Atypical T-Type: 1988 Buick LeSabre Coupe
One of my favorite pastimes is speculating about certain cars’ future collectability. I’ll proudly say, “See, I told ya so!” when having correctly predicted a rise in value, but sweep the missed predictions under the rug. I’d like to think any of the T-Type Buicks will be future (or are already current) collectibles, but especially the LeSabres that have seemingly been forgotten. Hot Rod Magazine said of it in their October 1986 issue, “It does a great job of blending a performance image with a bread and butter car that might otherwise be overlooked.” Some things never change. This bread and butter car can be found here at Great Lakes Classic Cars in Hilton, New York for $7,495.
While various iterations of the T-Type were available for 10 model years, The LeSabre T-Type had a brief 3-year model run, from 1987 to 1989. Matched in brevity by only the T-Type Skylark, The LeSabre’s short life ended after 15,938 rolled off the assembly line. This most common 1988 example, was one of 6,426 for that model year.
Somehow previous owners have resisted the urge to drive this more than 2k miles per year…and it shows. The exterior presents very well and looks well cared for. There are a few blemishes here and there, but it looks much better than expected for a 32-year old car. Available only in sterling silver, arctic white, black, and ruby red, many exterior features were exclusive to the T-Type – special aluminum wheels, dual exhaust outlets, flush hood ornament, front air dam, black trim, and tri-color taillights.
My dad was the (VERY proud) owner of a 1986 Oldsmobile Delta 88. It was ordered brand new by his late stepfather who lived a very simple life and wanted a very simple car – he even tried to order an AM only radio, but GM would not oblige. He, quite obviously, was not the target for the T-Type, but the contrast between that H-body and this one is stark. Among those T-Type-only interior features are the leather-wrapped sport steering wheel, blacked-out instrument panel with red backlighting, and a special gauge package. Comfy buckets that show little signs of wear, a console-mounted shifter, and a long low dash evoke the feel of a 1960s muscle car.
The forward-tilting hood makes engine access a bit more difficult, but one would hope little time is spent under there as the T-Type came equipped with the venerable 3.8L V6. More T-Type exclusive drivetrain features include the 2.97 gear ratio and “grand touring suspension” which featured front and rear sway bars.
Even though Buick ended its T-Type production run in 1990, appearing then only as an option on the outgoing Electra, their legend lives on. In their August 1987 issue, Car and Driver wrote, “The cabin is spacious, the seats are comfy, and the drivetrain is pleasant and perky.” If pockets were deep and garage space was infinite, I’d take a chance on it still living up to that description.
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Comments
We had a dark red one in the family and i loved it.
Snappy acceleration, decent handling (especially for a full size luxo model), decent brakes and nice quiet ride all around.
Plenty of room for our family of five to head to dinner or church or vacation time.
Price seems a few grand high but then again what do i know
I’ve always liked these in a coupe body style. That interior looks better than a GN. I’ll bet those seats are comfortable.
We also had an 86 Delta 88 dark blue/blue velour. It was a nice riding car. I remember the velour seats the most. I preferred the 90 Cutlass that replaced it though. It seemed sportier at the time.
as a child of the 80’s I remember these! I’m digging it, would own it but seems a bit too high.
What about the Pontiac Bonneville SSE? Similar car that we don’t see anymore.
I always liked the look of these. When the aero wars of the 80s in NASCAR happened, chevy and pontiac put bubble screens on the Monte and the grand prix, while Buick switched to the le sabre for two years.
My first car was an 87 sedan. It wasn’t fast. I can assume that while this car has different gearing and likely a lower weight, it’s only ever gonna be a cruiser. At least it should handle better than a contemporary SS
I find cars like these far more interesting than the appliances on wheels that they sell these days. The Pontiac 6000 STE was another interesting cool car from that era as well. It’s too bad not many of these beauties survived. Beautiful car!
I owned a 1987 Buick Electra T-Type, white with red leather interior. It was one of the best and comfortable riding cars I ever owned. I think it had close to 275k on it when I sold it.
“The forward-tilting hood makes engine access a bit more difficult-”
Its actually much easier on the Buicks with the clamshell hood than on the other Olds-Pontiac and Cadillac H/C cars with conventional opening hood….
Thanks, Ralph. Personal experience is always encouraged and welcome. I was speaking from two of my personal experiences:
> My dad’s H-body Oldsmobile that did not have a forward-tilting hood. I found it very easy to access everything under the hood.
> My 1969 Lincoln Continental that does have a forward-tilting hood. I have to remove the hood to do a lot of the work under the hood.
Though the hood on the Continentals doesn’t open from fender to fender like these, its just an opening with the fenders on each side.
Not a clamshell. C4 Corvettes had clamshell hoods.
I have an ’89 LeSabre T. Yes, the seats are comfy. These are fun to drive and actually really easy to work on. The reverse opening hood makes it easy to get to anything near the firewall and changing the spark plugs takes only 10 minutes. mine has 213k miles and I can still 0 – 60mph in about 7.5 -8 seconds. Exhaust sound is throaty fantastic too. I’ve had the car for 25 years and it is still my favorite. It’s comfort puts my 2006 Lacrosse to shame.
I just looked this car up on the dealer’s site & $7495 is a BARGAIN, especially considering it’s in NY. I missed out on a black one 3 years ago in about the same shape & it was 15 grand. As long as it’s well maintained & not driven in the winter, this car will last forever. This is a cruiser not a race car.
Had a ’91 4-door LeSabre that was a great car…but the “tape drive” power window mechanisms were trouble-prone. I image with the heavier 2-door glass the problem is compounded. The new owner needs to add a strut brace off any GM C or H body from that era and even well into the 90s. On mine I transplanted stock springs and bars from an early Bonneville SSE and it transformed the car into a very responsive car for its size.
Too bad this wasn’t made as a RWD. I liked the styling and prportions of this Buick.
Indeed, if this were RWD, it could’ve had the GN turbo V6 to offer the power promised by its looks.
I’ve owned 2 of these cars; one I continue to own to this day! A very nice car that handles well & is a real “head turner”. Curious, it should have a rear spoiler. The spoiler was not an option. It came as part of the T-type package for LeSabre.
BTW, the T-type package on the LeSabre is RPO WE2 coincidentally same as GN!
If I had the space I’d buy it. Someone will really enjoy this rarity.
This is a great looking car…for starters. I have two issues with these cars. The biggest is the seat belts…not attached to the frame. The other is that there is no frame…we are using unibody construction here. Hmmm… Not a fan. For those of you who say this is okay, fine. Almost forgot one other issue. I live in the Washington, D. C. area and driving around here is miserable. Most drivers must belong to NHRA or NASCAR. Very uncourteous.
I’ll give them $3,200 for it. That’s a full hundred bucks more than they paid for it when it listed last year LOL
I remember for a short time these cars were available with Grand National trim.
the only noticeable thing I remember about it was the rear quarter windows were partially blanked off. I doubt they had the turbo 3.8 from the Regal.
A former co-worker of mine had the identical twin to this car for many years. For all I know, he may still own it! He loved it and it was a very reliable cruiser.
If I hear one more car writer refer to the 3800 V6 as “venerable I’m gonna hurl. It was dreadful engine (particularly those of this era) that while smooth and powerful enough when new became anemic smoke belching heaps by the time they accumulated 70000 miles in keeping with GMs policy of planned obsolescence.
Interesting perspective.
I take exception to your blanket condemnation of the 3800. I’ve owned all generations of the FWD 3800, from Pre-Series 1 to Series 3. All of them have been exceptionally reliable. Of all the vehicles I owned, the ’91 LeSabre with the Pre-Series 1 3800 was my favorite. Not the highest rated power-wise, but it felt the most “torquey” and got the best mileage. Sold it at 145K to a co-worker who still drives it 100 miles a day to work. My daily driver has a 222K mile Series 2 under the hood. I expect to put another 80K on it…
My supercharged Series 1 powered Olds LSS has similarly held up well and is a blast to drive. Never had any serious engine or transmission issues with these cars. About as bullet-proof as you can get with normal maintenance. Just changed the fluid/filter on my ’92 LeSabre trans at 160K. Cleaned the thin coating of “glitter” off the pan magnet and changed the filter, buttoned her up and am good for another 50K of trouble free miles.
As Poppy said, my 87 Electra T-type had over 150k when I had to rebuild it mainly because the oil pump in the front cover wore out. Keep in mind there were 2 different 3.8 engines offered: the LG3, which was a SFI HO engine, which my car had, and the LN3, which was a MFI engine.
Had .my dad’s 89 Park Avenue for 25 years and over 300K, only thing that never failed was the engine itself. Everything attached to it,yes, it liked to eat water pumps every 2-3 years, 2 transmissions, 2 ecu’s, cat converters, ac compressors, but the engine itself and the fuel injectors, never failed. Finally gave it up when all non engine related parts got too hard to find, even with eBay, and the repairs started to average as much as a new car payment
FWD destroys any desirability for this car. If it were RWD, no problem in selling it, but FWD offers no fun and those who remember this era well are not drawn to FWD American malaise trash.
I have a 1987 Olds Delta 88 with the 3.8 MFI engine. Has exactly 200,500 miles on it. The cam sensor is BEHIND the front cover. And it is attached with a very small piece of aluminum to the block. It broke in two one day and I almost gave up on getting the car running again. When I opened the front cover I saw what resembled a gold mine! The magnet was chewed into a thousand little pieces and stuck everywhere! Replaced it, the water pump, timing chain, and the oil pump. Ran like a champ afterward. Still have it.
Currently $1,000 less — now (April 2) just $6,495! I regret not jumping on the ~$3,000 dark red one (my favorite color for these) that was listed here a year or two ago.
Are you selling a t-type lesabre? I am confused on how this site works ! thanks
I am looking for a 89 buick lesabre t-type in white anyone selling one?
Thanks
Jason, Barn Finds is a subscription based classic car periodical. Most of the cars featured are featured on other marketplace venue like eBay or Craigslist. The publisher also accepts tips from readers about classic cars readers may have an interest in. Barn Finds also hosts its own classifieds for those wishing to sell; a great marketing advantage placing ads directly into other members inbox by way of this electronic publication. By the way, the 1988 Buick LeSabre T-type mentioned above has been SOLD. Here’s a tip to find your ’89. Go on Facebook to find the Buick LeSabre T-type Group. They are networked to provide you with great leads! I hope this helps you! Good luck!
Thank you for the clarity and the lead about facebook. truly appreciate it!