98 LeSabre - Good Car or Bad Car?

[CarDude225]

I am *still* looking for a car after my 9/5 accident which totalled my 96 Ciera.

I found a *beautiful* 98 LeSabre Limited with an amazing 25,000mi!! Leather, power everything, appears garage-kept (the steering wheel hasn't even faded yet!). The dealer wants under $5000 which is less than KBB and far less than NADA. Amazing! It is unheard of to find a LeSabre under book value here.

Are the 98s good?

I know that the Series II 3800s, which this car has, have the gasket and intake problems...I'm thinking that at such low mileage that this car probably doesn't have that problem yet. But If I have to spend $500-$700 to fix this down the road I think I can stomac that, as long as there isn't anything else major that will likely go wrong with it!

Are there any other problems with the 98s? If you own one, how do you like yours and how many miles on yours?

I have to make a very fast decision whether to drive 150 miles to see this car!

[bmwgolfguy]

Buicks are generally considered "bulletproof" as long as you take care of them. But the same can be said for a lot of cars out there.

You hit the major problem with that engine on the head. Not all of them go bad, but you have to keep and eye on them. I had a 96 Custom and I had the gaskets replaced as a precaution even tho I had no problem.

Another potential problem to watch for is the DexKool antifreeze if your vehicle still has it. On some cars it turns to sludge in the radiator. Check the radiator cap when the engine is cold. If there is black sludge built up on the cap you may have a problem. There are currently a couple of class action lawsuits pending against GM because the allegedly knew about the problem and wouldn't fix it.

I would be bit leary if the deal from the dealer sounds too good to be true. It may be just that, too good to be true. But a lot of granny's bought that car. And if all they did was drive to the grocery store and chuch, you have a lucky find. Just take the vehicle to a reputablt mechanic and have it checked out. The dealer should let you do this if there is nothing to hide. It will be money well spent.

I own and 01 and 02 Custom. They get 32 on the highway and about 22 in town. Not too many new cars do this; even the hybrids.

Good Luck!

[imidazol97]

Originally Posted by CarDude225

I am *still* looking for a car after my 9/5 accident which totalled my 96 Ciera.

I found a *beautiful* 98 LeSabre Limited with an amazing 25,000mi!! Leather, power everything, appears garage-kept (the steering wheel hasn't even faded yet!). The dealer wants under $5000 which is less than KBB and far less than NADA. Amazing! It is unheard of to find a LeSabre under book value here.

Are the 98s good?

I know that the Series II 3800s, which this car has, have the gasket and intake problems...I'm thinking that at such low mileage that this car probably doesn't have that problem yet. But If I have to spend $500-$700 to fix this down the road I think I can stomac that, as long as there isn't anything else major that will likely go wrong with it!

Are there any other problems with the 98s? If you own one, how do you like yours and how many miles on yours?

I have to make a very fast decision whether to drive 150 miles to see this car!

Take off the engine beauty cover by grasping the oil filler and twisting it left just like a screw. It holds down the grey cover.

Look on the intake manifold on top of the loops. At the right you'll see a dial with an arrow pointing to the year the intake was manufactured. If it's a GM replacement or original it will have this date. On the left side is the month dial and in the middle is the day of the month. If it's a 98 or 97 manufacture then it's never been changed. If it's blank or has a newer date the intake has been replaced.

I'd rinse out the cooling system if the dexcool is anything but nicely orange. I rinse and run. Drain and cool. Then refill a couple of times. I just take off the loewr radiator hose since the radiator drain is hard to reach and touchy and plastic.

Put back in DexCool. I put in 6 quarts but it requires part of that go into the reservoir to mix in.

Change the transmission fluid and replace the filter on the next change. Drain every 30-36 K miles. Don't leave the fluid in more than two years or 30K miles in cooling or transmission. You'll most likely get great service, good mileage, and have solid durable parts.

[imidazol97]

Originally Posted by CarDude225

I am *still* looking for a car after my 9/5 accident which totalled my 96 Ciera.Are there any other problems with the 98s? If you own one, how do you like yours and how many miles on yours?

I have a 98 owned since I ordered it. 160 k miles.
It seems to me that about 1/3 of the cars need a replacement manifold. Not all do although those of us having to change ours complain enough at the time to make it seem like everyone has it.

Check the oil for any sign of coolant in oil with milky chocolate milk type color. Otherwise, go for it.

Limited. It had the intake manifold problem at 75K miles. That's about the mileage on normally used cars for the original GM design manifold according to the Dorman manifold company tech guy. Cost of manifold Under $200 ($175?) at Advance Auto. Takes about 6 hours of real time to remove and replace. If you have done it once it would take 4 hours. Change to fresh Dexcool immediately. Or rinse completely and replace with one of the universal coolants. Myself I've stayed with DexCool. It's not taking care of the coolant and a low level in radiator that causes it to deteriorate or someone adds the green stuff to it which completely blows it away. I wouldn't

The transmissions can have a minor problem with the control valve on the torque converter lockup which makes it uneven. That's why I would change the fluid immediately if you get it.

[happydog500]

98 is a very good car. My 97 went 150,000 miles and didn't need a intake. I did it anyway, just to be safe. The best one, IMHO costs $95 with everything.
It's been a couple weeks since you posted, I'd jump on it. You will like the car.