My 1994 Park Ave Ultra with the Gran Touring Suspension
We’ve had a few articles over the years touching on this generation of full size Buick, but nothing taking a deep dive on it from soup to nuts. Somewhat surprisingly given how automotive journalists (and owners) kvelled over it when first introduced given what a quantum leap it was over the 1985 to 1990 Buick Electra, inside and out. So with a 1996 Park Avenue Ultra added to the fleet, and having owned a 1994 Park Avenue Ultra (it was my college graduation gift back in 2011), I figured why not write it up?
1989 Buick Essence Park Avenue
Taking design cues from the 1989 Essence Park Avenue show car, the new Park Avenue (no longer an Electra) was 8 inches longer, two inches wider, and one inch taller. Wheelbase remained the same at 110 inches. With the new dimensions, Buick designers discovered flowing curves transforming the formerly formal (and somewhat stubby) style into a vehicle that looked to be in motion even when standing still. Yeah, it cribbed from the Jaguar XJ – but did it in a way that doesn’t look like a complete rip off. The front fenders switched to composite plastic to save weight – however as the slings and arrows of time were flung, the fenders would have chunks missing from them.
1991 Print Advertisement
Inside, Buick gave the dash a flowing look that had it merging into the doors. Optional was a new analog gauge cluster with full instrumentation and tachometer – standard was a horizontal speedo with fuel gauge in true GM fashion. A standard drivers side airbag helped with safety, along with standard Anti-Lock Brakes. Controls for the lights moved to the drivers side door with the passenger side sporting controls for the new Dual Zone Comfortemp Climate Control if equipped. Rear seat passengers gained ventilation ducts for heating and air conditioning. The Ultra trim level returned, but not the 20 way power front seats from 1990.
Jaguar-esque front end with the Buick “dollar grin” grille
Ultra owners got standard variable ratio power steering, along with limousine style rear passenger vanity mirrors and headrests. Outside, Ultra models had lower body cladding with a choice of colors to match the exterior paint. Audiophiles could choose from several restyled Delco sound systems with “Concert Sound II” available with a in dash cassette or CD player, 5 band graphic EQ, and C-QUAM AMAX AM Stereo. Touches like memory seats, Twilight Sentinel, traction control, and lamp monitors pushed the Park Ave into Cadillac Sedan deVille territory equipment wise.
Something modern, something Brougham
Under the hood, the new L27 Series 1 3800 V6 gained 5 HP for a total of 170 and torque was up 10 to 220 ft-lbs. Connected to it was a new electronically controlled 4T60E, with the new PCM coordinating shifts between the engine and transaxle. This powertrain combo gave the Park Avenue smooth V8 like power and crisp almost undetectable shifts. Fuel economy was up to 18 city/25 highway under the old EPA estimates, better than the outgoing Electra. For those who wanted the Park Ave to handle the curves a bit better, an optional Gran Touring Suspension replaced the standard Dynaride deflected disc setup and included 16 inch cast aluminum wheels.
Series II Supercharged 3800
MotorWeek tested a 1991 Park Avenue Ultra, and the only criticism was the tail lights and somewhat confusing climate control buttons. Of course Mr. Davis was digging the complete instrumentation – but the rest of the restyle received a thumbs up as well. 117,075 Park Avenues found homes for the inaugural year, more than double the outgoing Electra.
Other automotive journalists were just as effusive with praise, as this 1991 commercial shows.
1992 brought only slight tweaks to the interior & exterior – but a big boost under the hood of Ultra models. A 1 liter Eaton supercharger was strapped to the intake of the 3800 to create the L67 Supercharged 3800. Putting out 205 HP (slightly more than the 4.9 V8 in sister deVille), this engine helped give the Park Avenue some real grunt. A few 1991 Park Avenue Ultras were equipped with this motor, but most got the NA 3800. 0-60 time with the L67 dropped to 8.4 seconds from an already decent 9.0. Sales dropped to 63,390 with the introduction of the similarly styled but cheaper LeSabre – the restyled LeSabre found 161,736 buyers that year, up from 90,756.
My 1994 Park Ave Ultra with the Gran Touring Suspension and 16 inch wheels
1993 was more of the same, with only the optional instrument cluster getting a tweak with change in the scale of the tach (going from x10 to x100). Automatic Ride Control was available as an option – it came with computer controlled shocks that had a three position orifice to adjust damping. It was unavailable on Gran Touring equipped cars, or if you opted for the trailer towing package. The Series 1 3800 received some improvements the increased torque and overall efficiency…but also was the debut of the composite intake manifold that could be troublesome at times. Sales slipped to 55,210, with the LeSabre selling 143,466. The competition kept getting stronger, both domestically and foreign. Chrysler released the new Concorde with the striking “cab forward” design and Lexus’s redesigned ES300 was gaining steam in its second year taking square aim at Buick & Oldsmobiles upper middle class target market.
A rear end treatment befitting a Buick
For 1994, the interior gained a passenger airbag that moved the glove box to the lower half of the dash, as well as a redesigned steering wheel that allowed for remote control of the radio and temperature. Ultra models gained 20 HP for a total of 225 thanks to using epoxy coated supercharger rotors to improve efficiency, a larger supercharger inlet and throttle body, and a different pully. Ultra models also had revised taillights that kept the smoked look, but deleted the chrome strip in the middle. Air conditioning was now CFC free thanks to R-134A refrigerant. Sales rebounded to 64,665, even with sister division Cadillac releasing an all new Sedan Deville. Assembly moved from Wentzville MO back to Buick City in Flint Michigan alongside the LeSabre.
Instead of Vigilight, this panel monitored the circuit for blown bulbs
1995 brought simpler climate controls for the optional ComforTemp electronic system, and the new Buick radios that had larger display, buttons, and knobs – but ditched the 5 band EQ and AM Stereo in favor of EQ presets on higher end models, and for the first time an optional all in one CD & cassette unit was available in the dash. Under the hood, the Series II 3800 made its debut with 205 HP and 230 lb⋅ft, better fuel economy, and it was 26 lb lighter overall in the process. Sales slipped only slightly to 62,994.
Optional full instrumentation – standard on Ultra
The swan song year for this generation finally came in 1996 – but not before the Ultra received the updated Series II Supercharged 3800 pumping out 240 HP and 280 lb⋅ft of torque. Changes from the Series I included a larger throttle body and different fuel injectors, different cylinder heads, different lower intake manifold and pistons, and a lower compression ratio (8.5:1 vs 9.4:1). Inside, the chrome trim for the gas and brake pedals was removed. OBD2 came along for the ride, but sales slipped further to 46,953. For 1997, the styling evolved with a switch to the G Body – but the LeSabre would continue on with more of the same until 1999.
Ultra Park Avenue’s came with rear headrests and the lighted vanity mirrors
Which makes this 1996 Park Avenue Ultra even more of a unicorn – I was looking for a 97-05 Regal, but couldn’t find anything in Western PA that wasn’t a pile of rust. One evening the Craigslist ad for this came up in a GM FWD Facebook group, and I reached out to the seller to take a look. The car isn’t perfect, but it had 59k miles on the odometer – and wasn’t a rustbucket! The tires needed to be replaced, but the seller said he did some work on the car – replaced two of the 3 coil packs, and new front pads. Unfortunately, there was water leaking into the trunk from a shoddy aftermarket power antenna install, the taillights were collecting water due to flakey seals, the power trunk pulldown was inoperable, and it was missing the remote keyless entry fob. But the analytical side of my brain once again went on vacation, and I paid the guy his asking price of $4,995. But before I took delivery, I had the tires replaced – I’m not a fan of blackwalls on a GM luxoboat, but they kind of work given the paint treatment and lower body cladding, and the price was right.
Another reminder you shelled out the big bucks for a Big Buick
The interior isn’t in mint shape with the headliner coming down in spots, but the leather is in great shape, the dash isn’t cracked, and the plastichrome hasn’t peeled off the switches. And the heated seats still work (my wife’s favorite feature). I wish GM had put full instrumentation in more of their upper crust vehicles, as the gauge cluster in this car is one of the best. Not a fan of the spread out warning lights on the upper dash, but they work.
A bit more work to swap the radio on this C body than the Cadillac, but worth it
For a big guy like me (6 foot, 300 lbs), these cars are great for road trips – no big center console to block spreading out on the highway. Even the back seat isn’t uncomfortable! Repairs haven’t been too bad, aside from replacing the gas tank (it rusted and was leaking when full), new brake rotors, OEM power antenna, trunk pulldown motor, and I swapped out the head unit myself for an aftermarket one.
Subtle badging only on the Ultra
Despite the reputation for having a floaty boaty ride, even the Dynaride equipped Park Avenue’s handled decently given their mission – it’s not a BMW, but it won’t embarrass itself either. The Gran Touring Suspension in my 1994 with the bigger tires handled better without much sacrifice in ride quality. In 1995, Popular Mechanics published an owners report – not surprisingly, the ownership base was over 65 and had mostly been Buick owners before.
This unfortunately was not the image that Buick wanted to portray – they believed the Park Avenue was for young successful entrepreneurs considering the imports…not the Early Bird Special set that had been motoring in Electras since the Nixon years.
Straight line performance is wonderful – mash the skinny pedal and that Supercharged 3800 will have you going at whatever speed you desire in no time. Passing is a breeze – and despite having less HP and torque than the LT1 in the Fleetwood, the lighter weight makes it scoot quicker. Driving this car never fails to put a smile on my face, and I find myself taking the long way home just to enjoy the ride. My Grandma Zelpha and Pappy Ron had a early 80’s LeSabre coupe, and Grandma Z always remarked that it was an “easy driving car” – I guess that taste runs in the family, as I do love these cars. They later traded a late 80’s Cutlass Ciera on a 1993 Olds 88 Royale – so I would like to think Gram would have enjoyed this car as she did the Olds. Sadly she passed away before getting to go for a ride, but I hear her voice when I get behind the wheel, or anytime a Tom Jones song comes on the radio.
The little badge with the big horsepower boost
While no hybrid, on a road trip from Pittsburgh to NJ and back we averaged 25 MPG, and that was with the haul from ShopRite in the trunk doing 80 most of the way. Filling it up, even with premium, is way less painful on the wallet than the Fleetwood. There is a cutout where if you don’t have your foot in it, the supercharger is bypassed to help with economy.
Long, flowing lines translate to aerodynamics – and a much nice look
Buick aimed these cars at Baby Boomers, while trying to keep the Greatest Generation buyers satisfied. They ended up only succeeding on the latter point, I think these cars are still the best C cars from the GM middle trio…and in some ways, better than the C Sedan/Coupe deVille. As for why sales weren’t stronger, I think that Buick had too many similar sedans chasing the same consumers – to say nothing of the other GM divisions. Traditionalists would go for the cheaper, less technologically advanced (but physically larger) Roadmaster sedan – that was good for 22k-59k sales per year from 1992 to 1996. Those who wanted full size comfort but not the glitz would get the LeSabre – and given how it was the best selling full size sedan for a time, I’m sure that some of those sales came at the expense of the Park Avenue.
But that doesn’t diminish how much I love this car, and the values it stands for. For a time, “The Great American Road Belongs to Buick” slogan had a car to back it up – and this was it.
I remember being in Baja California on vacation in 1998 aged 16 and seeing a Chevy-badged version of one of these; it was the Chevrolet Park Avenue.
Chevy bowtie on the grille, but the Buick logo on the top, like in the picture.
Interesting that these even existed.
Thank you for this comprehensive article on the Park Avenue!
These are one of the very few American sedans from the 90s onwards that I like. A good, nicely balanced styling which may have “stolen” some touches from Jaguar as you say but also show a modern greenhouse. A very American interior but not too fluffy.
The Park Avenue sold reasonably well for a big American in Europe. A proper alternative for big European cars.
Interested reading about that “power trunk pull down”, did it work by gears or cable? Powered opening trunks are common but it would seem to me a power closing trunk is more difficult to accomplish.
This forum thread has some pictures showing how hit works: https://buickforums.com/forums/threads/1996-park-avenue-trunk-wont-close.65635/
It isn’t a full powered trunk lid so much as an electrical latching mechanism, which can relock the decklid when it’s in that “closed but not latched” state.
Apologies for not explaining further – the link AUWM posted is correct. It “pulls down” the decklid the last couple of inches so you don’t have to slam the trunk closed. Various US luxury makes have featured it over the years, most notably Cadillac and Lincoln.
On my cars, it’s an electric motor working a gear that raises and lowers the striker. It is a very “Brougham” touch…
The power deck lid pull-down was useful if you lived in a house with the main bedroom above the garage. If you got home late at night or early in the morning when someone was asleep, you could easily close the trunk quietly.
I first noticed them on a USA road trip in 1992. I loved the looks. And still do. Of course, now that they’re 30 years old I could import one and leave it LHD.
Another dream.
You ought to do a COAL series.
My main reservation about these: Didn’t these cars (and the contemporary Olds 98 and Pontiac Bonneville) have the itty-bitty rear drums and not exactly generous front discs, even with ABS?
10″ rotors and 9.5″ drums… adequate, but not up to mountain grades in 1st gear.
I cooked the ever loving snot out of the brakes on my parents 92 LeSabre crawling down Pikes Peak, 1st gear wouldn’t hold it below 40. It just didn’t have any compression braking.
That was what I was remembering. It seemed like a weird place to pinch pennies, given that these were not inexpensive cars. (I thought it was particularly odd on the showy Bonneville SSEi, with all its aero addenda and sporty cues — it had fairly generous rubber for the time, but the big 16-inch wheels showed off brakes that looked like they came off a Grand Am.)
I remember when these first came out – I considered these the first genuinely beautiful designs for a big, American car since maybe the early or mid 1970s. I was surprised to read that the wheelbase was only 110 inches – I guess good design can disguise that and make it look like a much larger car.
This was a car I always thought would eventually be in my driveway, but it never happened. I am actually a little disappointed – I was never really excited by the big B/C body GM cars I owned, but found these really appealing. To this day I have never driven one – I hope it would not put me off the way the W-body Lacrosse did. I love that dark green paint on the car in the first photo – that is SO 1994, but I still find it really attractive on these cars.
I think it was the next generation of Park Avenue that was less of a success. I never liked the looks as well, and it had the added problem that the Toyota Avalon was in showrooms and started siphoning many longtime Buick buyers.
110.8 inches, smaller than a 70s Nova.
My dad had a 2000 LeSabre until a tree fell on it in 2018. It was designed for people under 6 feet, which I’m not. He would have gotten a Park Avenue (he’d had 3 Electras), but the Step-Monster insisted on memory seats (she never drove it), and he wouldn’t have leather, so he had to settle for a LeSabre.
The wheelbase might be less than a fingernail length than the 1970’s Nova but the Novas depending upon the year built from 1970-79, was still significantly shorter in length than the Nova. Nova from 1970-72 189.4″ long, 1973 194.3″ long and the 1974-79 (note part of the latter part of the 3G and mostly 4G) Novas were 196.7″ long the 1991-96 Buick Park Avenue measured in at around a little over 205″ long and depending upon the year of the 1970s Nova, that’s a whopping almost 9″-16″ difference in body length.
I meant to say the Nova being shorter than the Electra. I wasn’t able to edit that part of the sentence because the editing feature is no longer available.
+1
I always liked the styling and wanted one, but our first PA was a ’98 (totaled, no injuries) replaced by an ’03 which just celebrated its 20 year build.
I recently replaced its torque converter @ 196K (BANG @ 45 MPH) and replaced the upper intake @ 60K as a precaution. Other than that, nothing major
Those cushy leather seats look soooo comfortable! GM did put good leather into their cars from about the 1960s through the 1990s.
Also, I can’t help feeling like these cars came out about five years too late. I think of these as the natural successor to the downsized ’77s, providing a similar kind of experience and ambiance with some useful advances in space utilization and fuel economy with the move to FWD, the improved 3800, and the four-speed 4T60E transmission. In 1986, these would probably have restored a lot of faith that GM could still get it together in the big sedan category. By 1991, I think a lot of people had been burned or disillusioned by a decade of missteps and embarrassments that cost GM a lot of credibility with buyers under 50, even stalwart Buy American types. That wasn’t the fault of these cars, but they weren’t able to bridge that gap.
That said, the Buick seemed a more honest effort than the related Bonneville and big Oldsmobile. The Bonneville was trying too hard (I remember a particularly trenchant Brock Yates commentary suggesting that the white SSEi test car looked like it had been squeezed out of a can of Reddi-wip), and the Olds didn’t seem to know what it wanted to be, either stylistically or dynamically. The Park Avenue wasn’t my kind of car, but it knew what it wanted to be and pulled it off pretty well, which is certainly worthy of respect.
Agreed. The 1985 C’s sold well….but the transmissions could be troublesome, and the design (inside and out) did not appeal to younger buyers. Shame that these didn’t come out sooner, but the Roger Smith era GM was not known for being swift moving.
I didn’t like the boy-racing style of the Bonnie, and the Olds 98 was just weird looking (although I am partial to the 1992 Eighty Eight Royale).
I had a 91 Ultra for years and while I liked how it looked and some of the details, it gave me so much trouble that I wish I never had it!
The transmission was replaced by a used one at the Buick dealership and again under the 1 year warranty. Then I had to pay again to have it rebuilt. It certainly didn’t like towing small trailers as it failed twice while doing so. A small Glastron boat that a friend usually towed with his Celica killed the second transmission and another small trailer that I used to move my sister required that I had it rebuilt as the 1 year warranty of the transmission installed at the Buick dealer had expired.
The CD player failed a few times so I had to get another in a junkyard to send it to have the CD mechanism replaced and that one also failed quite often under warranty and it was even lost in the shipping!
The A/C failed a few times, the condenser, evap and compressor had to be replaced. The motor also needed a new harmonic balancer, a new timing chain and crank position magnet and a few months later, it started to knock on the crank so I also needed to get a junkyard replacement.
The Electri-Clear windshield modules failed and I didn’t pay to have that one replaced as it was very expensive. It was poorly located at the lowest part of the passenger side inner fender. It had 3 large wires from the 140 amp alternator going to it and the housing of the module had turned into dust in many areas under that black paint!
The car also needed extensive body work to keep it structural integrity. The exterior panels did look fine and the rocker panels were mostly hidden by the plastic covers but they still required being replaced along with welding to the inner fenders.
I had to replace the headliner and the lower dashpad on mine too.
Phil has told me many times about the troubles he had with that pretty Buick. I also had problems with the trans going on my ’90 Olds 98 at only 80k miles while my daughter was borrowing it. It seems that, sadly, it was a major weak point with these otherwise excellent cars. The 3800 engine is one of GMs good ones, in a era of some not-so-good ones
I’m probably a broken record about how relatively few domestic sedans were being sold in my part of California by the nineties, and that most of the ones I saw on the road were Tauruses, but these and other Buicks have really soldiered on. I’m not sure I can tell a Park Avenue from a LeSabre, but in general, there are still quite a few “larger than Century/Regal/LaCrosse” Buicks running around. Can’t say the same for the most recent small stuff. By the way, I never noticed any Jaguar look to these cars, but now I can’t u see it. And, supercharged or not, it does seem like that 3800 V6 hit a sweet spot of power and economy that deserves a spot on the list of great American engines. I think the supercharged version might have made a mid-size pickup/SUV motor.
My parents had the cheaper 92 Le Sabre for a long time, even in base 170hp form it was no slouch in straight line performance, but it’s handling and ride was awful when new. Mom and Dad complained loudly to the service department while it was under warranty about the bouncy ride – like it had absolutely wasted struts, and they didn’t do much for it. It replaced their 1984 Olds Delta 88. Once I put Bonneville struts in it, the ride got much better, handling was still pretty typical GM FWD nose heavy understeer.
It also was kind of a mess under warranty, but once it got out of warranty, it was rock solid. It would do 100mph with ease, and cruise at 70 pretty quietly returning 28-30mpg. Later in its life, Mom had a 2 mile commute and it would carbon up pretty good, and I’d take it for friday night stop light drags.. she always commented on how well it ran and stoppped after that. Dad had a good idea what I was up to though.
It was roomy for 5-6 people, but I hated driving it long distances without cruise because the spring pressure on the throttle was too soft and it would hurt my ankle, and the base velour seats were not comfortable for to drive for long.
That radio was also a long reach from the drivers seat.
tommy T: Buick offered the gran touring suspension for nearly every model they sold. The service department should have offered that instead of you having to go to the Pontiac suspension. Anyhow, those same Buick’s with the “upgraded” G touring system were quite different in handling than the base. But there’s a lot of people (like me) who actually prefer the standard dynaride with the deflected disc valving system.
While I never considered the Park Avenue as a car made for me, it was pretty much the most attractive in its class.
I suspect that the Olds 98 outsold the Electra/Park Ave right up to the 1991 model year… but wouldn’t be surprised if the tables turned pretty quickly. The 1991 Olds 98 restyle yielded one of the more awkward-looking cars on the road, while this Buick became one of the best-looking.
Boy, did I ever sell a bunch of these in both PA and Ultra trim. My parents owned 3 PA’s until then went to the LeSabre Limited because they felt they were so similar yet lower priced. My one brother and his wife had a PA and then went to a white Ultra with the gray bottom and gray leather. That was my favorite. Some of the best seats in the industry IMO. Fantastic V6 and great looks.
I sure miss Buick having nice sedans!
I’ve owned two: a 93 Ultra and a 95 base.
They were both low maintenance, high durability cars!
My favorite, of course, was the 93! It was loaded with everything and just never failed. The 95 would get up to 30 mpg if I drove respectable!!
Now you’ve created a problem: I want one! And I have a 1976 MarkIV and 1978 Thunderbird Diamond Jubilee in the garage…now what?
I think that the Park Avenue was a great evolution of earlier Buick designs, but even though it was attractive, it wasn’t successful in attracting younger buyers. Back when these were new, one of my co worker’s had a sister that bought one. She was an executive with a high tech start up. Her boss told her that the Buick didn’t fit the image of their company, and it didn’t reflect the image that she should be projecting. I think that she replaced it with a BMW.
I’ve always appreciated the virtues of big American luxury cars as well as personal luxury coupes. While I’ve had a couple of high performance cars, on a long road trip, I prefer a relaxing, comfortable, and spacious vehicle.
Great writeup of one of my all-time favorite cars. I remember when these were new and how refreshing they were after the badge-engineered mess that was GM in the ’80s. The ’91 Park Avenue by contrast felt like a Buick, with distinctively Buick styling, a soft Buick ride, a Buick interior, and a Buick engine.
The ’91 Park Ave was excellent from the start but also benefitted from significant improvements every year. I was aware of most of the tweaks mentioned here but had never noticed the tachometer changing to single-digit x100 readouts, undoubtedly to prevent it from being confused with the speedometer. Several other notable improvements I did notice:
– Soft door pull straps were added in 1992 so you wouldn’t have to grip the back of the armrest to close the door. The area your arm rubbed against was now padded and upholstered leather/vinyl rather than hard plastiwood.
– The ’91 car had only one cupholder; later cars had two in front and two in back. The rear seat armrest also opened up to a new compartment.
– The new ’94 steering wheel, in addition to audio and HVAC controls, also had a full coverage horn button over the airbag rather than the two small horn buttons surrounding the airbag on the older wheel.
– I don’t recall which year a heated driver’s seat was first available, think it was 93 or 94. The passenger side heated seat was a new option in ’95 though.
– The base ’95 Park Avenue had substantially less chrome trim on the exterior than in previous years, as well as new lower plastic cladding. I didn’t care for the look of the cladding, but it did do a great job of protecting the doors from parking-lot dings as it protruded quite a bit.
– I don’t know what the purpose of the straps on the front seatbacks was, but they were deleted starting in 1995.
– GM’s Magnasteer adjustable speed-sensitive power steering was fitted in ’96 to the Ultra, as well as to base PAs that had either the Grand Touring suspension or Automatic Ride Control
– Also in ’96, the interior dome lamp did a slow fadeout upon closing the door
– and finally, on the base Park Ave (not sure about the Ultra), the rear seat cushion had more slope to it adding support under your legs and effectively increasing legroom.
I can’t believe this car is 32 years old. Interior could be from a modern SUV if you run a few screens across the dash.
Thanks for the additional info! The strap on the back of the seat was to assist in getting out of the back seat, as well as moving to the middle seat.
I will say that the Magnasteer gives the Park Ave a feeling of a midsize sedan, even with Dynaride.
My 94 had heated seats, both driver and passenger. Must have been a later production year vehicle, but I do remember that there was a short in the seat and I had to pull the fuse.
I want a 93-95. While I have a car exclusively for long trips from the Bay Area to San Diego or Las Vegas I wouldn’t mind another.Have to wait and see which pops up first a 95-97 Town Car, a 98-07 Grand Marquis, or Park Avenue. While I am a dedicated small, quick, nimble, stick oriented car guy I sure finding driving a big car down a long straight stretch of 5 much more appealing and relaxing for when you get there.
In the late 2000’s these were a very typical first car for kids my age at that time. Grandma passing it down or Dad finally getting a new car. I loved this era Buick so much. I spent a lot of time in a Purple 1993 Park Avenue. Another friend had a white 1994 and a brown 1996 LeSabre. I even had a 1998 Regal. Man these cars were everywhere and never seemed to let you down with a 3800 V6.
I’ve got a Crown Vic now but wow would I love a Park Avenue Ultra to add to the fleet.
I remember when these debuted and a couple of family friends bought them in ’91. They were/are elegant and timeless. Getting teenagers to notice, let alone admire…..a near luxury car…..is amazing.
I agree with this.
These first-generation Park Avenues have grown on me exponentially in the past years.
In fact, during the pandemic when I just started at my (now former) job, I actually found a gentleman selling a one-owner white 94 Park Avenue. He was asking 2750 for it and it had 62500 on the odometer. I thought it was perfect.
Then I went to test drive it and found out literally the day before that someone ran into him at a stop light. Completely smashed the rear end into a cube and totaled the car. I was pretty sad about that..
Now I can’t even find a decent one that’s not got nearly 200k on it on the major websites. But one day, a clean one will show up. I’m hoping it’s an Ultra, but I’ll take a regular one all the same.
There is Facebook group for the Buick Park Avenue and Buick Lesabres.. What many of you might not be aware, the first generation Park Ave (1991-1996) was exported to various European countries and their are international members in France, Germany, Sweden, Finland and various others such as Mexico. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1535376140017244/?ref=share
It’s always cool to read a great article about these cars!
I first met the smaller Lesabre back in 2001 when I first came in the U.S and was amazing by the ride quality.
Back in France I randomly came across Park Avenue, and immediately fall in love.
PA where imported in Europe black then but had euro compliant taillight ( in my opinion it was ugly), folding mirrors, Grand Touring suspension and 16″ allow wheels.
I found one with low mileage (40k miles) and nice tan leather interior. I kept it 5 years. it was the best car I ever had, great ride and affordable to maintain.
The only thing that car was missing was 15″ wheels with white walls 👌
I bought a 1991 PA back in 2002 for $695. It had new engine and transmission struts wheel bearings. It needed tires and a rocker panel. My friend a millionaire had just bought a fairly new Mercedes Benz after being a Cadillac man was jealous lol..It also had a new dark blue paint job
My first car was a somewhat rough ’96 Ultra. In GM fashion, the dual zone climate control, lamp monitor, and self leveling suspension were broken, but the important stuff held up well. I still miss it to this day. Even in its condition, it felt nicer than other GM products I had driven. Hopefully when finances and time allows, I can buy another one for a weekend cruiser.
A feature story that pays tribute to the 1991-96 Buick Park Avenue? How wonderful.
Everything I want to say about this outstanding car has already been pointed out by yours truly in an earlier post from last year, so I humbly submit that very same comment again, slightly updated:
My personal car is a base ’95 Park Avenue, which has been my daily driver for 22 years and counting. When I got it back in 2001 it had a mere 73,000 kilometers (45,370 miles) on the odometer; it passed 293,000 kilometers (182,100 miles) just the other day.
I use metric measurements because I live in Germany, by the way.
This is the best car I’ve ever owned, period. It’s dependable, roomy, more than adequately powered, lavishly equipped, and extremely good-looking. As if all that wasn’t enough, it’s even quite economical for a car this size and weight. I routinely get 25 mpg with my Buick in a typical city/country/highway mix. This is more important than ever today with local fuel prices at approx. 7.5 dollars per gallon.
Speaking of highways, I drove my car flat out just once on the vaunted German autobahn and it hit a solid, GPS-verified 205 kilometers per hour (127 mph), more than enough for my taste. I usually cruise at a relaxed 75 mph on the highway.
There have been a few issues with my car, but none of them dramatic. The engine and the drivetrain are rock-solid and dependable, but some of the attachments needed replacement: Two alternators, two starter motors, two intake manifolds, and three water pumps have been installed up to now. I’m on my third set of front discs, most of the front suspension components had to be replaced after more than 20 years of service. No big deal and quite normal for a front-heavy FWD car.
On the other hand, the rear drum brakes croaked only last year and the load-leveling rear shocks are still the original ones the car rolled off the assembly line with. Amazing.
Some of the electrical/electronic goodies no longer work, like the trunklid pulldown, the traction control system, the seatback adjustment and heater on the driver’s seat. Never used the latter, anyway.
Rust is not an issue. I’ve given my Buick extensive rustproofing treatment (Mike Sanders anti-corrosion fat) many years ago, though, plus it’s always been garaged.
GM did indeed sell the Park Avenue over here in the 1990s for a few years, but in typical GM fashion, they asked an eye-watering price of 80,000 deutschmarks, which was approximately 40,000 dollars at the time. In the US, the base price was 26,360 bucks.
At 80,000 deutschmarks, the Buick competed with the likes of BMW and Mercedes, which jaded German upper-class car buyers would NEVER EVER give up for an American car. Therefore, the Park Avenue languished in the marketplace for a few years with a resounding – and perfectly predictable – lack of success and was quietly withdrawn after 1996.
GM probably never sold more than a couple hundred per year over here, but quite a few of them are still around at very reasonable prices. I bought mine in ’01 for 25,000 deutschmarks, a whopping 70 percent depreciation after a mere six years. Today, good examples sell for around 2,000 euros (approx. 2,200 dollars).
Anyway, I love my Buick Park Avenue and I intend to drive it for as long as I possibly can. Let’s see who quits first, me (I’m 62) or the Buick.