1989 BUICK PARK AVE, 12,065 orig. miles FOR SALE

[R474121]

I just inherited my grand parents 1989 Buick Park Ave with only 12,000 miles. They were the origional owners and it sat in their carpeted garage. It is the nicest car I think I have ever seen. I dont know much about it, but it has every option on the car and it has a small V8. DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THIS CAR MIGHT BE WORTH OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO WOULD BE INTERRESTED? I live in Kansas City. Please respond or call me at 913-481-7924. (Ryan)

[Centurion]

Ryan, thank you for posting. The 1989 Park Avenues are indeed beautiful cars, and these cars have a significant following because of their comfort and long-term reliability. (I have a 1989 LeSabre Limited, which was fundamentally similar.) Few buyers regard these as collectible at this time, however.

The engine in these cars was the very reliable and efficient 3800 V-6 engine -- it was not a V-8.

I cannot hazard a guess as to the value of this car, but will certainly give some thought as to whether anyone I know would have an interest.

[Reatta Man]

Ryan,

You have certainly asked the BIG question among classic and old car owners--what is it really worth?

The answer, unfortunately, is a little hard to nail down.

What you have here, essentially, is a brand-new 17-year-old car. It is not old enough to be of serious collector interest, not a sporty or sexy model, yet it is certainly RARE because of its mileage, history and condition.

I've seen older cars like this go on ebay, often not reaching the seller's reserve. For example, there is a guy in Canada that has been trying to sell a 1983 Olds Regency 98 with about 14,000 miles in spotless condition on ebay with several listings. I think he wants about $20,000 for it, but to the best I can recall, the bidding has never gone over $10,000-12,000.

Other older cars have been offered, with the bidding going in the high five-figures. Of course, if it is a convertible, or two-door car with a well-known name, or a BIG motor, you can almost multiply that figure by a factor of 10.

Also keep in mind that totally subjective items such as color will also affect its' value. Two Park Avenues in similiar condition, with one in burgundy metallic and the other in a less popular color, such as green, will bring different prices. Cloth vs. leather interior is another example of a subjective item.

The bottom line is, your car is worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for it right now. That's not an offer, an opinion, but cash paid right now, not next week, month or year. With that in mind, I would think your car is worth somewhere between $12-15,000.

To verify this, try doing a search on ebay or Hemmings to see if you can find any other cars remotely close to yours, in the same condition and with the same low mileage. Remember, though, an asking price listed in Hemmings is NOT always what the car will bring, just the owner's hopes of what it will sell for.

If you are not afraid to spend some money to REALLY find out what it is worth, try listing it in a collector car auction known for bringing good crowds and solid prices.

Good luck!

Joe

[Reatta Man]

Here are some ads that may give you a little more guidance:

'85 Lesabre, 9K miles, $12,500:

http://adcache.collectorcartraderonline.com/10/2/2/82500122.htm

'85 Riviera, 26K miles, non-convertible, $14,500:

http://adcache.collectorcartraderonline.com/10/1/9/82268319.htm

[riv2x4]

One more bit of info to consider. The latest issue of Old Car Price Guide, June 06, shows a 89 Park Ave in #1 cond at $10,900 and #2 at $7630. This is very important because it gets real hard, not impossible, to get stated value insurance beyond these price points. I had a hard time a few years ago with a similiar, although older low mile car. Best I could get was #1 $$$ for stated value. If it can't easily be insured for more than $11,000 why pay more than that for it.

Also as has been previously stated these are not high demand collector cars even with the low miles and yes color can make a big difference. Almost any Buick 4 door from about 1960 on has a very small following. Some of the cars mentioned here have been for sale for YEARS at these prices.

Put forth a few more details and maybe we can hone in a little closer.

Larry

[Mr Buick]

Try Kelly Blue Book on line at www.kbb.com you can put in the options it has and condition and it will give you a ball park private party value. It's a good tool! If you were closer, I'd consider it! What color is it? Interior, leather? cloth? Color?

John

[Guest edchapman]

I use KBB to check car prices but not collector cars. My 8k 1987 GN which

won sr. gold in Batavia has a KBB private party value of 7580 while it is

insured for 20k. While the Park Ave is not as much as a collectors car as

a GN the KBB value may be low.

Another point for the owner is to make sure you understand he condition of

the Buick from a car person's point of view. Just because you have a 12k

car does not make it a #1 show car. Of course you know this already if you

are a car person.

[Guest Shaffer]

I agree with what everyone said. If it were my grandparents car, I personally would keep it (if I had garage space for it), just for sentimental reasons, not to mention that they are great cars. Not much collector interest because it is not that old and no where near being a new car, despite low miles. It would be hard to put a price on it. Other factors, such as options, color, etc. also come into play.

Good luck.

TS-

1973 Pontiac Grand Ville Custom 4dr hardtop sedan (455 4bbl. V8)

1969 Chevrolet Caprice 4dr hardtop sedan (396 2bbl. V8)

1985 Mercedes-Benz 380SE 4dr sedan (3.8L FI V8)

1989 Pontiac Safari 3-seat wagon (307 4bbl. V8)

1987 Ford Country Squire LX 4-seat wagon (302 FI V8)

[Guest johnpegs]

i am interested in this car could you send me some pics of inside and outside of this car my email is johnpegs@comcast.net What are you looking at getting for this car? thanks in advance John

[Guest 65gs76limited]

i am interested in this car could you send me some pics of inside and outside of this car my email is johnpegs@comcast.net What are you looking at getting for this car? thanks in advance John

John, This is a 7 year old thread.Car is either gone or has 100,000 miles on it by now.

[Barney Eaton]

This is the classic example of someone posting here and not closing......... All of us would be interested in what happened to this car. Did it sell to someone here, did he trade it in on a newer car, or is it sitting in the driveway rusting away?

These posts are like drive-by shootings...... everyone is interested in what happened but when the smoke has cleared, we know nothing.

[60FlatTop]

There also might be a chance that the owner still has it an may be coming around to realizing the actual value of the car. It is slow to sink in sometimes.

It was around 2006 when I made a reasonable offer on a black 1986 Jaguar XJ12 at a gas station in Rush, New York. I spend money like a drunken sailor (something I learned in the Navy) so the offer was fair and a 12 cylinder Jag is not an easy sell. The guy was certainly "not going to give that car away". Over the years the car went from in front with a For Sale sign into the fenced compound behind the building where I saw it last with the hood tilted kind of funny to one side. It was a sharp car with red leather.

He may still think the car is still some treasure as the lower fenders rust away and the rain etches the chrome where it drips from body seams. My guess is he didn't smarten up and I didn't either. That would have been my third V12 Jag. I don't want that car any more, but I think another XJ-S will come to roost in my garage before the fat lady is done singing.

Bernie