of automotive industry consultants to learn the reason for the Buick's phenomenal fuel economy, and the verdict was that the Buick 3800 V6 engine is one of the most efficient automobile engines ever built.

It is my oft-stated view that the Buick 3800 engine singlehandedly saved General Motors's mainstream passenger car business during the period of the late 1980's and the 1990's. At a time when GM invested heavily in trucks and SUV's to the neglect of its passenger car lineup, the cars powered by the 3800 engine were GM's shining lights in an automotive marketplace that refused to forgive GM for problem engines like the Olds diesels and Cadillac 4100's.

[Centurion]

By 1989, GM had transformed the LeSabre into one of the industry's finest products. J.D. Powers ranked the LeSabre the highest quality car (initial quality) produced in the USA, second only to the Nissan Maxima among all cars sold here at the time. The Buick City plant received similar honors as the best quality plant in the industry.

Earlier this week, as I read industry consultant Peter DeLorenzo's rants regarding the state of the U.S. auto industry, the following statements stood out to me:

The plague of lowest common denominator everything. I’ve written about this since Day One of AE, and I’m still not seeing enough evidence to convince me that this kind of rampant serial mediocrity isn’t still flourishing in some corners of these car companies. What do I mean by it? Lowest common denominator thinking – the concept of good enough is “good enough” – is what drove Detroit in its darkest days and yielded 20 years (approximately the late 70s to the late 90s) of slipshod - or more accurately nonexistent – quality, ****-poor engineering decisions, and a total lack of focus, cohesiveness or philosophy of how it’s done.
In other words - and I’ll use GM as an example - there was no GM “way” of doing things. Yes, there were pockets of lucidity throughout the corporation, and some decent cars and trucks managed to escape the bowels of the company in spite of the pallor of mediocrity that cloaked the company in a dark evil shroud, but at the end of the day if good vehicles slipped out it was usually because of a small group of committed individuals working together who refused to settle for the bean counter-driven mediocrity that ran unchecked throughout the rest of the company.

I have no personal knowledge regarding the processes that shaped the LeSabres of this era, but it is easy for me to believe that the car benefited from exactly the sort of "small group of committed individuals working together" that DeLorenzo refers to.

And the excellence of the LeSabre paid off in terms of sales, setting the stage for LeSabre's career as the perennial best-seller among the large or standard size cars.

As successful as the LeSabre was, however, sales of two-door models dwindled, and the coupes represented a small fraction of total LeSabre sales during the years it was offered.

[Centurion]

In truth, these cars were scarcely on the radar for me when they were new. Yes, I had attended the wonderful tour of the Buick City plant during the Buicktown Chapter's 1988 Homecoming national meet in Flint, so I had seen scores of these cars on the assembly line. I had been aware of the very low production LeSabre Grand National from 1986 and the special LeSabre T-Type variants, but my interests were firmly fixed on the earlier cars, and I largely ignored these LeSabres.

In August, 1988, a Ruby Red '89 LeSabre Limited coupe was shipped from Buick City for dealer inventory to my hometown in Oregon. The car was loaded with many options, including the automatic climate control and the split front seat with six-way power controls on both sides, including a power recliner for the passenger.

The '89 LeSabres sold in healthy numbers in my hometown, but this Ruby Red coupe simply gathered dust on the showroom floor. Why? Simply put, no one wanted a 2-door LeSabre.

My parents were continuing to enjoy the beautiful '77 Electra Limited Landau coupe they had purchased new for their retirement, and had no particular thought of buying another new Buick. Over time, though, the red coupe proved irresistable to my parents, who always preferred the 2-door models, even when all three of us children were still at home. In early August, 1989, my parents finally traded in the '77 for their new '89 LeSabre coupe -- a gift to themselves for their golden wedding anniversary.

[MrEarl]

Hear Hear!!! Beautiful cars and a wonderful story. These late 80 early 90's coupes have always turned my head and I too have grown to appreciate them even more lately. Thanks for the great write up and sharing the photos. Some great angles that really show off the lines of these coupes. This would be a great Bugle story. Congrats Brian, they couldn't have gone to a better BuickMan.

(And I've been meaning to introduce my latest acquisition on here but how does one follow a story like this).

[Centurion]

During the years that followed, my folks often visited my wife and me, using the '89 LeSabre for their thousand mile round trips.

Invariably, my parents were thrilled by the LeSabre's fuel economy, often averaging 32 - 34-mpg for the entire trip.

My mother was somewhat less enthusiastic about the extent of the road noise in comparison to the old body-on-frame '77 Electra, which always seemed vault-like. The '89's were built long before Buick's "Quiet Tuning", which is one reason why these LeSabres were significantly lighter than Buick's current offerings. They also lack airbags, navigation systems, etc.

Following my mother's death in 1998, my father passed the Buick along to my wife and me. The car had clocked a mere 60,000 miles, had always been garaged, and was like new in every respect.

We had a new GMC van on order for my wife and kids, so I pressed the LeSabre into daily service for the drive to-and-from the office. I was more than ready to retire the Honda Accord that my wife brought with her to our marriage.

My "new" car was already ten years old, and I grasped that it was completely "not cool". We lived in high-priced, suburban Bellevue, and I shared the roads on my daily commute with all my peers in their new Bimmers, Benzes, and Lexi. I figured that they held my whitewall tires, wire wheel covers, fake interior wood trim, cloth upholstery, and lavish brightwork in total contempt.

Ever the Buick fan, though, I held my head high and motored along. I reminded myself that the price was right! And here I am eleven years later, and I'm still motoring along in that same old LeSabre. There's not a day that goes along that I don't realize how comfortable it is, how nicely it rides, how trouble-free it's been, and how thrifty it is with the gasoline.

I've never waxed it once and it always sits outside. The "collector" Buicks get the cozy garage, and the old LeSabre gets the sun and the rain. Yet, as the photos show, she still cleans up rather nicely.

I passed the 93,000 mile mark before I gave in and replaced the original equipment tires. At 150,000 miles, I finally decided that replacing the original spark plugs might be a good idea. Yes, there's been a sensor or two along the way, and I had to replace the alternator last year. Beyond that, it's been "cheap wheels" all the way. I'm up to 208,000 miles and counting. I'd have no problem jumping in this car and driving it to Florida right now if I were required to do so.

You'll notice that I never claim that these are "collector" cars, although the T-Types have spurred some interest among collectors. And I like "Collectible Automobile" magazine's "Cheap Wheels" label for cars that are merely cheap, having little prospect of ever becoming anyone's dream machine decades from now.

How are these LeSabres "Cheap Wheels"?

1) Low initial cost twenty years after they were built (and they're sometimes free)

2) No need to maintain insurance coverage other than the liability and medical. There's little point to buying collision and comprehensive coverage for a car having so little market value.

3) Excellent reliability. With basic maintenance along the way, these cars are about as bullet proof as you can get.

4) Excellent fuel economy. I figure that I receive low 20's-mpg around town and in mixed driving, 30-mpg or better on the Interstate.

Since I'm tuned in to these cars, I now notice them -- everywhere. Despite living in an area dominated by the import brands, I still see some of the late-1980's era LeSabres and Electras on a daily basis. Within the last couple of years, I was surprised to stop at a traffic signal near my office, and find that two other LeSabres of similar vintage were stopped at the signal as well. A surprising number of these cars have mileage well in excess of 200,000 miles. Like me, their owners find no reason to spend the money for a newer driver.

[Centurion]

Originally Posted by MrEarl

Hear Hear!!! Beautiful cars and a wonderful story. These late 80 early 90's coupes have always turned my head and I too have grown to appreciate them even more lately. Thanks for the great write up and sharing the photos. Some great angles that really show off the lines of these coupes. This would be a great Bugle story. Congrats Brian, they couldn't have gone to a better BuickMan.

(And I've been meaning to introduce my latest acquisition on here but how does one follow a story like this).

MrEarl, thanks for posting, and part of my goal is to shame you into writing a story about your new acquisition!

[Centurion]

I had taken no steps to look toward an eventual replacement for the Ruby Red LeSabre. In the back of my mind was the thought, though, that there would probably be an abundant supply of 3800-powered Buicks on the used market for many years to come. I figured that, when the time came, I could always find another older model Buick.

A local Buick friend surprised me recently with a craigslist ad for a '95 Buick Century -- 29,000-miles for $2,500. I passed, since the car lacked the 3800. But it prompted me to begin keeping my eyes open for a "deal".

When a 1990 LeSabre coupe turned up on craigslist, I knew that I had to check it out. The car was listed as a 44,000-mile example for $2,250, and my wife and I were immediately smitten. This Limited was even more heavily optioned than the red '89, boasting the full leather interior, leather-wrapped steering wheel, gauge package, touring suspension with the larger cast aluminum wheels, automatic load leveling, etc. The original owner had a beautiful custom, power moonroof installed by a reputable Seattle company.