19th Jan 2009, 01:11
So I own a 84 Buick Riviera. It runs like a beauty. I don't really have too many problems with it except that my axle broke. I love this car; it's my first car ever and my ex bought it for me; the car's name is Ralph and Rita :)
Although my heater and A/C don't work, the car is great. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to take it or can I fix it myself you think?
30th Jul 2009, 01:52
Just wanted to say love the 83 Buick Riviera T Type Coup Buick White. It's one of the finest cars I ever owned, but I fixed a lot of things like the front axle and the radiator.
Now the transmission and belts, but still after the money I still love the Riv; it's been a great ride and I got it in 2004, and still in 2009 156,000 thousand miles and it runs good, but one day it will get a new 307 5.0. She needs the loving.
1st Oct 2009, 00:18
To the reviewer - nothing, *nothing*, can hit a deer at 50mph and not even sustain a dent. Not even a 1984 Riviera. I know they don't build 'em like they used to, and those old Buicks, Chevrolets, Oldsmobiles and Plymouths are tough, but a deer can do some real damage.
Let me tell you a story - not of the Riviera, but of an Electra Estate wagon. The grandson of the owner, a good family friend of ours, was starting off from a just-turned-green light at an intersection, and a smaller, more modern car ran a red light and hit the Buick's front right section at something over 20mph. Some of the body was pushed up into the car, and a headlamp and turn signal had to be replaced. The cost of the damage was enough and the car's value low enough that the insurance company wrote the car off and declared it totaled. But the owner knew better - he paid the extra cost and got the Buick back on the road, as good as before.
But here's the really interesting part- the Electra *drove* to the shop where the damage was inspected and a repair bill drawn up. The smaller, newer car - I don't know what, but picture something between a Corolla and a Camry - had to be towed from the scene. It wrecked itself doing the damage it did to the Buick. And this story is quite relevant to the Riviera, as it was built the same way and is every bit as tough. These cars, taken care of right, can last decades beyond the expected service life of a car (20 years). Having owned a similar vehicle - a 1985 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser - I can testify to their toughness and quality. Thirsty beyond a doubt, but they are tough and comfortable.
The 1984 Riviera comes from a different, and in some ways better time, when we had Ivan to duke it out with instead of bin Laden, $4.00 a gallon gas prices were a pessimistic fantasy instead of reality, and cars were not deliberately built to destroy themselves in a collision. They were built more in line with the philosophy behind the M4 Sherman tank, and had fuel economy to match, but people don't look at cars the same way. Those shiny chrome bumpers, that hard steel body, from a time when if the car crumpled it wasn't supposed to, inspire confidence in a way these collapsible plastic jellybeans of today just can't.
Today's cars are safer and more fuel efficient, but there's a wonderful 'something' that cars like the '84 Riviera possess that more modern cars cannot. Something that makes cars like the Riviera capable of driving away from accidents that destroy newer cars. I'll take a car that has that over a Camry any day.
3rd May 2010, 20:53
I have a 1984 Buick Riviera, and I was just wondering how much horsepower is in the 307 cu in 5.0 L 4bbl V8 engine. If anyone can help, it would be greatly appreciated.
26th Aug 2010, 08:01
307 V8 is 140 HP. Source - http://rivowners.org/features/evolution/evpt84.html
15th Oct 2010, 11:05
I have a 84 with a 307, and the vacuum hose diagram under the hood is non legible. Can anyone out there take a picture, and post or send it to me. I have looked everywhere for this, and cannot find it. Thanks.
2nd Nov 2013, 22:33
I just bought a 1984 Riviera myself. I have no complaints. Love this car. It really has its own character.
29th Apr 2014, 11:35
I've had my '84 Riviera convertible for about 2 months now. I love the car!! I took it one road trip -- 14 MPG going uphill into a strong wind. My car has only 59,000 miles on it & it looks new.
15th Mar 2015, 19:19
Unless you've hit a deer with an 84 Riv, how would you know? My Caddy obliterated a Mazda doing 50... not a single dent. The Mazda's engine was in the front seat.
16th Mar 2015, 11:54
You claim something doing 50 mph hit your "Caddy" and you don't have a "single dent"?
Did you really expect anyone to believe that?
19th Jul 2016, 15:26
My uncle hit a deer with his '71 caddy. The result was a new front end... hood, fenders etc.
8th Aug 2018, 05:17
I had an 1984 Oldsmobile '98 Regency Brougham that was t-boned in a rear quarter panel (just behind the rear tire) by a speeding pizza driver in a Ford Escort. I don't know if he was going 50, but he was moving. I felt a thump and the car kinda wiggled, but didn't otherwise move off its line. The Ford spun a 360, accordioned up to the windshield, a total loss. The Old's had a press-in dent about the size of one of those small Nerf footballs. It didn't even scratch or break the paint.
23rd Oct 2003, 09:20
I have an 85 which is identical to the 84. It has been a total joy and now has 68,000 miles on it. I do have it for sale because I just bought an 83 riv convt. I never have had any major problems, actually, not even minor ones. I love the car and wish I could keep it. Miles per gallon, 24 to 25 on the highway. In my opinion, that is very good considering the size of the vehicle and it is a v-8.
Ric harves,
Aurora IN
ROA member.