1985 buick question is it worth it?

Question

okay. so my aunt has a 1985 buick with 47k miles on it. now, i'm not sure what type of buick it is but it has 4 doors, a compass, and power windows. but, it hasn't been started in a few years, so it probably won't even start. but, she's giving it to me for free. is it worth trying it? are buicks reliable, providing we get it started? any input would be great,
thanks.

Answer 1

It's a free car so of course it's worth it. If it's a full size car then it's called an Electra or Lesabre which could have either a 3.8L V-6 or a 5.0L (307 Olds) V-8. Mid size would be a Regal with the same engines-yes folks some Regals had 4 doors. All of those are rear wheel drive. There were also 2 front drive Buicks back then, the mid sized Century, usually with a V-6 and smaller Shyhawk with a 2.5L 4 Cylinder. All are pretty reliable with good parts availability. The 307 Olds engines used in some of them did have some problems with ring sealing though so you have to watch it with some of those engines. Change all the fluids (including fresh gas) belts and filters and give it a tune up and probably a new battery and see what happens.



Low miles are not always a good thing though. Suspension bushings and body mount bushings are made from rubber which deteriorates over time. Again though, the parts are readily available and easy to fix.

Answer 2

Wow!! That car probably looks almost new after all of these years. However, due to neglect from not being driven (or maintained), you will have to put quite a bit of work into it. Getting it running should be easy but you're going to have old belts, hoses, tires and fluids that will need changing. There might even be other issues that will occur due to age. People don't realize that a low mileage car doesn't always mean a good car. One more thing; which model Buick is it? In the 70's and 80's, American cars were known for being crappy cars. If the car has a V8 (preferably 305 or 350), then you should be okay as US brands always excelled at V8 reliability. If it's a V6 or 4 cylinder, expect to have problems. Also, the paint looks thin but those were the days of the lead based paint... which was much more durable. If that were a newer car, The paint would've already been destroyed in a huge way. Good luck.

Answer 3

Yes it's worth giving it a try. You might have to put a new battery in it and some new spark plugs. But you will have to put fresh gas in it

Answer 4

What above said, heck if it is free. Just need to do some maintenace on it, get rid of that old fuel & add new fuel