1988 Buick Park Avenue review from North America
"Sports car disguised as a grandpa car"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Air conditioning has had a minor leak for some time, but we didn't realize what it was until the air was no longer blowing cold.
Replaced front wheel hub after bearing went bad.
Alternator died during road trip, hottest day of summer. Barely had enough momentum left to get into emergency lane of highway. Thank goodness for cell phones!
Headliner falling down.
Ignition module had to be replaced after the car ran out of gas and module fried during restart. Would have been $800+ at dealership to fix, we replaced it ourselves for $312.
Paint is peeling in places.
Door seals are falling apart, so road noise is pretty bad.
General comments?
Other than the headliner, the interior is still in beautiful condition, still quite plush after all these years.
Incredibly powerful car for its size. Accelerates up major mountains with ease, no loss of power. Engine and transmission still run like it's new.
Fuel economy is 32 miles per gallon on the highway, 28 in town, and that's with the air conditioner running.
Very reliable car, worth every penny we paid for it and more. I never hesitate to take off cross country with it.
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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 | 1988 |
| First year of ownership | 1996 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | Automatic |
| Performance marks | 9 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 8 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 10 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 125000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 167000 miles |
| Previous car | Toyota Tercel |
| Date of Entry | 2nd August, 2003 |