for sale 1965 Buick Riviera *SOLD*

[Matt Harwood]

 

SOLD! I have only one endorsement for this very pretty 1965 Buick Riviera: if it had factory A/C, I'd keep it. It's flat-out stunning. It has not been fully restored, but rather restored as needed over its life, including a single repaint in the early 1990s that still looks fantastic. Bamboo Cream is the car's original color and it looks fabulous on the crisply rendered Riviera sheetmetal. I can detect no panel replacements, no patches, no signs of rust or other issues in the car's past. Panel gaps are excellent and the doors close with a solid THUNK. No rattles, no flappy trim, just a high-end Buick acting like a high-end Buick. The bumpers were just re-chromed but the rest is excellent original stuff with no pitting or deterioration, and the clamshells were just serviced so they work correctly, snapping open and closed with ease. It's worth noting that this is a late '65 car, so they will open without the key, but you need to turn the key on to close them--apparently owners were killing batteries and clamshell motors by showing them off to their friends in the driveway.

 

There's a magazine article on this car from "Special Interest Autos" that shows it with its original interior, but sometime between then (1995) and now, it received an all-new vinyl interior that looks quite appropriate save for the embroidered "R" emblem on the seat backs. It's not bad looking, just not 100% authentic. I don't mind and the seats are comfortable with new foam underneath. Carpets were likely replaced at the same time and look almost new. The door panels, dash pad, console, and headliner are surely original and in great shape and the veneers are excellent. This car is loaded with virtually every option you could get in 1965: tilt wheel, power windows, power seat, remote trunk release, cruise control, rear defroster, and a power antenna. Everything but the aforementioned A/C, which is rather puzzling. It all works properly, including the gauges and Sonomatic AM radio. The trunk was also reupholstered and looks quite correct.

 

The engine is the original, numbers-matching 401 "Nailhead" V8. It was rebuilt before the second owner passed away in the early 2000s and runs superbly today. It starts easily, idles with a muscular hum from the new stainless exhaust system, and pulls the big coupe around with real enthusiasm. 1965 was the first year for the TH400 3-speed automatic transmission, which probably makes the biggest difference in road manners, and the car feels smaller and lighter than it is. The suspension features new springs, a rebuilt front end, and fresh shocks, and the big Buick aluminum drums make any talk of "disc brake conversions" superfluous. There's no rust or rot underneath, no patches, and no signs that this was ever a car that spent time in the rust belt. Fresh 225/75/15 whitewall radials were installed last year.

 

Beautiful car, good history with two owners who each kept it for more than 25 years, and a long list of options. I think I probably have it under-priced at $37,900 given the suddenly strong popularity of the '65 Rivs, which, in my opinion, is long overdue. As I said, if this one had A/C, it would be a permanent part of the Harwood collection. It's that good. Thanks for looking!

 

   

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

 

 

Edited May 4, 2018 by Matt Harwood
SOLD! (see edit history)

[Bill Stoneberg]

You could add Vintage Air,  did that on mine and loved it.

[keiser31]

Wow! Nice car.

[bobg1951chevy]

A beautiful car, along with a great write up !

 

[PONTIAC1953]

back in the mid 1980s in southern california, i bought a bamboo cream 1965 riviera with a dark green interior, i really should have kept that car, loved driving it.

[Matt Harwood]

SOLD! Thank you!