1998 Buick Riviera review from North America
"The best ever"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Supercharger idler pulley seized about 60000 miles.
Ignition wires went bad at 74000 miles.
General comments?
Taken as a whole, this is the best car I have ever had. The combination of comfort, styling, handling, power and economy are almost too good to be true.
I must admit that the styling is the thing that first got my attention; it's drop dead gorgeous, the most beautiful car GM has ever built with the possible exception of Harley Earl's Y job, but I have never seen that one in person and photos can lie.
The 3.8 with a blower is pure pleasure, just put your foot in it a bit and you don't even care what the price of gas is, it just feels soooo good! The surprised looks on the faces of folks in their sport sedans as you blow by is priceless too.
The comfort level is superb, excelled only by a Peugeot 604 I once had, but then it's French and well, you know about the French and pleasure. I put performance oriented struts on it, and it corners quite crisply and still has a great ride!
I get 18-20 mpg around town and 27-30 on the interstate at an indicated 73 mph. I plan to keep this one for as long as I can drive, and then maybe I'll just keep it to look at.
Recommended reviews
| Very Showy, But Very Disappointing, the 96's were better |
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| 1997 - Riviera supercharged 3.8L series II l67 supercharged Race inspired motor, tranny belongs in a swamp |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1998 |
| Year of manufacture | 1998 |
| First year of ownership | 2006 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2008 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.8 supercharged Automatic |
| Performance marks | 9 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 50000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 75000 miles |
| Previous car | SAAB 900 |
| Date of Entry | 29th April, 2008 |