Faults:

My parents bought this car new in 1998. A few months ago they had stopped driving due to failing health and eye sight.

I had both their cars shipped to me from Texas to New York.

Two Buick Park Avenues, a 1998 and a 2005. The 2005 has 7,000 miles "seven thousand" on it. I had it sold before I could drive it.

I had no idea that these were such nice cars. I have driven high end sport luxury cars for the past 20-years, and none have been as nice as these Buicks. No more BMW or Acura for me, I am keeping this 1998. I wish I kept the 2005 as I would just buy a new Park Avenue, but I see that GM has deleted them. Such a shame.

Both are white with the tan leather.

These cars have had no problems according to my mother.

General Comments:

Easy to slide into and out of.

Very nice big trunk.

Tons of automated stuff like headlights.

Wonderful heated seats.

Very nice luxury interior, everything from the seats to the dash to the door panels.

Large easy to find, see and push buttons, easy to use and understand controls.

Excellent head and foot room, up front and back, I am almost 6 foot tall.

Quiet and strong engine. Transmission is silk smooth.

23.6 mpg overall. My Acura only gets 21.1 with the same driving.

Excellent view of the road from inside of the car.

Smooth ride, easy to turn steering wheel, super soft and easy to push gas and brake controls.

The car feels very heavy and safe, but drives like a much smaller car.

I read that the projected quality is somewhat poor, for these cars in my on-line research. I hope that I can drive this car for the next 10-years or more.

Faults:

The intake manifold gasket failed, filling the cylinders with water and hydro-locking the engine. I tore it down to the heads, but should have stopped at the intake manifold. The head gaskets were fine. If this happens to you change the intake manifold gaskets (only).

General Comments:

I love this car!

I also had a 92 LeSabre and it went 350,000 miles with no problem, then my daughter totalled it out.

Faults:

Let's see, nothing major, what makes me mad is quality issues and part costs.

The plastic cover around the driver's side seat control broke off, I was MAD!

The plastic cover over the driver's side seat track falls off all the time, not broken, but it is retarded that it won't stay on.

The seats wouldn't heat up.

Ashtray won't stay shut, again this made me MAD! It costs about 300 dollars, because they can't just replace the broken part; they have to do the whole thing.

General Comments:

This is an OK choice if you buy it used, or can't afford a Lincoln or a Cadillac.

It is a nice looking car, and has some neat features. I bought the car loaded, it has heated seats, dual climate zones, a sunroof, and a HUD. The HUD is a hologram that is projected on the windshield, so you don't have to look down at your speedometer, instead your speed is displayed right in front of you.

The reason I didn't get the supercharged Ultra trim line, is because I drove one and I didn't notice much more power than the standard 205 horse engine. I figure that on a 3900 pound car, it needs at least 300 horse if you want some performance.

You just can't compare this car to a Town Car or a De Ville. I know the Town Car only has 240 horse, like the Ultra trim line, but it feels a lot quicker. I have the touring suspension, and still I think heavier cars like the Lincoln and Caddy ride much much better. Don't get me wrong, it is a nice ride, but there isn't as much float to it as the other flagships.

Handling is interesting, because it is a front wheel drive car. My turning ratio is great turning one direction, but turning the other, it isn't as good. Still, it handles quite well, and is surprisingly low to the ground.

Performance ESTIMATES: 0-60 7 seconds, and I guess the 1/4 mile in about 17-18 seconds. Don't worry though kids, you can still spin the tires, you just have to stomp the pedal to the floor.

Despite the stereotypes, the car does not ride as well as it should.

It needs more horsepower and torque, preferably from an 8 cylinder engine. The supercharger is weak and is a waste of money. Also a pain if something breaks in it. Lots of money for 40 horsepower.

Less interior plastics, and a genuine wood trim wouldn't hurt; the one I have is plastic.

One thing I get a lot of complaints about, is that in the rear seats, there are no headrests. That is absolutely a must. The newer Park Avenues do have them though, but not having the neck support sucks if you want to sleep.

Weak air conditioning for the rear passengers.

Good sound system for being a stock setup.

The cabin is quite large, and can seat 3 adults in the back and 3 up front.

The trunk space is just awesome. That is one thing about having the front wheel drive, is you don't get the ridges and wasted space like in a rear wheel drive, where the tranny is sitting back there too. Trunk space is great, it also has a pass through, if you are carrying lumber (I don't know why you would in a nice car). I think it's about 19.5 cubic feet of flat useable space.

Handy steering wheel lets you adjust volume and air conditioning.

The front headrests are retarded, because unless you lean back in your seat, which most don't, they serve no purpose; they need to be further forward, so they can at least touch the driver's head.

Overall I like the car, but Buick had better make some more improvements to this car. I have heard rumors of Buick changing a lot with the Park Avenue. Check it out at motortrend.com. If you are too late, basically they said that the Park Avenue might be getting the 275 horse version of the Caddy Northstar engine, and switching to a rear wheel drive platform. Possibly a name change for it too. Then, since Buick would be using a Cadillac engine, Cadillac would only offer the premium 300 horse engine, or maybe bore the Northstar to a 5 liter.

I think Buick has always been better than Pontiac and Oldsmobile. But being a GM "luxury" car maker, they are in Cadillac's shadow.

In conclusion, this car is a good choice for the high 30 thousand range, but a better choice, if you are looking for ride and power, would be a Cadillac or a Town Car, or if you are a high roller, a Jaguar XJR.

Look for one used; the Park Avenue depreciates terribly. A '98 is only worth about 10 thousand according to the Kelly Blue Book.