No Reserve: 39k Mile 1977 Buick Electra Limited
The 1970s brought many things, including the Bee Gees singing in their unmistakable falsetto and movies like Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind demonstrating that special effects technology had taken a quantum leap forward. It also saw American car manufacturers begin downsizing their offerings to meet tightening government regulations and buyer expectations. Against that backdrop, this Buick Electra Limited rolled off the line in 1977. The original owner took delivery of this classic, and it has remained part of that family to this day. It is remarkably well preserved, with only one minor cosmetic defect for the winning bidder to address. The seller has listed the Electra here on eBay in Rancho Mirage, California. Bidding has raced to $10,100, and if you aren’t already tempted, the seller’s decision to list it with No Reserve could make it irresistible.
Buick released its Fifth Generation Electra in 1977, with the new model featuring an eleven-inch shorter wheelbase and an overall length four inches shorter than its predecessor. However, the big news was the extensive weight-loss program performed by Buick. A 1976 Electra Limited tipped the scales at 4,850 lbs. This car weighs in at 3,970 lbs. It signaled that the company was serious about improved efficiency and better packaging for its new model. The original owner ordered this Electra in Light Blue Metallic with a White vinyl top. The seller claims the paint and top are original, with no history of repairs or restoration. The car never served as a daily driver, spending its downtime in a dry and warm garage between rare outings onto our roads. That has kept it remarkably well-preserved. The paint shines beautifully, the vinyl is in as-new condition, and there are no chips, bumps, or rust to mar its presentation. That doesn’t make it perfect because the right rear bumper filler has crumbled due to age. This is common, but the seller includes a replacement for the winning bidder to paint and fit. Reproductions are pretty cheap, so I’d scrutinize the other fillers. I would probably replace them all if any look questionable. Otherwise, a repeat performance may be required down the track. The chrome and tinted glass are spotless, and the beautiful sports wheels are wrapped in narrow whitewalls to increase the car’s visual impact.
A car’s interior can tell us much about the life it has led. This is particularly true if the vehicle has a few decades under its belt and its original owner ordered it trimmed in pale cloth. Therefore, the lack of wear and marks on this Electra’s Powder Blue cloth confirms it has been a valued and cherished member of the same family since the day it rolled off the showroom floor. The condition is consistent with the odometer reading. The carpet might have some slight dirty marks, but there is nothing further worth criticizing. The faux woodgrain is incredible, the dash and wheel are perfect, there is no crumbling plastic, and the beautiful silver-faced gauges are in as-new condition. There is more to this interior than good looks because the buyer receives ice-cold air conditioning, power windows, power locks, a power driver’s seat, cruise control, a rear defogger, and an AM/FM stereo radio.
Buick dropped the 455ci V8 from its Electra range for the new generation, with this car featuring the 350ci powerplant, producing 170hp and 270 ft/lbs of torque. This beauty cements its luxury credentials courtesy of its three-speed automatic transmission, power steering, and power front disc brakes. Cars from this era weren’t renowned for outright performance, but that wasn’t Buick’s intention with its latest model. The weight loss strategy made itself felt at the gas pump because this Electra’s fuel consumption figures bettered its predecessor by over 30%. The seller claims this Buick has 38,000 miles on the clock, and the known ownership history means verifying evidence may be available. It runs and drives perfectly, with no issues or vices that would cause heartache.
Do I like this 1977 Buick Electra Limited? Yes. Am I alone on that front? The twenty bids submitted in three days confirm I am not. This stunning survivor seems to need little beyond replacing the bumper filler, which could be addressed during winter, so it is virtually perfect by the time summer returns. There are undoubtedly more desirable cars to emerge during the 1970s, but original and unmolested low-mileage survivors of this caliber are not that common. Cars from that era were typically discarded when they outlived their useful life, and nobody would give cars from The Malaise Era a second glance for decades. The worm has turned, and this Buick proves that. It will head to a new home in a few days, but are you tempted to make it yours?
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Comments
Nice car. I predict that, unfortunately, it will soon be riding on 30 inch rims and have some insanely loud stereo installed
That be shameful
Wow ! …Looks brand new. … Someone is going to get
a beautiful car.
Doomed to the Dub this Tub crew. After that its next stop is likely the pull-a-part. There was one of these this passed month, a clean car that had been put through the wringer. Oh well, maybe this one will get lucky.
These were great cars.I had quite a few 88’s 98’s ,electra and a park ave.First thing I’d do is dual exhuast and replace the head gaskets as they are prone for failure at the end of each cylinder head there are large c shaped cooling ports that blow out and turns the car into a locomotive.Maybe front and rear rope seals for the crank shaft as they are pron e to leak. Always wondered why they used those dang rope seals.Pontiac did too in the day. Nice driving handling cars.This one is a beauty.
Wow Maggy. Head gaskets and front and rear seals straight out of the gate? With less than 40,000 miles? Why look for trouble?
Belts, hoses (vacuum) and anything neoprene should keep you busy enough.
yup. If I was replacing them back in the early 90’s and they are going on 47 years old now you bet. Mileage don’t matter just like a timing belt. Everything deteriorates with time. Chicago rawhide had a neoprene seal replacement for the front instead of the metal circular part that held the rope seal you had to peen into the the cover. look for trouble ? Nahh….it’s called preventative maintenance. Yank the mill and re seal it. With a gem like this why not. Fel Pro head gaskets are far superior to the originals. Gaskets don’t age like fine wine or women unless it’s Sophia Loren.
I agree with you Bub. I have a 47,000 mile 1979 Buick Lesabre coupe “Maybe” if I was taking it cross country but my trips are an hour away or less. I figure it’s traveled 45 years and I’m not going to open up an engine. That’s the chance I take. Every engine ever built has a potential problem brewing.
My aunt had a 75 regal with a 350 Buick and was driving to the grocery store 5 minutes away and the head gasket gave. Car was 15 years old with about 50 k on it and always maintained religiously. I did enough of them to know v6 and v8.231,252 and 350. Why take a chance on a nearly 45 year old head gasket with a known failure rate on a beautiful car? The FEL Pro head gaskets as I said are far superior. You wanna roll the dice on a 1 hour trip that’s up to you. For me nope.
Thanks for the advice. That’s why I have AAA, Hagerty Roadside Service and a cell phone!
@Bub___Have to go with corky on this but first both of you have your own rights to do whatever you want but opening up a low mileage engine is not preventive maintenance, preventative maintenance is something you would do so you don’t have to open it up. My stupid opinion is if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
My father had a ’78 coupe that was flawless except for the power seat motor under the driver’s side that he never had fixed, it had a loose wire between it and the door switch so it worked when you reached underneath and moved it. No problems other than that.
Growing up my family had a ’78 Park Avenue. Our car was green and had the factory CB!!! That was a great car but the country roads absolutely destroyed it over time. This car reminds me of that car. This is a very nice car
I owned a brown one. The ’77s were a mix
of standard and metric fasteners at GM, for
sure; perhaps all other mfgs, too… Made all
repairs interesting. A very smooth riding car.
I had one! These are nicer AND less thirsty than their De Ville siblings.
I’ve never taken to the looks of the ’77 models myself. I thought the taillight treatment to be woefully uninspired, and the 4-door version just looked boxy overall. The 2-door version had a nicer, more streamlined look to it…but still, those taillights…! That style deficiency was corrected in ’78 and really perfected in ’79 (my favorite year of this generation of Electra, by the way).
That said, I am always happy to see a Buick Electra that has survived and been for the most part preserved. Electras are my favorite Buick models–always have been, always will be (well, up to ’84, anyway).
This is not top of the line. I owned a 79 Park Avenue with much more plush front seats. Like giant pillows. The camshafts wear out in these engines. Mine had to be replaced. The rear end went bad and got noisy. I just kept driving it until I gave it to my brother. Mine was silver with red velour. Beautiful and other than the few issues I had, probably the best highway car I have ever owned other than my 77 Grand Orux SJ with Hurst Hatches. This blue beauty or any of the Buick junk of today? I will take this. GM should have killed this division years ago.
I love this car… Fabulous, well optioned, comfortable cruiser…understated style and elegant.
Buicks tended tended to be solid reliable cars…
What a great car, is that white piece in the trunk the replacement panel for the piece missing from the right hand side above the rear bumper. Yes I would be all over that for a every day drive car.
Try to match that paint color on the filler panels. I dare you. Fantastic car though.
It could be done ..
I love classic “boxy” FOUR-door luxury sedans, and I would love to own and drive this one, if only I could afford it. And I would NOT rip-out the factory stereo! But there are “sneaky” internal “hacks” to extend and improve its frequency-response, if you work on electronics as I do. Don’t over-due it! Also, I fix original car-clocks — I do not install quartz movements. I drove a 1946 Ford Super DeLuxe sedan for years, and, unlike the equivalent model of Mercury, the Ford clock had no internal fibre spacers to isolate the mechanism from its frame, acoustically. More than one passenger looked anxiously and asked if I had a time-bomb in thr car. The large clock with red numbers against a black background was on the passenger’s side — so I would tell them to look at the clock directly in front of them. I had the Borg and not the New Haven, thankfully! — so, it was a good time-keeper regardless of temperature. I now drive a 1988 Mercury Grand Marquis with 359,000 miles, original drivetrain unmolested, recently a new radiator, no rust, and dullish original paint. But it’s reliable, has cold air-conditioning, plays audiocassettes, and has no rust. I live northwest of Albany, New York, where we see lots of snow and salt: the secret is to keep ‘er CLEAN. But this Buick is a BEAUTY! — MY sort of car. I am late in my eighth decade of life, so it suits me.😊 I liked its presentation when it was new — such an improvement over its bloated predecessors! And I liked the look of the Buick the best of the G.M.’s new ’77 full-sized cars. Still do — though they all were pretty nice.
I thought I had something in my 83’ Cougar 302’ with 180,000 miles and you couldn’t tell if it was running that’s how smooth and quiet it was and the oil on the stick was so clean you could see through it. But 359,000 miles is phenomenal. Actually double of what that cougar had. Bought it to fix rust and repaint but never got around to it so I sold it. Rode like a cousin of the Lincoln.