Buicks You Grew Up With.

[Guest BJM]

I was reading my current Hemmings Classic Cars which had a feature on a 1973 Regal "Colonnade" Coupe. I am 46 years old almost and I was therefore 6 when the decade started and 16 when it ended.

Now as a collector I find myself specifically interested in cars from the mid 70's. This goes against my grain as I have always been a auto historian 1st & a collector 2nd and routinely pour over books and articles about cars from the 20's through the 50's.

But those older cars, as neat as they are, do not get to me like the 70's Buicks. Still, I know a 76 Riviera is not on most peoples wish lists. I love the 70-72 cars too, but find the 73-77 cars the most captivating. maybe it's a phase because I have only recently started truly admiring the 75 Lesabre convertibles.

For me, it's not a performance issue. I think the shapes and details of the mid seventies Buicks are excellent for the most part. Yet I know few collect these cars compared to the 50's and the muscle era.

For those aged 56 / 66 / 76 etc - (doesn't have to be exact) do you find yourself after all these years still enamored with the cars of your youth or is it just me?

[Guest my3buicks]

Interesting question Bryan,

I have been all over the board from 53 to 79 in the cars I have or have had as "collector cars". I was born in 60, I tend to lean toward the 60's cars, or very early 70's. Although I wouldn't rule out a 39, or another 50's car down the road. So I guess I should really lean toward the cars of the middle to upper 70's as that is when I started driving, but that doesn't hold true in my case. Well except the 79 LeSabre Palm Beach I had.

Why Buick, well that is easy - my 67 was bought new and admired by me from day one - I bought it in 79 as my first car. I also was exposed to Buick's regularly - My mothers boss bought a new Riviera every other year and I regularly got rides in it, our neighbors always had a Skylark and an Electra in their garage with an every other year trade rotation. My parents best friends had a 64, then a 66 Wildcat. But it still comes down to my infatuation with the 67 from new.

Edited November 25, 2009 by my3buicks (see edit history)

[The Old Guy]

I was born in 1933 and my first car was a 1931 model 57. I guess I am different than most "old car" people as I like them ALL!!! I started out as a "hot rodder" and haven't changed that much in 60 years of driving. My 37 has a 455 Buick V8 and ALL the toys (power steering--brakes and windows-- --cruise --tilt--AC-

My 40 is stock to the eye. (it isregeared and has Roadmaster brakes) and my 72 GS runs regularly at the drags and is set up with a 200-4R overdrive.

Every decade has some very interesting styles, and I am sure I could find one I liked in every one.

[LINC400]

Most people have a special feeling for the cars they remember from when they were a kid or first started driving. Car prices generally go up when people that grew up with them have empty nests and more disposable income than when they were supporting a family. So cars of the 1970's have a ways to go before people that grew up with them are looking towards retirement and recapturing their youth. However, if you look at old magazines or articles, they say that cars of the 1940's, 1950's, 1960's whatever will never be worth whatever decade cars are at their collectible peak at that time. We can see now that those magazines are wrong. Also cars previously at their peak will go down as people that grew up with them die off, and not as many people are left to have that kind of attachment to them.

Personally I am attracted to cars that were made prior to any downsizing. Basically anything before 1976-8 from GM or 1978-9 from Ford/Lincoln or Chrysler. Everybody says that cars were not the same after whatever decade they like. But I think this really applies to the pre-downsized cars. Before downsizing, they built the best car they could with no limits for styling, excesses, creativity, engine sizes, colors etc. Afterwards, it was about fuel economy, aerodynamics, weight reduction, warranties, bean counting, it really wasn't about the cars anymore.

I do have a special soft spot for the cars of the 1970's and 1950's, and not really much interest in cars from before 1930. Cars of the 1960's were beaters when I was a kid, so maybe that is why they still don't impress me as much as the 1970's cars which were new or 1950's cars which were at car shows then.

Edited November 23, 2009 by LINC400 (see edit history)

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Hey, Oldguy, I know this is off this thread somewhat, but what did you regear your 40 with?

Ben

[The Old Guy]

Ben

Buick did not change their rear axle carrier from 1940 to 1955. The cast center sections will interchange. The V8 dynaflow Buicks from 1953-55 had ratios from 3.36to 3.6. My 40 had a 4.4 in it when I bought it. There was a 3.9 option in 40 and I put that in until I did my research. My 40 now has a 3.42 and it will run in the "hammer lane" all day

You will probably need to install your original drive shaft and torque tube to get the length right !!

[page2171]

I grew up with very few Buicks around me. My dad was a die-hard Pontiac man and the grandfather that I saw the most was an Oldsmobile man. However, there were a few Buicks that stuck in my mind when I was growing up. Someone at church had a Buick very similar to this one, and I have always loved it for some reason. I don't like many other full size Buicks from the first half of the 70's, but this is one I would like to own some day.

[Guest Dans 77 Limited]

I didnt have much exposure to Buicks either. I remember my late Uncle tom was a Buick man and I still remeber the 66 Wildcat he had I really liked that car. His next car was a 75 LeSabre coupe and I really liked that too. A lifelong friend of my mother had a 63 Riv when I was small. I still have a soft spot for 1st gen Rivs because of that car. She traded it in on a 72 Skylark that while it was a nice car it didnt really do much for me. In high school I had a friend who had a red 72 Centurion ragtop, that car was great !! . That was my exposure to Buick.

Dan

[Guest srnad8]

Well as a 57 Y.O. junior member, I thought I would send my first post on this heartwarming subject. I grew up in CT, and at the end of my street was a small Buick dealership. Being right next to the only store around, an ice cream bar, you can imagine how many times we went past the dealership growing up. We would constantly bug them for free literature and especially the display model cars in the tall wooden case. Sadly my collection of every brochure etc imaginable was left in our basement and succumbed to mold and had to be thrown out. Long story short, my true love is Buicks circa 58-67, especially the 1961. I can remember when they would cover up their showroom until the revealing date to show the new model year; we always managed to sneak a peek before the general public (or so we thought). I'm not a joiner by nature, but my long love of Buicks (yes my Dad owned some, but mostly Caddy's), and having owned several in the past, I finally joined BCA, and plan on joining a local chapter when I get another. My favorite, just sold for divorce purposes, was my 1954 Super 2 dr hdtp. bought in Welland, ONT. That car will never be able to be replaced, especially for what I paid for it. I am now looking for a 46-57 car to have for my retirement car. Sorry to bore anyone who got even this far, but I had to get this off my chest.

[Centurion]

srnad8, welcome aboard! I live near Seattle, and belong to both of the local BCA chapters. I'd be happy to help you get connected. Feel free to e-mail me at brianL@americanconstco.com .

Regarding the Buicks, they were a huge part of the fabric of my early life! I'll never forget the look and smell of these cars when I was young.

Born in 1953, the first Buicks I really remember were the '56 Special 4-door Riviera owned by my aunt and uncle, the '57 Century 4-door sedan owned by another aunt and uncle, and the '58 Special 4-door sedan owned by my best friend's parents.

Buick jumped to the forefront of my car consciousness shortly after my seventh birthday, when my parents purchased the first new 1961 Buick in my hometown. (Interestingly, the original selling dealer recently sent me the page from his record book, listing every 1961 Buick sold. There was Dad's name at the very top of the page.)

The 1961 Buicks will always be among my great favorites, and my parents' purchase was soon followed by other family members buying new 1961 and 1962 LeSabres and Invictas.

1965 was another watershed year for me, and I don't have the words to explain how much I loved the '65 Wildcat coupe my parents purchased during February, 1965. What a car!

For me, the focus was the Buicks built from 1957 through 1972, and I suspect that these will always be my great favorites. That's not to say I wouldn't love something along the lines of a '40 Limited or a '49 Roadmaster Sedanet!

Edited November 25, 2009 by Centurion (see edit history)

[Guest srnad8]

Well thank E for the kind words. Funny how I grew up with the 60's Buicks and eventually at the ripe old age of 10 working on them and many others at my families garage in Southington, CT., but ended up gravitating to 40-50's Buicks. I think it was due to being in the back seat, car hunting with my Dad and those dash board lights glowing! Most dad's took their kids fishing, mine took me looking at cars. Anyway I may take you up on your kind offer; not sure which is the lesser of 2 evil's with regards to drive, Marysville or Auburn, but I'm leaning towards Auburn and Puget Sound Chapter. I recently met some fine folks at their booth at the Annual local swap meet at the Kitsap Fairgrounds, and they are the ones responsible for getting the ball rolling in the first place. First business will be to find my car!

Dan Bremerton/Seabeck, WA.

[Aaron65]

I grew up with the cars of the 80s and early 90s...my family had an '83 LeSabre Limited coupe, and my grandpa had a '77 LeSabre Custom coupe, but I never was much into them. Living near Sloan Museum in Flint, MI, however, I remember the smell of late 40s/early 50s Buicks. I don't know if it was the old interiors or the engines or what, but I never forgot it, and I was subconsciously hooked...now look what I drive! It smells just like I remember.

[Guest srnad8]

Oh yeah, how could I forget that smell of the old cars. Unfortunately it's not as common her in the Pacific NW--you get a moldy smell more often

Dan

[Smartin]

I remember my Dad owning a white 85 Riviera. It growled once in a while (the air compressor would kick on randomly). After that, he bought a new 89 LeSabre 4 door. That was the last Buick he bought.

I was never into Buicks when I was growing up, but was a big fan of the 71-72 Cutlass. My neighbor had several of them, and I was up at his house all the time watching/helping him restore them. When I turned 16, he offered one of them (a 72 Cutlass convertible, triple black) for $4000. Our family couldn't afford it, so I kept looking. One of my friends had inherited a 71 LeSabre 4 door sedan from his grandmother, and when I saw it for the first time, I was hooked. I begged my Dad to buy it so I didn't have to borrow his car all the time! He borrowed the money from our grandmother and the rest is history. I've had five 71's, a 73, a 66, and a 58. I'm sure there will be more....

On another note, when my grandmother passed away in 2006, I was going through photos in her house and found several of them that involved the family car...ALL BUICKS! Everything from 38 through 72. Now I know why Buick is in my blood!

[Guest Richard D]

We were a Buick Family, my first memories are of a 1957 Century with A/C then a 1960 Invicta wagon, a 65 Sport wagon with the vista roof and the last car my gradfather bought was a 71 Estate Wagon, he knew this would be his last car and ordered it with every option on the order sheet. My Dad was a Caddy man, I remember a mid fiftes Buick Riveria then a 1960 Cadillac (big fins) Then a 65 Cadillac, 69 convertible caddy, 71 and then I had my first car, a Rambler Marlin and did not pay much attention to any other family cars. When I turned 17 in 1971 I received my choice of the new subcompact cars, Vega, Pinto, Gremlin, Plymouth Cricket. I liked the Vega but did not like the non sleeved cylinders and that some of them had rust bubbles on the C pillar on the dealers lot. Had no intrest in the Pinto, I looked at the Cricket and that was my choice. I should have picked the Gremlin. Put up with the Cricket for two years then traded it for a 70 Buick Skylark. I have been through my mid life sports car phase (Acura NSX) and now am in the cars from my youth phase. I have a 71 Skylark Covertible with 17,600 miles as a weekend car and a 1990 Buick Reatta as my daily Driver. I am looking for a non molested stock Gremlin with auto, power steering, A/C, power brakes would be nice. Is there any cure for me?:confused:

Richard

Sorry for the rant.

[NTX5467]

From what I came to realize (about 25 years ago), if your family didn't own a Buick, there was SOMEBODY in your circle of friends or relatives that had Buicks. Whether it have been an aunt or uncle, a neighbor, a school car pool parent, a school teacher, a banker, or some other person you knew of. Many of these people were loyal to Buicks and what it said about them to be a Buick owner (i.e., successful, upwardly mobile in life--or aspiring to be, "wealthy" but not "Cadillac ostentatious" oriented, vehicle style-conscious).

Back then, each GM division had their own respective engineers who designed/built the vehicles in the tradition of the GM division they worked for, so each vehicle brand had their own distinctions in things other than in just styling. It has been noted that such wide market coverages is what gave GM its "power" back then. Nothing magical about the orientation that the more market demographics you can cover with your corporation's products, the MORE potential to sell said products to more buyers and, therefore, build industry dominance.

Enjoy!

NTX5467

[Gene Brink]

Born in '47. Parents had a '47 they bought in '49 (replaced a Studebaker my dad got after coming home from WWII). No real memories of it. Can remember thd day in Sept '51 when my dad took off from Milan, ohio to pick up a new '52 Super 4 door in Flint. Drove up to my grandparents' house in late afternoon honking the horn. Broke the car in returning to Los Angeles and had the car for 160k+ miles and junked it in 1965. Second was a '54 Super which I inherited from my folks in 1965 when my mom picked up a '64 Skylark. (Next up was a '59 Caddy they got in the summer of '65 - many memories and one of two non-Buick my folks have ever owned.) That makes me 18 and grown up (or so I thought at the time) but my parents continued the "good example" by buying a new '66 LeSabre, used '75 Skylark, used '67 Wildcat (love it - fast and a sleeper), used '82 Regal, new '91 Le Sabre and new '01 LeSabre (which just passed 140k and they are talking about replacing with another car which I'd bet will be a Buick) over the next few decades .

In addition to my folks driving mostly Buicks I've also owned a '54 Century, '55 Century, '66 Skylark, '68 Sportswagon and a current driver a '93 Park Av.

[Thriller]

I didn't grow up with Buicks :eek:

That being said, after dealing with a Javelin AMX in university, I found Ellie and the rest, as they say, is history. There is something about Buicks that attracts me, some years / models more than others.

Jake - there was a really nice '76 Riv west of here. I saw it a number of years back when I went with Ewing to check out '58 parts cars. That was an interesting trip.

srnad8 - are you looking for something you can jump in and drive, or interested in a project? I have a '56 Special sedan that I'm trying to get rid of (out of space and lowest on totem pole). I also have a '52 Roadmaster, but The Boss has thus far not agreed to let me sell it.

I wouldn't mind having a Gremlin either, particularly a Gremlin X. AMC made a lot of neat cars. You don't have to like the style of all of them to admit that they at least did some designing outside the box.

My current low level desire is for something a bit newer, preferably with the 3.8, that I can use as a summer driver. The truck is a bit of a beast in the city and I wouldn't mind getting some better fuel economy, particularly when I'm not hauling nor towing.

Today I was working on winterizing, so I fired up Buicks from the 50s, 60s, and '70s. The representative of the '40s was pretty much done back when I moved it out to the country previously. Now it is time to grab a brew or pour a glass of wine and settle in to watch the Grey Cup. Go 'Riders!

[Guest Straight eight]

MY first experience with a new car that I remember was a 46 Verde Green Super 4 door. From the first sound of that first gear starting up, it was Buick love. When the family 1937 Packard let us down it was a brand new 48 Roadmaster with Dyna Flow that took it's place. It must have been an early production, as the script on the front fender read Roadmaster, not Dyna Flow.

[mp65riv]

My first Buick experience was with the 57 Roadmaster 75 in which I came home from the hospital. After that came the 61 Electra 225, 65 Sportwagon (vista roof), 60 Electra 225 flat-top, and 65 Riviera (my first car). My Dad came from a Buick family, with his first car being a 41 Special, followed much later by 48 and 52 Roadmasters (before the 57 Roadmaster 75). His brother had a 59 LeSabre and a 60 Invicta wagon, and his father had a variety of pre 1950 Buicks, a 52 Super Riviera and numerous 55 Specials (some for parts, others for driving), a 66 Electra 225 (worn out when he got it), and a 69 Electra 225 (very nice).

I rebuilt the engine and freshened the paint on my 65 Riv, and got several years of enjoyment out of it. My next car, a 74 Opel Manta Luxus, was sold by Buick but was very different from the Buicks of the era. I made several cross-country runs in the little Opel. I later owned a 97 Riviera. I currently have a 67 Riviera, a 61 Electra 225 (unfortunately not the one I grew up in), and my trusty 74 Manta Luxus.

[keiser31]

There was never a Buick in our family being as my dad worked for Chrysler Corporation, but there is a Buick tidbit....my dad worked with David Dunbar Buick's grandson, David Buick at Chrysler!