Hi everybody, My name is Adam and I am in Aldershot, UK. I purchased a 1972 Buick Riviera at auction a couple of days ago. To say I am excited is an understatement! I have been researching American classics for a few years now but was not expecting to own one so soon. I am looking forward to interacting with fellow owners on this forum and of course, I have about a million questions! My first is does anybody happen to know of a good mechanic that I could take her to be looked over near me? I know it is a long-shot but just incase somebody on here is in my area.
Welcome Adam, Did you ever think about working on the car yourself? You would get plenty of help here.
Thanks so much for the replies and warm welcome everybody! Erik, you are quite right, that is the one! Thanks also for the information. I was pretty surprised when I saw that it had manual windows, so it is useful to know that it was such a rare option. You know more about the car than me, just by looking at the photos! I'm in the right place Unfortunately, Bicester is going to be too far. I have called RPM, just waiting for a call back. I have it booked in with North American Motor Co in Farnborough. Apparently the guys have been doing it since they left school and only do American cars. Thanks Michael and Bob. Larry - I would absolutely love to do any work that I can myself. Initially, I just want a pro to look over everything, give me an assessment and point out any critical jobs. There's also the problem of not having a garage. I am certainly going to do everything I can myself though.
Welcome from Montana, Adam! Good looking Riv, definitely give it a go and try to learn as much as you can working on it yourself. It'll be a skill you can use for the rest of your life, and you've got an amazing resource for help here.
Thanks Lucas, you're completely right and I cannot wait to work on it. If I had a garage and didn't work, I would be working on it constantly!
Adam, see if you can find/rent a garage. Older cars do not do well out in the elements. Put a coat of wax on those chrome wheels, they will rust otherwise.
Thanks guys, you're absolutely right. I have not been able to find a garage to rent big enough. I am going to check these guys out on Wednesday: http://universalclassiccarsstorage.com/
Hi, Thanks for the reply and info. Yes, it is expensive but it does provide certain things that a rental garage will not: atmosphere control electricity for battery maintenance security and monitoring I agree that access might be the biggest road block though. It seems that the storage model is built around leaving your car there for extended periods. For example, it states on their website: Clients’ cars that are collected for use and brought back again for storage require preparation. At this point most cars need a thorough clean and valet before being stored again, which is only £20+vat. If that is standard then it will be a problem. I might use them just for winter storage. Thanks for the link to the garage, I have been looking for a while. The main issue is the garage size as most garages here are small. I contacted a company that has 14,000 garages across the UK and the largest one they had nearby was 18ft x 8ft. They don't allow inspection, so I could only view it from the outside. The Buick will clear the door width by about 2" but the length is a problem. Even with the most optimistic outside measurement of the space, the Buick still seems too long. I will call the company you've linked above though as I have not spoken to them.
Hey Erik, Thanks so much for your continued help. I gave them a call and unfortunately the containers are £192 per month. They also said that I would have to drain the fuel tank to store it due to not being able to store hazardous materials
No, space and storage are such a problem in the UK! That's a good idea. I went to see Universal Classic Car and they are really good. Wonderful facility, extremely friendly staff and they really care about the cars they take care of. They would also take great care of it. I think I will end up storing it there for the winter months and then do something else the rest of the time. They said that a lot of their customers do the same. Access is actually fine, they just need 24 hrs notice and then I can collect. The clean on re-entry is optional and they said they can actually park it closer to the front if I am taking it in and out regularly. I am seeing another place tomorrow - http://www.historicmotorcarstorage.com/ the owner Walter sounds great on the phone and it is about half the price of UCC. I will also continue looking for standard garages or other solutions but even the smaller garage nearby (in a rough area) was £86.40 per month.
Ah yes! I believe I know that one. So, that Buick was one of the first American cars I saw up close at Cars and Stripes in Rockingham in 2015. It is owned by a nice chap called Nick who I then ran into at other car shows over the years. Last weekend at Rally of the Giants, he was there with his new '67 Riviera. In the group of friends I was with, I met another guy called Jules who talked about his green Riviera that he had for many years before selling it and always wondered what had become of it. Turns out it was the same Riviera and Jules was the guy that Nick bought it from, so it was nice for them to say hello to each other again after years. The roof of Nick's Riviera does look different to the one in the photo but he told me that he removed the vinyl roof and painted it white, so perhaps that would explain the different look. Here is a picture from (a very wet) Cars and Stripes. 1972 Buick Riviera by gnatsum posted Jul 19, 2019 at 5:48 PM
Oh, with regards to a garage, yes I would be open to buying one, if I could find one big enough. I have not had a chance to look properly but the only ones I could find were too small and in London at around £50,000
Yeah, I noticed some of the differences you mentioned but thought it might have just been modified over the years. Nice that it still has the same owner. Do you know how many are in the UK?
Ah that's cool, I did not realise there were so many. Would be great to get a few together at a show.
hi Adam . ex-pat here in Oklahoma but originaly from Northampton . had many American cars and trucks when I lived there and certainly don't miss the narrow roads and near to impossible parking . used to love going to the shows at Billing and Newark in Nottingham . you'll defiantly need a garage not just because of the rubbish weather but so it doesn't get nicked or vandalized . I'm assume theres still a Pikey problem over there ? I know I had problems with them , they are just the worst .
