1997 Buick Riviera Supercharged from North America - Comments

Power window switch.

Key locked into ignition, have to keep the door key on a separate chain and keep the ignition key in the car.

Normal maintenence like tires, plugs, transmission filter etc.

I honestly have to say that this car, the 93-97 Impala SS and Camaro, and 93-97 Bonneville ssei's are THE best looking cars to come from GM since the 60's.

I LOVE this car, it looks nothing like anything else on the road, low production numbers make it a truely unique car, and the interior is a fresh, modern update of the classic first gen 63-65 Rivs.

Comfort is BEYOND anything I've ever ridden in, power memory seats, dual climate control, heated seats, leather, and an awesome heater make for a plush ride, and the placement of all of the controlls is perfectly in reach in any position.

Now for my favorite part. Buicks have been, and always will be, the ultimate sleeper brand. GS, GSX, Grand National, turbo t-type, GnX, and now, this car. The melding of a two-door, luxury coupe with GMs famed Series II supercharged was genius. Smooth ride, and raw, American made power when you need it, this is certainly an unexpected hit. I honestly have no complaints for this car other than the mileage (not GMs fault) and that they gave this once proud name plate the nix (GMs fault)

This is as close As I'll ever get to owning some true American, Buick muscle since 30+ year old GS's and SS's take more time, money, and patience than your typical kid has. I love the complements I get from other Buick owners, but not as much as the looks I get when other teens in their compact turbo cars watch me light the tires and boost gauge (aftermarket), and get a glimpse of a set of taillights they'll never forget. Plus low insurance rates and the fact that the fuzz is less likely to pull over a kid in a Buick than a kid in his dad's z28, Corvette or WS-6.

This car singlehandedly restored honor to the dying Buick name during the 90s, and showed the world that Buick was more than your granddad's cruiser, it was a name dedicated to comfort, style, reliability, and speed, molded together the Buick way.

To sum it all up, Yes, I would really REALLY rather have a Buick!

PS am I the only 20 year old that enjoys driving and modding a Buick or what?!

The problem was that the '95-'99 Riviera WAS "your granddad's cruiser", even with a supercharger: overweight and emphasizing ride comfort over handling. The dashboard was supposed to evoke memories of the first '63-'65 Rivieras, but ended up just being difficult to use.

Can't really fault Buick for not trying, though. Their earlier attempt, the Reatta, was even less of a sales success than the final Riviera.

Buick now really needs a model to "restore honor" to its name, though: after this year the Rendezvous, Rainier, and Terraza all disappear, leaving just two models: the LaCrosse and the Lucerne. Kind of the same thing that happened at Oldsmobile just before GM announced it was pulling the plug...

The 95-99 Riviera is my #1 choice for my next car. I drive a '92 Sedan Deville right now (I have a review on here) and love the big, smooth, luxurious, powerful american cars, typically Buicks, Cadillacs and some Oldsmobiles. The Riv is beautifiul, powerful, good on gas, very comfortable and reliable. Your review is spot on, oh and I'm 19, and when I get my Riv (or Park Avenue Ultra) I'll modify it some.

Nice to see someone my age driving something other than a God-awful import or a banged up primered 5.0 mustang, my Caddy driving friend.Yes, there are plenty of mods for this engine, you just have to look, and since this car was made for only 4 years, most aftermarket companies don't bother listing it. Anyways, good luck finding your Riv', and if you can't find one I've always found the 90's elDorados to be mean looking coupes!also, if you live in N.C. or are interested in creating a performance oriented club for Caddillac, Buick, or Oldsmobile leave me a comment or E-mail!

To the guy above your review:

1. At 3,700 pounds roughly this car is moderately heavy, considering a 4,200 pound 260hp 330 ft/lb Impala SS can do 0-60 in 6.5 seconds, my car with some mods should have no problem laying some rubber lines. Also, 94-01 f-bodies are almost as heavy, even with the 3.8 or all aluminum ls1 v8.

2. Buick had no trouble at all selling these cars, in fact, if they weren't in such demand in 98, there wouldn't have been a 99 model year or 200 special editon silver arrow cars, and 2,000+ cars were sent through the doors in 99 on request only. The only reason these cars were dropped is the same reason the Camaro and Firebird/Trans-Am was dropped, the market for ALL, not just Buick or luxury oriented,2-door coupes was lost in favor for SUVS (at the time) and 4-doors like the GP and impala

To the original poster, it's me with the Cadillac again, I work at a Chevrolet dealer, in the service department, and one of my coworkers has a '99 GTP that's been modded, and one of his buddies has a '01 Regal GS that runs 12.69, so I hear a lot of praises for the L67 S/C 3800 from them. I'm not sure if the G bodies have all the aftermarket support the W-bodies do, but I know all of the aftermarket stuff for the L67's is universal.

If you want to read my review on my deVille, go look in the reviews for the '92 deVilles, mine is titled "Cadillac...standard of the world" or something to that extent, it's 882 words. I wrote one on the '95 Roadmaster Limited I owned before I got the Caddy... that review is titled "The Perfect Sleeper" and is entitled 527 words. So yeah, I like the big american luxury cruisers. :)

Hey again, I've read both your reviews, liked em too. W-body cars definently are hard to find specific parts for, but engine parts are mostly universal, but some things are damn pricey, like 400-500 dollar headers from SLP or Pacesetter!

I'm looking into doing a engine overhaul sometime soon, since it has over 150k miles on the clock (wouldn't hurt since it give me a chance to do a cam swap and a little porting and polishing here and there.)

Those roadmasters are definently under-rated sleepers,considering the 96 collectors edition is almost a full second faster 0-60 (6.7-6.8 seconds as stated by car and driver magazine) than an impala SS!

Good luck finding you next car (hope it's a Buick or caddy!), and when you do e-mail me some pics if you want, my address is grease_monkey_87@hotmail.com, ill send you some pics of my riv, I just finished putting a straight-pipe exhaust on and some other mods (exterior) I was gonna put it on car domain, but the sites too slow and annoying. Anyway, keep up the good reviews and good luck car hunting!

I own a 1997 supercharged Buick,Riveria.And these cars are one of the true sleepers cars of the 90's era I challenge any mustang gt automatic to a race 45 to 100 and see who comes out on top with a 3.8 v6 weighing 5400lbs versus a ford 4.9 gt weighing over 1000lbs less and two cylinders!Mustangs equal muscle,haha yeah right take my v6 any day. For 1000 dollars in the right places up to 400hp. Believe it or not. Clint Hunsville, Al.

Hey Where did you find the things for your Buick as in aftermarket, I Search everyday hoping to find something but I can't! Please help? You're not the only 20 year old that appreciates a Buick Riviera.

5,400 lbs for a Buick Riviera?? Maybe if it is a 1976. Your 1997 probably weighs closer to 3,800 lbs. I have a Park Avenue which is heavier, and I know it doesn't even weigh 4,000 lbs.

Not sure how this works but I will give it a try... hello everyone:)

I am about to buy Buick Riviera 1997 supercharged V6 from someone who really looked after the car. Well it had two owners (7y. 5y.) The car is gorgeous and I drove it and loved it. I am getting a pretty good deal I hope but I found out on the carfax the car had an accident in 1999 and was repaired in 2003.. could have been just something small or the car sat for 4 years somewhere...

The owner is saying it is in perfect condition, and I really want to trust him as he doesn't know anything about any accident and told me the car has new brakes / tires and only 56000 miles on..

What is the car worth?.. I am 29 and this is my first car.. guess it is too big for first time driver (as Europe doesn't count here) but I love it...

What other check ups can I do on it?

I would like to know which Buick car was made in 1999, where only 199 or 200 of them were made, if there was one please. Thanks. If anyone knows, please email me at lilernhrdtfn3@yahoo.com.