Hoovie's Perfect Car - Super FAST, Super RELIABLE and Seats 6! 

I have a 2002 Buick Park Avenue, not an Ultra, with a 3800 engine, not super charged. It has 214,000 miles on it and still running great. At 70 years old, this may be the last car I ever need.

I wish buick would build gas sedans again. My lucerne with 3.8l is so comfortable I smile every time I drive it. I've been getting 26 mpg!

Great cars! I recommend any of the "grandpa" cars to anyone wanting a comfortable, reliable car. The reason is that they were often bought by guys when they retired, they've always been serviced, always been garage kept and always been taken care of. Best place to find them is estate sale auctions.

These 3800 are simply excellent new age rigs...it's the powertrain 🎉 man. Loaded reliability and dependably affordable

Bought a 2000 PA Ultra back in April. Old man owned, underground parking, service records out the yin yang, zero rust (Krown sprayed every year), 128,xxx kms on it. Paid $2000CDN for it. I'll be driving this thing for the next 10 years.

I've owned a Buick Electra and a Park Ave Ultra, 0 complaints. Excellent cars.

A 2002 Grand Prix with the 3800 V6 is my daily driver. I have owned it since 2007. Over the years I have been able to perform all repairs myself, and I'm not a mechanic.

Got a LeSabre after the "best engine ever video." I fixed all the coolant leaks myself in one afternoon. Haven't had an issue with the car since. Thanks wizard.

These were great cars from a bygone era. Mechanically they were better than the Japanese cars of the era. They got the same mpg as a 4 cylinder Accord on the road. The 3800 was silky smooth and powerful.

Its too bad that G.M.(General Motors), discontinued the 3.8 litre v-6,in my opinion,and three of my certified auto mechanics have stated they quit producing those 3.8 because they were very reliable,and unless it was neglected,it would run forever assuming you kept up with oil changes and basic maintenance. Thank you for the video and thumbs up...👍🇺🇲🙏✝️💯♥️

As long as the transmission shifts well and without much issues, it's a solid vehicle

I knew we were getting another video w/ a car that had the 3800 engine. I will add this to my list of cars to look at. I love this channel. Thanks, Wizard!

100% agree. I bought a ‘94 Park Ave at auction, with 23K miles on it, for $2300. I drove it until about 75K miles and sold it for $3800. With just the minimum of care and maintenance these cars are, truly, bulletproof. The newest of these cars are approaching 20 years old and there are many, many of them out there. I’d drive another in a heartbeat.

My grandparents had a 2005 a Buick LeSabre.Just like how seniors love cars like that because it is super low to the ground and as Wizard said it is super reliable. My grandfather kept until 2021 when sadly my grandmother died and had Toyota Camry. He wanted to keep one car so he decided to sell the Buick. It still did everything well just it went to another person.

I owned a 2000 LeSabre and currently own a 2000 Park Avenue. Phenomenal cars both of them. I impress people with new model year cars when I talk about the options a Park Avenue has.

The ultra is a wonderful car. But don't forget the Lincoln town car. Rear wheel drive, low stress V8 and body on frame construction. And only slightly less fuel efficient than buick.

Having worked in a Buick dealership I can say first hand these are well made and reliable cars. Besides what the Wizard has mentioned, the other thing to look out for is a blown head gasket. I can't tell you how many came in on trade, apparently running well, but had a blown head gasket. Not a cheap fix, either.

I had an '02 LeSabre and that thing was a champ! I bought it with 223,000 miles and the transmission locked up @ 348,000 miles and I got $400 for it after paying $1,200 + $80 for plugs and wires and putting almost 130k on it. 😁

Yes, the MAF sensors from China don't last I got 3-4 month's out of the last one of those that I will ever purchase. Found a vender on E-bay that had OEM AC-Delco (Made in Japan) and it's still going strong now for several years.

The naturally aspirated series II has a plastic plenum in which the EGR stove pipe goes through. Also the gaskets for the plastic plenum and the lower intake gaskets are made of inferior material. That is also a necessary upgrade. The series I and series III do not have this problem. But the series III still have those plastic elbow. You could say these elbows are the Achille's Heel.

Wish these were still readily available. I've had a 2004 impala ss with the supercharged 3800. Still respectable power and very minimal issues over 125k miles.

The supercharged 3800’s do have another known issue. At least all the ones I’ve encountered have sealed bearings on the supercharger as well as a teflon coating on the impellers. Usually around 150kms either the bearings would fail or on older ones the teflon coating starts to fall off and grenades the top end of the motor

I have the 2005 Buick Lacrosse with the 3800 that has metal valve covers & cast iron plenum. I have owned the care for 10 years. I am the 2nd owner and I paid $7500 and it had 97,000 miles when I got it. Now it has 198,900 and and still gets 21 mpg Hwy & city combined & 25 to 31 mpg Hwy depending on what road and weather conditions are etc. The intake manifold gasket started leaking 8000 miles ago. I too had to replace the little coolant tubes and I did get the metal ones also. Also replaced the front McPherson struts not too long ago. I don't travel as much as I use to now, so it might last me the rest of my life. Thank You Neighbor (beings I live in Mo.) for sharing your knowledge.

As an Australian I see that roofline and immediately see the link to our Holden Commodore, the VX model. We had three Commodores with the 3800 V6 in it, a ‘96 VS model, and 2001 VX, and the engine in both was magnificently reliable. What a car.

Being a Kentucky Colonel is the highest honor to be bestowed upon someone for the state of Kentucky, you have to do something above and beyond for the people of Kentucky, both my grandparents were Kentucky Colonels and I have no idea what they did.

Nice feature. I had a company furnished Gran Prix with that supercharged 3800. It ran great. Torque-steered, but not excessively. I miss those machines.

I have a 2004 LeSabre thanks to all these Wizard 3800 vids. I paid extra for a garaged specimen from the desert with 37k miles, up to 65k now and rides like a dream. Soon I’ll be doing a big service on it for the gaskets, elbows, fluids, etc., I’m actually looking forward to the job. At my yearly mileage use I’m planning to have this for decades. Thanks wizard, keep the vids coming!

The HID was actually very common on the Grand Prix in particularly the GTP model, although this and the Riviera are still some of my favorite cars for the 3800 series supercharged

I had an 04 Impala SS with the 3800 Supercharged engine. I found out the hard way about getting an OEM MAF sensor. I tried 3 sensors from the parts store and none of them worked. I also had to replace those coolant elbows.

Thanks for this video. I always get asked how my older cars keep running like new cars usually when those same people have gone through 2-3 cars since I owned mine. My response is that as long as you put in QUALITY fluids, fuel and parts when due, your vehicle will pay dividends by not breaking down or having other major issues. I still have a 2007 9-7x(Trailblazer) with 173k miles and it still has power and never let me down. Since owned, I always used quality everything. I don't even cheapen out on tires. I love Hitachi parts...

After watching THIS video I looked seriously at 3800 Park Avenues. I couldn’t find a supercharged Ultra but I did find a nice example of a 2003. Original paperwork. This car has never been north of the Mason Dixon. No rust! No leaks! Originally sold for $38,000. 150,000 miles later I bought it for $3800. I bought it in Virginia and a few days later, drove it to Austin, Texas, averaging 31 mpg. I drove it around Austin for a few days and back home to North Carolina. I did remove the perfectly functional CD/cassette deck and installed an Android powered Bluetooth head unit and a pair of rear speakers. One was bad. I love this beige grandpa car! Thanks for your channel!

I have the 2001 Ultra with the sport package. Bought it 11 years ago for $1,700. Put $1,500 worth of parts in it. I did the labor. Best car I ever owned. I did the maf replacement, the elbows, and the rear shocks. Also replaced the front engine mount twice. Still rides and runs like new. However, it is a northeast vehicle with a lot of rust now. All fuel and brake lines rusted out and were replaced. Driver's side door is half rusted away. The one in your video is a beauty! No rust! Wish it was mine. Somebody mentioned door windows sticking. Hose the channels down with silicone spray and lub the scissor lifter with Slick 50. If that plastic hose on the air shock gets rusted into the shock, expect to spend hours getting it out without damaging the plastic hose. New seals on that hose can be purchased at a hardware store. It takes 2. It needs 2. If you smell electrical burning at night, it is the electronic board burning up behind the climate controls. Turn the dash lights down and it will go away. The fix is to replace the board traces with real wires. You may also need to replace the bulbs there as well. Want to trade? 😏

My mom had the Regal with this engine (Grand Sport) which was also a very solid car but with a smaller body, it was surprisingly quick sleeper.

Thank you for another great informative video. You are right about the 3800 V6. I have two Oldsmobiles with them( 1996 Ninety Eight and 1992 Toronmado). You did not mention Oldsmobile Ninety Eight and Eighty Eight/LSS/Regency. The Pontiac Bonneville also used the 3800 V6 as well. The Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Lumina offered it as well as all the other W Bodies except Cutlass Supreme. The early Oldsmobile Intrigues did as well. The Holden Commodore, Calais, Statesman offered them as well. The Firebird and Camaro did as well. You should do a video on GM and the 3800 again and all the cars that offered the engine from far back as 1988. There was the 3300 V6 that was derived from the 3800 that was reliable as well. Thank you.

This is a really intriguing car. I know I liked them for the comfort, but I didn’t realize they were so strong for maintenance, mileage and reliability. I don’t know why Hoovie whined in his video about people ignoring his video (probably click bait) but I really like this car! I wish I had access to a great mechanic that would help me like you do for Hoovie. This looks like a solid buy and great owner satisfaction. How much is Hoovie selling it for? He will want to gouge me for calling him a whiner, lol. Thanks for another great and informative video!

A very long time ago we had a Pontiac TransPort 3800 SE people carrier. Huge thing, 7 seater. Typical interior 80's GM build quality but that engine is a gem. Oil changes, filters and plugs every year and nothing ever went wrong with it. The TransPort had a all plastic "Enduraflex" body like the Fiero, so no rust, it also made it quite light. So for a big people carrier it Hauled !. Would surprise many a car off the lights LOL.

The composite intake manifolds on the non-suspercharged 3800 powered vehicles from the early '90s up through around 2006 were a big problem. Like Wizard indicated, the composite deteriorated near the EGR valve and in many cases allowed coolant to leak into the crankcase. From the various articles I have read, if not caught right away, the coolant in the oil had a high probability of taking out the crank and rod bearings of not completely ruin the engine.

The metal elbows are a must -- it only takes one plastic piece breaking off into the intake before you wish you had just spent the extra $5

Glad your surgery went well Wizard!! Good to see you back in good form. Merry Christmas to you!

I had a '05 LeSabre Custom a couple years ago. Bought off my grandfather. hat 90k on it. Other than wheel bearings(which seemed never ending and I could replace in less than an hour), rock solid. Did use a little oil, but not enough to worry about. Just check every so often. I would still be driving it, but the leather seats had manual back adjust and I could never get comfortable. It was either too far forward or too far back. The A/C compressor died and it was my excuse to sell it.

There are 3 of those in the neighborhood where I work, all in Champagne Tan, or whatever it's called. Nice old cars. My son in law had a previous gen. Buick Le Sabre that was a great car, 3800 engine , smooth ride for him, but the rusted unibody was rotted out around half of the bolts holding the engine & transmission bracket to the unibody, so he had to let ot go

I was shopping Park Aves for a bit but ended up going for a Bonneville. It's definitely not as well equipped as the Buick but I decided I preferred the sportier profile and styling. It's gonna need some minor work but it's been relatively flawless for the couple weeks I've had it.

Looks just like mom's car except that it wasn't an Ultra or had a backup camera. Instead of a backup camera, it had backup sensors that would beep in the car letting you know that your getting close to something. The instrument cluster was the older one being it was a 2002 before they took most of the buttons on the side out. The color was noted as Cabornet Red.

My 97 Park Ave has been really good bought it in 2007 still have it with 307k on the odometer got 33.59 mpg between Miles City MT and West Fargo 614 miles if I recall the only downside is it seems to have a healthy appetite for venison I think it's on #9 maybe 10 deer now the last one a few weeks ago took out the radiator but got her up and going again.

I love these Buicks. Buick had 2 different Park Avenue models; one that was supercharged and one that was not. I would like to own the baby Park Avenue without the Supercharger. Great car.

I stand by the Panther platform but I will be picking one of these up one of these days. Or at least one of these Buick’s with a 3800 super charger or not. Wont matter to me. Reliability is my biggest requirement for vehicles.

Good Video Wizard. I never had luck with a Chinese sensor either, or one that was made in Mexico. I bought a MAF for my 97'' T-Bird, installed it, and Check engine light came on again. Mechanic told me the MAF sensor was bad. I told him I just replaced the MAF sensor. But the new one was made in Mexico with a no name on the box, so I was out $85 since I could not return it to the store since once the electrical part is installed it is non returnable.

I had a '03 park Ave. Bought it with 200,000 miles on it. Got it all to 325,000 miles and never burned a drop of oil. It was the most comfortable car. That engine was bulletproof. Unfortunately you couldn't see the corrosion on the frame. That was the reason I got rid of it. Great car

I was about to embark on a 600+ mile road trip when I learned about the elbows. Sure enough - my Lucerne's were plastic. Luckily my mechanic wasn't too busy and he was able to replace them with metal the day before I left. I also had it retrofitted with coil springs to get rid of the air ride (cheaper than air shocks and rides better).

These cars ride better then most new cars today 2023,the ride comfort is like a cloud,so so smooth,quite

I was taken home from the hospital in a Buick and I learned how to drive with my Dads Park Avenue Ultra he had three or four and only the ultras. These cars hold a special place in my heart even though I’m a BMW guy.

Thanks brother. Excellent video.

Love the Buick! Get her mechanically squared up, detail the heck out of it and enjoy the ride!

I had a 2000 LeSabre for about 10 years and it was a good car. I found the main weaknesses were the shocks as you have shown but the power windows were a problem think they all went out at some point.

As always, GREAT video!! I had several of the Buick 3800's, bullet proof engine and transmission!

I had a Lesabre that had the heads up display. I loved it. I miss that car.

I love the more detailed videos of you actually taking stuff apart. I would like to see what happened to the citron

Wizard great video but you called it a 3800 super charged V-8 I’m sure you know it’s a V-6

I've got a 1999 Park Ave non ultra with 407,000kms on it and it still ruins and drives like new. It started it's life out of Mora Minn, then found it's way to Arizona and finally to Alberta Canada. Whoever owned this car prior to me clearly loved it as it is in like new condition...no rust. 😮 And i love it too 😊

I did actually firsthand see some reliability problems with a Buick with the 3800. It was a '95 LeSabre. The intake manifold gasket failed and coolant was getting sucked into some of the intake ports. This caused a rough/stumbling problem both at idle and under power. We ended up practicing fixing it on a Regal with the same engine that was in a junkyard before doing it on the friend's car. Later the air conditioning compressor rather violently failed. I figured out that the 3300 and 3800 that year had the same pulley arrangement, and the 3300 had a non-AC model with a shorter belt. He couldn't afford to fix the air conditioner so we used that shorter belt to bypass the compressor. That was fun in Arizona in the summer in a black car. Finally his transmission gave out, it lost low. Not sure why. At that point he junked it.

🎶 We're gonna rock down to Park Avenue annnnnd then we'll take it higher! 🎶 😂

Great drivetrain there. Great car

That Buick 3800 has been around since the late 1960's that I know of. As a teenager I worked in my father's auto parts store in the 80's. Back then it was often referred to as the Buick 231 cubic inch V6 & by the mid 80's in the Buick Grand National it was thr 3.8 liter. Yes, GM even badge engineers their engines. It was known as a great engine even back then.

I've got a 94 LeSabre 3800 and while I put a starter alternator, water pump and normal wear items on, I'm extremely happy with it and I'm looking for another one. Newer

These newer Buick Park Avenue's, between the mid-1990's and the mid-2000's are the best vehicles in the world.

Really looked hard at these when they were new. The only things that were disappointing were the seats and leather.

Super glad to see this review.

Around 2012 I had a 1996 Buick Park Avenue Ultra. That thing was awesome! Had over 100,000 miles but ran like brand new and rode like you were driving sitting in a Lazy Boy. That thing would squall the tires like you wouldn't believe. From going 65 mph it would lift the front end when floored. I absolutely loved that car but unfortunately got rid of it because the AC compressor was going out and it had many electrical issues. It also did not use any oil between oil changes. 3800's were awesome engines!

You never mention the Grand prixs with the 3800 when talking about these cars. I think those arey favorite of the platform; slightly "cooler" styling with the same reliability. Loved my '02GTP with the sunroof, dual climate control wirh dual heated seats; HUD, Full package. Black on black with the rear window tinted. Hardly felt like i was driving an "old mans sedan"

I had a 2002 Cadillac STS, and I can see ALOT of "GM PARTS BIN!!!" here! Lol! To the random stalling I had that randomly when I would come to a stop at traffic lights and such. But my car would fire right back up when I turned the key. Turns out there are 2 crankshaft position sensors, and the OEM parts were manufactured in Mexico and prone to failure. The replacement parts (OEM replacement) are made in Japan and are PERFECT (of course), and I never had the issue again. These were great, COMFORTABLE and POWERFUL cars before all the "infotainment" BS started coming in, though I prefer the mechanical simplicity of American Muscle from back in the day.

I bought two 3800s based solely on Car Wizards advice. A Chevy Impala and a Pontiac Grand Prix for reasonable $$. They are not great at any one thing but just an overall decent value. Thank you Mr. CAR WIZARD.

I bought a supercharged 2000 Buick Park Avenue Ultra with 66k on the clock. It had a little over 366k miles when the WI winters finally to it down. When I got rid of it, it still had the original (and not rebuilt) engine, transmission, and supercharger. It called for Premium Gas only and 99% of my miles on it was plano regular gas. The heater was still blowing hot and the original a/c compressor was still blowing cold. However, the actuators were no longer opening or closing the doors to route the heater and a/c between the floor, dash and defroster the last couple years I drove it.

I had 2 buicks, and i loved them

I recently inherited a 96 Regal Gran Sport coupe with the 3800 from my mother. 130,000 miles, very clean car. It is such a pleasure to drive, extremely comfortable. I did have to replace the lower intake gasket, which was real easy to do. The only other issue is the cruise control isn't working. Any thoughts on the repair of it? i am looking forward to many years of driving this comfortable car.

Wizard, Huge Fan. These videos live forever. In the intro you said "supercharged 3800 V8". I know you know it's a v6. just warning you the internet might make a big deal out of a slip of the tongue. Thank you and Mrs Wizard for all your content and for just being awesome people. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

like the details in the repairs. keep it coming Wizards

Hoovie also said in his video, before arriving at the Wizards, that the supercharger wasn't working. So is there something wrong with the supercharger or was it the air flow sensor?

Hey Car Wizard what would you say is the 'best' (your choice of criteria) 3800 engine vehicle in your opinion?

I've got 2 3800 l36 cars. 98 Buick Regal (460kmiles) and 2003 Impala (303kmiles) I just built back for my youngest son. My 98 is my DD....only car tbh and I love it. My son loves his as well. I really swear by the 3800 series l36. Good video.

Thanks for review of a really cool car thanks to Mrs wizard for doing the interior so many times I've seen the extra of these cars but never seen the inside Thank you.

Fantastic car! And get Mrs. Wizard her own channel!

This looks very nice, im surprised buick used plastic on the sensitive areas. I hope valve covers come in metal

I got a 2000 gtp with 220k on it. Drove from kansas city, KS to ft.lauderdale, FL and back. And then drove it in the move to melborne, FL. 7k miles in 2 weeks. 3 oil changes. It had about 211k when i started the trip/move. The power is much higher at sea level. had to retrain my foot.

Blend door actuators break on a lot of these. The ride is sublime, though. The instrument cluster switches from MPH and KM/H with one of the buttons on the left of the cluster, and the correct unit lights up in the cluster when the ignition switch is in the on position.

I had the 1994 Lesabre. Most comfortable car I have ever owned. Miss it to this day.

This is when GM built good stuff.

My version of this car is a 2005-2006 Toyota Camry 3.0 V6. I'm on my 3rd one. (1st one sold to a family member, 2nd totaled by a school bus). It's sneaky quick, 0 to 60 in mid to low 7 seconds. Soft suspension and steering, simple electronics , easy to work on and ultra reliable. Stress free driving.

Currently own a 2002 PAU, drive it every day, the legroom,the sofa style seat, the ride, the sound proving, the HUD, love love love, previous rides, Subaru WRX, Chevy Tahoe, GMC Sierra with the Duramax.

Tyler seems to be a nice guy. But his tastes in cars is "eclectic"... Great video!

Those are the sort of car we just don't have in the UK. It's a great shame. As someone who prefers larger cars, but who doesn't want to run Jaguars, Mercs or similar unreliable, expensive prestige makes, I'd love a solid, no frills, comfortable vehicle like that. Yes, they're a little more thirsty than the average car over here because of the larger engine and weight, but factor in the solid build, reliability and ease of maintenance and I'd bet the cost wouldn't be much greater than running some of the smaller cars we have here. They can be imported, but that is expensive and left hand drive is tricky on our small and often narrow roads.

Thanks for bringing the true about vehicles! Nice video!

My 1998 Buick Regal LS had 330k miles on the original engine and transmission, when I gave it to my nephew. I'd still be driving it if I didn't buy my 2004 Buick Park Avenue. I've put 30k miles on it since May of 2022! Such a great car. These 3800V6 GM powered cars are amazing! My Park Avenue has the HUD option too, and I love it!

kentucky colonel is a honorary/charitable organization here in kentucky. colonel sanders of KFC fame got his title from being a member. my father owned a non-supercharged (non-ULTRA) version of this car for many years. it was a fine ride.

Why don't you suggest the Bonneville? The same drivetrain, but it was much sportier and handled better.

Hoovies video highlighting this car and the c5 and Escalade are my top 3 dream garage. Love the content Wizard!

I have a 1996 park ave but no sc. The ride even with bad shocks is good. The issue with these also is the rust from winter driving. Still can't beat what you get for the price. The dynaride was great, when it works. GM should of kept with what worked (3.6 is junk!

Hey car wizard can you do a video on the most unreliable engines ever made

Incredible film Mr and Mrs. Wizard 👍

I bought a brand new 2017 Buick lacrosse. I put on 400,000 km and it still ran like a top when I traded it in. Lucerne’s and LaCrosse’s are also really good cars so long as you get a V6 ; there was also a special model called the super eight.

I have been looking for one of these ot the Panther platform lincolns/grand marquis. Thanks for your knowledge and sharing.