1987 Buick Park Avenue Sedan review from North America
"Great luxury and adequate performance"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Water pump, timing chain, gears, and cover went at 110,000.
Torque converter clutch went at 115,000.
Starter at 139,500.
Both front windows stopped operating at 130,000 and 140,000 respectively. An easy fix with a $18 part (each side) from the dealership.
Catalytic converter rattles.
Clearcoat coming off of the top surfaces.
Keyless entry keypad went bad at 125,000. Parts unavailable from GM.
General comments?
Extremely reliable car. NEVER let me sit in 40,000 hard miles. It loves the highways. A thousand-mile roadtrip is easy work in a Park Avenue.
Engine can be a bit noisy however.
Handling is much improved with wider tires (I put T-rated Bridgestone Touresnas on it).
Excellent in the snow and rain.
Good gas mileage for a car of its size.
Be wary of one approaching 100,000. The timing gears and transmission both need attention around this time. I used to work for a Buick dealership, and have seen it many times. I have also seen many of these cars with 250,000 miles, still on the road.
Plenty of power for passing and merging.
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| 1985 - Park Avenue sedan 3.8 V6 Great car in all aspects |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1987 |
| First year of ownership | 1998 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2001 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.8 V6 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 6 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 7 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 103000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 140000 miles |
| Previous car | Buick Regal |
| Date of Entry | 25th April, 2001 |