In 1997 the Lesabre Limited was rated #2 behind the Lexus 400.
Mine is garage kept and silver finish looks like new.
Major "problem" is rocker panel rust-out in Chicago'* salty winter roads due to plugged drainage holes. Mine has 133,840 miles and no major problems besides normal wear out items like shocks, tires, brakes, water pump, plugs, a/c clutch, wiper motor, etc.
Stainless steel exhaust is still fine.

So whats the best type brand engine oil for the high milage GM engines? (besides buying the bottle labeled High Milage)

I go to the quick lube joints every 3,000 miles - whatever coupon I get.

Yeah, those 3800 engines are hard to kill. My best friend'* dad had an Olds 98 Regency, either a '90 or '91 model, and he got 400,000 miles out of it. He only quit driving the thing because the body got so rusted out he was afraid it might fall apart on him. It'* little wonder J.D. Power rated the 3800 one of the best engines of the 20th century.

I think all the responders to your original question (good after 200,000 mi ?) would agree that mileage is one thing, but the way the car was maintained and driven are more important. Some people can run a car into the junkyard before the factory warranty expires, while a well maintained car that isn't driven hard can last 200-300K. Of course, some cars' engineering and design are better than others. Pick a model with a good reputation and keep it maintained.

Agree. Well said.

Looks like you got a good deal based on what I know of this car. It'* easy to get upside-down price wise. A set of struts can be 25%-50% of your purchase price. Wheel bearings are relatively cheap unless you have to take it to a shop, then labor gets a little pricey, but not too bad. A friend of mine had them done on a '98 LeSabre for $380.00 a couple of years ago.

Do a transmission service, the drop-pan-swap-filter kind. Not a flush. Check for metal in the pan. If it will be driving in 80+ degrees regularly, I strongly suggest you add a decent transmission cooler to it.

Change the thermostat, inspect or likely replace the hoses.

Does it have plastic coolant elbows? If "yes" then replace them.

Summary: If you're looking for an investment that will make you lots of money, these aren't high-dollar cars in the current market. If you're looking for a nice car that will likely treat you well, catch the maintenance up, treat it okay enough, keep the maintenance up, and it will probably last you a good long time.

I hate to be annoying, but the OP has not been active for 18 months.

I stand by my original advice however, and the above pointers are not out of line for these cars.

Hell, I almost responded to a 1935 Silver Streak!

Ouch. Good catch. I saw that it popped as a new post when mothandrust1 replied then didn't bother looking at dates after that. Now I wonder if the OP still has this car. Maybe they'll chime in.