Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  98 Riviera 205,000 like a new car - 1998 Buick Riviera
  By kbondra - September 17 - 4:52 am

  We bought the Riviera new in at the end of 1998, best and most reliable car we have ever had. Runs and drives like a new car, rarely ever needs anything but gas, gets pretty good mileage too. It is powerful, roomy, comfortable, relatively quiet, nice ride, seats are real comfortable, never left us stranded. I own 3 cars a truck and a boat and the Riv is the most trouble free and reliable.

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  409,000 miles and still going!!! - 1997 Buick Riviera
  By thomie8 - June 24 - 8:00 am

  I bought my 1997 Supercharged Riviera from the original owner with 37,000 miles on it. I commuted 100 miles round trip to work each day for 13 years. I now have 409,000 miles on it. Parts replaced included 3 water pumps, 2 alternators, a starter, entire brake system (minus master cylinder...thats still original). The CD player went to I had a cheap one installed. One set of tires (Cooper) I got 105,000 miles out of. Had the front wheel bearing assemblies replaced at 250,000 and just had the drivers front wheel bearing replaced. Still the original exhaust system. It has some annoying oil leaks that I really dont care about. Original paint job is my only complaint. Wore off in a few places.

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  Love/Hate Relationship 97 Buick Riviera - 1997 Buick Riviera
  By holmslice88 - March 11 - 10:18 pm

  I purchased the vehicle with 147,000 miles on it for $3,500 and thought it was the best car ever. I loved the leather interior with the single heated seat(only available on the drivers side.) It was such a smooth ride at first but once I hit 165,000 it went downhill. The Transmission blew and had to drop $2,500 unexpectedly to fix it. The door handle broke 3 times on the drivers side, keep in mind that the factory one is around $250. Issues with the crankshaft sensor and suspension happened around 190k miles. I managed to get it up to 220k miles....Im honestly going to miss the ride and comfort but I am not going to miss the headache.

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  Love my Riv! - 1995 Buick Riviera
  By th3fr4nchi5e - August 22 - 6:05 pm

  Ive had my Riv for almost 4 years now. 178k mi on the clock. It was my first car and Ive loved it since the day I got it. It was professionally repainted with some custom touches by my dad and I am asked what it is all the time. Its lightly modded with much more in the future and pulls excellent. My only expense aside from regular maintenance was the original Tranny died at 169k miles. A comment for other owners: I see alot of people having the Supercharger replaced at an expense of $800+. These Superchargers rarely fail. Most often it is a worn coupling which is available new for $30 and most mechanically inclined people could service it themselves. There are many write ups online!

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  Smooth Ride - 1997 Buick Riviera
  By kjlong - December 9 - 11:13 pm

  I got this car from a family of 9 so it was pretty rough when I got it. It needed several fixes and replacements before it was back in decent condition. It served me well while I commuted during college, never left me on the side of the road, and has always provided the luxury that has been associated with Buick vehicles. I am currently pushing 18k miles and it has definitely seen better days but I am overall very pleased with this car. The interior is decent besides a missing piece of leather on the console, scratches and dings on the dashboard and steering wheel controls, and a couple of damaged fan covers: these issues were present when I bought it. I love the ride!

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  Bought My Dream Riviera New in 1996 - 1996 Buick Riviera
  By lovemyriviera - January 23 - 10:13 pm

  I drove my 1996 Buick Riviera out of the showroom and could drive it back there today to sell as a new car, it still looks that fantastic! Ive taken excellent care of this car and its only been the dealership for all maintenance. It was my daily driver for 10 years with 112,000 km (70,000 miles) now. Only had 2 problems: 1. theres been an electronic bug in the tape player GM has acknowledged the problem but no fix, since it only happens one-in-awhile I live with it 2. I recently had to replace the ABS Pressure Modulator Valve which cost $50 for the part and $75 for labor. Otherwise, the car has been a dream and it still turns a lot of heads!

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  Supercharged Riviera - 1996 Buick Riviera
  By gmck25004x - December 30 - 7:09 pm

  I bought this car for $260 in 2010. It had sat for 3 years. I put a new $150 battery in under the rear seat and drove it home 20 miles with no brakes! I had all 13 brake lines replaced. It needed a hood and fender and lights from a deer collision sometime before I bought it. I drove it to work while I was replacing body parts. I replaced all the engine pulleys and belts and hoses and radiator. The interior is flawless and the exterior is exquisite. It just looks fast! It is one of the fastest cars I have ever owned! I have used it to teach my son to work on cars. o2 sensors give false electronic messages. replaced both...runs better than ever! one hub bearing. 209k miles.

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  Absolutely JUNK - 1995 Buick Riviera
  By inlinewhine - December 29 - 9:10 pm

  Bought this mint condition car in Feburary 2002 and drove till Feburary of 2003. And in the 12 months I had replaced in this order: Struts, spark plugs, spark plug wires oil drain plug, supercharger, brakes, rotors, waterpump, headlights, radiator, coolent, rack and pinion, rear air shocks, leveling air compressor, climate control module, blower motor, transmission, harmonic balancer. It was using oil. it was $12,000 in repair bills . it had 125k hwy miles on it in 2002 and in 2003 it had 139k all hwy miles. Paid $7250 for the car and sold it for $3800. it was in the shop every week. I would not recomend this car to anybody it is a piece of absolute garbage.

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  My Rivi needs help - 1996 Buick Riviera
  By kshugg - August 9 - 12:41 pm

  I bought a 96 Rivi about 3 months ago, from a dealership. Brought along my then-roommate who said he was a mechanic. He declared my car worthy of purchase, and I eagerly bought this car. I have had numerous problems with this car, from the motor mounts breaking to the transmission failing to the car overheating a lot. But I will not give up on this car. I love the supercharged engine and how it growls when I step on the gas pedal. And I have yet to see another Rivi on the road, even tho I am driving this car daily.

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  Best used vehicle Ive even owned! - 1995 Buick Riviera
  By guy41 - May 6 - 3:43 pm

  I fell in love with the styling of the 1995 Riviera when it was first introduced. In 2007 I finally purchased a 1995 with 170,000 on the clock for a second car. That was four years ago and the Riviera now has 229,000 miles on it. This car is a pleasure to drive and I still can’t get over the sleek lines of the body and its beautiful interior. The only repairs its required so far is replace the idle pulley and serpentine belt along with the plug wires and spark plugs. That’s it except for regular fluid and filter changes. I check my mileage with every fill-up and the average ranges from 27 to 28 mpg. Long trips can yield anywhere from 28 to 32 mpg depending on the weather conditions and terrain. The car still rides and handles very well and the comfortable quiet interior makes long road trips enjoyable. In fact anyone that has ridden in the back seat has commented on how much room there is and how comfortable it is. Because of its looks a lot of people think it is something newly introduced and seem surprised when they find out its 16 years old. Even when compared to the Cadillac’s, Volvos, Audis and other cars I’ve owned, the Riviera has proven to be the well-engineered with the highest overall quality. If Buick still made the Riviera, I would definitely buy another.