Should I buy a BUICK?

[GringoPete]

Hi everyone. I'm new to this board and need all of your help in making a car buying decision. I'm currently driving a ford focus hatchback and am in need of something with more stretching room. Two cars that i was looking at are the Century & LeSabre (used) Something between the years of 97 & 02. What do you think? would either of these cars make a wise choice?

[tman]

You'll be thrilled with either. There are pros and cons to each however.

Centrury is a bit smaller, yet very spacious. It's comparable in size to a Toyota Camry, Honda Accord. It does not come with the rock-solid 3.8 liter engine(it may be an optional feature, not sure). The regal is the same thing as the century, but it gets the 3.8 liter engine standard, with a supercharged version in the GS model.

The lesabre is bigger, but it has a more luxury feel, than a more sporty feel of the century/regal. The lesabre is the little brother of the flagship ParkAvenue. Lesabre has one engine, the 3.8.

I'd suggest a park avenue though. 97 was the first year of the fresh body style, and the regular sedan comes with the 3.8. Pop for the ultra verson, and you et the supercharged 3.8.

As far as reliability goes, the regal, lesabre, and PA win because of that 3.8 engine. The 3.3 in the century is a terrific engine also, but it is overshadowed by the awesome 3.8.

Styling: Regal and century win, PA second, lesabre last (thats my opinion)

driveability: PA wins. If you've gonna be driving a car on the road, whats the matter if it's a little longer than what you have had? you get used to it.

Fuel economy: expect 25-30mpg on 87 with the 3.3 and 3,8. The supercharged 3.8 will perform better on 93, but the computer will adjust if you want to use 87.

repairs: the 3.8 does have a few issues. There is a plastic piece in the cooling system by the intake manifold that melts on occasion. You can buy a metal replacement really cheap and fix it yourself. The air shocks do go bad in the PA's and lesabres, but the air shocks are such a great feature, you'll wonder how you ever lived without them. Air shocks are pricy, about 300 for the rear set. The rear end on the regals squat down if you fill up the gas tank full.

Good luck, an I know you'll be happy no matter what you choose!

[GringoPete]

Originally Posted by tman2093

You'll be thrilled with either. There are pros and cons to each however.

Centrury is a bit smaller, yet very spacious. It's comparable in size to a Toyota Camry, Honda Accord. It does not come with the rock-solid 3.8 liter engine(it may be an optional feature, not sure). The regal is the same thing as the century, but it gets the 3.8 liter engine standard, with a supercharged version in the GS model.

The lesabre is bigger, but it has a more luxury feel, than a more sporty feel of the century/regal. The lesabre is the little brother of the flagship ParkAvenue. Lesabre has one engine, the 3.8.

I'd suggest a park avenue though. 97 was the first year of the fresh body style, and the regular sedan comes with the 3.8. Pop for the ultra verson, and you et the supercharged 3.8.

As far as reliability goes, the regal, lesabre, and PA win because of that 3.8 engine. The 3.3 in the century is a terrific engine also, but it is overshadowed by the awesome 3.8.


Styling: Regal and century win, PA second, lesabre last (thats my opinion)

driveability: PA wins. If you've gonna be driving a car on the road, whats the matter if it's a little longer than what you have had? you get used to it.

Fuel economy: expect 25-30mpg on 87 with the 3.3 and 3,8. The supercharged 3.8 will perform better on 93, but the computer will adjust if you want to use 87.

repairs: the 3.8 does have a few issues. There is a plastic piece in the cooling system by the intake manifold that melts on occasion. You can buy a metal replacement really cheap and fix it yourself. The air shocks do go bad in the PA's and lesabres, but the air shocks are such a great feature, you'll wonder how you ever lived without them. Air shocks are pricy, about 300 for the rear set. The rear end on the regals squat down if you fill up the gas tank full.

Good luck, an I know you'll be happy no matter what you choose!

Thanks Tman2093! You gave me plenty of info. I think i'm leaning towards the LeSabre at the moment as i am looking for a soft ride and comfortable seats as i will be using the car to make sales calls and be driving it around all day. I was a bit weary about gas milage with the size of the car but being that it has a V6 and not a V8 i think it should be ok. As for performance goes i'm really not interested in speed. So long as i can accelerate fast enough to merge onto a highway without getting rearended i'm happy. Thanks again!

[tman]

Sounds like the LeSabre is what you need.

Happy shopping, and be sure to let us know when you purchase!