Found a cream puff grandma's car
- Thread starter Tyson
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Dealer maintained in his postI'd give the brake lines and hoses a reall hard look. Any maintenance records?
Don't get excited with the low mileage, it's still an old car. Get ready for intake manifold gaskets and brake lines, maybe fuel pump and air conditioning issues if they weren't done yet. The 4T65E transmission is a piece of junk and likely will give up before 100k. Frequent transmission maintenance is a must.
Worst car I ever had was a cream puff "grandma" 97 Lesabre with 42k miles on it. Sold it after two years in 2018 because it was breaking down all the time.
Worst car I ever had was a cream puff "grandma" 97 Lesabre with 42k miles on it. Sold it after two years in 2018 because it was breaking down all the time.
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My boss bought a cream puff grandma. Seems grandma never went on the highway and only drove around 25 MPH. First day on the highway he brought it up to 75 MPH on the way to work. The vehicle at the time was a 1994 Caprice. He lived 60 miles away from work. He blew the engine.
I agree, it could be a cream puff, or a money pit. OP make sure you give it more than a once over.
Careful, some members here think the engine will blow up, the wheels will fall off, and the car with disintegrate if it rains hard. They'll only buy new with warranty. lol.
In seriousness, that's a great car and a great find. I love these 20 year old low priced, well loved gems. Congrats OP.
If I had a nickel for every "new car" that I saw broken down on the side of the road, or serious recall, I'd be a rich man. I laugh when I see idiots in their brand new cars, waiting for a tow truck. $50k not well spent. lol. In the last 10 years, new cars have NOT gotten better in the important categories like reliability or longevity.
You want proof. How about tens of millions of "new" recalled cars for steering, braking, windshields, airbags, software bugs, self igniting batteries, electronic issues, loose driveshafts, bad welds, wrong seats, dangerous jacks, bad tail lights and headlights, faulty fuel supply lines and fuel pumps, WHEELS THAT MAY FALL OFF, faulty shifter cables, faulty ABS, and thousands more. LOL. Turns out "new" isn't necessarily better. Just more expensive.
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/recalls/page-2/
Here's an example: How long have cars had wheels that didn't fall off? Over a century? Yet here we are, with new cars that have wheels falling off. Good grief.
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/...cks-over-wheels-that-may-fall-off-162228.html
"Ram Recalls 450,000 Heavy-Duty Trucks Over Wheels That May Fall Off"
In seriousness, that's a great car and a great find. I love these 20 year old low priced, well loved gems. Congrats OP.
If I had a nickel for every "new car" that I saw broken down on the side of the road, or serious recall, I'd be a rich man. I laugh when I see idiots in their brand new cars, waiting for a tow truck. $50k not well spent. lol. In the last 10 years, new cars have NOT gotten better in the important categories like reliability or longevity.
You want proof. How about tens of millions of "new" recalled cars for steering, braking, windshields, airbags, software bugs, self igniting batteries, electronic issues, loose driveshafts, bad welds, wrong seats, dangerous jacks, bad tail lights and headlights, faulty fuel supply lines and fuel pumps, WHEELS THAT MAY FALL OFF, faulty shifter cables, faulty ABS, and thousands more. LOL. Turns out "new" isn't necessarily better. Just more expensive.
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/recalls/page-2/
Here's an example: How long have cars had wheels that didn't fall off? Over a century? Yet here we are, with new cars that have wheels falling off. Good grief.
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/...cks-over-wheels-that-may-fall-off-162228.html
"Ram Recalls 450,000 Heavy-Duty Trucks Over Wheels That May Fall Off"
Now thats funny!
You don't want to buy my mom's car for sure, she is an accident magnet, the frame is sort of bent as well as the suspensions, needing camber kit. Wheel bearing and hub were replaced as well as a different color door bent to fit the bent frame.
Grandma's car eh?
My FIL's Camry was a neglect and he hid all the problem trying to sell to my coworker, and I ended up fixing all the problem he hid and eventually broke even when my coworker sold it later at a slight gain (he paid me for the parts, feeling bad for me being stuck in between).
Grandpa's car eh?
Grandma's car eh?
My FIL's Camry was a neglect and he hid all the problem trying to sell to my coworker, and I ended up fixing all the problem he hid and eventually broke even when my coworker sold it later at a slight gain (he paid me for the parts, feeling bad for me being stuck in between).
Grandpa's car eh?
Congrats on your purchase. There are a lot of 16" & 17" GM style wheels that will fit that car. Low buck upgrade is to buy a used set from LKQ or the like in your area next time it needs new shoes. Have fun!
Nice find! Wouldn’t hesitate at all to put my kids in one. They ended up sharing a Buick Lucerne from G-dad for a couple of years before my volvo went to one and the second worked his way into a civic. 3800 is a great engine. I like the wheel upgrade idea, and if I were 16 I’d be looking at stiffer motor mounts and upgraded shocks/struts as soon as I mowed enough lawns! Or a date… but the Buick would be more reliable…
Keep an eye on the water pump. The spark plug wires might eventually degrade. New plugs also helped. That was about it for ours. Also, make sure the coolant is up to date. 
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I have a VERY different opinion. I've owned several Buicks since about 1995, most with the 4t65e transmission and trusty 3800. They have their known quirks; the plastic coolant elbows, intake gaskets, barely adequate radiators, valve cover gaskets by 100K....But once these are addressed, the 3800 engines are bulletproof. Oil pump driven directly off the crankshaft, no one has ever heard of a timing chain needing replacement on a 3800. Ask Trav. There is no "plastic" anywhere inside the engine. Wheel bearings fail shortly after warranty is up on car (takes the same bearings as GM put on 2013 Impala), Dexcool is fine after replacing intake gaskets with updated GM 89017825, fuel pump and wiring sucks so bad that OEM Delphi makes updated replacement FG0437 with better wiring....(Expected repair at ~150K)
Change Transmission fluid every 30-50K, put in a Transgo shift kit; I've driven several to well over 200K with no issues.
To the OP: Nice find! Do the maintenance and these cars will last until you're tired of driving them! I put both my kids thru college with Lesabres!!
ZZPerformance raced these engines in FWD class; factory bottom end is good to ~500 HP! There are supercharged & turboed 3800's with STOCK crankshafts! https://zzperformance.com/collections/3800
2nd the brake lines. On my 2005 Century, a cop looking me right in the face pulled across me causing really hard stop, within a week, brake line gone.I'd give the brake lines and hoses a reall hard look. Any maintenance records?
Good info! Yes, the 3800 engines are great engines. Not sure about the transmissions though... Intake gaskets, and plastic elbows were a major dumb idea! Couldn't bring myself to use the DexCool again...
Brake lines with a fine tooth comb
Run VIN, make sure all recalls have been completed
Flush out the Dexcool with new Dexcool
I suppose service the transmission?
Tell Jr. to save up for a Carplay/Android Auto headunit, he can learn to install it himself (not that difficult on these)
Maybe even a backup camera if he's feeling eager
Headlights use 9005/9006, so 9011/9012 mod bulbs would be a cheap and cheerful way to bring the lights up to modern sensibilities, without blinding others
Enjoy, looks like a real find
Run VIN, make sure all recalls have been completed
Flush out the Dexcool with new Dexcool
I suppose service the transmission?
Tell Jr. to save up for a Carplay/Android Auto headunit, he can learn to install it himself (not that difficult on these)
Maybe even a backup camera if he's feeling eager
Headlights use 9005/9006, so 9011/9012 mod bulbs would be a cheap and cheerful way to bring the lights up to modern sensibilities, without blinding others
Enjoy, looks like a real find
Good luck with that chief
If you have a teen daughter you get her a 2-seater. Room enough for Princess Vespa and Dot Matrix.
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Thanks for the suggestions!
Transgo shift kit arrived. Dropped the trans pan and it looks very good. Very little clutch wear debris, even on the magnet. Automatic transmission intimidate me, but the directions were easy enough that even my 16 year old son and I had no issues. 7.5 quarts of new Valvoline DexIII and the Buick shifts great. (It did before).
Tires were 12 years old. Walmart had Yokohamas on clearance. They ride super smooth and are surprisingly made in USA.
Brakes lines, rotors, pads and pins all look excellent. They have definitely been recently serviced.
Next up, radiator drain and fill and fuel filter.
Transgo shift kit arrived. Dropped the trans pan and it looks very good. Very little clutch wear debris, even on the magnet. Automatic transmission intimidate me, but the directions were easy enough that even my 16 year old son and I had no issues. 7.5 quarts of new Valvoline DexIII and the Buick shifts great. (It did before).
Tires were 12 years old. Walmart had Yokohamas on clearance. They ride super smooth and are surprisingly made in USA.
Brakes lines, rotors, pads and pins all look excellent. They have definitely been recently serviced.
Next up, radiator drain and fill and fuel filter.
