1995 Buick Park Avenue from North America - Comments

Hi, I have a 1995 Park Ave with 247k miles on it. I bought it two years and 20k miles ago. The car was poorly maintained and just fixed up for a sale, but I got it cheap ($1700) and fixed it up.

Brake lines, master brake cylinder, 3 of 4 wheel hubs, blower motor, something with vacuum, coolant sensor in the radiator, temperature sensor, etc. Most of that minor issues. The engine was eating a lot of oil and finally sized. A new one with labor was $1500, about the resale price of the car, on the other hand for that money one buys a piece of crap, which needs more money to put in to work. And I like my Park Ave. Happy motoring.

Update: I just recently past the 50k mile mark and 3rd year of ownership of my Park Avenue. It has been a great car and has not died at the hands of a 21 year old. Now I have a total of 159,100 miles. The car has never left me stranded. It hasn't been perfect, but I can't complain. I do maintain it well, being a former auto mechanics student, and the fact that I like working on cars.

Here's a list/summary of things I did since owning the car:

Needed: coil pack - $20, alternator - $134, starter - $79, wheel cylinder - $30, coolant level sensor - $55, climate control unit - $12, ABS unit - $55 (has saved me from many accidents), windshield - $155 (city inspection).

Total cost = $540.

Beneficial: paint job - $320 (has GM's white flake paint), oil pan gasket - $50 (very minor seapage), valve stem seals - $14 (helped slow down oil burning in half), A/C - $400 (southern heat), window tint - $200, CD player - $150 x2 (car was broken into, did more damage than the CD players combined are worth, have yet to fix door cylinder)

Total = $1284.

Have did the norm as far as regular maintenance: Spark plugs and wires, O2 sensor, tires ($450), brakes, rotors, fluid changes etc.

Check engine has only came on twice, once due to the EGR valve, changed coil packed resolved it, and the other time for a lazy 02 sensor.

Recently I did a trans pan drop and switched over to Dexron VI. Nice improvement, nothing fantastic but nice. Did it mostly for the fact that dex VI is 2x better than dex III.

Can't afford a new trans. I also noticed that my master cylinder is leaking, so I might have to change it out soon, but it's a very slow leak.

It may seem like a lot, but I just probably keep up with things more than most. Seems that I have spent 2x more into none need items than actual need repairs.

$2500 + $540 + $1284 = $4324, which comes out to to $846 every 10k, and if you just included the need repairs and cost of the car, it comes out to $608 every 10k, not including regular maintenance. Far less than a monthly car note.

I'm a satisfied Buick owner.

I need this car to last at least 2 more years or at least until I can find a better job. But with the economy tanked like it is, having a reliable car helps you sleep at night.

My 95 Park Ave 3800 is not heating. I have replaced the thermostat and still no change. Any suggestions?