This was the CL listing photo. The color was described as brown. It is actually named Sandstone Beige metallic.
I don’t think that there will ever be a more beautiful American car built than the ’66 Riviera. I’ve even owned TWO of them! But that was back in the Day. And that Day ended when they stopped being 2,000 dollar automobiles.
Now they command much higher prices, so high that they compete in my mind with many later models that I find more desirable. Maybe it’s just due to inflation, but my mind is still stuck in the ’70s when it comes to old car prices.
Fans of the longest-running car lines can go out and buy a current model; I had a buddy who wanted a classic Mopar and complained about how expensive they had become. I advised him to buy a new Challenger and start making his own memories with it. Many Mustang fans will buy a new or later model because they want a car that they can drive, not restore. Likewise with Corvette fans.
We personal luxury car fans are not as lucky. There are no current El Dorados, Lincoln Marks, Thunderbirds… or Buick Rivieras.
Most of the PLCs (Personal Luxury Cars) petered out before the new Millennium. Though the Cadillac El Dorado survived until 2002, the T Bird until ’05, and surprisingly the Monte Carlo lasted until ’08. The good news is that there are still 20+ year old examples that can be found in pretty good shape. And since this type of car has fallen out of favor, prices can be very satisfying.
Even though the Eldo outlasted the Riviera by a few years, it was an older design that debuted in 1992. The Riv was all new for ’95. It was GM’s last luxury personal car hurrah.
The original Buick Riviera began as GM’s high fashion car. It was designed to resemble a low-production, coach-built, European luxury sport coupe. Like a Facel Vega. Then it morphed into a kind of GM Motorama concept car that Everyman could buy.
That lasted until 1974 when it evolved into a somewhat generic brougham-style coupe. However, it still retained some of the classic Riviera styling cues. This phase lasted until ’93 when it went on hiatus for a year.
It returned in ’95, reborn again as GM’s styling sensation. The concept car that you can actually buy! This was a return to the Riviera’s roots. The ’95-’97 models were quite popular with members of the Riviera Owner’s Association when they were new.
I’ve been a member, on and off for twenty years, though I hadn’t owned a Riv in fifteen or so years. But I kept thinking about it! A year ago I started thinking that I’d like to be an active member of the ROA and started looking for another Riv. I would have liked a first-gen, as I’ve never had one. But twenty to thirty grand? No way!
This is the second photo from the listing. Initially, there weren’t any photos, but the ad caught my attention anyway.
Looking on CL I saw my Riv offered for sale in Fresno. I had been kind of ambivalent about the design when it first appeared. I chose to buy a Seville instead, but that was over twenty five years ago. This last generation of the Riviera is a coupe that looks a lot like a hardtop, with lots of glass and a nice fastback style roof. It certainly is an interesting-looking car. It is striking, but I can’t honestly say that I think that it is truly beautiful. However it is distinctive, and you don’t see one everyday!
My Riv is fully loaded with a sunroof, Concert Sound, leather upholstery, chrome wheels, a supercharger and only 82,000 miles on the clock. It would have sold for a bit over 30,000 dollars when new.
The seller was a nice older gent. I think that he bought it with the intention of fixing it up, but got discouraged about parts availability. He had recently bought a Buick Cascada convertible and told me that he couldn’t open the doors of the Riv when both were inside the garage. He had owned it for only a year or so and had kept it in the garage. He had bought it from an even older fellow in Fresno that had owned it for a long time and had also kept it in his garage. A good thing, as that Fresno sun is brutal!
The car was offered at the low price of 2,800 dollars. The seller had a friend list it for him since he wasn’t familiar with the process and didn’t know how to post a picture. He told me that there were already a few interested callers ahead of me.
Towing FWD cars is very easy.
I had rented a car dolly the night before, as I wanted to be ready to go if the car was unsold the next day. The seller had advised me that he had “promised” the car to an earlier caller, who was supposed to look at it the next morning. He told me that he would call me back if that person decided not to buy the car. I waited until it was a couple of hours before the seller was to show the car, and was already on the road when the seller called me and let me know that the car was still available.
It was over 100 degrees in Fresno when I drove out to see the Riviera. The Navigator towed the Riviera home without any problems.
The engine is quite impressive and is a triumph of long term development. Photo from web.
I can’t help but compare the Riviera to my Seville, which was a much more expensive car, and that difference is quite clear. The Riviera has an interior that falls a bit short, with too much obvious plastic. The supercharged engine is quite impressive though. It is rated at 240 hp. which is only 55 hp. short of the NorthStar V8. But the Cadillac engine is 800 ccs bigger, with two more cylinders, two extra valves per cylinder, and three extra camshafts!
The car handles well, and rides so smoothly and quietly. It is very relaxing to drive.
When I bought the car it only had one key for the ignition and a remote fob. The trunk has a release button on the driver’s door. I didn’t have a key to the door or truck, a situation that had me worried. The combo radio/cassette/CD player only worked on the radio function. The a/c and heating did not work at all, not even the fan function.
The tires were very old and cracked; they obviously had sat deflated for some time. The seller told me that he had a flat and the tire shop would not fix it, so he had to buy a new tire. It’s not easy to find a good selection in the 16-inch size, but I found that Hankook had a suitable touring tire. I didn’t really want to invest in a new set of tires on an untried car, but without good tires, how could I drive it and evaluate it? So I spent the 600+ bucks.
I had used a local locksmith to cut extra keys for my XJS and XJ6. He told me that he could cut a key, but I would have to remove the door and trunk lock and bring it to him. Or, to get the key codes from the dealer. I had low expectations that the Buick dealer would even bother to help me, but the parts guy looked up the codes for 35.00. I took the code to the locksmith and he cut the first one for the door and trunk for 35.00 each, and the extras for 10.00 a piece. Now I had keys!
Fixing the passenger window was a matter of replacing the motor. I secured a replacement regulator and motor at Pick and Pull. Now I could lower the passenger window.
I found a shop in San Jose that repaired OEM radios and stereos, This was another expensive fix at 325.00. I know that I could have bought a replacement unit for much less, but I wanted to keep the original look. I gotta have my CDs! With a working cassette player, I can even record some new mix tapes! The Concert Sound system sounds pretty good, though I might have to replace a couple of speakers.
I started driving the car as soon as I got it home at the end of August. The heatwave was still roasting us, and it was very hot inside the car.
Now that the passenger window worked, I could also open the moonroof and was fairly comfortable with the “three at 65” ventilation. This was during a 90 to 100 degree heat wave.
The passenger seat was stuck in an awkward position, so I pulled the seat and replaced the switch and motor.
For some reason GM thought that a single plastic dash fascia panel was a good idea. It will stay off until I fix the a/c.
I’ve been slowly working on the HVAC unit. I replaced the digital control panel and blower relay with used units. That wasn’t successful, so I will try to find a rebuilt control panel and a new blower relay. Failing that, I will get a professional assessment from an A/C shop. Hopefully I can keep the cost of this repair down to a reasonable amount.
After replacing a couple of bulbs the rear tail lamp was properly lit up. This is one feature that I think is very cool.
I have been driving this car primarily. My Mustangs have been sitting for a few months, as I drove the Riv daily. It wasn’t until May of this year that I parked the Riv in the garage so that I could put some miles on my other cars.
The Riviera has been running great with no cooling problems, even in the excessive heat. The engine, transmission, brakes, and steering have been working smoothly. However there is an oil leak that I haven’t diagnosed or addressed.
My Riviera looks longingly at the sea. Photo taken north of Bodega Bay.
A few months ago I decided to take a day long trip up the coast to Mendocino and back. I am very familiar with this route, as I used to ride up annually on my motorcycles. I wanted to see how I felt about the car while on a back road trip. The car was fun to drive along curvy Highway One up to Mendocino. On the way back, I took a very twisty route through Boonville and Ukiah. This road became very twisty, more of a motorcycle road than a sports car road. I drove through the curves at a very respectable rate, though the car prefers the open highway. I found the gas mileage to be remarkable, on the trip up I computed 27-28 mpg at a fill up in Jenner. On the final freeway run home, I gassed up in Petaluma and computed the mileage at 30 mpg! Pretty impressive.
Documenting our arrival in Mendocino.
The trip reinforced the idea that the Riviera is a great road car.
Or maybe it’s just that I’m now an old man who prefers quiet, smooth, nonstressful travel.
The rear seat is home to the battery, under the bottom cushion. Lots of room back here, but the windows don’t open.
The Riviera has a spacious cabin and a large trunk. The back seat is very roomy, though I don’t anticipate carrying any passengers back there. The front seats are very comfortable. Buick made a big deal about how much research they did to come up with these extremely comfortable seats. They don’t have a lot of lateral support, but I guess that their buyers weren’t looking for that.
One of the most glaring omissions is the lack of a trip computer; even my ’90 Dodge Caravan had one. Though with fuel economy that can reach 30 mpg. and a tank that holds a smidgen less than twenty gallons, range is well over 400 miles. It’s easy to just rest the trip odometer and let the miles roll on.
I have never thought of a Riviera as an old person’s car. I always thought of them as cars for mature and comfortably affluent people. Cars for people who were confident in who they were, they didn’t need some overtly sporty or excessively expensive car. A Buick was good enough for them, and the Riviera was the best Buick could offer. It was a middle-aged person’s reward car.
Obviously, this concept has now become obsolete, at least when it comes to big coupes. Buyers don’t want to put up with hassles like overly long doors that can be a problem in tight parking situations. In the 1970s, the concept of the personal luxury car spread down to lower priced makes, like Chevy’s Monte Carlo, which was a huge success. Likewise, the downsized Ford Thunderbird was snapped up by thousands of middle-class buyers. The top-tier cars like the El Dorado and Lincoln Marks still reined supreme at the top of the market, but eventually changing tastes and fashions eroded even their position.
Now a big luxury coupe is a bit of a dinosaur, they aren’t often seen in the wild. The Uber extravagent models like the ElDo and Marks seem particularly out of date. My ’97 Riv stretches out to 208 inches in length, virtually identical to the first generation. That is much shorter than the old full size Cadillac and Lincoln coupes, but about the same length as my Navigator.
Out of style does not mean functionally obsolete. The Riviera has a large trunk and plenty of room for a couple of adults in the back seat. It gets very good fuel economy and is comfortable and easy to handle. It is also full of passive safety features and is very sturdily built. As a hobby car, it certainly makes a very practical choice. It can function as a daily driver as well as a weekend showpiece.
I bought this Riviera because I wanted to become more active in the ROA. I’d hoped to start up some local club activities, but I find that interest is lacking. That’s disappointing, and I’m not sure that plan will work out. Still, I have never been a club kind of guy, and I’m capable of enjoying my cars all on my own. There are a few fixes that still need to be done. The a/c is certainly a priority, before I decide if this Riviera will be a keeper.
Well, as long as any car I’ve ever owned is a keeper.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1995-1999 Buick Riviera – Out To Sea
I loved the curved dash and the subtle body crease when these were new.
I hope nobody drives one in the Salt Lattitudes, as they should become a classic at some point.
Kudos for fixing all its issues. Better you than me.
I have my own Riviera story and it was one of my most favorite cars. My aunt in SC had been buying Riviera’s for decades. When she would decide it was time for a new car she would call and tell me to come help, regardless of what state I was living in. We would car shop for a few days but she always special ordered a white Riv. Her last one was a 1998, pearl white. After she received it she complained about a little buzz sound & that the dealer could never identify. Not acceptable. I ended up calling the zone manager and informed him it was not a good idea to get this southern lady mad. Besides, her family had only bought Buicks since the 1960s. They ended up ordering another identical Riv., and made the switch at no cost to her. No buzz so it was again peacetime in SC. My aunt Gwen loved to drive and drive fast & the Riv could cruise at 90 mph without strain. Every visit we would drive around the South, going to places she lived growing up but all those houses had burned down shortly after they moved out. So many graveyards with dead relatives going back to the 1600s. She had a story about all the dead relatives and strange that many birthdates, not years, matched over the centuries. Gwen was in her late 70s when she passed. Just three days before she had her weekly appointment at the beauty salon for hair and nails and I was told she spent the rest of that day driving around SC. She willed her last Riv to me and I had it shipped to Canada where I was living at the time. She always had a red umbrella in her cars for as long as I can remember and when I received the Riv it came with her red umbrella.
I drove the car for six years and it was perfect and always looked brand new, even the under carriage. The only thing I changed was adding a beautiful wood dash kit, which looked the way the factory should have done it, and added sequential turn taillights, the way the factory should have done it. Every time I drove the Riv it brought back decades of road trip memories with my favorite aunt. In my old age I decided I wanted one last convertible so I bought a 1966 T-Bird and the Riv had to go because I only had indoor parking for two cars, my daily driver being a new Camaro. I ran an ad with a very high price and two days later an elderly couple showed up, took one look at the car and handed me a pre-written check for the full amount. Only then did we take it to my mechanic for a full inspection. The car had always been garage kept, never driven in bad weather, still looked factory fresh at 86,000 miles and not one mechanical issue. Turned out this couple had previously owned a 1995 and a 1997 white Riv and they were going to ship it to their winter home in Arizona so I knew it was going with the right people. I did keep Gwen’s red umbrella which is in my white Camaro even though I stopped driving in the the rain years ago.