Best search engines for our Buick Riviera

[rodneybeauchamp]

Hi all, 

As you may be aware I am searching for a low mileage 1998 or 1999 Buick Riviera.

 

What are the better search engines or forums that I should be using to locate my next Riviera?
 

What do forum members use for Nationwide searches?

 

The ones that come up often produce the same result or ones that have been sold or cars that don’t even fit my search criteria.

 

Am am located in Australia so not sure how that affects my results.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀

[Wayne R]

Hello  Rodney, --may be a good idea to contact, Australian  Government,

Department of Infrastructure, transport,,Regional and communications, 

then  your state  govt,  re  registration.

This is  for left hand drive  cars.----the newest car i have ever  imported  was a 1984  Porsche    911 Carrara.

about  seven years ago---no problems,    but  fot a Riv  1998-1999   may be a problem,

Has always  had to be  thirty years old,  but may  be ok   for a 1998   Riv  that being  25 years old.

Regards   Wayne.

[60FlatTop]

My favorite cars are in the 15 to 20 year old range. When browsing I find quite a few interesting cars on https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale

Their search works very well.

 

I recently bought an 18 year old Cadillac from an ad on Facebook Marketplace. Almost two years ago I bought a 16 year old Chevy Avalanche through a Craigslist ad. Those can be found through Search Tempest. https://www.searchtempest.com/

 

I try to keep my search to areas surrounding large wealthy cities with good weather. Being east coast I like Virginia and Maryland areas. Especially for the later model cars, places where people can afford maintenance is key. Mileage has not meant much to me in recent years.

 

Southern California has a lot of really sun cooked cars. I shopped around the Los Angles area and found little that interested me. Northern inland west coast appears OK. A friend has bought three cars from there and I bought an old Jaguar in Federal Way. Still, the extra money for the Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina car may be worth the extra transportation.

 

The bad part about finding a car it that the search ends. Keeping the budget in the $10,000 range and a reasonable balance between buying and selling seems to work out to getting the sickness every 2 years for me. Happy Hunting!

 

Oh, the edit. I have bought a lot of cars and found the impulse buys were most rewarding. The ones I intellectualized on too much never stuck around. Like "sittin' on the corner watching all the girls walk by"

Edited March 17, 2023 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[rodneybeauchamp]

4 hours ago, Wayne R said:

Hello  Rodney, --may be a good idea to contact, Australian  Government,

Department of Infrastructure, transport,,Regional and communications, 

then  your state  govt,  re  registration.

This is  for left hand drive  cars.----the newest car i have ever  imported  was a 1984  Porsche    911 Carrara.

about  seven years ago---no problems,    but  fot a Riv  1998-1999   may be a problem,

Has always  had to be  thirty years old,  but may  be ok   for a 1998   Riv  that being  25 years old.

Regards   Wayne.

Hi Wayne, as of last year, our State Government changed the ruling to 25 years for LHD. Hence the search.

Rodney

[XframeFX]

Rodney,

 

Yes, I have noticed you reaching out to us on your search. I am in "Parts Search Mode". However, many of my contacts have sent Kijiji links to me over years. They did so because of some incredible finds. A pyramid effect as I would then send the link to others, "Someone Buy This Car!" There' would even be talk of going halves and flipping some of these finds. I wasn't interested. Wanted it all to myself!

 

As usual,. when knee deep in a project, deals come and go. My other half would go ballistic if I proceeded without "getting rid of the current project" first.

 

My son is addicted to kijiji, Bat, Hemming and others. Maybe you should hire him, LOL.

 

Kijij is Canada's Craigs List (and Gumtree in the UK). FYI, You don't want a specimen from the east unless it has an original Snowbird Owner - rust.

https://www.kijiji.ca/b-cars-trucks/canada/buick/c174l0a54

 

I'll keep-a-lookout, Good Luck!

[jj5794]

What do you consider to be low mileage please?

 

Jim Vesely

ROA # 7437

BCA # 39477

[EmTee]

6 hours ago, 60FlatTop said:

The bad part about finding a car it that the search ends. Keeping the budget in the $10,000 range and a reasonable balance between buying and selling seems to work out to getting the sickness every 2 years for me.

I like the sound of that plan! 

[Craig Balzer]

I assume you are prepared to pay for shipping -- likely from the US.

I use searchtempest/com for quite a few of my searches.

It searches all the listings in the major cities in all the zones of CraigsList -in the US, Canada and Mexico..

It also searches Facebook's MarketPlace.

It also searches eBay

 

A quick search found two possible candidates:

 

https://pennstate.craigslist.org/search/cta?auto_make_model=Riviera&bundleDuplicates=1&hints=makemodel&max_auto_year=1999&min_auto_year=1998&nearbyArea=166&nearbyArea=167&nearbyArea=17&nearbyArea=275&nearbyArea=276&nearbyArea=278&nearbyArea=279&nearbyArea=33&nearbyArea=355&nearbyArea=356&nearbyArea=357&nearbyArea=463&nearbyArea=705&nearbyArea=706&query=buick riviera Buick&searchNearby=2&sort=date#search=1~gallery~0~0

 

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/a58138e2-9c1b-4a2a-a40f-b107b54f3b2e/?aff=atempest&CMP=atempest&utm_source=AutoTempest&utm_medium=TRP&utm_campaign=atempest

This has 55,000 miles

 

 

Edited March 17, 2023 by Craig Balzer (see edit history)

[RivNut]

Have you looked in the classifieds of the Riview?  In the most recent issue, there were 11 9th generation Rivieras listed for sale.

Edited March 18, 2023 by RivNut (see edit history)

[Wayne R]

Thanks Rodney-------take a look at this----PM  sent.

[NC1968Riviera]

14 hours ago, 60FlatTop said:

I recently bought an 18 year old Cadillac from an ad on Facebook Marketplace. Almost two years ago I bought a 16 year old Chevy Avalanche through a Craigslist ad. Those can be found through Search Tempest. https://www.searchtempest.com/

I often use searchtempest.com to do wide range searches of Craigslist listings.

[rodneybeauchamp]

13 hours ago, XframeFX said:

Rodney,

 

Yes, I have noticed you reaching out to us on your search. I am in "Parts Search Mode". However, many of my contacts have sent Kijiji links to me over years. They did so because of some incredible finds. A pyramid effect as I would then send the link to others, "Someone Buy This Car!" There' would even be talk of going halves and flipping some of these finds. I wasn't interested. Wanted it all to myself!

 

As usual,. when knee deep in a project, deals come and go. My other half would go ballistic if I proceeded without "getting rid of the current project" first.

 

My son is addicted to kijiji, Bat, Hemming and others. Maybe you should hire him, LOL.

 

Kijij is Canada's Craigs List (and Gumtree in the UK). FYI, You don't want a specimen from the east unless it has an original Snowbird Owner - rust.

https://www.kijiji.ca/b-cars-trucks/canada/buick/c174l0a54

 

I'll keep-a-lookout, Good Luck!

Thanks John,

often the younger ones have the knack and the speed to hunt! Happy to look at anything that he comes up with. And am aware of the rust issues, hopefully low mileage well cared for cars don’t have this.

 

Have seen a few where the underneath was pristine, one a ‘95 and the other a ‘98 but with accident history and still some issues, so I passed.

 

many thanks for your interest,

Rodney 😀😀😀😀

[rodneybeauchamp]

10 hours ago, Craig Balzer said:

I assume you are prepared to pay for shipping -- likely from the US.

I use searchtempest/com for quite a few of my searches.

It searches all the listings in the major cities in all the zones of CraigsList -in the US, Canada and Mexico..

It also searches Facebook's MarketPlace.

It also searches eBay

 

A quick search found two possible candidates:

 

https://pennstate.craigslist.org/search/cta?auto_make_model=Riviera&bundleDuplicates=1&hints=makemodel&max_auto_year=1999&min_auto_year=1998&nearbyArea=166&nearbyArea=167&nearbyArea=17&nearbyArea=275&nearbyArea=276&nearbyArea=278&nearbyArea=279&nearbyArea=33&nearbyArea=355&nearbyArea=356&nearbyArea=357&nearbyArea=463&nearbyArea=705&nearbyArea=706&query=buick riviera Buick&searchNearby=2&sort=date#search=1~gallery~0~0

 

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/a58138e2-9c1b-4a2a-a40f-b107b54f3b2e/?aff=atempest&CMP=atempest&utm_source=AutoTempest&utm_medium=TRP&utm_campaign=atempest

This has 55,000 miles

 

 

Hi Craig,

 

Yes, shipping is no issue, just costly. Have imported two Buicks previously so am prepared. This is possibly the last one I will buy so it needs to be the right one.

 

 

thank you for that. I had found these two, the first using Searchtempest for the first time! The first has 128,000miles which is far more than I want (50k or less or pristine if more than that)

 

The Silver Arrow is missing the rear window glass and LHF fender wheel arch moulding which seems strange. I did contact them a week ago when it came up asking for better photos as most were taken at night but the silence is deafening 😀😀😀😀😀

Edited March 18, 2023 by rodneybeauchamp
Extra information (see edit history)

[rodneybeauchamp]

9 hours ago, RivNut said:

Have you looked in the classifieds of the Riview?  In the most recent issue, there were 11 9th generation Rivieras listed for sale.

Hi Ed,

yes I have and reached out to a guy that had one for sale. It was almost right except for some poor attempt at touch up on the bumper which was highlighted. However when I asked for photos of underneath I was just given words saying it was good.
 

Given the owner had a hoist, I didn’t feel it was an imposition but still yet to see the photos. Also for a car having travelled only 55k it seemed a bit knocked about and feel I can do better.

 

And wanting specifically ‘98 or ‘99 which narrows the field. BTW our Riview arrives here a month or so after you receive it.

cheers

Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀

[60FlatTop]

On 3/18/2023 at 5:10 AM, rodneybeauchamp said:

The first has 128,000miles which is far more than I want (50k or less or pristine if more than that)

On a 25 year old car, 300 months, an average of 5,000 miles a year means a lot of sitting around idle. One driven lightly at 10,000 miles per year for the first 10 years and the 28K rolled up during the last 15 years would show a lot of dead storage. I am not a big fan of low mileage cars and not a fan of worn out cars. Both bring their own problems. Benevolent abuse from sitting idle can be a whole topic in itself. I just think of how many dry starts the engine gets and the extended time between routine maintenance those extreme low mileage cars get.  That ideal under 50K car would have averaged under 150 miles per month.

 

I can imagine unexpected mechanical repairs needed to a low mileage car that would have already been done to the moderately used car. I wouldn't exclude either but I would favor the slightly less than pristine higher mileage car.

 

I have posted my "Questions for buyers" list before on here. There is a lot of insight to be gained. Here it is again.

 

Buyer’s Questions

 

1. Do you own the car and have legal proof?

2 Is the paperwork clear and free of liens, unbranded?

3. How long have you owned the car?

4. Is the car currently licensed and insured?

5. Can it be driven on the road, legally, today?

6 Is the car in storage? If so, how long has it been stored?

7. How many miles did you drive it during the last 12 months?

8. Have you done any major work on the car since you have owned it?

9. What and when was the most recent service or repair?

10. If you decided to keep the car what improvement would you consider important?

11. Would you feel comfortable handing your wife the keys and sending her out to pick up a gallon of milk?

 

The 2005 Cadillac I bought recently has 175,000 miles on it. The seller had owned it since 2009. When asked question #10 he replied that he ywould have the right hand side pinstripe redone. That is the kind of answer I look for. I am going to reupholster the front seat bottoms. The foam has crushed down and I notice it more than he did.

 

As we get into the 1990s and newer cars we are looking at cars with a 200,000-300,000 lifespan.

Edited March 19, 2023 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[60FlatTop]

Another thought on the mileage of a late model collector car from the perspective of someone with formative mechanic learning from the 1960s.

 

There used to be an old rule of thumb when buying a truck that had plowed snow you had to figure 5 miles of normal driving for every mile of pushing snow. That took into consideration the extra effort of the engine and transmission for the strain. As we passed into this century and I began to see the increased lifespan mileage in the used car market I gave thought to the relaxed life of modern cars and somewhere read or came up by myself of the figure of .6 as my "ease of life" factor as my rule of thumb.

 

I look at a 100,000 mile car today as the equivalent of a 60,000 mile car of the 1960s and '70s. And liberally extend it to cars such as the 300,000 Lincoln Town Cars, some switched from LP gas power, to the reverse coolant flow GM cars of the 1990s that I have seen at 400,000 and being offered for sale.

 

In the majority of  cars under 30 years old you will find overdrive that drops engine speeds to at least .85. They have a digital open loop cold fuel system that is much more accurate that the best automatic choke systems. They reduce the old cylinder wall washing of lubricant and in closed loop control reduce fuel blowby into the lubrication system. The higher operating temperatures drive off vapors in the crankcase as well as help stabilize the thermodynamics of the bore areas of the lower block. Even knock detectors benefit piston life.

 

The mileage will also bring down the price. That 128,000 mile Riviera in South Carolina is only $3,000. My personal tastes in condition figure a presentable and reliable collector car should have a value and cost of about $10,000 today on the low end combining the cosmetics and mechanical. It is a pay me now, pay me later thing. There is room to budget an engine rebuild or other major repair if that is the make and model you want.

 

I wanted one of these Cadillacs like I bought. It has a Northstar V8, an engine without a stellar reputation, but being an '05 it has the final engine enhancement to demonstrate continued reliability. I have room to take the risk of an engine rebuild at an estimate of $4,000. Counting the purchase, appropriate tax, and shipping from near the Pennsylvania/Maryland border I am into it for just under $5,000 with only the unforeseen that could jack it to $10,000. For this particular car I would do it understanding that I do live in the US and some things are easier for me.

 

But it is my hobby enjoyed with discretionary money. Funny thing is that this is the same age and type of car I have been buying as a hobby car all my life. I have never had an old car. They just got old along with me.

[Craig Balzer]

7 hours ago, 60FlatTop said:

I have posted my "Questions for buyers" list before on here.

Kudos - That list of questions would unearth a lot of info about a pending sale. Two of my favorite questions are:

 

1. WHY are you selling the car?
2. If you were keeping the car, what would be your next two repairs/upgrades?