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Originally Posted by gamelovers11223
Thank you all so much for your advice. Yesterday I found an amazing 1998 Park Avenue Ultra with 65000 miles in mint condition with every single option that was avaliable for 1998 (sunroof, eye-q, 12 cd changer, chrome rims). Guy wants $5500 for it. I think I woud rather pay more and get a very well maintained car than buy it cheaper but with high milage and worn inside and out.
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Nice score.
I have a '01 Park Avenue Base, with every option except the Grand Touring suspension and moonroof. 49K now and I love it.
Areas to watch out for:
1. The seats. Both of mine failed just after 40K. Individual components are not available, so you're stuck buying the whole rack. GM list is just shy of $900.00 each. Used ones will fail too. Had I not had the repair done under the GM Protection Plan, the service writer told me the bill would have been over 2Gs. Make sure the seats are working, adjust them to your preference, and leave them alone.
2. As the Ultra is supercharged, I believe you have the aluminum intake plenum. The plastic ones on the non-s/c models degrade where the EGR port meets the bottom of the intake, and it'll eventually fail and start to suck coolant into the motor . Verify that the intake is aluminum, and you're off the hook.
3. However, the lower intake manifold gaskets disagree with aging DexCool, degrade, and fail. My Dex was changed last year with fresh Dex, and the level has never dropped (signaling internal coolant leakage). Out of curiosity, I checked my radiator two weeks ago when I began to smell coolant. When I removed the cap, I got a sucking/glug sound. My radiator was close to 1/4 empty. At 49K. I'm going to have the dealer replace the original lower intake manifold gaskets with the upgraded aluminum version before the summer heat. Many people have given up on DexCool and gone to a mixes-with-any type (see Prestone) coolant. I may do the same. And while you're at it, you might want to have a good radiator shop check the cooling system to make sure that the Dex hasn't wreaked havoc on the heater core and the water pump.
4. Those electric/gas rear struts are expensive to replace and I believe have been discontinued by GM. Search the forum for what owners are doing for replacements.
5. I just chased down a HUGE trunk leak. I discovered a giant pool of slimy swamp water in my (carpeted, duh GM) spare tire well last winter when I noticed a strong smell of mold in the car. A small hole had opened up at the body seam below the rear window next to the fender and had been allowing a small stream of water into the trunk. I sealed the hole with Permatex liquid metal and I have a new trunk carpet, spare tire cover, and some of the spare hardware on order now. Poor workmanship.
6. Most replacement parts are still available from GM, but locating part numbers can be frustrating. Screws and fasteners don't always fit properly. And prices are all over the place. eBay is an excellent source for bits and pieces.
7. What GM marketed as a premium car is tarnished with really cheap trim. The paint is so-so, interior plastics don't age well, the leather needs constant love, and all that exterior "chrome" is just plastic that does weird things after 5 or 6 years. At least the interior door handles are real metal. To be fair, just about every car today suffers from the same cost cutting.
8. Other common failures include warped brake rotors, seat heaters, wiper motors, hub bearing assemblies, cam position sensors, and transmission control solenoids, and bad fuel sending units. Most of these repairs are a bit pricey (but less than an import) but fairly straightforward.
9. The 3800 Supercharged requires premium fuel. $$$.
Despite the Park's bugs, they're a solid car with a proven power train. Look at how many are for sale in good running order with 100K-150K on the clock. Just watch the coolant/gasket situation, pray the seats don't box, prepare yourself for some of the inevitable common problems, and spend some money on quality detailing supplies and you'll wonder why the rest of the world is trapped in 6 year old Altimas that cost more. You'll never want to drive anything else.
Good luck!