1993 Buick Roadmaster Limited from North America - Comments

Actually, the only thing mechanical to go wrong after a quarter million miles is a bad alternator. The electrical system is shot (automatic heater, radio, power seats, power mirrors, interior lights don't work, but it is a Buick so that is to be expected, they just don't do well in that area). There is an exhaust leak which is driving me crazy, the UV joint is about to go out, rusting a little, but overall for 249K, with the original motor and tranny its holding up okay. Except for some rust along the bottom it still looks showroom new, so...

Well, after the smashing success of my 1987 LeSabre review and the subsequent smashing of the LeSabre into a Suburban at 30 mph that pulled out in front of me (the thing broke in half it was so rusty, but I seriously didn't feel a thing, I saw the hood hit the windshield and was like 'oh, I crashed' opened the door and walked out). So safety and solidity were the things I was looking for and this delivered. I'll be honest though, I bought this after it had been retired and sat in a field for 3 years and its really on deaths doorstop. The mileage has not been kind. It still runs and drives like a dream on the highway though, just floats down the road. The V8 gives a lot of push once you get it going, but getting this barge moving occupies the engine up until 35 mph, then what I like to refer as the rocket effect takes over. The tranny shifts really smoothly. I have the leather seats with the lumbar support and that's nice and all, but I still miss my old Lesabre. This is really too much car for a downtown urban environment. Parallel parking can be a test of wills. The only thing that really bothers me about this car is that there is no rear visibilty outside the mirrors. Everything behind your head is a blindspot. This has led to a couple of very close calls already. I would seriously consider getting a caprice with leather interior (same thing) instead as that doesn't have the formal roofline. This probably wouldn't be a problem on the interstate, but in cramped downtown environments, its something to think about. Also, this tends to catch the wind like a semi, so keep your hands on the wheel (some people say 'drives straight at highway speeds with both hands off the wheel', try this and you might end up in a ditch, what with the signature overactive Buick powersteering. This thing is great in snow. I just loaded the trunk with concrete blocks and plowed through whatever. However, the heater blower motor seized up so its not really a good winter car for me. The trunk is huge, but not that usable because of the full size spare. The styling is great from the side, but it kind of looks like a bloated walrus from all other angles. Still, it carries itself well, this is not a car to be inconspicous in (especially after a wash and wax). But, then again it averts attention in the nicer areas (as opposed to the old white car with the grey doors and red trunk lid). For the price I paid (900) its not too bad. If everything worked this would be a sweet car. Just be forewarned, this is a boat, and if you have no parking skills (especially with the pathetic rear visibilty), this might not be the car for you. It looks huge because it IS huge.

You know I don't have any of those problems with mine.

Maby its just the fact that you can't drive. or its the fact that its too much car for you and that you can't handle it.

Period point-blank!

Well if people are going to be a-holes and write comments like that, maybe I shouldn't write such detailed reviews. Anyway, I would gladly pit my driving and parking skills against anyone, and the fact that I have kept this beast on the road through 2 Michigan winters without hitting ANYTHING -- icy roads, bad power steering pump, no rear shocks, old tires, no HEAT/window defogger, and best of all NO ANTILOCK brakes, in a car this size says something I think. Its not that this car is too much for me (I have drive a 15 pass extended wheelbase full size Dodge van for work and this is tiny compared to that), its that this car in the condition that it is in is way too much for the tight confines of a city and borders on just being a danger to everyone around it. I can parallel park just fine (and looking at others better than 95% of the public), but try finding a space long enough for this car. Usually I have about 3 feet total of leeway after its in there, and getting it wedged in there is not fun. And to the proud owner who commented to defend his car by saying that his fully functional example (which I assume also has 254+ thousand miles on it) is a joy to park, try it in my car when its 5 degrees INSIDE, the windows are iced up, and there is no traction to be had; on a busy downtown street with a line up of cars behind you cussing you out for taking so long. Once you do that, I'll respect your opinion, but until then keep your mouth shut until you know what you're talking about. I'm glad you're so secure that you have to tell everyone in the world you can park a car. WOW. Next summer when I replace this, if not sooner, I'll sell it to you and then you can show me how I've gone my whole life without knowing how to park a car. Seriously, these cars are not getting newer and more and more are becoming like mine as they wear out. Various problems are going to start plaguing anyone who drives their auto until the very bitter end, and that's just the way it is. Lets get some more comments here congratulating this contributor for their great helpful comments, I know they really gave me something to think about. Okay, I'm done, seriously, if you have nothing to say, keep your mouths shut and your hands from typing. Thanks.

Hi I have a 93 roadmaster, it now has 307.000km, and love every bit of the old car.. I travel 40 minutes to work, great with the nova scotia winters!!!as its age is creeping up the antilock doesn't work. the heater blower just quit, but replaced with 2nd hand. My only wish it was new!! I really hate to retire it..the bottom has rusted out, but repaired 2 yrs ago. It does need alittle more work underneath, I just don't want to spend much more money. I do haul my 5000 lb camper with it and does a really nice job.. I did find a '94 the other day with only 23,000 kilometers,mint!!! but the price of fuel is too scary... My car still looks mint on the outside and in, just underneath..

I purchased a 93 Roadmaster in Oct., 2002, with 125k on it. The car was beautiful, everything worked, and it ran great. I live in suburban Detroit, but spend a lot of time driving; especially downtown and in Windsor. My son is an excellent mechanic and keeps everything tip top. Everything still works except: the a.c. needs a recharge and the anti-lock brake unit needs replacing (I have a spare). Also, the opera light on the passenger side, rear pillar needs replacing-very hard to find!

I have the vague highway steering, and parking is always an adventure due to rounded edges and blind spots-my Chevy Caprice (1987) was much easier to park with it's straight edges. I have some rust above the rub strips that is soon to be fixed. At 198K, this is still an excellent car that gets a lot of praise.

I got my 1993 Buick Roadmaster from a neighbor lady who was leaving NYC to live in Atlanta. One day as I was in front of our apartment bldg. changing the brakes on my Pontiac Grand Am she approached me asking if I knew anybody that might be interested in buying her car. In a heartbeat I was on my feet yelling that I would take it off her hands; everytime I walked past that machine I always marveled at it and the fabulous condition that it was in. She shyly asked me if $500 sounded about right and I had to pinch myself. The black sapphire paint looks showroom fresh and there isn't a speck of rust anywhere. I masked off and painted the vinyl moulding that runs around the length of the body a sky blue as well as the rear brake drums and front calipers. I chucked the alloy wheels and mounted Dayton bolt on 70 spoke wires with Michelin AW4 whitewalls. Flirting with the law I did all the windows in 20% tint (35% is the law in NY, but the horse is so gorgeous even cops have given me thumbs up). The door pillar posts are now covered in gleaming stainless steel. The piece De resistance is the 8" Bugler swan hood ornament from JC Whitney (kids had batting practice on the first one so I rigged the second one so that it comes off of the hood and goes inside with me whenever I'm parked for any prolonged period of time. The interior is so fresh and the leather upholstery is so soft and unworn that I find it hard to believe that the car has ever had any passengers. The car is poetry in motion and never fails to grab attention. It seems that just about every 3rd or 4th time I pull it out someone makes a cash on the spot offer for it. The fact that it is so stunning and certainly a one of a kind vehicle coupled with it's width weight and girth, I'm able to commute the streets a lot of the time barely going above idling speeds as I give innocent bystanders and fellow drivers alike a chance to see what a real machine looks like. Oh, the personalized plates read...RDMASTR1. LOL. The 350cid motor is running like a swiss watch (with my stethoscope probing around the engine block I don't hear the faintest of pings or ticks), fuel delivery and ignition are right on time making it super responsive when I tap my toe, the tranny is tight and smooth as butter. I just had a Python 700 alarm system installed at Circuit City and when they were done the ABS light was on and won't go off. I attached a code reader, but the light won't flash so I assume that there is an open in the circuit somewhere where the install knocked something loose. I got the shop repair manual from ebay and next week while on vacation I'll go over the entire ABS elect. circuit and see what's what. The heat isn't as warm as I know it should or could be so I'm going to start by using Prestone's back flush kit to flush the heater core and then change the thermostat and see what happens. The opera lights need new bulbs and require a little work getting to, but I'm just so happy to have them; my last opera lights were on a 1980 Cutlass Brougham and let me tell ya, they give real class to a car at night. I like the fact that I can cruise with just the parking lights on, no automatic daytime running lights. To the guy who wrote about parking on city streets; I feel your pain. Lol. I don't care what anybody says or thinks, I can drive and park anything on wheels, but with this roadmaster it's always an adventure parking. First you need someplace that it'll fit into. Then you need a good running start, lol. After a little practice though it got easier as I began to realize that due to the blindness caused by the height of the rear window I didn't have far to go before I was hitting curb. As someone mentioned earlier, the roundness of the car also plays havoc on your angles; I was always able to look out my window and line my window ledge up with the curb across the street or a lane divider on the street and know that I was parallel with my curb; throw that out the window with the Roadmaster, it's like trying to park a bubble. With 130,000 miles on the car and the way it's been taken care of all it's life I look forward to many years to come enjoying the stares and pointing fingers and thumbs up from admirer's. I also look forward to working on it when something goes down; the V8 and all it's components are right in my face with plenty of compartment room for me to work in, not like so many of the newer cars today where you need monkey paws and designer tools just to change a spark plug. Anyway, I thank you all for letting me vent here and I wish everyone lots of luck and longevity with their Roadmasters.

OK, the Roadmaster is not a hard car to drive in my opinion. I don't have any trouble driving it in any situation.

A lot of you talk about yours rusting out and certain things going out on it. Did you ever stop to think about the mileage on the car? And the fact that you live in areas with snow, therefore there is salt that causes rust. A car is a machine and things are going to break on it. Things will need to be replaced, and if you don't want it to rust out, for God's sake people, you have to flush out the places that hold salt and dirt. This will stop corrosion and rust.

My 92 Roadmaster Limited has 350,000 miles on it, but you couldn't tell it. I keep it washed, waxed and flushed out. Something goes out or breaks and I fix it. That's all you have to do to keep them like they should be.

I agree that the Roadmaster is not a burden to drive. I drive a '99 Park Avenue and I test drove a '95 Roadmaster to compare. The Roadmaster was a bit more challenging but overall very easy to handle. I liked the softer ride, but not the excessive lean in turns absent on my Buick. In contrast a '76 DeVille I test drove was a very overwhelming car to drive! I wish they still made em' like this. Modern cars are soo small and bland. I hope to trade my '99 for an '05 Park Avenue soon. I have no interest in the Lucerne.

I have a 93 and it is my favorite car ever. Subs, tint and rims, that's all you need.

When we had the second kid, I decided the pick-up wouldn't do anymore. I wanted all the steel I could get around my kids, and as soon as I started my '93 limited, I knew it would do. Funny thing is, as it gets older, it's getting newer! At about 185,000 the odometer started to turn BACKWARDS. I'm down to 155,000 now, and if she holds up I'll have the new car I always wanted!

Things do wear out; like radiator, alt. blower motor. and just about anything electric; which is everything. Dome lights wouldn't go out and killed the battery a couple of times, but yanking the fuse solved that. Same circuit runs the power mirrors and locks, but no matter, I could always lock the doors with the remote. Now the auto locks lock when you turn into a drive or hit a bump and apply the brakes at the same time! I've grounded out everything to ground and still does it, so I UN-lock with the remote.

One rust hole next to the muffler where you can't reach well at the car wash, opera light out and the trim fell off so I polished it. Goes through Michigan snow like butter, and gets about 20mpg adv. I keep saying I'm gonna drive it till the wheels fall off, but mine may fall off first. No wonder GM quit making them, no repeat customers!