Deal Of The Day! 1981 Buick Riviera
How about a classic Detroit cruiser for less than the price of a beat out Sentra? You probably can’t go wrong with this amazingly clean Riviera. This immaculate, luxury Buick seems worthy of the title “time capsule”. It appears to be in terrific condition inside and out – and even underneath, because the seller has included some photos of the underside of the vehicle. This bold, beautiful Buick is located in Citra, Florida for the paltry sum of $3,900.
The Riviera is one of those cars that was so common in the 1980s and is now nearly extinct. I have not seen one in years. The Toronado, Eldorado, and Riviera all shared the General’s E-body chassis. 1981 was a watershed year for GM. It was the first full model year GM used CCC (Computer Command Control) across the board in all its passenger vehicles. This was the dawn of the era of computer carburetors. The Riviera’s standard engine was the 4.1l V6 but its’ 125 hp was insufficient and likely struggled to move the nearly 3,700 lb mass. I’m not great at engine identification, but this example appears to have the optional Oldsmobile 307 V8, which produced 140 hp. Acceleration is best described as “leisurely”. There was even a diesel option that should probably not even be mentioned. Later Buick would offer this Riviera as a T-Type with the 3.8 liter V6 and a turbocharger.
The seller is a person who uses few words – the entire ad is only 8 words long. There are plenty of photos, so we can infer that the car has seating for six and the interior presents like new with no stains, tears, or blemishes. Also note the flat floor, this is a front driver like the Toronado and Eldorado. This Riviera has a claimed 72,000 original miles.
The car comes standard with the typical features expected in a luxury vehicle. Most accessories like locks and windows are powered, and there is an automatic transmission (a manual trans was never offered). Are you ready for some smooth luxurious cruising? You will probably be in the only Riviera around, and the price is so right. Find it here on craigslist.
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Comments
It’s a Buick but has an Olds steering wheel. Humm
Buickmobile?
to go with the Olds engine?
Wonder if it was stolen after someone cracked open the steering column, then replaced with one out of a Toro?
I saw that too. Odd color.
It has the Olds engine, but it also has an Olds steering wheel. They were nice and comfortable, but certainly underpowered.
Nice car but the steering wheel looks like one from an Olds
Nothing wrong with the 307 Oldsmobile engine. It will move the car along better than the V-6.
Don’t disrespect the 4.1L V6. If you ever drove one, you’d be hard pressed to tell it from a V8.
The only instrumented test I ever saw of the 4.1L V6 was in a Riviera Convertible. It managed 0-60 in 14.1 seconds, which probably isn’t far behind the 307. The 307 took over 12 seconds to move a Cutlass to 60.
FYI, the 4.1L was the only V6 I ever saw with a 4-barrel carb.
Great looking car for the price. I’ve got a neighbor a few houses down the street that has a low-mile 1979. It’s burgundy with a matching interior. I look forward to seeing her son drive it around every two-three weeks.
Buick’s 3.8 turbocharged V6 was available from the start of this generation in 1979. Through 1980, it was called the Riviera Type S. Beginning in 1981, it was called the T-Type. The turbo engine was also available in the standard Riviera, also beginning in 1979.
I don’t know what’s worse. A car with buckets and a column shift or the Torino just featured with a bench seat and a four on the floor. Seriously though, the retro styled grill on this car looks great and it’s probably got that smooth Buick ride. Price is right too. But at 72000 miles maybe it’s problems are just beginning? Don’t know enough about this model to say.
Those aren’t bucket seats. It’s a 45/45 bench seat with an armrest, but no center cushion, which makes it even more strange.
The 45/45 had the available option of a center console. It wasn’t standard equipment.
Huggy Bear’s old car.
My granddad had one of these. He was a loyal GM customer for 25 years, always got a new one every 3-5 years. The Riviera was so bad (oil leaks) that it was the last one he ever bought. He traded it in on a K-car New Yorker with the turbo engine, he enjoyed that.
The factory never put the name ‘Buick’ on the front fenders like that, during this generation’s run…. And I agree also that the ‘Olds’ steering wheel is odd.
Did I hear them right that it is a front wheel drive ? I did not know that they did a front wheel drive Riviera, I have always loved these cars even when they first came out. I was 14 years old and loved all the GM cars that came out at the same time Buick Regal, Grand Prix, Cutlas, Cadillac and the Beautiful Riviera one thing on the Riviera and Cadillac that I did not like was the Wide wheel base You could not put custom wire wheels because they would stick out to far… That’s is what stops me from fixing one up Today….
If the wheels were sticking out too far then they were the wrong wheels. This car used a high positive offset wheel.
I hit the button too quick. The other thing is all Rivieras were FWD starting with 1979. The 79 thru 85 did still have a longitudinally mounted powertrain. The trans was beside the engine.
In the Craigslist ad the owner rates the car as being in “fair” condition. Low price, wrong steering wheel, fair condition”…hmmmmm.
Oldsmuick.
So I was looking at images to see whether the front frnder badges were correct and found the same car for sale by a dealer in Michigan for $9195. Something is very sketchy here…
https://classics.autotrader.com/classic-cars/1981/buick/riviera/101974300