95-99 Rivs, opinions?

[Guest my3buicks]

I had a mindset I wanted an 89 Riv (last year for the CRT but first year for the improved more Riv look)for a nice driver, plus I like the size for driving into the city and parking etc. Now I am starting to think maybe a 95-99 Riv would make a better driver, I imagine they are more dependable. ride better, tighter, and quieter although substantially larger. The two are like comparing apples and oranges, about the only similar is the engine to some degree and the name Buick Riviera. Thoughts, opinions??

Edited January 21, 2015 by my3buicks (see edit history)

[John]

I like that the 89 is reminiscent of the 1st generation design--otherwise nothing there to excite me.

Personally I would look for a 99. A Silver Arrow would be nice if the cost of admission was reasonable. Supercharged engine adds some excitement, and it being the last year of production adds to the appeal.

In the end it all comes down to your preference!

[JZRIV]

I know there are much more qualified folks who will answer but here is my $.02. I looked seriously at buying a last gen car on a couple occasions but never pulled the trigger.

Late 80s and early 90s Rivs still offer the most car for the money and pampered low mile examples seem plentiful. I know several folks who have driven and continue to drive these cars many miles and have little maintenance issues.

Last gen cars are as expected more advanced and are still plentiful to buy but pampered cars are still bringing decent money for their age. If looking for a car in a specific year, color, condition, lower miles, it could take awhile though. If I was buying I'd go with a 98 or 99 as refinements continued each year from 1995. 1956 99s were made so always thought it would be neat to own one if going for a last gen car. While they only made 200 Silver Arrows they are fairly easy to find right now. I think there were 4 for sale just not too long ago in the ROA Riview magazine. There is one on CL close to you.

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/4804570447.html they had pics up of the car back in Dec but apparently when they relisted the pics weren't included.

If you haven't already, check out http://rivperformance.editboard.com/ where they eat sleep and breath last gen Rivs

Edited January 21, 2015 by JZRIV (see edit history)

[RivNut]

I own a '90 and a '93. Not the performance that I got with my '95, (since sold) but decent enough. I like the gas mileage and the ride of the "baby Rivs." I chose to stay away from the CRT versions of the car knowing that they could be troublesome. I've driven my '93 to two ROA meets and totally enjoyed the experience. I haven't owned the '90 long enough to have driven it any distance but there's a chance that I'll be taking it to St. Charles in June for the ROA meet; (if my '64 isn't finished.) For me personally, I like the comfort of the 90 & 93's seats, and the ingress and egress from those two cars was easier than it was in my '95.

I'd say it depends on what you're looking for. I do know that supercharger replacement is costly if needed. And I can find parts for the '90 and '93 easier than for the '95. '97's have a unique to '97 front suspension. I've already heard of guys having to completely swap over an entire '98 front end to their '97 just because they can't find small parts.

Ed

[Guest my3buicks]

Good information, sounds like ivwi steer clear of a 97. I like the touchscreen, I enjoyed it in my first Reatta, once repaired for a couple hundred bucks they are good to go. I also prefer the dash & gauges on the 89 to the newer dumbed down 90s. I do like the thought of having an airbag though and of course that would be 90 and up. I saw the Silver Arrow but couldn't in good conscience drive it as a driver, they need to be saved. I will probably stay away from a supercharged one just to keep maintenance costs down, unless I found one that has had a recent new one added. This is a tough decision as there are things I like about both generations.

[JZRIV]

Good information, sounds like ivwi steer clear of a 97. I like the touchscreen, I enjoyed it in my first Reatta, once repaired for a couple hundred bucks they are good to go. I also prefer the dash & gauges on the 89 to the newer dumbed down 90s. I do like the thought of having an airbag though and of course that would be 90 and up. I saw the Silver Arrow but couldn't in good conscience drive it as a driver, they need to be saved. I will probably stay away from a supercharged one just to keep maintenance costs down, unless I found one that has had a recent new one added. This is a tough decision as there are things I like about both generations.

Good point on the Silver Arrow. Not a good choice for a driver. Aesthetically I like the last gen but from a more practical standpoint of a driver, the baby Rivs as Ed called them has a lot going for it and can't be ignored for low cost, reliable, and comfortable transportation. If I was buying strictly for transportation, I'd have to go for a baby Riv. I think all 98 and 99s were supercharged.

[Carbuff2]

I have a '98 very low mileage 50k original, supercharged ....... and it is great. Power is good, gas mileage is great, comfortable

, great sounding stereo, all the options ........ if you buy one you will love it. One of the best highway cars I have owned. Trouble Free absolutely. Not a collector car yet as it appears to be new due to its advanced styling. That's my two bits!! Paul

[Rivman]

I have had some of each generation, and still have both now. I would agree with Jason about the ’98 & ’99 being the most desirable of the last generation, they worked all, or most anyway, of the kinks out and then quit building them. And yes, the supercharger was standard not optional for ’98 and ’99.

Of the 7th generation I have a ’93 now, it has 64K miles so it has been spared a lot of miles so far. But, I did own a ’92 that I bought at 90K miles and drove it up to 216K miles. It still got 28.5 MPG and ran great toward the end but I just knew because of its condition it wasn’t worth keeping and fixing up. I ended up giving it to a fellow ROA member that needed it for parts, he ended up dismantling it completely and disposing of the shell. That one never had any engine or transaxle work and still drove fine at that mileage. As far as dependability these Rivs are very dependable, as much time as mine sit my ’93 will start and drive fine even after a long period of time.

I have three of the last generation, a ’95 with 60K miles, a ’99 Silver Arrow with 74K miles, and another Silver Arrow with right at 270K miles. Obviously I like them.

My ’95 is Black, I think it is a great color for this body style! It does have its problems and with the more sophisticated electronics than the ’93 they can be harder to diagnose. Obviously it doesn’t get driven much, not sure what I am saving it for as many of them there were built, I just am because I like its look I guess?

I keep the mileage down on the first Silver Arrow for obvious reasons. Maybe one day they will have some sort of collectable value, who knows?

The high mileage Silver Arrow is my daily driver, I bought it with 180K miles just to keep it from ending up in a junk yard, and then figured I might as well drive it since no matter what else I had it is nothing more than a high mile, fully loaded, 1999 Riviera. It can always be fixed up and look nice but will never have anywhere the value of my other one.

I will have to disagree with Ed about driving them though. True, I had gotten right at 30 MPG from my ’92 at times but I have also gotten above 28 MPG from the last generation. And, I feel the comfort level in the ’95-’99 is a little higher than the “baby Riv” instead of the other way around. Staying away from the ’97 would be correct too, with their one off suspension. As far as the supercharger goes, they say the supercharger itself is indestructible, the problem is there is a plastic coupler between the snout and gear that goes bad, but that piece can be had for around $30, and it’s good for another 100K miles? Mine is rattling some right now I just haven’t taken the time to replace it yet. Another concern though is the transaxle, they will generally last between 120-150K miles and need rebuilt and it is a fairly costly rebuild.

I do like both generations but I think the 8th generation does have an advantage over the 7th generation as far as drivability. There are however others that agree with Ed on this subject, one member that had a Silver Arrow and the 7th generation Riv, he sold the ’99 because he felt it did not ride as well! As always there is more than one opinion to be had, and as said before, “In the end it all comes down to your preference!”

[Pat Curran]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]291882[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]291879[/ATTACH]I had a mindset I wanted an 89 Riv (last year for the CRT but first year for the improved more Riv look)for a nice driver, plus I like the size for driving into the city and parking etc. Now I am starting to think maybe a 95-99 Riv would make a better driver, I imagine they are more dependable. ride better, tighter, and quieter although substantially larger. The two are like comparing apples and oranges, about the only similar is the engine to some degree and the name Buick Riviera. Thoughts, opinions??

My 97 (a past Riview cover car and featured in last years calendar) is a very comfortable car and it just turned 200,000 miles with no mechanical drivetrain repairs ever. The transmissions were upgraded beginning with the 97's and as others have stated, improvements were made over each model year. The doo dads start to fail as was common for GM cars of the era. My CD player quit years ago and other electronic gremlins make themselves known. Many have reported fuel guage sending unit failure (mine included) but it can be replaced withour dropping the tank. Intake manifold gaskets will fail in time as well which is common on the 3800 gen two engine. The 3800 engine itself is bullet proof. You can pick up last generation Rivs on the cheap even with relatively low miles. If you look at a car from the snow belt, be sure to examing the sub frame mounting areas for rust out issues. They are not worth fixing and the repair was featured in a Riview not that long ago.

[Guest my3buicks]

Thanks for all the feedback - I have equal desire for both for totally different reasons - it may play out that it will just be the one that speaks to me. One that is ruled out will be a 97. LOL Your insight will give me lots to think about and look at/for.