2000 Buick LeSabre Custom
130K
Automatic
Used Car Private Party
I have an older lady in my city who is selling the above. Her description of it is: "Classic car in very good condition. 130K miles. Solid engine and transmission. Very good gas mileage. Great A/C. Good tires and battery. No accidents or exterior damage. Leather seats. Not perfect, but good basic transportation."
She is looking for $1050 for it.
Does anyone have any input about it? It does look ok overall, not perfect, but heck nothing that's 24 years old is! The passenger dash near like where the airbag is, looks pushed out some. No large tears in the seats, just wrinkles. Outside has some paint fade and dark spots. I am just looking for a car to get me to point A to B and back to point A that I can rely on and hopefully not put too much into. She said the only thing she knows that it needs sooner than later is a new boot for a CV front joint that her mechanic brought up the last time she took it in for an oil change.
For that price you can't ask for much more than that.
If your independent mechanic give it the thumbs up then I'd say go for it. Just be aware that the longer you keep it, the more money you'll have to sink into it. Know when to draw the line.
One thing to look out for is the transmission. Those 4 speed trannies in those cars are known for having problems so be extremely aware of that.
Also be aware with the Mass Air Flow Sensors and the Crankshaft sensor as well since both of them are known for going out so easily (not surprising on these 3800 engines)
Other than that, as long as you have a mechanic check it out and see if it's good enough and won't cause you to empty your wallet in constant repairs, then why not?
The 3.8 V6 engines in those vehicles themselves are relatively bulletproof and can last a long time with all the proper maintenance it needs. Just be aware with all the other problems that may pend on this car. That's why I would advise you to get an honest mechanic to check it out.
CV boot needs replacing, horn doesn't work right, rear electric windows don't work, one rear electric lock doesn't work, dash display is erratic, small leak in trunk, uses a little bit of oil and water That is what my mechanic said. His quick assumption is the Rear Integration Module for the majority of the above. Any thoughts opnions?
And did the mechanic price it out for you? If you're not handy then you'll have to pay someone to fix those things. You can probably live with the one window and lock not working.
He did not. As he didn't want to say anything in "stone". I guess trying to cover his butt.
The only thing that gets me is the dash display erratic.. I don't want to be driving and lose my RPMs or speed or have a bunch of lights flashing ding