24th Jan 2009, 07:48
These types of cars make perfectly acceptable daily drivers for some people - people with money who don't have to make a long commute. Of course nowadays in America most people's incomes are a lot less than they were in 1976, and commutes are much longer. What's changed is not so much the cost of gas as the American workers' standard of living.
25th Jan 2009, 10:31
The economy was in a bit of a slump in 1976 too, not a recession though. For the most part however, our standard of living is much higher than it was in '76. That is why so many people are in debt up to their eyeballs. The cars however are no comparison. A car like the Chevy Malibu or Toyota Camry would have been considered a compact, cheap car. Now they sell for close to 30 thousand and are considered medium sized cars. Even cars like the Ford Taurus and Chevy Impala would have been about the size of a compact car, now they are considered full-size. Just think, you could buy a car like the Electra for under 10 thousand dollars in 1976. You get much less for your money nowadays. I guess that's progress for you.
12th Feb 2009, 12:12
I owned a 76 Buick Electra 225, which is known as a deuce and a quarter.
People forget that there are cars out on the road today that provides 10-15 miles per gallon (Hummers, Dodge Ram, Ford Excursion and Expedition). So, GIVE ME A BREAK, this is a very nice classic car and will out run a lot of cars on the road today, not to mention also putting them in its place.
If I ever come another 76' Electra, TRUST ME, I will purchase it in a heartbeat and yes, it would be my weekend, summer toy.
17th Feb 2010, 03:08
My older cousin had one of these.. the 225 aka "Deuce and a Quarter". His grandfather gave it to him back in 1993... and he kept it up to 2001.
That car was repainted, to a high standard... the original color was a dark brown... but my cousin's father, had it painted in dark brown, with golden flakes.. and the car was a 2 door, with that have landau half top, in a very lite tan tone.. with the same color fake leather interior.
That car was awesome.. everyone loved it.. he even had the large style white wall tires, and original rims.
Awesome car if you can get one. :)
15th Apr 2010, 18:30
I did own a 1976 Buick Limited, and I bought it when it had 60,000 miles on it. It was the best car GM ever made.
At that time I did not have a garage, and the car did get rusted out along the quarter panels, so I sold it for parts. It was a dream to drive, and at that time it was my daily driver.
I have just bought another 1976 Buick Limited 4door hardtop with only 33,000 miles on it. This one will be in a garage and drive on sunny days. You just can't beat the four door hardtop with the windows down cruising along the highway.
As far as having work done on the car, I can do it all myself, because it's all electrical and mechanical, not electronic.
Miles per gallon does not matter when you own one of these, you are paying for the pleasure of driving one of the best cars made.
On my last Buick I got about 14 miles per gallon, and I expect I will get the same with my new one.
It sure is a head turner when you come down the road.
23rd Nov 2012, 14:23
I have a 76 Electra Limited Park Avenue, and it's my daily driver. Overall it's much cheaper than most any new car to operate and maintain. It's not that bad on gas in the city, and better than most of today's full size cars on the highway. The parts are cheap to buy, the insurance is cheaper, and I have a solid car that will not fold up in an accident.
I had a new Explorer with a 4 litre V6 that was harder on gas and cost a fortune to maintain. I will stick with my old Buick.
24th Nov 2012, 11:57
Better on fuel than most new full-size cars?? Maybe trucks and full-size SUVs, but definitely not modern cars. Still, I'm sure that it is worlds more comfortable and roomy, and these old cars are a great deal, considering you can buy them cheaply, and plates and insurance are afterthoughts. I hope it holds up for you. I wish I wasn't so vain, and could drive around in a car like that. I'm sure I would like it much better than any modern vehicle.
20th Apr 2013, 16:32
Remember... when I said my 76 Buick Electra Limited Park Avenue was cheaper to operate than most any new car, I was not talking about fuel comparisons to a new car. I was talking about overall costs. About a quarter of the cost of maintenance of any newer car that is off warranty... and if it is on warranty, you have already spent too much and still have maintenance to look forward to. So with savings like I see, the cost of gas is a small extravagance that doesn't add up to a lot.
I also have a 2000 GMC Sierra, which is relatively economical on fuel, but parts are expensive for. The Buick is still an overall cheaper and better car to operate, by a lot. Fuel is only a small part of the big picture in vehicle operation. So to operate / buy a car based on that is only to give yourself about a 20% realization of costs.
I drove the Electra from Saint John, New Brunswick to Montreal, Quebec and back on 2 and 1/2 tanks of gas. I did the same trip in a new Ford Explorer with a 4 lit V6 and it was 4 and 1/2 tanks. The Explorer blew up and burned, about a year later, in my driveway one day while I was at work and no-one was home. A sensor issue I was told. The Buick doesn't have issues like that, and it doesn't take a scanner to find out what's needed.
21st Apr 2013, 19:26
The standard of living was significantly higher back in 1976 than it is today. Our leaders just keep telling us that we have it better than ever before, so we don't lose faith in their inept leadership.
Back then, one family member could support everybody and still enjoy a regular work week with full benefits and great pay. Nowadays, multinational corporations work you like a dog for less pay and few to no benefits, and get rid of you after a few years. Not to mention that both parents must go through this, and they'll often rack up tons of debt to pay for things because their menial salary can't get them much.
25th May 2013, 07:49
"Limited" is just a trim style. Interior/exterior of a model. It is not the name of the car. The Electra, & LeSabre, Centurion, Skylark and others all came in a "Limited" trim style. For a few years in the early to mid 70's, the Electra did not say "Electra" on it anywhere, yet it was still listed, sold and advertised as the Electra.
22nd Dec 2008, 16:07
I gave the car a glowing review because it deserves one. Regarding fuel consumption, the Electra gets around 13 mpg in the city and around 15 on the highway, which was left out of the review because it wasn't essential material.
Although the MPGs for this car are obviously less than stellar, compare it too many of the SUVs released during recent years and you'll find that for the size/weight/technology, it may actually be more efficient than models currently on the road today.