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27k mile original 1966 Riviera - $22,500


cjp69

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Na not correct but that's a minor flaw easily corrected should new owner want to. I've never seen that pattern either. Kinda neat looking.  Also incorrect is that the vinyl was run down the A pillars. In 66 it stopped at top of A pillar.  For 66 enthusiasts Notice this car has a one piece trunk lining on the floor. Not pieced around the tire cover. At some point the floor liner went to 3 piece arrangement. Left side right side and board tire cover

Edited by JZRIV (see edit history)
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Sweet ride. Insane low miles. I would even keep the vinyl that I am guessing was put on by the dealership; makes it have uniqueness. I would still want some documentation of the miles. The 67 I had with low miles came with a booklet that the original owner kept on mileage/refueling and oil change stickers still on vehicle. This car looks to have a believable story, yet always nice to have the provenance; with the high price tag and all. I often wonder why Rivieras are so undervalued (IMO) by the current market, but that is another story.

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Look at the vented valance under the rear window. It will be smooth if the car was originally not equipped with a vinyl top.  If it did come with a vinyl top, that valance will be steel stamped to resemble the vinyl grain and painted to match. If I were a prospective buyers this would raise a red flag for me.

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I can't be certain from the pictures provided, but it looks to me like the vent panel between the rear glass and deck lid is smooth black (painted).  That would be consistent with a dealer or owner-installed vinyl roof on a car w/o from the factory.  If the seller is second owner and he doesn't take credit, then it would have been done very shortly after the original owner took delivery...

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22 hours ago, JZRIV said:

Na not correct but that's a minor flaw easily corrected should new owner want to. I've never seen that pattern either. Kinda neat looking.  Also incorrect is that the vinyl was run down the A pillars. In 66 it stopped at top of A pillar.

Here's another anomaly from the same '66 I pictured above with the consolette.  Note this is a factory original top which covers the A-pillars.

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53 minutes ago, Rivman said:

Not the '67 that is for sale, but pics of one that Gabriel owned in the past.

Oops.  I still think a prospective buyers should question the reasoning for not using Levant grained vinyl on the top.  I can't see any pictures of the valance that would confirm one way or the other if it's stamped or flat. 

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9 hours ago, EmTee said:

Here's another anomaly from the same '66 I pictured above with the consolette.  Note this is a factory original top which covers the A-pillars.

11169588.JPG

I am not an expert re the `66 cars but it is my understanding the factory installed vinyl tops came in two varieties. Some do not have vinyl on the A pillars and some do. I believe this is an early/late anomaly.

  Tom Mooney

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                  My car was low mileage when I bought it and the engine compartment looked just like that.

You can tell by looking at the driver's seat that it is a low mileage car......no perceptible wear on the original 

upholstery.

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I'm no expert, but the pictures seem to tell a different story than what I consider 27,000 miles should show.

 

Engine compartment seems rough and dirty, trunk mat seems very stained, door entry sills looked knocked about, carpet and rubber toe pad seem worn, wear around dashboard and key entry, scratches on door inside bright work ........

 

Dunno, but things like this don't add up to just 27,000 original miles for a Riviera.

 

and lastly, I thought the asking dollars perhaps too little for such a genuine car.

 

I am only going by the photos, and I am not an expert by any means, however only by seeing it in the "flesh" can you really be sure it is what it is, in my opinion.

 

Hope for the buyers sake, it is as described.

 

CAVEAT EMPTOR

 

Rodney

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I saw a documented 11,000 mi 67 that looked way worse than this car. Other documented under 50k mi cars with engine bays that look no better than this one. I see nothing in pics that indicates a 127k mi and to me no convincing evidence its not 27k. It could be 40k maybe 50k. Look at the spring ring battery cable. Don't know for certain but it sure could be original. Extremely rare to see an original spring ring cable. They corroded away even on cars that sat idle because the old batteries leaked so much acid and out gassing.

It is a common misconception to think a low mileage 50 year old car should look neat and tidy in all areas. I used to believe this until I saw many examples first hand. How a car is stored and maintained has a large impact on cosmetic condition over decades.

Edited by JZRIV (see edit history)
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It could very well be patina depending on where and how the car was stored.  When I discovered my 69 back in the year 2000 with 6,700 miles it certainly had patina after 25+ years of storage but for those of you that know the car it cleaned up really well and it passed scrutiny with the BCA judges and took 2 first place awards at ROA meets.  All it took was a good detailing to bring it back.

Edited by Pat Curran
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From San Fran' and up the whole West coast has the best cars in my opinion. No heat to degrade plastics, no salt to corrode. If not on beach local.

I noticed the left side of the rear bumper appears pushed forward. Ouch

Should polish right out :D

 

Port Arthur to her owners house = 2000 miles.

I'd bet $ this is a 127K car at least. A good bit of corrosion under the hood for a garaged Northern Cali' car.

Bent bumper+corrosion+wrong top are big questions.

 

Love it though!

 

 

 

 

Edited by PWB (see edit history)
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I'll continue contributing as we are having fun "speculating". 

From experience I know the vinyl interiors on 66-67s can wear quite well if kept out of the sun. I have seen some 100k+ mi cars still look very nice with no tears or separation if they were driven by gentle, careful minded, lightweight drivers though even on those there is evidence of somewhat flattened foam pleats.......the driver seat in this car is in impeccable condition and the steering wheel appears to be crack free. Both conditions favor low mileage. Also the tenths digit on speedo with white background looks nice and white. Often those that have rolled over 100k have a brown hue possibly from the wheels rolling over so many times creating miniscule particles of dust. Again speculation.

If anyone goes and looks at this car let me know. I have a usually (but not always) sure method of determining a 100k differential between 27k vs 127k on 66-67s.

 

While CA does have conducive climate to preserve cars, what they do have is lots of sun (UV) and low humidity which is brutal on soft parts.

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Washington State is my favorite car world. You see 30 year old cars never garaged and are like new. Its simply amazing.

And the old cars sell for much less. Because they are so common.

Good thing I don't live there - I'd be flat broke with cars. :mellow:

 

 

 

 

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A few of years ago, we took a vacation in the Great Lakes area.  We spent a number days up in Door County, WI.  There are lots of summer homes up there for the uber-rich from Chicago, Detroit, and other metro areas.  Some of the cars that those folks leave up there for their use are in really good condition. It looks as if they were bought new, driven for a year, then relegated to summer use only. They're garaged every night and never driven in the winter.  And we're not talking about your typical Ford or Chevy grocery getter. All the ones I saw were very high and end well optioned.  No favorites. All of the manufactures were represented.  Lincolns, Cadillac, Imperials, etc.  What you didn't see were any imports.  That was 20+ years ago so things have probably changed by now. But 20 years ago the cars I saw were 20 - 30 years old then.  Almost like a competition among the owner's as to who had oldest / nicest vehicle on the peninsula.

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There is no way this is a 27,000 mile car.  Look at the filthy oily engine, the blue goop on the thermostat housing where the top was glued on, the wear on the seat belts and carpeting, the replacement vinyl top, the scuffed up dash, the corroded interior trim, the worn threshold plates, the rust over the rear tail lights, the worn air cleaner from being taken off so many times, the replacement poorly cut pcv hose,  and the filthy rear trunk liner.  I formed the high mile opinion even before I saw the high mileage oil change sticker!

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7 minutes ago, dr914 said:

There is no way this is a 27,000 mile car.  Look at the filthy oily engine, the blue goop on the thermostat housing where the top was glued on, the wear on the seat belts and carpeting, the replacement vinyl top, the scuffed up dash, the corroded interior trim, the worn threshold plates, the rust over the rear tail lights, the worn air cleaner from being taken off so many times, the replacement poorly cut pcv hose,  and the filthy rear trunk liner.  I formed the high mile opinion even before I saw the high mileage oil change sticker!

I was advised that I was incorrect on the oil change sitckers; they're from a different car which happened to get some pictures posted on this thread.  Otherwise, I'm with you.

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  • 4 months later...
On ‎1‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 7:45 AM, PWB said:

Washington State is my favorite car world. You see 30 year old cars never garaged and are like new. Its simply amazing.

And the old cars sell for much less. Because they are so common.

Good thing I don't live there - I'd be flat broke with cars. :mellow:

 

 

 

 

I resemble that remark, lol!  Although of the 8 Buicks I currently own, only two were purchased in WA State. 

Edited by cjp69 (see edit history)
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