Ok, I have been searching for a Boattail since August and from Feb to present I've come up dry. Until last week. I saw an ad for a 1972 Buick Riviera GS advertised for $3,200. I know I will need some people's opinions on this including Racebuicks, Smartin, etc. Besides wanting to tackle an old fart for some comments he made about the car("This is a poor man's corvette" and "Damn Buicks, none of them ever start, typical"), here is what I found out. Motor: Took a while to start up but that is because battery is dead. Once it got going it was a very smooth running car. 90K with no rebuild on anything. New alternator and they tried to make it look nice by painting the valve covers orange, or at least half of them. Still is all original though including the smog/air pump. :shock: Looks like the paint might have stripped off the intake/block/heads and was silver with minimal rust. Needs complete exhaust work, excluding manifolds. Body: It is not perfect and there are pictures to show. It appears to have had the quarter panels replaced at one time or at least the wheel well. There were rivets on the inside of the wheel well. The only rot was a small hole 1/8th big alone the rear window. There also appears to be a "crack" in the quarter panel where its rusting in a random place. o No: On the right rear, top of the quarter panel and part of the trunklid it looks like there was some bodywork done to it including some bondo, not thick. One door skin needed to be replaced and one door jamb area was rusting and I dont know if it might be rotted, I guess that is something that once you start you wont find out how bad it is. The rockers were ok but needed some work along with the bottom of one front fender. The hood was fine. No rust or rot at all in or on the quarters. How could I test for bondo? The worst was the hump in the trunk on the drivers side where the fuel filler is has some rust and you can see through part is it. The worst is the front drivers floorboard, the carpet is all torn up and it appears the floors need work. Possibly a leak at one time and the door panel,carpet and floor got the brunt of it. Guy (dealer) says that its the original paint but I cant tell because he paint the underside of the trunklid and dor jambs right over the stickers so It might be partially original and the rest primer. Its cracking everywhere. o No: Quarters are seemless and rust free from the outside. Interior: Wasnt bad besides the drivers floor. Drivers side bench has a few tears in it and it was a 60/40 split with armrest. Rear is fine. Trunk lock barely works, is hard to open Options: Power locks are the only thing that don't work. Otherwise everthing works. Has PW, P seats, PL, A/C, 4-note horns(all complete), GS option (verified by "W" in vin), CC, rear window defogger, AM/FM, Climate control, and a different wiper blade control. o No: Has five road wheels in decnt shape but tires are not trustworthy. I thought that I might as well check it out because its in the area but again, Chicago bodies aren't good. And if I go out west shipping will kill me and I know nobody to check it out for me. Does Rick Henderson o No: ship buicks? Is its cheaper? About the car, the advertised price is $3,200 but we asked at first for $1700 and he said $2000, we said we'd get back to him. What are your thoughts? Good or bad, let me hear em'? :TU: Drivers rear quarter looking at it from inside the trunk. Trunk rust/rot above fuel filler neck Passnger quarter inside from trunk Rear window hole Bondo work? Bodyline Drivers floor Drivers floor/door Passenger door jam Rockers Rocker/fender Rocker Interior Four-note horns :Brow: Road wheels Engine
To me it looks like you got yourself a handful of work ahead of you, proceed with caution. Play it cool, has the car been for sale for a while? If he's asking 3.200$, you say 1.700$, he says 2.000$, the numbers are bouncing too much, maybe you can wait him out. If it's been sitting for a while, maybe you can aim for a grand, and see where he wants to take it.
In the picture titled "bodyline" is it the car's or the person's or both's line we're giving our opinion on?
The bodyline picture is for the Rivier only. I know he wants to get rid of it since he can take $1200 off the price almost immediately and its on ebay too. The odds are I will pass, but I just get so annoyed having to look for a Riviera and anything around here always has something wrong. Why can't it just appear in my garage!
Looks like a POS to me. I know you have been looking for sometime now, but I wouldn't settle for that one. That's my opinion anyways.
Pass on this one. It is a candidate to be a parts car. Keep you powder dry for a rust free car. Even if you pay more you will come out better.
:shock: That looks worse than the one you sold......low ball him or wait for something better It is a GS Riv though :Smarty: make sure it has the 3.42 posi uzzled: If you can get it cheep enough....( a driver parts car) buy and up grade later my Riv is a lot better with the 3.42 posi I installed than with the 2.93 open :Brow: :3gears:
Do I ship Buicks you say, yes. I just got home to get my mail, and off on the road again. I put 11,000 miles on my truck this last couple of weeks, and will be off again for another haul from Washington to California, to Georgia, and then to Maryland. Phone me at 253-335-5086. Its my cell, so if I am out of range from a cell tower, leave a message, and I will get back to you. Rick
G S Run, do not walk, as fast as you can away from this one. There is a much better GS out there. Keep looking.
Plan a vacation Plan a vacation in New Mexico, Arizona or Texas. When you arrive grab every local paper and rummage through the cars for sale section. I was in Vegas in April and it's amazing to see pinto's and vegas without a speck of rust on them. Start with a solid body and the rest is cake, start with a rusted body and you'll be chasing rust forever, unless you do a full frame off bare metal resto. The dealers know that rust free cars are worth money to out of town people, but the locals usually have fair prices. This is what I'd do if I was looking for another project. I'd spend the money for a running, rust free model. Drive it home and then build it to suit my taste. You might want to buy this GS because it's loaded and a GS. Buy it, drive it for a while and then take the parts you want and put them on a rust free body when you find it.
fish there are lots more fish in the sea, don't settle for a "sucker" when what you really want is swordfish
i agree with "EEE" he must, the seller, thinks he has more car than is really there. if you are a negotiator and the seller isn't a but-head. you shouldn't pay more than 1200. i give it that price due to the 455 running "great." i looked for a 66 GS for 6yrs. and was so patient that i ended up buying a 66 Skylark, that is soon to be GS, that belonged to a family member for 800. i past up a lot of worse cars that people wanted 1200-3000. if you decide not to get this boatail another oppertunity will "present it's self" good luck
Give up ! unless your challenge is to restaure a car from the poorest possible condition at a maximum cost.
