When I first purchased the car, the tie rod was broken, 3 gaskets were leaking, the carburetor was way out of tune, headliner sagged badly, there was no freon in the A/C tank, the alignment was off, and the tires were bald.
All that was fixed except the carburetor tuning, I am still working on that. 23 year-old carburetors are really sensitive!
The paint is cracked and faded, on the hood and trunk mostly.
Picture driving your couch to work. Front and back bench seats are really comfortable. Spacious and surprisingly quiet. The shocks must be made of marshmallow, you can go over railroad tracks and almost not even notice it.
Aside from the sensitive carburetor, the smooth 140 HP V8 is barely audible when driving. Although the car is seriously short on power, it is a reliable and quiet machine.
All the electronics work perfectly, even the original radio! Power windows, doors, drivers seat; rear defroster; cruise control; truly a luxury liner in its time.
Driving this car will take some getting used to, because the car itself is really big! The frame is as solid as anything out there, this car was hit while PARKED by someone going 30 MPH and no damage! Gas mileage is a downer, about 15 MPG and it requires premium because of its age.
Overall though this car is good value, it will cut your insurance costs in half and is surprisingly low maintenance.
I own a 1979 LeSabre Limited which I purchased brand new. I still love everything that it has done for me, and will drive it till it dies and then I will fix it. It is good to see that the newer generation still likes to drive around in an original Detroit steel "land yacht".
My grandmother used to own a 1978 Buick LeSabre, it had a brown exterior with a creme colored roof on top, it was a really sweet car and I've always looked forward getting to ride in her car, I'm glad to hear that you've had a wonderful experience with your car, fortunately you still see a lot of the late 70's LeSabre's on the road and it goes to show you how good those cars really are, keep up the good work.
I have had a 1978 Buick Le Sabre Custom 4 door for about 2 years now. Besides basic maintenance (brakes, plugs, wires, etc) I have had no problems. The car rides like a Caddy and all electronics are still working perfectly. The engine is a 350 4 barrel carburetor, so I am not lacking in power, even with the cars massive size. She is old, but has a lot of life left in her!
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