I used to have a 1998 Park Ave, basically the same car with a little sharper styling. Absolutely loved that car! Comfy, roomy, got almost 30mpg. It wasn’t lighting, but it wasn’t slow either. And it was super normal for them to see 300k miles with very few problems.
I got a 1999 Buick Lesabre and it's a damn great vehicle, honestly probably the second best car I had. I don't have leather or heated seats in mine sadly, but the seats I have are EXTREMELY comfortable. I've had issues here and there, but nothing too crazy. Just got it fixed today and it's running absolutely great again like it's brand new. Totally glad my dad helped me pick the car out cuz it drives great for being 25 years old.
My grandfather always had a LeSabre and would trade them out at 100k miles for a new one every two years. I remember going on road trips with him to his cottage growing up. Currently, I am in need of a second car, just a commuter and not much more and there have been TONS of these coming up for sale with people passing away, most of them have around 25k-110k miles and $3,500-10,000. Honestly, I think it is a not only a great car for someone starting out as a first car, but also for someone just needing an extra car and now is a great time to get one.
@gabesmath105 and yet you got to pay a ton more 😂 I don't mind having a 3k car on the road, not as stressful as driving something that put you in debt
Ive had 3 of these and a few other great Buicks. Current Buick is an 03 LeSabre. Had the 98(?) Park Avenue. And my favorite, a 1984 full size, rear wheel drive LeSabre I bought from the original owner with only 40,000 miles on it, in immaculate condition. Although I personally have always preferred the original BIG Lesabre's, pre front wheel drive, ALL of them including the 03 have been great vehicles. For younger adults, I can see them liking the newer 90's and 2000's, 3800 engine, front wheel drive versions. But because I'm an old fart now, I was driving back when the full sized vehicles were the norm. A fourth Buick I owned was the 1970 Buick Electra 225. Near 20 feet long, with V8 engine, (the 401 cubic inch 'nailhead') and Turbo 400 transmission pushing over 325HP to the rear wheels. And then last but not least, my 1986 Grand National I bought new from the dealer. 🙂👍👍👍 Buicks have always made a great and luxurious vehicles. While people have always loved to say, "Oh, thats just a Chevy, with fancy stuff in it, with Buick emblems slapped on it".... That was the big saying back in the day. All I can still say to that is what I said way back then. "You've obviously never owned a Buick"! One of the very few cars I ever really wanted, but didn't get, was the 1965 Buick Riviera Gran Sport. And I STILL regret it to this day! At my age now, AND the absolutely ridiculous prices they're getting for them now, it's one car I'll never get to own at this point! I had a chance in 1984 to buy one in beautiful condition, and I passed on it thinking I'd but the next one that came along, and that wasn't maroon. But it went on the back burner, I bought a Mustang fastback instead, and the opportunity didn't come back around again, until I had to much going on to be able to buy it! So, let that be a piece of advise for some young person out there! Lol When a rare, or good opportunity presents itself to purchase a good collectible, don't pass it up thinking you'll just buy the "next one". Since there may not be a "next one" or, when there is, it'll be at a time when you've got other commitments that take priority over buying another car. All that being said, I shouldnt complain, since I've owned and driven over 45 cars, many being sought after collectibles, some purchased brand new. Like my 86 Buick Grand National. (Should've never sold that one!)
My first was a 98 Oldsmobile lss 3800 series 2.. died 400xxx miles thx to a radiator. Amazing car, I learned how to drive in that thing for sure. Did things a truck couldn't
@@vincentparr3136 does the low cost of the car compensate the higher gas costs relative to a more modern affordable car such as the Toyota Corolla LE 2018?
@@evasivestable Assuming gas costs $4 a gallon and a base 2018 corolla is at its KBB value of $13300, that would mean there’s $11,100 price difference between the two cars. A 2005 (just guesstimating) Buick Lesabre gets 24 mpg combined and a 2018 corolla gets 34 mpg combined, which means gas costs 16.7 cants per mile in the Buick and 11.7 cents per mile in the Corolla. It would take 222,000 miles to equal out the costs between the two cars in terms of gas, and I doubt the person would have either for that many miles. Even if you’re in a state where gas is $6 a gallon, it would be roughly 150k miles to even out.
Ive sold many of these to parents buying their kids a first car, no matter how rich or poor they are, I would always show them the buick first and it worked damn near everytime.
My first car was a 2000 Buick Century. It was a very nice car. I only had a few minor problems due to age but no problems with the engine or transmission. It didn’t have the 3800 engine, but it did have the 3100 engine which never gave me a problem. I was a bit boaty and it wasn’t very fast, but it was very comfortable and quiet and very reliable. I miss that car.
My second car was a 1998 Pontiac bonneville SLE with the same 3.8 series 2 v6 and it was a unit. I would buy another one just to have as a back up daily, it was a beater with a heater that got me to and from where I needed to safely.
I started with a 2003 lesabre and i got rear ended at 60 mph a year later 😃😭. Now i have a buick century custom 2004, shorter body but pretty much copy and paste for a lot of things. Both of them I bought from grandmas😂
The early eighties 3.8 L Buicks had timing chain that would break but usually that was well into the 120,000 Mi range. Back then didn't have the tensioners on them like they do today plus the cars they were all in weighed 4000 lb 😂
Coolant leaks and weak timing chain plus horrendous wack transmission... definitely a horrible first car ...those engines thoo pretty reliable if yiu can work on the timing chain
The best car I've ever owned, hands down was a 2000 LeSabre. It was wrecked, but I saved the engine and transmission to put in another one, or possibly a riviera or park avenue.
My first car was a 1991 Buick LeSabre Custom. Bulletproof car. I beat the shit out of it as a 16 year old and it was eventually passed down to my brother. Then he drove it for a few years and was sold. My dad drove it for many years before that too. I actually miss it a lot!
Great car got this car and I have don't some work to it minor stuff spark plugs /wires Engine mounts radiator elbow upgrade / flush Gauge cluster alternator Oil changes Brake and rotor upgrade Rear shock air ride Battery two new sets of tires And put a nice sound system in it it has never let me down or stranded Bullet proof car /engine elegant if you don't count running out of gas most of the work is fairly simple and takes about 1-2 hours or five minutes everything is visible and easily accessible There are five things I would do to it if you have just bought one 1)rear air ride shocks go out sometimes $120 if you do work your self 2) transmission solenoid id go to a mechanic $900 3 )valve gaskets do work yourself about 1hour and $50 4) coolant elbows upgrade they come stock with plastic Ones get the doorman aluminum $14 for elbows about $80 for mechanic or free if you do it yourself And 5) new set of tires $250-$500 finance it get some credit all around good and cheap maintenance car Ps😂 I didn't do all of this in one month lol I have done these within the span of three years but I got this car from grandma it's 17 years old so it was about time for most of those fixes and most fixes on RU-vid shout-out to trq car channel
@@hakeemsd70m That’s good to know because the newer ones had bench seats but with 3.5L engine. Too bad they skimped out the seating option on the last generation one but I think the engine was the 3.6L 👎
I had a 1992 Bonneville with the 3.8 V6. It had 229,000 miles on it when my father in law wanted to buy it off of me. It was running great when he got it.
That center console option is **Exceptionally** rare. I’m a bit of a Buick nut, and having owned about 9 or 10 of these things, I’ve never had it. Out of the hundreds, maybe thousands of lesabres I’ve eyeballed over the years in parking lots and junkyards, I’ve seen 2. Including this one, 3. Always bums me out to cause it seems like an exceptionally nice one as far as center consoles go
92 century with the 3300 it’s the 3800 series 1 engine and they’re absolutely comfy nice cheap and reliable if you’re on the fence I still own my first car have had it for 3 years and bought it for only 600$ got it for a steal would highly recommend getting any Buick with the 2.5 i4 it’s going to be slow or the 3.8 or 3.8 supercharged and those aren’t so slow
It’s crazy that aside from the trucks, old American cars get rarer each year, yet you always see these things (and all the 3800 cars) cruising around with 250k miles on ‘em
I got myself a LeSabre as a budget car after my 2018 Kia Soul kicked the bucket. Best decision I ever made. This car doesn’t burn a drop of oil and it gets better gas mileage than the Kia soul did when it was brand new. Also my repair bills were cut drastically.
If my $800 Malibu doesn’t work out I’ll probably sell it and buy one of these. I’ve heard nothing but good from those engines, and 30mpg highways too. Pretty awesome
I got a 1999 Buick Regal with the 3800 V6 it’s a wonderful car I drive it daily and they are really good cars if taken care of and maintained correctly definitely would buy more of them 👍
My son got a 2000 for $500 yeah it's got some dents and the paint is peeling off in some spots and has past electric issues, but has less than 200k miles and the engine and trans are solid. Nice little beater for in town use.
60 bucks Canadian fixed my gf Buick allure this weekend for a coil . More of a truck guy myself but the 3.8 is a beauty of a motor I take the car to town because it’s cheaper on gas and can carry almost as much as my 90 gmc s stepside 1500!
My teacher had one, and she took excellent care of hers including regular maintenance and her engine locked up on her and she brought a Toyota Camry afterwards but had always been a Buick owner I’m talking her Buicks were load with every option available
Bought one from a friend, took a gamble as it had roughly 263k miles, he said it ran good, and he wasnt lying, only burns roughly 1/2 quart per oil change, just redid front and rear suspension at 320k whole works like $3k in parts for a car i bought for $1200, still running like a top with currently 342,180 miles, it just wont die, so ill keep it running till she doesnt lol
Both my aunt and grandfather had 2003 and 2004 le sabres. They were both solid cars but they also had this issue where the window motors died on the front passenger window. The window wouldn’t close and it would slowly roll back down. Simple fix but weird that it happened to both of them
My grandparents always kept LeSabres. Its an awesome travel car, even for 6 people. One of your next cars to review could be a 1998 Lincoln Continental Mark 8 LSC Anniversary Edition. This model is equipped with a detuned Mustang Cobra engine and its faster than most cars of its time.
Never had one before. But i can imagine it will have a very soft suspension. I think lowering spring to stiff it up is good, not for rice or the look, Just to make it ride stiffer.
Not only are they really easy vehicles to maintain but they're built like a tank. Last year I was in accident with a Mustang my car drove away with a busted up front light, cracked bumper and hood it was all cosmetic damage. Unfortunately for the Mustang that was completely destroyed. These cars are built tough I definitely recommend for a first vehicle
Its not just a great starter car but also a great secondary or even third car to have. You need something smooth and reliable for yourself or for when family visits? LeSabre is the answer! My grandfather always had a LeSabre and remember many summers riding around with him.
