Today's shoot (and test drive): 1991 Buick Park Avenue 3.8 V6

Started by cawimmer430, October 03, 2014, 02:45:06 PM

cawimmer430

Shot this US-spec 1991 Park Avenue today for a private client. He wants to sell the car (58,609 miles). I'm not crazy about these, but I always thought that they looked very elegant and classy.

The good news is that I even got to drive it on the roads that you see in the background. The steering is kind of lifeless, the brakes are a bit mushy but the car is comfortable and feels solid. The suspension is soft, but not "floaty" and around corners it drove quite well. It's no BMW 5er, but I enjoyed the short the test drive. The 3.8 V6 is rated at 175-horsepower according to the papers and it pulled the Buick along nicely.

The owner has nothing but praise for this car. He likes the comfort, space, the gadgets and features and even the fuel consumption is not bad. But, he's not a fan of FWD and transversely-mounted [V6] engines and he already owns a classic inline-6 RWD car, so this one has to go. According to him it's not very stable at high speeds on the Autobahn, so he generally prefers to cruise in it at low speeds.




























Someone tell good 'ole Bob Daniels in Columbus that their Buick is just fine and dandy!




A snapshot from when I finished my test drive and parked behind my car...

-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
www.wimmerfotografie.de
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Northlands

Ahh I remember these. It's like a couch on wheels. I'd agree with it's unnerving attributes on the autobahn. This was never meant to be a higher speed cruiser. At the time the engine was pretty decent for passing people on the freeway in short bursts.



- " It's like a petting zoo, but for computers." -  my wife's take on the Apple Store.
2013 Hyundai Accent GLS / 2015 Hyundai Sonata GLS

Eye of the Tiger

Around here you only drive that car if you are over 65 or black. Truth.
2008 TUNDRA (Truck Ultra-wideband Never-say-die Daddy Rottweiler Awesome)

cawimmer430

Quote from: Northlands on October 03, 2014, 03:50:30 PM
Ahh I remember these. It's like a couch on wheels. I'd agree with it's unnerving attributes on the autobahn. This was never meant to be a higher speed cruiser. At the time the engine was pretty decent for passing people on the freeway in short bursts.

It did feel like a couch on wheels, but the handling wasn't that bad. I could tell that it didn't want to be driven like a sports sedan, but at reasonable speeds the Buick went around corners pretty nicely. Again, it's not 5er, but it's "capable enough" IMO for everyday driving.

I enjoyed my short test drive with this "geezer car".  :thumbsup:
-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
www.wimmerfotografie.de
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cawimmer430

Quote from: Eye of the Tiger on October 03, 2014, 04:05:22 PM
Around here you only drive that car if you are over 65 or black. Truth.

But with 22" chrome spinners, right? ;)
-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
www.wimmerfotografie.de
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Madman

Quote from: cawimmer430 on October 03, 2014, 02:45:06 PM

Someone tell good 'ole Bob Daniels in Columbus that their Buick is just fine and dandy!



Looks like good ol' Bob Daniels sold out to Jeff Schmitt back in January, 2013.

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/morning_call/2013/01/dayton-car-dealer-coming-to-columbus.html


But you can tell the new owner yourself how their car is doing.

http://www.jeffschmittbg.com/
Current cars: 2015 Ford Escape SE, 2011 MINI Cooper

Formerly owned cars: 2010 Mazda 5 Sport, 2008 Audi A4 2.0T S-Line Sedan, 2003 Volkswagen Passat GL 1.8T wagon, 1998 Ford Escort SE sedan, 2001 Cadillac Catera, 2000 Volkswagen Golf GLS 2.0 5-Door, 1997 Honda Odyssey LX, 1991 Volvo 240 sedan, 1990 Volvo 740 Turbo sedan, 1987 Volvo 240 DL sedan, 1990 Peugeot 405 DL Sportswagon, 1985 Peugeot 505 Turbo sedan, 1985 Merkur XR4Ti, 1983 Renault R9 Alliance DL sedan, 1979 Chevrolet Caprice Classic wagon, 1975 Volkswagen Transporter, 1980 Fiat X-1/9 Bertone, 1979 Volkswagen Rabbit C 3-Door hatch, 1976 Ford Pinto V6 coupe, 1952 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe sedan

"The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom." ~ Isaac Asimov

"I much prefer the sharpest criticism of a single intelligent man to the thoughtless approval of the masses." - Johannes Kepler

CALL_911

Whenever I see these things, for some reason the first things to come to mind are Pennsylvania and cigarettes


2004 S2000
2016 340xi

Onslaught

You could spend all day in a Walmart parking lot here wimmer and take pictures of ugly, 90's American junk like that until your fingers couldn't push the camera button.

cawimmer430

-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
www.wimmerfotografie.de
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cawimmer430

Quote from: Onslaught on October 04, 2014, 11:23:23 AM
You could spend all day in a Walmart parking lot here wimmer and take pictures of ugly, 90's American junk like that until your fingers couldn't push the camera button.

I thought this car was pretty decent given the complaints I heard about 1990s American cars on the Car and Driver forums.

You're just pissed because it has a V6 and no rotary engine!  :devil:
-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
www.wimmerfotografie.de
www.facebook.com/wimmerfotografie

Morris Minor

That legendary GM V6 - memorialized on urinals & toilets across the US: "3.8 Lpf / 1.0 gpf"
⏤  '10 G37 | '21 CX-5 GT Reserve  ⏤

Submariner

Quote from: cawimmer430 on October 05, 2014, 03:09:28 AM
I thought this car was pretty decent given the complaints I heard about 1990s American cars on the Car and Driver forums.

You're just pissed because it has a V6 and no rotary engine!  :devil:

Nah - they were rubbish, just like it's Bonnevile and Olds 88 (any others?) cousins. 
2010 G-550  //  2019 GLS-550

Payman

Quote from: Morris Minor on October 05, 2014, 06:14:05 AM
That legendary GM V6 - memorialized on urinals & toilets across the US: "3.8 Lpf / 1.0 gpf"

Lol

CJ

They were actually pretty decent when they were new, but not so much anymore. 

Payman

Quote from: CJ on October 05, 2014, 10:55:50 AM
They were actually pretty decent when they were new, but not so much anymore. 

Very reliable too. I still see these driven around quite often.

Submariner

Quote from: Rockraven on October 05, 2014, 11:16:28 AM
Very reliable too. I still see these driven around quite often.

Because the average Park Avenue driver drives 3000 miles/year and always undercuts the posted limit by at least 25%.
2010 G-550  //  2019 GLS-550

Rupert

All the '90s Buicks I've seen recently were driven by poor people. Cheap and shitty, but reliable.
Novarolla-Miata-Trooper-Jeep-Volvo-Trooper-Ranger-MGB-Explorer-944-Fiat-Alfa-XTerra

13 cars, 60 cylinders, 52 manual forward gears and 9 automatic, 2 FWD, 42 doors, 1988 average year of manufacture, 3 convertibles, 22 average mpg, and no wheel covers.
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Galaxy

Quote from: cawimmer430 on October 03, 2014, 02:45:06 PM
The 3.8 V6 is rated at 175-horsepower according to the papers and it pulled the Buick along nicely.

Well it does have "tuned port injection." I guess the lessor GM cars have untuned port injection.

Payman

Quote from: Rupert on October 05, 2014, 01:01:53 PM
All the '90s Buicks I've seen recently were driven by poor people. Cheap and shitty, but reliable.

Of course. You can find a solid driver that'll pass safety for a thousand bucks. Need a part? Scrapyard will have one for five bucks.

Byteme

Must have been a helluva big tidal wave to wash that whale that far inland.   :lol:

cawimmer430

I kinda liked it.

It's very soft and comfortable and I felt totally relaxed driving it. The brake feedback is very mushy and vague. That bothered me the most, not the vague steering.  :ohyeah:
-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
www.wimmerfotografie.de
www.facebook.com/wimmerfotografie

Rupert

Did it have Dyna Ride or whatever they called it? Just a lot of bouncing and wallowing.
Novarolla-Miata-Trooper-Jeep-Volvo-Trooper-Ranger-MGB-Explorer-944-Fiat-Alfa-XTerra

13 cars, 60 cylinders, 52 manual forward gears and 9 automatic, 2 FWD, 42 doors, 1988 average year of manufacture, 3 convertibles, 22 average mpg, and no wheel covers.
PRO TENACIA NULLA VIA EST INVIA

2o6

Quote from: Submariner on October 05, 2014, 11:35:12 AM
Because the average Park Avenue driver drives 3000 miles/year and always undercuts the posted limit by at least 25%.

The GM 3.8L is on Ward's 10 best engines of the 20th century.



The 3.8L is a really solid motor, extremely reliable, surprisingly thrifty on gas, and still remained fairly competitive until GM finally stopped making the damn things a few years ago. Up until recently, there really hasn't been an OHC large V6 that can match the value of the old 3800.



I don't get the "shitty" comment about this era of cars at all.  :huh:

Rupert

Novarolla-Miata-Trooper-Jeep-Volvo-Trooper-Ranger-MGB-Explorer-944-Fiat-Alfa-XTerra

13 cars, 60 cylinders, 52 manual forward gears and 9 automatic, 2 FWD, 42 doors, 1988 average year of manufacture, 3 convertibles, 22 average mpg, and no wheel covers.
PRO TENACIA NULLA VIA EST INVIA

cawimmer430

Quote from: Rupert on October 05, 2014, 08:19:18 PM
Did it have Dyna Ride or whatever they called it? Just a lot of bouncing and wallowing.

It was surprisingly "composed" despite being soft and clearly comfort-biased. In corners it turned nicely, not sporty, but confident. Is that the "Dyna Ride"? A sort of advanced suspension that tightens in corners but is soft on straights?

For a long distance cruiser this thing would feel very nice. I kinda liked it. Sure, it's not a sports sedan and it would be awful to drive at higher speeds on the Autobahn, but for relaxed cruising this thing can't be beat. I seriously kinda liked it.  :mrcool:
-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
www.wimmerfotografie.de
www.facebook.com/wimmerfotografie

cawimmer430

Quote from: 2o6 on October 05, 2014, 11:39:48 PM
The GM 3.8L is on Ward's 10 best engines of the 20th century.

The 3.8L is a really solid motor, extremely reliable, surprisingly thrifty on gas, and still remained fairly competitive until GM finally stopped making the damn things a few years ago. Up until recently, there really hasn't been an OHC large V6 that can match the value of the old 3800.

I don't get the "shitty" comment about this era of cars at all.  :huh:


The owner is quite happy with the gas mileage. He says that on a good day he can get about 9 L / 100 km and on a bad day 12 L / 100 km, which are both good values for such a heavy car from that era.
-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
www.wimmerfotografie.de
www.facebook.com/wimmerfotografie

Northlands

Quote from: CJ on October 05, 2014, 10:55:50 AM
They were actually pretty decent when they were new, but not so much anymore. 

That's what people tend to not remember. It wasn't too bad at the time. I'm still amazed at how many I see on the roads today.



- " It's like a petting zoo, but for computers." -  my wife's take on the Apple Store.
2013 Hyundai Accent GLS / 2015 Hyundai Sonata GLS

Payman

Plus, it allowed GM to finally exhaust what must have been a massive surplus of gold paint.

cawimmer430

Quote from: Rockraven on October 06, 2014, 08:16:28 AM
Plus, it allowed GM to finally exhaust what must have been a massive surplus of gold paint.

:lol:
-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
www.wimmerfotografie.de
www.facebook.com/wimmerfotografie

Morris Minor

Quote from: 2o6 on October 05, 2014, 11:39:48 PM
The GM 3.8L is on Ward's 10 best engines of the 20th century.



The 3.8L is a really solid motor, extremely reliable, surprisingly thrifty on gas, and still remained fairly competitive until GM finally stopped making the damn things a few years ago. Up until recently, there really hasn't been an OHC large V6 that can match the value of the old 3800.



I don't get the "shitty" comment about this era of cars at all.  :huh:

Yeah they're good engines - perfect for wafting along America's road system. I think the last car to use them was the Buick Lucerne?
⏤  '10 G37 | '21 CX-5 GT Reserve  ⏤