Transmission self destructed - 138667 miles.
CV joints replaced.
Water pump impellers broke off.
Fuel pump shot.
Emission control is junk.
Wheel bearings going.
Power seat failure.
This car is comfortable and roomy.
It is built like a tank, I hit a deer doing 50mph and it didn't leave a dent!
Decent off-road performance, however, lacks speedy acceleration, tranny doesn't let the rpms climb over 3500.
Gas mileage sucks, about 12mpg city, 19mpg highway.
I agree with everything this user states here, except for the performance. It's not the tranny that causes the problem with performance. It's the catalytic converter. My gas mileage is much better than that. I get 18 city 25 highway. Best car I have ever owned!
I have a 1984 Riviera rag top which I have owned since 1991. The car now has about 215,000 miles on it, but many expensive repairs have been needed to keep it going. Rear air suspension has broken twice, engine rebuild at 165,000 miles, transmission rebuilt twice (yikes!!) really expensive replacement of convertible top material, various other annoying problems and now a leaking transmission line. BUT... they have all been taken care of and I still own the car because it looks great, is very comfortable and it is the last of the full size convertibles. Driving a full size convertible is an experience that cannot be topped by ANY other kind of car. I have not experienced any of the rust problems that others have talked about with my car. It is always garaged, but I live in the north east where salt and weather usually take a harsh toll on a car. Even the original paint is still pretty good 19 years later. I will probably keep this car until a new full size American convertible with great styling is produced - which might be never at this rate (unfortunately).
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.
Hello, I once owned an 84 model Buick Riviera Coupe she was beautiful... I named her Bernice... she sucked petrol like a drunken vixen, but yet her ride was very smooth... I loved her. She was light-grey with light-grey velour interior... power everything fully loaded except no car phone I have seen some with the car-phone, but I digress... I am not going to pretend to know a lot about cars because in reality I don't. I do admit that I grew up around cars, but the only thing that I ever did was pump the brakes when my uncle was changing the brake fluid or whatever he was doing under the bonnet. I always loved cars the way they looked and also the way they sounded, and of course the way they rode. Back to Bernice she was lovely. I had her for a couple of years... she belonged to my uncle Chuck then my mom then me. She and I would have great times together I mean she was very roomy and the car was plush and very comfy you just don't find that in cars today you can agree the seats remind you of your favorite recliner it is soft and it feels like home and you can remain there for extended trips and none of that "are we there yet?" I would just ride around for hours listening to music because you will agree for a car factory stereo at that time six speakers plus the five band graphic equalizer was excellent. So, I would ride around listening to my Twin Peaks soundtrack and go up to Cheha Mountain and open up the moon-roof and just sit listen to music and watch the fog roll in that was so ironically the same color as Bernice we'd get lost in the fog together. I miss her. I ended up selling her because I couldn't afford the up keep, but I just wanted to tell you about a love affair that I had with a car, who I do miss so much. I would love to have you again maybe I could have treated you better, I am sorry.
To the previous poster, I too had a love affair with a car built on this chassis a Cadillac Seville. Four cars were built on this platform, Riviera, Seville, Eldorado and Oldsmobile Toronado. The styling of all four was unique and actually a stylish unlike the uniform trapezoids and bubbles of the current vintage where the only thing that varies is the shape and placement of the lights. My Seville had the dreaded GM diesel engine which after free replacement with the re-engineered version ran flawlessly to 160,000 miles when the car was totaled by a drunk from the rear.
The reason I was reading anyway was that I am about to purchase a 1983 Riviera convertible that has 98,000 original miles and is in pretty decent shape. I've waited a long time to replace my Seville but the time has come before the prices go out of reach.
Twin Peaks, cruising just to listen to music, a truly comfortable car... things I miss. I have a 2000 Cadillac DeVille which I would trade for one of these cars in a heartbeat, that is if I could find anyone who wanted it... and the price of Northstar...$350 just to change the plugs... and that didn't include the cost of the plugs.
Riviera, what a beautiful name for a car... what ever happened to those kind of values.
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