Keeping an 86-88 Riv on the Road

[CTX-SLPR]

Howdy Folks,

 

I've always liked the smaller 86-88 Rivieras a bit more than the 89-93's, especially the 88's with the aero nose but as we all know they were not popular to begin with which makes even fewer of them left today.  However I'm still interested in picking one up as a daily commuter for my relatively short commute when the weather is foul or I'm in a hurry and my son is getting to the age where he has the concentration and patience to start to learn how to work on a car with the idea we could get something he'll invest in now at least timewise before he'd take it over when he's 16.  He's like Dad and the idea of driving a Riviera to school he thinks is pretty cool.

 

What does it take to keep one of these cars on the road?  James Brothers has kept his 87 running for 350k miles now with a pretty good maintenance history with his only major complaint being the touch screen being cumbersome but amazingly his is still working.  It seems like if you got one that's been well maintained, it's not bad car especially if you want something that's simple enough to work on for an early teenager without going too far back to lose things like three point belts, crash structures, and since I live in CA; smog compliance (carbs are almost impossible to keep in compliance).  Rock Auto still shows most of the parts available other than that dreaded screen.

 

Thanks

[DAVES89]

If you buy one I would advise you to hang out on the Reatta forum. We have dealt with pretty much all the issues you will have.

Edited September 19, 2021 by DAVES89 (see edit history)