Yeah, I have to lose the leather coat. I'd look more respectable in a trenchcoat and sneakers...and a hat; must have the hat...:laugh: Seriously though, being middle aged driving around in an old man's convertible (the Electra) you really notice that in order for the effect to carry off so you don't look like a creep you have to be appropriately dressed. Something formal or at least something that's close to being in style but respectable. Certainly not a brown 70's style leisure suit or trenchcoat with sneakers. The opposite is true in the Wildcat; that car has a whole different feel and radiates youth and power. That's still a shorts and t-shirt style of car. Yeah, I enjoy my cars being old, not me. And yes, there have been a lot of good times in an older Buick. One of the things I do miss is the bullet-proof feeling those bigger Buicks had; I miss that about my 74 LeSabre or the 75 LeSabre I had. They'd always start, they'd always work, and they were a nice comfortable drive that didn't handle all that badly. The older cars I have now are close, but the handling was definitely improved in the early-mid seventies cars over the late 60s ones.
what clothing would your advise wearing while driving a 71 lesabre 2 door hardtop or a 71 LeSabre 4 door hardtop to perpetrate the illusion of youth and eligibility? haha I have to test your theories. So 66 electra with leather jacket is out. 67 wildcat , no dress code. I think the 68 wildcat (did they make a wildcat in 68 or was it just a lesabre by then) would be my dream car. I think. Its gorgeous do you have any pics of your rides I could look at?
The Wildcat was available from 1962 to 1970, here's a scan from the Standard Catalog of Buick when the model was introduced: So yes, there was a model year 1968 Wildcat :TU: Here's board member "75riv" (Rob) 1968 Wildcat when it first arrived here in the Netherlands: Click here to view Marc's cars :Comp:
My favorites are actually Wildcats too; - the Electra was a good deal at the time, but it certainly wasn't a real favorite. I've grown to love it though. Like most big Buicks, the first thought is "Jeez, that thing is big..." followed by, "it actually doesn't look that bad" followed by "ya know, it's actually pretty sharp looking". Each has their own style and flair, some carry it off better than others. I prefer the 67 to the 68, I was never a fan of the split grille. Look at the Electra and LeSabre of 67, and they had that split grille, and it didn't do much. Then there is the Wildcat with the full grille...nice...so while the 68 has great lines, my preference is to the 67. But that's the beauty of it, it's just a personal preference. My all-time favorite Wildcat is still the 69 or the original 62. I had a 69, it was sweet, but have never had a console shift 62 yet. One day, perhaps... I ended up passing on the 59. Like you said; too many Buicks, too little money...
ya thats pretty much how my self talk went the other day when I bought this 71 LeSabre 4 door hardtop. Sadly there was nobody there to talk me out of it. Im going couple towns over today to pick it up. Will post picks. Now Im officially "in a relationship" which is what these cars actually are. hehe. Its hard to say no to rescuing old Buicks. Then again, can a drowning man rescue anybody? Oh my, what have I done? and now we are talking about 68's. Good golly! I get anxiety just talking about it. ..... but let's talk about it. Here is my dream car.
That'd be a nice ride. I seem to recall there was one around here, it needed a back window and the 430 was grenaded, so I passed on it. The guy wanted some outrageous amount of money for it. It was nicely loaded though, it had A/C and cruise along with power windows and seat. I'd have bought it for the cruise alone, but he wanted too much. ($5000) They were a funny car; they shared a lot of commonality with the 67 on the bodies, and the interior was the same as the 69; a perfect transition car. 1968 was the first year for hidden wipers, (new wiping pattern too; // instead of / \ ) and the first for marker lights and parklights that stayed on when the headlights were turned on. The thing that really sucked about the 68 was the seatbelts; that two belt system was a Communist Plot.
I dont know enough about the 67,68,69 to have an opinion yet. I just like the year 1968 and it looks cool. I have to compare them and see. I like the 71 I just got. It runs great but needs attention. It has its good points and bad. Just drove it home 100 miles. Will post a full review with pics for anyone that cares.
I chose LeSabre for the very reason of the 455cid motor. Based on my experiences here in the Midwest...a factory 455 in a convertible is kind of rare. I haven't seen any like mine in the 5 state area.
ive seen centurions with 455. and I havent seen ANY 73 lesabres of any variety besides mine. They must have all got crushed.
197,272 LeSabres were built for model year 1973, there are still a lot of those out there :Smarty: Centurion production for model year 1973 was "only" 44,976 (5,739 were convertibles).
thats a great example because I see lots and lots of 73 convertibles even though few were made. I dont see ANY 73 lesabres at any shows I go to. I see some online but even in google images you rarely see 73 2 door hardtops compared to centurions. I really think most of them were crushed because its not a desireable car, at least not then, only certain people like them even now. Plus it loses a point for being post 72 where the bumpers evolved into big unsightly bulbus things. Still I love my 73. I wonder how many 73 lesabres came with 455 option?
From what I saw 73 was sort of a transition year. It was the first year for a few things and the last year for some others. Styling wise, it seems the 74 was more popular, and for some reason the 72 Centurion was a lot more common. I never did see too many 73s in the wrecker's yards; so maybe a lot of them did get arbitrarily crushed. There are almost none around anymore, but then again, I see more 73s on eBay than I do 74s. I think most of the big cars built from 70 to 77 have disappeared, regardless of marque. They never did well as used cars, because of the fuel efficiency thing so most owners got next to nothing for them when they were turned in, not to mention, most dealerships couldn't unload them for money, so they wholesaled them as scrap. A lot of them met their fate in demo derbies.
People think that convertibles are more special cars, driven for fun and garage kept. If there was a model year 1973 LeSabre convertible, you would also see more of those compared to the coupes and sedans. The model year 1973 Riviera had a production total of 34,080 cars, and you see those around a lot (especially here in the Netherlands). 1973 455 LeSabre coupe at a car show in the Netherlands: And a (post) sedan:
Well Gary, we have a new board member from Blighty. And he owns a model year 1973 LeSabre 2 drs coupe with a 455 :TU: