Affordable Daily Driver: 1995 Buick Skylark Coupe
A car doesn’t necessarily need to be a bona fide classic to justify more than a passing glance. This 1995 Buick Skylark Coupe demonstrates that. It is one of the tidiest examples you will find in the current market, and its low odometer reading means it should offer a new owner years of reliable service as a practical and affordable daily driver. Its next journey could be to a new home, with the seller listing the Coupe here on Craigslist in O’Fallon, Missouri. It could be yours for $5,600, and I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Rocco B. for spotting this beauty.
Buick’s Sixth Generation Skylark marked the end of a badge that had served the company faithfully since 1964. It remained on sale from 1992 until 1998, with our feature car rolling off the line in 1995. It presents nicely in Code 41 Black and Code 14 Light Gray. Finding any faults or flaws is virtually impossible, with the paint holding a mirror shine and the panels as straight as an arrow. An in-person inspection will probably reveal imperfections, but there’s nothing visible that I would consider a deal-breaker. There is no visible rust, which is unsurprising considering the car’s age. The plastic and tinted glass looks good, and the correct badges are intact. The alloy wheels show no evidence of stains or physical damage, suggesting this classic has been treated respectfully. That impression is further enhanced when we turn our attention to its interior.
The Skylark’s interior is a sea of Gray trim, with occasional Black pieces to relieve the monotony. The carpet below the driver’s feet looks slightly worn and marked, but it would be interesting to hand it to a professional to see whether they could improve the situation. I also note some slight wheel wear in the 10-to-2 position, but it isn’t severe. Otherwise, there are no issues or problems. The Gray velour cloth on the seats is surprisingly good, with the lack of wear seemingly supporting the seller’s mileage claim. I question whether the rear seat has been used while the plastic is free from physical damage and deterioration. The new owner receives their share of safety and comfort appointments. They include airbags, air conditioning, power windows, power locks, cruise control, a tilt wheel, and an AM/FM radio and cassette player. Those items don’t make this the ultimate luxury car, but they would undoubtedly be welcome if the new owner considers it as a practical daily driver.
We’ve recently seen a few classics cross our desks at Barn Finds, where the seller doesn’t supply engine photos. This Buick continues that trend. The original owner ordered this Skylark with the optional 3.1-liter “L82” V6, producing a healthy 155hp and 185 ft/lbs of torque. That power feeds to the front wheels via a four-speed 4T60-E automatic transmission, with power assistance for the steering and brakes standard features. The specifications confirm it isn’t a muscle car, although the ¼-mile ET of 16.6 seconds and a top speed of 130mph are both reasonably respectable. However, the ace up its sleeve is its ability to cruise all day at 70mph while topping 25mpg. That makes it a practical long-distance cruiser ideal for cross-country adventures. It would also be excellent in heavy or commuter traffic while still returning figures of 20mpg in that environment. The seller doesn’t mention verifying evidence for their claim that it has 66,000 genuine miles on the clock. The overall condition makes the figure plausible, but that doesn’t constitute iron-clad evidence. The suggestions are that this is a turnkey classic with no mechanical needs.
The 1995 Buick Skylark Coupe is unlikely to make many people’s “Top 10” list of ultimate classic cars, but this one is in excellent condition for its age. The suggestions are that it has no immediate needs and is ready to serve a new owner faithfully. It is undeniably affordable, raising a possibility for those new to the classic scene to consider. Its overall condition means it will still turn heads, making it an ideal entry point into the ownership experience. It could serve as a potential springboard to greater things in the future or help that person decide whether owning a classic is appropriate for them without breaking the bank. That makes it worth a closer look.
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Comments
Born flawed yet flawless at the same time
I thought these cars were ugly as sin when new and an insult to my 71 Skylark. Now all these years later this car looks pretty sharp to me. It’s sad but true that if I were to daily this car my kids wouldn’t want to be seen in it and my neighbors would wonder if we’ve fallen on hard times. I would drive it though the GM 3.1’s have a propensity for eating intake gaskets, both of my Chevys did.
Funny, but I thought the same, having been the owner of a 1970 Skylark. I couldn’t figure out what buick was thinking. One of the real oddities was a front end with zero make or model badging. I agree, though, that it looks much better after all these years. Don’t think I’d use it for a daily driver. It’s too pristine for a 30 year old car.
You brought up a dilemma saying this car is too pristine. It’s a car that’s not going to appreciate a whole lot any time soon and I agree with Motor Trend when they called it ugly (mainly due to that odd front beak), yet it IS too nice to completely ignore. If I were interested, I would haggle the price down to $4k and use it occasionally just to keep everything honest.
More likely, none of today’s kids, or anyone under 30, would want to get into the back seat of ANY 2 door. Even worse for them would be if this car had crank windows & no a/c.
This car invokes another story, not often retrieved just because of how rare they are today. Best old friend, Jim, who I went to HS with, currently housed in a nuthouse in Rhinelander, last I heard, his mom was from Phillips, after her husband died, she bought a brand new Buick 4 door like this. I thought it was a poor design, but she loved Buicks, and it worked well. She rarely drove it, and Jim kind of inherited the car when at 92, she could no longer drive. Had about 30K on it. Styling aside, it was a true Buick, cruised down the road, it did. Fact is, we were supposed to go to Colorado together in it, but he went nuts, and I came out here alone. His bil got the car and probably still drives it today. Great cars, changed many minds about FWD, that’s for sure. You couldn’t even tell. By all rights, this car should have been gone by now. What gives, folks?
Off subject-Are you familiar with Crandon? I mostly grew up there. Rhinelander was about 26 miles away if I remember.
The best Retro styling ever.
Looking at the dash photo, it has a 6 digit + tenths odometer which shows 063,144.0 So, unless it has been tampered with, I would say that the claimed mileage is correct. Good looking car that I would not be ashamed of driving.
Designed by a committee at GM. Practically sale proof when new.
Buick had committed to manufacturing tons of them. Couldn’t shut
production down so the rental car fleets were contacted. Most were
sold to the Rental car fleets with a guaranteed GM buy back program
if not wrecked. Once returned they went to the auctions where they
hammered cheap. Then to the used car lots where they were bargain
priced. The marginal credit customers could qualify for them as
the wholesale “book” value was higher than the sale price.
Ugly then. Ugly now. Low miles cause no one wanted to be seen in it. Lol
I liked these and they looked happy when you looked at them. I would drive it without issue.
This would be a perfect first car for your budding college student or for someone looking for a nice affordable car. Good looking clean affordable transportation at a bargain. Some lucky person is going to be very happy they found such a nice car.
It definitely would give your kids a lesson in humility.
I had a 1995 two door model as well.
I VERY MUCH ENJOYED THE CAR.
DROVE GREAT, HANDLE GREAT, ROAD NICE!
Eventually sold it to my sister, who also loved it.
I WOULD ABSOLUTELY BUY
ANOTHER ONE!
Thanks.
Here’s your chance!
Bam!
I owned a ’69 Skylark, 2 door hard top. I thought the ’95’s were ugly and small then and still do. The ’69 looked sporty, this one seems dowdy. Looks like it is in nice condition. A good car for someone just not me.
Still own my ’69, rented the sedan version of this in ’92. My first drive in a Buick.
It’s not my thing for preservation, but too nice for a daily here in salt land, so I would be forced to pass…
It was the 3.8 engines that had intake gasket problems, not the 3.1.
Ok, let’s say it’s both engines. Particularly later engines with the caustic orange “Dex Cool” antifreeze.
Isn’t the 3.1 and the 3400 related? Our 3400 definitely had intake manifold gasket issues.
virtually the same except a larger bore. 2.8 is the same too.
I think it’s other way around
Smallest, cheapest car with a column shift when I worked at Enterprise. Very popular with elderly renters!
Some of the triggers crack me up. Way back when cars were smaller moving the transmission selector to the column was a great idea. It freed up space on the floor for another passenger. I still like an open floor for the added comfort. But you have to be really tall to get that.
Taken care of this will last someone another 200k miles easy
Back in the day, was a wholesaler at Manheim Auto Auction (now the biggest in the world) and bought one of these from a rental car company. Price was cheap so figured make a good profit. There’s a saying in the wholesale business that “books (NADA, Black Book) don’t write checks”. I was absent the day they taught that it seems. When it came across the block (8 weeks in a row) and couldn’t get anyone to even raise their hand. Finally took it to an auction for cars that wouldn’t sell anywhere else, and the last I saw of it, it was heading to Mexico. Bearly covered the reg. fees. After that I ran from any lane that had one of these for sale.
A damned sight better looking than anything you can buy new!
I was gonna make a crack that maybe it’ll grow into its looks, but after looking at the ad, darned car doesn’t look half bad to me now. So maybe after 29 years it did grow into its looks!
Funny right? This car appeals to me in a way it never has before.
Not sure of exact year but safe to say 91 or 92 when these came out I liked it immediately and thought they were sharp but again my memory tells me they were like $20,000 in 91, couldn’t see it and wouldn’t spend it.
If I’m walking into a 1995 Buick showroom looking for a 2 door, I’m driving out with a Riviera every time, not this birdbeak.
I’ve been on the lookout for a last gen Riviera, preferably supercharged. They are surprisingly hard to find in decent shape.
So is a TWO door ’94 Camry in ANY shape.
I love the last gen Rivs too. Saw a guy in a drive through with one a couple of years ago, asked him where he got it and he said he found it in the classifieds for $1500. I told him that I would pay him double then and there and he turned me down.
I think all of the last gen Rivs were supercharged. The one to get, IF you can ever find one, is the “Silver Arrow” edition of the final generation of Rivieras. We had one at the GM dealership I worked at when they pulled the plug on the Riviera….one of the most beautiful cars I’ve ever seen.
Giant rusted hole in the hood???
With all the comfort features on this one l’d like to buy it. Put some nice little chrome wheels on this bad boy and Treat it like a Cadillac. Anyone that feels this car is beneath them young or old may want to check their priorities.
It’s still for sale so you can still buy it. You can take your time because it will still be for sale next month too. I’d take a Honda Accord coupe over this any day, any year any condition. It’s better car in every way, even with two or three times the miles on it
The Olds Achieva was the sister to this. There was an, “ehem”, performance version called and Achieva SC. My brother had one, he claims it was the worst car he ever had (and he has had a lot of bad cars). My grandma drove one of these Skylarks, it that 90’s green color that was ever so popular, for many years and I think she only had to have a timing belt replaced. It wasn’t the prettiest car, but it was reliable.