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Cheap Wheels: The Last LeSabre Coupes


Centurion

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Guest Redwind89

bhclark yes the 1990 Electra Ultra had the reverse hinged hood. In fact that was the last year for that hood on the Electra's, the Lesabres carried it for one more year till 1991.

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Guest Redwind89

One thing to keep in mind with the hoods, is that all the years of the Electra T-type is that they had no hood ornament, so they have no hole in the front.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest 2fit661ca

I had actually come across this thread on a gogle search and it was enough to drive me to join the forum just so I could add my own two cents of my love for these old Buicks...

All my life, I had been a fan of all of the GM muscle and everything that wasn't, so long as it was not a Buick. I had always stereotyped these cars; just as everyone else has; to be just an old man's car (ugly, slow, and worthless).

Shortly after the game Gran Turismo 4 had come out for PS2, I had a chance to play, and the first car I had driven on the game was the Buick GNX. I had never heard of the car before, but it did well enough on the game for me to research it. After spending hours googleing what seemed to be my new dream car and watching hours of youtube videos, I decided to see what other cars had recieved this legendary motor. While searching "Buick 3.8" on YouTube, I had come across this "Davidsfarm" video

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As it had turned out, these ugly old man cars were pretty tough, and with me being full of teenaged angst, I knew I had to have one. (I was 17 at the time; summer of '09)

Around 3 months later, I was leaving work at HyVee and I had noticed a bright yellow piece of legal notebook paper on the bullitin board, just screaming out to me. The paper was across the bottom, and everything on it was hand written. The paper happened to be an ad for a 1990 Buick LeSabre for only $700. I figured "what the hell, it's cheap, why not give it a shot?" I called the owner that night, an the next morning, I was driving home in my newly aquired Buick. The odometer had read 229K, but she ran strong, and that was good enough for me.

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Guest 2fit661ca

When I had bought this car, I was so bothered by how ugly it was with the blue paint, that with in two hours of getting her home, I had went to O'Reily's and purchased 6 cans of automotive spray paint, and painted hr in my back yard.

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My dad didn't even know I had purchased the car that day, because he was working. When came home and looked at it, he told me that I wasn't allowed to drive it until I had fixed the front clip and replaced the rotten radiator. (The idea of it being a cheap car had seemed to have gone out the window)

The next day, I was leaving my home, headed to the junkyard, when I noticed my neighbor's LeSabre hadn't moved in 3 months. He was standing outside, so I stopped and asked what was wrong with it and what he would sell it for. Though we never found out why it wouldn't run, he was willing to sell it to me for $150. That covered every part I needed except for the windsheild. (the car was now cheap again)

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(his car)

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Guest 2fit661ca

After drivin the car for two months, I had started haveing troubles with acceleration. I had (improperly) diagnosed that my timieng chain was shot and I had proceeded to change it. While reassembling the car, I had noticed that the crankshaft position sensor was shattered, and the teeth onthe back of the harmonic balance were bent, and a rock was stuck in one of them. I replaced those two parts, and the car had run great after that.

About mid October of that year, I had grown tired of having a car with two different colors of paint, so I painted her black again.

Towards the end of November, my daily driver '89 S-10 Blazer's motor had blown, so I was eft with driving the Buick all winter.

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This car was unstoppable in the snow! On many occasions, I had actually went out looking for snowdrifts to destroy. When it came to driving on ice, she was great too! I was actually passing most everyone on the 4 lane highways everytimeI left town. (I was a cocky invicible teenaged driver, what do you expect?)

Later on into my senior year, one of my buddy's told me he had a grill guard he wanted me to put on the car. While we were installing it, my other friend asked if he could paint a chrome "3" on the doors. With this car being so "janky", I figured "Why not?"

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Guest 2fit661ca

As april of 2010 was nearing and the 232K mark had began to approach, the car started to run a little rough, and other than that I had abused this car beyond what any car should ever have, I hadn't any idea why. I knew the end was approaching and that the time to say my final goodbyes to this car was here. The car had been the most reliable car in the family while it was here, and I had grown greatly attached to her. I know that my writting skills are not the best, and it would be hard to understand based on what you are reading, but even as I write this, I am getting a little choked up. I had jumped this car over elevated railroad crossings, street raced her, taken her offroading, and everything else I could think of to do with that car. The last day I drove her, I had to be at work early in the morning, and though she started rough on that cold moring, she still managed to bring her self to life for one last go around. Sputtering the whole way to work, I knew that as soon as I had gotten out of work, I had to take her for one last drive. I drove her out to the bypass that goes around my home town of Fairfield, and as soon as I hit the on ramp, I held the throttle to the floor, not even caring of the consequence. (i was asunday afternoon, and traffic was minimal) We pushed as hard as we could and buried the speedometer. I have no idea how fast I was going, though I did get it on video; I will upload to youtube in the future. As I was approaching the final exit that lead back into Fairfield, I had let off the throttle and slowed down to normal speeds. As the speedo hit 60, suddenly all of my idiot lights had come on, and I hd lost the power steerng and brakes. I put the car in neutral and tried to start her, but itwas to no avail. I slowly coasted to the side of the road, until we came to a complete stop. I got out to find antifreeze leaking all over the ground. I opened the hood, and sure enough, there was a hole in the timing cover with two bolts that appeared to be from the cam shaft, jamed into the aluminum case.

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After takin her back to the highschool shop, and tearing the motor apart, I had learned that the cam shaft was broken as well. The Buick had died, but it was a most glorious death...

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Guest 2fit661ca

But I digress...

About a week before she died, I had found another LeSabre, that was identical, only a year newer. She had only 56K on the odometer, but unfortunatly, she had been parked for over a year because th previous owner had hit a deer and mangled the front end. I bought the car for $400 and fixed the front end, and got the car to run.

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The thing I never understood about this car is that the entire time I had owned it, it always had electrical problems. and by september of 2010, I couldn't trust the car anymore to do what I needed her to. The motor and tranny were strong, but the electrical issues were endless. Somebody who had owned the car before me, had mangled the wires under the dash, and somthing fried the ECM. By this point, I had to drive 55 miles everyday, so my parents had found me my current car, a 1997 Buick LeSabre.

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I love this car. 195K and I would trust her to drive me anywhere. ..But sh jut wasn't the same as my 1990. The car just feels to... spongee and floaty. She's a very comfortable ride, but even with the 40 more horse than my old Buicks, she just couldn't plant you in the seat the way they did.

So I had begun a search for a well kept and clean first gen H-Body car with the SFI 3800. This is where I had gotten lucky. I had found a clean T-Type LeSabre only an hour away for only $1500. The only downfall is that she has 226K. But from driving it, you would never know. This car runs better than my 97. And the best part of all of this is that I saved the motor from the 91 LeSabre that only has 59K on it. I will be driving this T-Type for a long time to come.

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Now here is my ultimate question... Why is my T-Type LeSabre with 226k and still running strong considered a disposable car, when any car from the 60s and 70s was considered dead at 100k? My LeSabre will be here for a long time to come and overall is a much more practical vehicle. These LeSabres are damned near bulletproof, and I'm willing to bet they could keep up with any 80s G-Body car that wasn't an SS, 442, or Turbo. These cars are reliable, strong, durable (less the interior trim), economical, great in adverse weather, comfortable, cheap, practical, the list goes on... If that doesn't define a classic, then I don't know what does...

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Guest 2fit661ca

But I digress...

About a week before she died, I had found another LeSabre, that was identical, only a year newer. She had only 56K on the odometer, but unfortunatly, she had been parked for over a year because th previous owner had hit a deer and mangled the front end. I bought the car for $400 and fixed the front end, and got the car to run.

100_0743.jpg

The thing I never understood about this car is that the entire time I had owned it, it always had electrical problems. and by september of 2010, I couldn't trust the car anymore to do what I needed her to. The motor and tranny were strong, but the electrical issues were endless. Somebody who had owned the car before me, had mangled the wires under the dash, and somthing fried the ECM. By this point, I had to drive 55 miles everyday, so my parents had found me my current car, a 1997 Buick LeSabre.

100_0842.jpg

I love this car. 195K and I would trust her to drive me anywhere. ..But sh jut wasn't the same as my 1990. The car just feels to... spongee and floaty. She's a very comfortable ride, but even with the 40 more horse than my old Buicks, she just couldn't plant you in the seat the way they did.

So I had begun a search for a well kept and clean first gen H-Body car with the SFI 3800. This is where I had gotten lucky. I had found a clean T-Type LeSabre only an hour away for only $1500. The only downfall is that she has 226K. But from driving it, you would never know. This car runs better than my 97. And the best part of all of this is that I saved the motor from the 91 LeSabre that only has 59K on it. I will be driving this T-Type for a long time to come.

BLT1.jpg

Now here is my ultimate question... Why is my T-Type LeSabre with 226k and still running strong considered a disposable car, when any car from the 60s and 70s was considered dead at 100k? My LeSabre will be here for a long time to come and overall is a much more practical vehicle. These LeSabres are damned near bulletproof, and I'm willing to bet they could keep up with any 80s G-Body car that wasn't an SS, 442, or Turbo. These cars are reliable, strong, durable (less the interior trim), economical, great in adverse weather, comfortable, cheap, practical, the list goes on... If that doesn't define a classic, then I don't know what does...

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2fit66, great story. Sad to see the pics of the first Lesabre all destroyed, but sounds like it went out in a blaze of glory. Meanwhile, why not post some pics of your Lesabre T on a new thread in this forum? That looks like a great car, and I'd like to see and hear more about it.

BTW, what do your friends think of Buicks based on your experiences?

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Guest 2fit661ca

At first, everyone was skeptical. All of these cool things I had to say about my bargainbeater, everyone just thought I'd lost my head and went crazy, but I was relentless. I loved the car and no one was going to stand in my way of being happy with what I had found. Slowly,but surely, I had gotten most of my friends to like or at least respect them, but it was most assuredly a challnge.

My highschool shop teacher is a gung-ho rice and ford finatic, but his first car, which he also claims to be his best was an 87 Bonneville. When he sold it in the early 2000s, it had over 200k, and he sold it to a rural mail carrier who still uses it daily on his route.

My teacher told me to take care of the car, and it would return the favor.

I realize this is a classic car forum, and I hope that my T-Type is good enough to count. I've had both a chevelle and a Cutlass with a 400 small block, but they never did anything for me. I grew board with both. My 89 Blazer was cool until the motor blew at 165K After months of research, a V8 swap seemed stupid.

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So in the end, something I had learned about my self is that even thoughI love all cars old and new, the thing i care about most is practicality. Anybody can shove a bunch of fuel into an engine and make it go fast. That's about as easy as turning left in Nascar. Anybody can starve an engine and get 40+ miles per gallon. But what about the guy who built a car with a healthy balance of every aspect of a car? That takes some brains. That's a car worth having. With my newly aquired T-Type, I can now drive comfortably in all weather, at all speeds, while using little fuel, and turning heads everywhere I go without speeding a fortune in repairs or insurance, or initial cost! (only paid $1350) That is why I, Christopher M******, a 19 year old from rural Iowa is able to have my ultimate dream car sitting in my driveway as I (T-)type this. I am proud to say that in the past 4 years, my first years of driving, I have owned 7 Buicks.

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Christopher, thanks so much for your posts here, and it's great to see that these old Buicks have gained another convert. Your LeSabre T-Type is a distinctive car that is well worth preserving and is indeed considered collectible. I agree with John; a new topic about your T-Type would be fantastic.

While you're at it, I hope you'll consider joining the BCA. It's where you'll find thousands of like-minded folks who recognize that Buicks are something special.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Guest Gman1023

I, too found this post via Google and it compelled me to join the forums, something I had for some reason been putting off for some time. First of all, Brian, thank you for the very informative, well written and frankly riveting writeup. You have two (well, four but two which are discussed) very beautiful cars.

My experience with the 1986-91 generation of Lesabres is limited and unfortunately not positive. My parents bought a new 1990 Lesabre Custom sedan several months after I was born to have a safer vehicle to replace the 1984 Toyota Tercel Wagon. The Lesabre came from the factory with a non-functioning radio which foreshadowed things to come. We donated the car almost 12 years later with only 77,000 on the clock. By that time, the car was on its third flywheel, umpteenth alternator, third radiator, had peeling paint, leaky windows, no power brakes and the antenna was permanently in the up position. Even then though it still ran like a top and the transmission shifted beautifully. While it had stalling problems and even failed to start on several occasions, I do not remember it ever leaving us sitting anywhere besides our own driveway. Through a good portion of the time we owned it, it was the 'good' car, certainly far more reliable and sure footed in the winter than the 1993 Eagle Vision TSi.

Our problems were definitely the exception and not the rule with these cars. I presume it was built on the day after a particularly disappointing Tigers loss. My current (first) car is a 1997 Buick Lesabre Limited I bought last summer with 126,000 miles after my grandmother stopped driving. It was a dealer demo that my grandparents bought new in June of 1997. It has every feature available that year on the Lesabre except for the Gran Touring package. It has been flawless so far, needing no repairs to date. Having brought the car into the city where I go to college from its easy life in the country, I am particularly amazed by how it has not needed any work. Pittsburgh is not gentle on cars in any way, from the climate to the road quality, traffic and the hills. These are wonderful cars with a perfect combination of comfort, power and efficiency while still being small enough that they are manueverable in a city environment. It always makes me smile to hear people talking about getting 28 or 29 mpg in some compact shitbox when I can do the same while driving from the comfort of a couch.

I have always been a car guy and specifically a large car guy. I was never into Buicks much until last year. I was certainly aware of them and appreciated them for what they are, but given the choice I typically would have chosen a Cadillac over a Buick. That is not the case anymore, and while I still enjoy Cadillacs and likely always will, Buick and even Oldsmobile are more appealing than ever. In fact, looking at collector car prices, Buicks, Oldsmobiles, Mercuries and even some Chryslers are undervalued on the market. Luxury cars in general have a limited collector appeal and Cadillac, Lincoln, Imperial and Mercedes have locked most of that collector demand up. The prestige brands get overlooked, which is good for those of us who like them. Realistically, at least for the past 30 years, Buicks and Oldsmobiles are more reliable and better cars than the equivilant Cadillacs. Nice 1980s era Buicks and Oldsmobiles are still available for extraordinarily low prices. It is a goal of mine to obtain a late-80s generation Lesabre or Electra coupe, and maybe a matching sedan in the same color combo. I would really enjoy an Electra Park Avenue Ultra with the fancy 20-way seats.

John posted the question of what people think of Buicks based upon our experiences. In my case, everyone who has ridden in this car has enjoyed it and been pleasantly surprised. By rights, I do not know what their expectation of a Buick is going in, but my friends and peers (college age kids) always comment on how comfortable the car is, how smooth the ride is and how quiet the 3800 is. Most make a comment to the effect that they can't believe the car is 14 years old based on the condition and amenities. They are even more amazed when I mention the gas mileage. A friend of mine who drives a Lexus SC is planning to sell that and is seriously considering a Buick.

I thank you all for starting and contributing to a very interesting and valuable post. The demise of large coupes is a disappointing chapter in automotive history. I suppose those buyers are today driving SUVs or crossovers that do not have nearly the class of even the hood ornament on one of these old Buicks.

Edited by Gman1023
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Guest 2fit661ca

Well, Centurion, it looks like you drew 2 late model LeSabre fans to the site with your post. Even funnier is both of us are fairly young compared to most of the Buick fans here. :)

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Hey, that's great news, and I'm really grateful for the additions both of you have made to this topic.

Thank you both for coming aboard the Buick forums! And, yes, Gman, I believe that you are entirely correct that the Buicks of this era far surpass the Cadillac in terms of reliability.

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Guest Gman1023

Thanks for the warm welcome! I will be spending many hours here on the forums, reading and contributing where possible. The depth and breadth of the topics covered here amaze me, there is often more and better history than in the books to be found on this site.

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