I work maintenance in a retirement condo community. As the residents age and quit driving, if they don't pass the car to family I am sometimes asked if I know someone who might be interested.
I purchased this Buick to use for our commute: 60 miles morning and again in the evening. A lot less fun to drive but so much more quiet and relaxing than the classic BMW e28. My wife is disappointed to be back in as automatic after driving the 5 speed for more than 10 years and she doesn't wan't to get rid of the BMW. I don't either but with more than 300K miles and rust I should likely look for a cleaner e28 535 than repair this one.
The Buick is not entirely mint but looks good (you know, for an old person's car). It has less than 60K miles and has likely been over maintained by the little old lady owner. Always in the garage and seldom driven (short trips!) the Michelin tires are about 1/2 tread but have a date code from the year 2000. There are no records with this car and the owner has dimensia which is progressing. The kids sold me the car but really dont know any history except that mom purchased it in 1998 from the neighbor or simple things like that. There is an oil change sticker on the windshield that shows to come back for the next oil change 2900 miles from what is on the odometer today and it is dated January of 2015. I think that suggests she has only driven the car 100 miles since then.
The 3800 V6 has a black plastic intake manifold but I think they would call it the "series 1" rather than the series II which from my wiki research was new for 1995 models. This motor is not supercharged. The antifreeze is bright and the oil looks like new oil. I put 70 miles on it tonight and will look at fluids again tomorrow in the daylight including the transmission fluid.
I don't know much about this car or the motor generally. I did a couple of oil changes on a friends Lesabre from about the same production year some time back so I'm sure I can find the oil filter. I am aware that the 3800 series II has a problem with the factory lower intake manifold gasket. I'm not sure if this is a problem for 1994 models. I will do a UOA at some point this summer. I plan to drive on the new clean (but 2 year old in the car oil) for 3000 miles if it stays clean looking. The garage at the condo building is enclosed, no sunlight, temperatures are generally 45 to 80 but for a day or two can swing an additional 10 degrees. It is a good place to preserve a car. The very old tires look new (no cracks, checks, fading) and the only mechanical problem I have noticed is that the AC compressor is a bit loud when it runs.
What shall I do BITOGers? I'm thinking spark plugs. I'll look at the air filter but they likely sold her a new one every oil change. No owners manual but I think it will call for 10-30 when I get one. There's a bottle of formula Shell 10-30 in the trunk. I usually use synthetic oil (AZ clearance oil) and change after 7000 miles of mostly highway. What would y'all do for this car?
New to me 1994 Buick Park Avenue
- Thread starter danster
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First of all, congrats on the car! I'd probably change the oil just for peace of mind, and because it sounds like it's 2.5 years old. GM called for 10w30 above 0 degrees and 5w30 below. I'd change the tranny fluid, probably (should be Dexron 3). Your Series 1 3800 should be good for the intake gaskets, but I'd just keep an eye on the coolant for a bit till you know it doesn't use any.
https://my.buick.com/content/dam/gmowner...enue_owners.pdf
is the owners manual as a PDF. That should take care of that for you. And as far as the oil, I'd maybe stay with a conventional. I'd stay with a 30-weight. Enjoy the Park!
Change the PCV valve with a good brand.
Spark plugs are a good idea. At least you'll know where they are, life wise.
The oil filter is a pain on 3.8 Buick engines, sits right over a cross member.
Transmission pan gasket can be re-used if handled carefully.
I switched to synthetic ATF, it was on sale.
Syn 3 is full syn. IIRC.
The belt is old so consider changing that as well.
Engine is likely bullet proof otherwise.
I would just drive it. If the coolant looks bright and oil looks clear plus the oil is probably only 100 miles old, it should be OK. You could try some coolant test strips. If I had to change any fluid it would be the brake fluid.
If it's been over maintained and gently driven, likes sometimes happens with older people's car, then the spark plugs and air-filter are probably OK. Just pull a plug to check.
I would focus on anything made of rubber / polymer, such as the AC or alternator belts. Check the coolant hoses for cracks and check the condition of the battery. I assume you have already done tyre pressure.
Sounds like your wife finds this car a bit mundane. May I suggest a blower on the motor and a flame job on side.
As for oil, any good 10W30 mineral will do, good reason to give that new GTX 10W30 UltraClean a go. Valvoline MaxLife synblend would be a good choice too.
Australia and New Zealand are full of those Buick V6 engines, very solid. We fill 'em full of 15W40 here, just saying.
I'd still change the coolant, ATF, and brake fluid. Tires sound okay. On your 2nd tank of (fresh) gas get it up to 100 and blow some cobwebs out. Bang the rear drums off and make sure the adjusters are free. Make sure the air filter isn't full of squirrel droppings. The gen 1 3800 is less stressed than the newer ones and will last a lengthy time.
Change all belts and hoses first thing in my opinion. 1994 was pre-EPDM so I would replace after 23 years of use. Change battery, plugs, pcv, fuel filter, and all fluids since you don't have maintenance records. My biggest concern would be 17 year old tires. Even if they look great, I would change them for safety. Biggest causes of roadside break downs is coolant system (hoses, rad, wp, etc) and tires. Take care of them and drive it. 3800 are great motors.
Dave
I'd start with plugs and wires, filters and fluids, and belts. After that I'd be onto tires.
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2023
Sounds like quite the automobile!
Tires and a serpentine belt would be on my list of must-replace.
I'm a fan of these cars, as you can tell from my sig. My MIL had a 94 Park Ave for many years, which I maintained for her. She bought it with similar miles on the odo as yours, and sold it with about 130k miles when she stopped driving a couple of years ago. It was trouble free for her, except for an oil leak, and paint flaking off the roof. These cars are easy to work on (also lots of info online), and parts are quite reasonable.
On your car, I would change the coolant and do a trans pan drop and filter, for peace of mind. I would look very closely at the belt and hoses, and change if any doubt. The tires should be replaced, due to their age. That's an expensive item I know, but 17 years is getting up there for tire age. These are great highway cruisers, you'll arrive home from your daily commute relaxed and rested! 
Thanks for all the replies! The on line owners manual was quite a read. Many good suggestions from you all.
I will be doing a thorough inspection of all rubber. I have a short list of replacement items for peace of mind but I will wait and watch on the tires. If new tires were cheaper we would replace but they are not so I'll see if we can extract their value through their use. We drive enough that we will use them up relatively soon and we are both observant drivers so would notice changes and replace them earlier if needed. Yes, I'll catch [censored] from her if one should blow out but I think there's a risk of that even with new tires. I'll return to this thread when the tires are used up and let you know if this was a smart choice.
We will be replacing serpentine belt, brake fluid, fuel filter and transmission fluid sometime soon. We will look for leaks to appear as we put on a lot of miles each week and will address those promptly. I DIY most all of my car stuff but not the AC. I think I should find a tutorial or might have a shop check it out. It cools but compressor has noise.
Do you have to remove the intake to get to the spark plugs? If so, you might as well replace the valve cover gaskets while you're there, too. And iridium spark plugs would also be a good idea, so you won't have to replace them again for a long time!
Just drive it - at 60k it doesn't need plugs. Just correct issues as they appear and save your money. I wouldn't change the oil until 3000 miles. Any cheap 10W-30 works well - SuperTech dino is fine. Same engine as my 94 Pontiac (156k miles) - the 3.8L is hard to kill. They use a little oil - so just keep it topped off. Mine uses about 2 quarts every 6000.
Nice find ! How about some pictures ?
OP-all suggestions here are really good ones. I would get new tires as well, but if you insist on running on these old ones do us a favor---take a good look at the inside/backside of the tires--for cracking & bubbles. If you don't have a full size spare tire, I'd get a 20 dollar used rim & mount one of these old tires to it, and throw it in the trunk--that way a blowout will be a lot easier to get to home/work with especially if it happens during a 'weather event'.
IMO if you change the trans fluid I would definitely stick with plain ole Dex-3 and not go to synthetic. I've had some lets say, unfortunate things happen when replacing trans fluid with brand new fluid--best to keep the new fluid as close to the old fluid in 'type'.
Another vote for dino 10-30 & AC filters.
Question for you: do people really retire in Nebraska---?
Steve
Congrats - enjoy 
Originally Posted By: bigt61
Just drive it - at 60k it doesn't need plugs. Just correct issues as they appear and save your money. I wouldn't change the oil until 3000 miles. Any cheap 10W-30 works well - SuperTech dino is fine. Same engine as my 94 Pontiac (156k miles) - the 3.8L is hard to kill. They use a little oil - so just keep it topped off. Mine uses about 2 quarts every 6000.
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