I was at my local GM dealer yesterday picking up some cooling system pellets for my 97 Riv. Parts guy was really friendly so I asked if he could look up a few things for me regarding the Riv. The chromed plating on the rear license plate bezel on these Rivs seens to "corrode" here in salty NW Ohio. I assumed I would need to replace the entire tail light assembly; Not so! The exploded picture of this assembly showed the bezel is seperate! The assembly is discontinued but not the bezel; so I ordered one for $60.00 plus tax. Seems steep but not unexpected. Part number is 16518518. Didn't catch the Group #. Thought I'd pass this on for those of you planning to hang on to these Rivs. OEM front struts not available. I was hoping to preserve the original "DynaRide" as advertised by Buick. Looks like I'll have to settle for replacements.
By the way the pellets seemed to help the small leak in my cooling system. Will keep an eye on this, though.

Dave, I picked up the license plate bezel last year as well, back when I was getting discounts at the dealership... $45

The 97 model year had some changes to the front suspension, and struts are harder to source. I think you may only be able to use Monroes as a direct replacement? I replaced the badly deteriorated front struts on my 98 last year with KYB GR-2's and KYB mounts/bearings.

For help with your 97, we have many owners on www.rivperformance.com who can offer some suggestions. That forum is 95-99 specific, consists of young and older owners, ages 16 to 63.

Dave: Thanks for the reply. Regarding the struts, Monroe Sensatracs are what several places around here want to install. They say OEM not available. Are Sensatracs any good?? I've been to the website you mentioned before. It's interesting. Thanks for reminding me about it. I'm checking that site for diagnosing a "fluttering" noise prevalent on my car which becomes very noticeable between 1700-2300 rpm. Seems to be coming from center right when sitting in driver's seat, but not near as noticeable from passenger seat. Belts and balancer have been replaced with no change noticed. OOps! I'm getting off topic. Will keep checking the rivperformance website.