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Looking at 90-93 Rivieras


Guest imported_MrEarl

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Guest imported_MrEarl

Don't see much discussion on this board about the 90-93 or newer Rivieras. Just wondering why? Is it because they aren't considered Antique Auto enough maybe or ...? I have been looking into buying a 90-93 and am now looking seriously at a certain 93. If anyone has any experience with or opinions of these cars, I'd love to hear it. I am in the market for one if anyone knows of anything. or unless the report from this board is bad crazy.gif

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Lamar,

There are some people in the ROA that are passionate about the 86-93 Rivieras. Some of them are only out on the Riviera email list moderated by Chris Knowles. riviera-l@redeemer.ca I've been on the list so long I don't remember how I signed up!

These are well built and reliable cars that use a solid drivetrain shared with most Buicks and many GM cars of the era. A 93 would be the most refined of these cars and also the most rare. Most replacement components are easy to find and not overly priced.

As usual, find the best one you can afford and check it over carefully, making sure all the instrumental panel warning lights go off when started and that the power accessories all work.

Just some thoughts,

Tim

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Mr. Earl,

My wife owns a ruby red 92 Riv and I own a midnight blue 92 riv. I wrote a reply to a member entilted "Considering a 91 Riviera Coupe" a couple of months ago on this forum that you can read that might be of some help to you. There are a few owners of 89 thru 93 riv's on this forum. As time goes by, I'm finding a few more of these years' rivs' showing up at ROA and BCA meets. They still don't get much respect at cruise-in's, though. I often see folks looking at Buicks to our left and to our right but totally avoid stopping at my wife's or my riv. We don't take it personally..to each his/her own. If you at any time need specific info on these cars, I have factory service/parts/RPO code manuals, and dealer order/option catalogs that I can look up data for you. Happy hunting for a "slantback rear quarter" riv!

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Tim is right that the 93 riv is rare since GM only produced 4,555 of them vs. the 92 with 12,324. The most improved riv in the series is the 92 with additional hp's, solar glare windows, improved suspension (to name a few). For 93...no changes/improvements other than some new paint color choices. This was due to Buick ready to introduce a totally redesigned riv by mid-94 as the 1995 Riviera.

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Guest imported_MrEarl

Found it Ship, thanks.

Considering a 91 Riviera

I've always considered the 63 and 64 Riviera as the sexiest car ever built, second only of course to the '54 Roadmaster. wink.gif And have never seen a Rivi that I didn't watch until it was completely outa sight. So I'm figurin I better be grabbin one before they are all gone. I actually like the styling of the 90-93's and the bullet proof 3800 without the Spercharger problems helped make up my mind that they are the years I would persue.

Ahhh, your Midnight Blue, the color I've been looking for....

So how does one know what package the car has, just by what is present on the car? The one I am looking at has 8 way seats (?/6) and power moon roof. Would this equate to any particular "package". I guess I need to find our more about what it does have.

Was the vinyl/landau roof an option or a dealer installed item.

What kind of gas mileage can be expected. I plan on driving this car daily and on long trips.

Thanks for the help thus far gentlemen. I suspect I will have more questions.

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(Warning: this is a long reply!)

My midnight blue riv was a one page feature in the Jan/Feb 08 ROA Riview and pictured on the inside back cover of the Feb 09 BCA Bugle (Conn auto show).

For 92/93, there were 3 riv option groups available;

SA = base car which had 49 std equip listed

SD = premium pkg which included 6-way power/recliner passenger seat, twilight sentinel, auto day/nite mirror (+ the 49 std items)

SE = prestige pkg which included ele trunk pull-down, remote keyless entry, ele body colored ext remote mirrors (left heated), theft-deterrent sys with starter intertupt (+ the SA and SD items)

On top of all that you could order an ele sliding astro-roof, padded landau roof, 15" aluminum wheels, Bose radio, body side stripes, special paint, and grand touring pkg which included stiffer suspension and shorter ratio steering. I don't know what/if any was dealer vs. factory installed.

My midnight blue has the SE prestige pkg plus the astro-roof, padded landau roof, and body side stripes. This car was listed for $29,919 new. Riviera was the most expensive of all Buicks in 1992.

The RPO label can be found on the backside of the spare tire particle board cover in the trunk. Send me an email with the RPO codes from the 93 you're interested in and I will tell you what options it has.

Gas mileage (reg gas) on both our riv's range 18 city to 34 highway on recently tuned-up 3800 motors with one at 122+k miles and the other at 145+k miles on the od's.

Hope this helps...and keep the questions coming.

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Guest imported_MrEarl

Thanks for that link Ed. Notice how many there are in the south? 2-3 maybe in FL, none in GA. Hmmm why do you suppose that is?

Ship, thanks for all the great info. couldn't find your email address so am sending you a PM

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Mr Eral & Dave Ship

you guys are right on the money abount the 89-93 Riviera i have two 89's same body as 93 but have the touch screen way fun to drive. I worked at a Buick dealer for years and the 93 Riv with the eight way power drivers seat is hard to find there are a few out there nice cars i love driving them.

I drive one of my 89's daily and i am getting 26 29 MPG on the hightway and around 16-19 City and mine has 94,000 miles on it.

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Guest imported_MrEarl

So there are 8 way seats eh?> Heck I don't know if my body can keep up with that many moves. I'm working on the seller of the 93, they think a lot of the car.

thanks for the input Rivieraman

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Guest msht9o

Kinda late on this thread but I have a '92 and have driven it a lot. It's been to Asheville, Flagstaff, Galena, Klamath Falls and Sacramento coming up. Great driver, quiet, easy to ride in, averages right at 27 mpg for overall driving. The only problems that I have had are the A/C compressor, sun glare off the dash, the retractor motor for the trunk and a strong desire on my part for long trips. A dash carpet takes care of the glare and bucks takes care of the rest. Great car, great ride and (just a bit biased) great looking.

marty

ROA 141

92, 67 and 65 Rivies

64 Special Convertible

67 Skylark 4dr Hardtop

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Guest imported_MrEarl

Thanks for the input Marty. I plan to drive the wheels of this one too, so good to know they are "easy to ride in". I too think they are a good looking car.

One issue with the particular car I am looking at is that the current owner says it has to "warm up a minute or two" on real cold mornings in the winter so it will go into gear. I talked to my mechanic and he says it could just be the little filter needs cleaning or it could be headed to a complete $1500 overhaul. Anybody ever dealt with this issue?

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I would believe it would be more a filter issue than a rebuild...especially if it runs fine after a warmup in the dead of winter and not all the time. Also, I had a 85 riv tranny totally rebuilt a year ago for a little over $700, so I think $1500 is a tad high.

I can attest that Mary's 92 is in tiptop shape. I believe its Sapphire blue firemist (special paint-extra cost) w/ white leather interior. My 92 and I were parked next to his during the judging at last year's Galena meet.

Marty, did you ever make it to Home Depot to buy the foam rubber tubing I suggested to cover your A/C hoses with??

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You check automatic transmission fluid levels when the fluid is hot - it expands. The problem could be as simple as a low fluid level. Warmed up, there's enough volume to get things to work; cold, there's not the volume.

Ed

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Guest imported_MrEarl

Well, I had one more question that I had been meaning to ask the guy and his answer killed the deal. Q. How is the headliner? A. It's a little loose now but tightens up some in the winter. Damn I thought, this car is pretty seasonal ain't it? Talked to a friend that does headliners and he said if it has a moon roof which this car has, it would likely have to come out in order to replace the headliner correctly and that all that could cost a pretty penny...$3-500 maybe.

I think I'm giving up on this one. She is a beauty and top of the line Prestige or else I would have given up long time ago when he wouldn't accept less than $3,000. If anyone is from around Wichita Kansas and wants to check her out and possibly be a better haggler than I am, here is the info. Will be glad to share pictures and all the info I learned about it in my many conversations with the owner.

93 Riviera on Craigs List

003wrj.jpg

012par.jpg

023ciy.jpg

Thanks all!!!!

The search goes on....

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I totally agree w/ Ed on tranny fluid volume but I assumed it was already checked hot w/ car level.

I've replaced headliners with moon roofs. If you purchase the correct replacement material/color, you don't have to remove the moonroof glass because you will not be removing the material on the sun screen/slider...just the ribbing around it. The only time you have to remove the moonroof glass is if you also want to replace the sun screen/slider material (only way I know to get the slider out). The whole process is not complicated, just time consuming and try not to break/snap plastic things. You do have to remove the inside door opening trim pieces, sail panels (and sometimes the rear bottom seat) etc, and recline the passenger seatback all the way down and the seat all the way to the rear to slide the head liner panel out. Be careful not to crease it (but thats a easy fix, too). Now its just a matter of removing the old material and gluing on the new.

You can buy the material online for less than $75 (and you can request samples beforehand). There's a local guy here that would charge me $125 for his materials/labor if I hand him the liner panel (I do the panel removal).

Mr. Earl, you know you want this beauty riv and you know you're going to kick yourself if you don't buy it!!

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Depending on the color of the headliner, you can even find the foam backed material at places like JoAnn Fabrics, and it's a whole lot cheaper there. I replace the headliner in my '85 coupe by going to a salvage yard and finding a good one like I needed, then took all the trim panels out, pulled the headliner still attached to the board out of the salvage car, took everything home, and swapped them. The only difficult part was working around the seat belt retracting mechansims which are between the roof and headliner on mine. If your seat belts are attached to the B pillar, this would be a piece of cake. I even found the build sheet for my car sandwiched in there.

I also agree with Dave in that if you let this one go, you'll always be asking yourself "what if?" If the seller is disclosing little things like headliners sagging, there's probably not much else to disclose.

Ed

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Guest imported_MrEarl

you're right Ship, I do love this car... literally from the wheels to the top. But one has to draw the line somewhere. The car has been well taken care of and preserved fairly well but the issues of the AC, tranny, brakes, some very small paint issues and now the headliner just add up. If he would have accepted my offer of 2500 I would be on my way to deliver the 54 Century and pick it it up next weekend. I don't have the money and time to spend on a Riviera, I need all that for the 54's. smile.gif

There's got to be another Black or Midnight Blue one out there for under 3K without all these issues. smile.gif

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I hear you....its always equates to available $$ and personal priority. I can appreciate those 54's being high on your list...great looking buicks.

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MrEarl,

Did you by any chance look at the Kelly Blue book for this car. Based on the description, and the list of defeciencies, the seller is way over priced on this car. In excellent condition (low miles, EVERYTHING working, NO cosmetic defects) it would be worth about $2500. I plugged 135,000 miles in and listed what I thought it had and here's what popped up for a car in good condition.

http://www.kbb.com/KBB/UsedCars/PricingReport.aspx?YearId=1993&Mileage=135000&VehicleClass=UsedCar&ManufacturerId=7&ModelId=419&PriceType=Private+Party&VehicleId=9958&SelectionHistory=9958%7c30762%7c66218%7c0%7c0%7c362942%7ctrue%7c362927%7ctrue%7c362922%7ctrue%7c362922%7cfalse%7c362916%7ctrue%7c362949%7ctrue&Condition=Good&QuizConditions=

This is a lot to copy and paste. If it won't link up, go to www.kbb.com and fill in the blanks; be sure to use the zip code for the seller. Just tell the guy, he's out of line for a private party transaction and let him sit on it forever, or fix everything and maybe get what he thinks it's worth. He probably saw something like it on a used car lot and figured his was worth the same if not more.

Ed

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Guest imported_MrEarl

Yea Ed, I had checked that site and did the fill in the blanks thing. I'm not too up on buying newer model cars but I felt the Kelly Blue was a little low on these cars. Had this car been in excellent condition and under 100,000 miles I would have had no problem paying $3,000. Again, the color and options was very attractive to me. I've never been one to let a few hundred bucks kill a deal of a 54 I really want and feel will be a good buy in the long run. I just don't see these Rivi's depreciating much more. In fact, I would think good condition low mileage Rivieras of these years should if anything begin appreciating in value. You're right, he probably saw one in a car lot priced like this and he thinks he can command the same.

he he , sounds like this guy doesn't like Kelly Blue Book either

93 on Craigs List

Now this is a nice 93. IMO looks twice as good as a new Lucerne but for half the price. Wish I had the bucks for this one.

10,801 original miles

as a couple of you have suggested, I'll just keep looking. There's bound to be one out their with my name on it.

uh, anybody know why the screens so wide. I tried downsizing my pictures but that didn't make any difference.

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Guest msht9o

I did indeed Dave. This stuff works a lot better than the foam tubing I had. And speaking of headliners. The local upholsterer redid mine for a bit less than 200 and he did every thing. Easy fix. The headliners are glued to a foam core form. Sometimes they come loose and will sag down. Easy fix. And not really an uncommon problem.

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A bit less than $200 was a good deal. I don't mind taking out the core myself because if any plastic trim breaks only I am to blame. I've snapped plactic tabs on the interior upper garnish trim pieces in the past.

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Guest northmn

Just a quick note on the head liner & sliding sun shade -. My 83 shade came out the top by opening the roof window & removing the right slider bracket-then pull the shade out the top right front corner.The chassis manual says so.I was surprised it really worked.Does anyone know where you can get that plastic trim around the moon roof opening?

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Guest imported_MrEarl

that is nice, a little pricey but I guess the low miles is the reason for that. Thanks for the heads up, haven't been checking Auto Trader, guess I should start.

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Guest imported_MrEarl

Were "carriage tops" a factory or dealership or aftermarket item. They look like trouble to me? Opinions?

post-32987-143138086458_thumb.jpg

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I'm going to guess and say it was a dealership option. I'm basing it on the fact that only the vinyl cap is pictured/written about in the FSM. I've never had the opportunity to see one on an 86-93 gen Riv in person (only pictures) so I don't know how well they've held up. I did see a grey one on a 79-85 gen Riv at the ROA Galena, Il, meet last year. At first glance, it looked just like a convert top until you got up close to it...looked great but then again the whole car was a fantastic restoration.

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I forgot to mention that a forum member, swiftbuicks, has attached a picture of his ruby red Riv w/ a white carriage top on previous threads. You might contact him for his opinion.

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Guest imported_MrEarl

I'll search for that referenced thread. I didn't mean to sound offensive by my statement to the effect that they are a lot of trouble, merely that some I have seen were stained and literally coming apart at the seams. I do like the looks but wonder about the maintenance. This particular car pictured is for sale in GA and I considered riding down and taking a look see. I'd prefer if it be blue on midnight blue. smile.gif

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Guest imported_MrEarl

I do believe you did...once or twice....or

that is gorgeous. do you by any chance have that in a side and rear/side shot please. Definitely my color of choice.

thanks for sharing that. Now where are my klenex and why is my keyboard steaming?

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Guest imported_MrEarl

I can certainly see why. That is buickful. I've been looking at some Park Avenues in the last few days, but this sets me straight. I know what I want.

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Bob, I tried finding the car on the site but it limits my search to within 100 miles of my zip(which is rediculous, I don't think I have ever bought a car that close to home. Am I missing something?? if you can email me the info, I will check it out.

victfarm at bellsouth.net

thanks!!!!!

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