BUICK RACER Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 Posting for a friend(one owner): needs AC charged, needs some TLC under the hood, and some shining on the bumpers and wire wheel covers to be be a show car, 70K miles, leather/suede interior is like new, Car is in Owosso, MI, near Flint, MI $5500 or best offer! Email me or PM for owners phone number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BUICK RACER Posted April 21, 2007 Author Share Posted April 21, 2007 Bump, why can anyone tell me, why, that no one is interested in this car? should still get 20 MPG on the highway, my mom's 85 did even better sometimes. Yes in needs some detailing, and alot of work under the hood, but let me know, please. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BUICK RACER Posted October 17, 2018 Author Share Posted October 17, 2018 Bump still available Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Y-JobFan Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 (edited) Probably because there is a good supply of these available on the market and many with really low miles. The potential for this one is obvious and the pigskin suede option with leather is rarely seen and was the top interior. This is one that it may pay the owner to put a few hundred dollars toward a professional detail, the A/C charged and then remarket it. While I see the best offer comment, people are reluctant to do that as they don't want to insult the seller. That said, clean well kept , well presented ready to drive Riv's of this vintage with similar miles usually go in the $3500-4000 range. Color plays a big role on these as well. Only the really low mileage ones and convertibles are bringing good money. Get that diamond in the rough polished up and send it to eBay Edited October 17, 2018 by Y-JobFan (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BUICK RACER Posted October 18, 2018 Author Share Posted October 18, 2018 Thanks good thoughts, I passed on to the owners. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JZRIV Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 11 hours ago, Y-JobFan said: Probably because there is a good supply of these available on the market and many with really low miles. The potential for this one is obvious and the pigskin suede option with leather is rarely seen and was the top interior. This is one that it may pay the owner to put a few hundred dollars toward a professional detail, the A/C charged and then remarket it. While I see the best offer comment, people are reluctant to do that as they don't want to insult the seller. That said, clean well kept , well presented ready to drive Riv's of this vintage with similar miles usually go in the $3500-4000 range. Color plays a big role on these as well. Only the really low mileage ones and convertibles are bringing good money. Get that diamond in the rough polished up and send it to eBay Roberta, Agree with above and will ad to it Unfortunately the appreciation for these cars have flattened or declined (IMO.....subject to error) in the general public arena. Certain parts have become very difficult to find, an expensive transmission replacement is always in the back of ones mind, and as was mentioned there are plenty of pampered cars needing little to nothing in that price range or slightly more. I have seen many beautiful 79-85s over the past couple years struggle to sell for asking prices that would have sold it easily if it was 15-20 years ago and that includes convertibles. I'm amazed that the verts can still be bought so inexpensively for what they are. Another example of poor appreciation is the 83 XX Anniversary model that they only made 502 of. One would think these would have increased in value significantly but they just won't bring a decent price and struggle to sell. Doesn't make sense. Perhaps the last generation Riviera has pulled interest away. Sadly the asking price of your friends car may need cut in half and work from there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancemb Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 Am I reading this correctly that this original post is 11+ years old, and was bumped yesterday by the same poster? Roberta, are description and pictures current? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 On 4/21/2007 at 7:55 PM, BUICK RACER said: Bump, why can anyone tell me, why, that no one is interested in this car? There is another thread going on with the quote "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." This looks like one of those cars. The seats are really dirty and look like the weight on them has been above average. The rust under the hood appears to be from dampness. And it probably should have been moved away from the oil drips for the photo session. The price is in a bad range. $5500 is a typical cash deal. So you need to find someone with 55 hundred dollar bills in their pocket. That is a person who is going to much more aware of how they spend their money than a buyer of a more expensive cars and just signs for a loan. There is a big difference between spending cash in hand and future earnings, Ask any accountant. If it was in my area I would consider buying it for $2,000 and spend at least 2 days cleaning and grooming it. Then find a nice background for some really nice pictures and advertise it for $8500 to $9000, expecting, maybe $6500 to $7500. But that would be a return on my effort and experience. I would also license and insure the car so it was ready to drive. You just can't take some pictures of a benevolently neglected car and sell it without forfeiting a large amount of the value. BTW, what's the date of the last oil change? Bernie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 I posted a CL ad for a local ROA member for his '85. Two tone silver, every conceivable option, rally wheels, new tires, and the list goes on. He started at $10,000 and after a couple of months he finally let it go for $3,500. It was clean and yuo could have gotten behind the wheel and driven it anywhere. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnO Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 I bought a new Riviera in 1983 and a used 1985 Riviera in 1990. I rekindled my interest in this generation by buying an 1982 at a Mecum auction and a 1985 from a private party in the past year. All were coupes. For the subject car, the buyer pool is small and there are a lot of examples out there. The seller should be satisfied with anything over $4,000. So list for $4,500 and drop from there. True story: There was an 85 Riviera listed on Classiccars.com for $13.5K in Texas. It had 70,000 miles, genuine spokes, and was well presented in the pictures. Well, after being listed for ages, it sold at the 2018 Los Angles Mecum auction for $2,750 which included the 10% buyers fee. So, the seller netted about $2,400 since they have to pay 5%. In addition, they had to transport it from Texas to California. Point is, they should have listed that car for $4,500, take $4,000 and they would have been way ahead. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 I've had a few of these (see gone but not forgotten in my signature) but learned that even though they were nice riding cars, they were WAY underpowered. You have to have an emotional attachment to want one of these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Y-JobFan Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 A 79 would be the only one of these I would buy with the 350 unless I was in the market for a convertible then you have to bite the bullet and live with the power Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 I was tempted to buy a 6.6 Liter engine from a Pontiac Trans Am (403 Oldsmobile engine) that was for sale on CL a few years back and put it into my 84 'Type_R' Riviera but didn't because I didn't know how the transmisson would hold up. MIght have been fun. My 'Type_R' was a coupe that I made a few modifications to. It was featured in a Riview some time ago. In your mind picture a GNX looking Riviera.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 Back on topic. I was perusing the local Craigslist and found an 82 Riviera convertible along with an 83 Riviera coupe. Both in one deal for $5,500. The ad has been up for a couple of weeks now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thriller Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 While many of the points may be valid, how many people are going to go halfway across the continent for a car valued at $5000 or less? I’ve done it, but I’m a bit diseased that way. When it costs me $500 or $1000 to get a car or have it shipped, I’m going to consider that in part of the overall value equation. It’s that simple. Deals are made when potential buyers and those wanting to sell come to an agreement. If there are none available in your area, you may go further afield. If there are a lot, that will drive the value down. As for me, while the barns are full, there’s always a degree of interest in nice cars. However, if I look at this generation of Riviera, there’s an S-Type locally for sale (at a dealer that wants stupid money for it...he knows what he has and doesn’t need the space) and there’s one I could procure in MN if I so desired. It doesn’t make sense for me to go a lot further afield. It looks like a nice car that needs some care. Not everyone who wants to purchase a personal luxury car is all that concerned about performance...perhaps they’d rather have a nice, reasonably fuel-efficient highway cruiser. Another thing to keep in mind with the comments is that Roberta has been around Buicks a long time and noted she was posting for someone. While she may not know the market for these particular cars, I’m pretty sure she’s got a reasonable idea of value and would have let the owner know if they were completely out to lunch on price. I don’t think there’s any need to tear the car down. Sorry...haven’t had my afternoon nap...guess I should stay out of the buy/sell forum. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BUICK RACER Posted October 22, 2018 Author Share Posted October 22, 2018 Thanks, Derek! I know how nice these cars were/are. My first choice for my first car was a 1979 Riviera "1979 Motor Trend Car of the Year!" but being a new employee in 1979 was not eligible for the GM discount right away, looking back I should have asked for it, the payment was going to as much as my apartment rent and so I bought a POS Skyhawk! Bought an '85 Riv for Mommy in 85 it's gone NY salt ate it up. I'm going to revisit this one next week to see what we can do with it, carry on with positive comments, this tearing down of posts is not becoming of this should be 'elite' group.. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 On 10/18/2018 at 10:32 AM, 60FlatTop said: You just can't take some pictures of a benevolently neglected car and sell it without forfeiting a large amount of the value. I hope that wasn't construed as tearing down the post. It was an honest answer from me. And I stick my hand in my pocket to buy cars pretty often. Lots of times I buy unsold neglected cars. put some effort into them, and make the money the owner left on the table or couldn't get at all. On 4/21/2007 at 7:55 PM, BUICK RACER said: Bump, why can anyone tell me, why, that no one is interested in this car? Try doing what I wrote I'd do. I have made enough money doing it to feel elite at times. Don't just let the car sit there looking so forlorn. Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES_BUICKS Posted October 26, 2018 Share Posted October 26, 2018 If anyone is looking for a Riviera with more power than the standard under-powered 307 Olds V8 (140 HP) try finding a 84/85 Riviera "T" type. It has the 3.8 L Turbo V6 with sequential port fuel injection rated at 190 HP. and was the same basic engine that was used in the Regal Grand National and Regal "T" type. That engine was rated at 200 HP in the Regal GN but was detuned slightly for the front wheel drive Riviera. I've owned my '85 since new (it's not for sale), and it certainly doesn't lack for power. A great car for long distance touring (think Buick Driving Enthusiasts tours). Gets about 23-24 mpg on the highway (premium fuel) Might be hard to find one, since they only produced 1069 out of a total run of 64,136 for the '85 model year. They also produced 400 Riviera convertibles with the Turbo V6. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCHinson Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 I don't want to say anything negative about any car for sale, and I am really a fan of 1979-1985 Rivieras. I have owned quite a few of them over the years. My last one was destroyed in a hurricane related flood on the way home to NC from the Hershey Fall Meet 2 years ago. I am not personally a fan of the interior color of this one. The two tone exterior is a nice and fairly rare find, although this one is not my personal choice of the two tone colors available. Has the car been driven reguarly in the past 10 years or has it been parked for that time? In my experience, in my area, a well running, driving example in a bit better shape than the photos show this one to be go for about the asking price of this one. If it has been parked for 10 years, I don't see it bringing nearly that much. It might be best to clean it up a bit, take some good photos, describe it as accurately as possible and put it on Ebay. I think that will bring the highest price possible, but I don't think it will be near the asking price. Hopefully I am wrong and it will bring more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BUICK RACER Posted November 29, 2018 Author Share Posted November 29, 2018 Just a quick update, my friends found a home for this Riviera! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now