The guy is going to call me Sunday , it'* a little under an hour from my house . He bought it from an elderly couple 5 years ago , neither of the owners drove it much . (he sounds elderly on the phone) He said that car sat for a long time and that the transmission became sketchy shortly after he bought it . The shop he took it to said it needed a rebuild , said if he remembered correctly it was about $1,300 for the rebuild ? He says now it needs a brake line replaced and probably an alternator because the battery won't recharge or hold a charge ???

It would have to be towed .

YOUR THOUGHTS ????????? YEA OR NAY ???




1992 Buick Lesabre Limited

No. Only because its 1992. How many parts are available for a 92? GM built parts for 15 years succeeding the build year for that platform. You are now 8 years beyond that. Not only should you walk, but you should run from this.

At this point and time, I don't recommend anyone buying anything older than 1996 due to electronics and OBD II diagnostics.

Here is my beef. Too few miles can be just as bad, if not worse, than high mileage. I have no idea how you have been so lucky with the 2 you have picked up so far, but you have, and I am glad.

This one is showing signs of decay from non use. A transmission at 48k miles? Those are usually good for 150k miles under normal use. I have 189k on one, and I have no reason to believe it'* been messed with. Water pump at 43k miles? I am pretty sure my original just expired at 190k, and even then I suspect it may have had some help from a previous issue.

A '94 Regal I have recently picked up has 72k on it, but in 10/2006, it only had 32k miles on it. It drives very strong, but leaks every fluid from everywhere. I think similar concerns will come up here. Many issues will present from the car setting for such a long time (brake lines, rubber items etc).

It is my belief that the initial investment of the vehicle may break even of bluebook, but once everything gets straightened out, it should have another 100k miles left in it hopefully.

I would also look at it in person before buying it. Some of the angles and surroundings in the pics don't add up, as if they weren't all taken at the same time, and the car was moved on some different ones. The lighting is also as such that many flaws would be hidden.

Sorry, call me paranoid

I completely disagree with this . . . . or at least, I was going to, until I thought about it.

So far, the auto parts store chains keep a ready stock of most drive train specific parts. RockAuto has also been kind in this regard too. So, it'* likely it can be kept running for some time in my eyes.

Diagnostics is a valid point that I can't ignore. I am not concerned about this, not only because I have been leaching experience and information off of the forums for the last 10 years, but also because I now own both Factory Service Manuals, and an OBD1 scanner. There is not much I can't diagnose on my own. I have no idea what capacity local shops can diagnose on this any more.

A major concern also is model specific parts. Those can be problematic. So, interior parts, collision parts, etc are a very weak point right now. If the vehicle is involved in an accident, it is very likely insurance will total the vehicle at the drop of a hat. This goes for not only this car, but the other 2 you have purchased as well.

So remember, the newest body parts were made in '96, the newest engine of this breed was made in '95, the newest interior and trim bits were likely made in '93, etc.

It does kind of seem like a party pooper now :(

Yeah those 2 were lucky finds for sure , I love the RM and my son really likes the PA . On the PA my son replaced all the FI O-rings and says he still has a slight miss now and then . He thinks it might be a FI so he ordered 6 new ones off flee-bay . I drove it around for a week and never noticed the missing ? I've been driving the RM every day running errands around town and it'* been flawless . As far as being an older year the PA for my son will be eaten up in 3 or 4 years so who cares . I figure if he gets a few years out of it , it will be well worth the price .

As far as this 92 LaSabre goes , I wanted to hear what you gear heads thought about it . I think I would take a chance on it for maybe $500 ? (maybe not)

TheReaper!

For $500, it might be worth it. But, the stress of finding parts for it next year might out weigh the initial cost.

I think you're right you know far better than I , I need one or two more cars so I'll hold out for some thing newer .

Thanks TheReaper!

On my list of cars to get is a final gen Park Avenue Ultra. My father had one with low mileage (72k), not only are they a dime a dozen right now (unless you go for a nice one), but supercharged Series 2 sure knows how to move 2 tons of car. Also, it'* my opinion that they are the lesser of evils when it comes to specific issues with the newer cars. Window regulators are a perfect example. The body was designed for the '97 model year, and wasn't cheapened to death just yet.

Also safety is another nag at the back of my mind. I don't trust structural components in the older generation of C/H bodies beyond a 40mph full frontal hit, and also a good broadside on the driver'* side would be a complete game changer.

Yes, these are big heavy cars, but their key to survival is plowing through the Prius that runs the red light. When met with an object that doesn't give, they don't always disperse crash energy safely.

They really started paying attention to safety structure with the 96+ model redesigns. My fathers PAU mentioned earlier took a serious hit to the passenger side, and it'* apparent GM had given some thought to safety at that point, especially when he walked away from the crash, and the other driver didn't.

I own 3 1992 Buick Lesabres. They are all daily drivers when I need them (I rotate and fix, etc.).
1. I would only do this deal if it was very cheap, and you are handy. There WILL be many things to fix over the years and even now.
2. My biggest concern is the brake line. If a brake line is bad it usually is a rust issue (Detroit=rust). If the undercarriage has rust issues don't buy it!!!
3. Why would a car need a new tranny at 48000 miles? That makes little sense. I rebuilt one of my 92 trannys and upgraded the weak links with parts from a 94. I also swapped out another of my trannys with a 97 lesabre tranny I got at the pick and pull for about $66 and swapped the wiring harness out and it works perfect. It shifts strong and smooth and accelerates like a ****.
4. The body looks really good. Almost too good. For a 92 that was probably in Detroit for its life it should have paint or rust issues. Either it was repainted to cover problems or garage kept.
5. When these cars are right they are wonderful to drive, but there will be a continuous chain of parts going bad until......forever.
6. Parts are VERY easy to obtain and that should not be a concern. I can get almost any part I need at any time from the local parts houses and have several pick and pulls in my town that always have 92-99 lesabres to pick from. Most things you would have to get from 92-95, but each part has its own compatibility or not.
7. If it has 58000 miles it has averaged 2522 miles a year. It probably sat for many of those years. Thus as others have said, many things will be bad from stagnation, especially rubber and seals.
8. If you do buy it feel free to ask me advice when you run into issues. I've dealt with almost every problem imaginable over the years and have fixed dozens if not hundreds of problems.