1991 Buick Park Avenue Base Sedan 4-door 3.8l on 2040-cars

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Junkyard Gem: 1982 Buick Riviera Diesel Coupe

After appending the Riviera name to various cars during the 1950s, Buick finally made the Riviera a model in its own right for the 1963 model year. Seven more generations of Buick's rakish personal luxury coupe followed over the next 36 years, but only one ever had an oil-burning engine available from the factory. Today's Junkyard Gem is one of those cars, a vividly purple '82 Riviera with 105 horses of Oldsmobile diesel power under its hood, found in a Denver-area self-service boneyard recently. Starting in the 1966 model year, the Riviera had been living on the same platform as the Cadillac Eldorado and Oldsmobile Toronado, both of which featured radical front-wheel-drive powertrains that used longitudinal V8s powering the front wheels via sturdy chains. However, despite the common platform, the Riviera alone kept the then-traditional front-engine/rear-drive setup, making it something of a corporate oddball for the next 12 years. Then General Motors decided to downsize the Eldorado/Toronado platform for the 1979 model year, and the Riviera got those cars' front-wheel-drive rig at the same time. Sales of the smaller Rivvy were strong, no doubt due in large part to certain geopolitical events that sent gas prices skyward and caused fuel rationing and gas lines. Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, diesel fuel was much cheaper than gasoline in the United States. Mercedes-Benz and Peugeot had done reasonably well selling diesel-engined cars here during the 1970s, and so General Motors developed a diesel-burning version of the Oldsmobile 350-cubic-inch (5.7-liter) V8 engine. As was typical of naturally-aspirated automotive diesels of the time (every modern car's diesel engine is turbocharged), horsepower was miserable but torque was strong; the engine in this car was rated at 105 horses and 205 pound-feet. The 5.7 diesel first showed up in the Riviera for the 1981 model year. The base engine was a 4.1-liter version of the Buick V6, while the oil-burning Olds cost an extra $924 (about $3,206 in 2023 dollars). A comfortable and smooth-riding Riviera with the cheap fill-up price and long range of diesel sounded great, even if you had to line up with Freightliners and Peterbilts to get to a pump, but there were problems. Oh, so many problems! Oldsmobile's 350 V8 had been around since 1968 and it had proven to be both reliable and powerful.

GM recalling 1.4 million older vehicles for oil leak fire risk

General Motors is recalling 1,411,332 older vehicles with its 3.8-liter V6 yet again due to a fire risk. Specifically, there are 1,283,340 of them in the US, and the affected models are the: 1997-2004 Pontiac Grand Prix 2000-2004 Chevrolet Impala 1998-1999 Chevrolet Lumina 1998-2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 1998-1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue 1997- 2004 Buick Regal The fault with these vehicles is that oil can drip onto the hot exhaust manifold during hard braking, which can potentially cause of fire. In the last six years, there have 19 reported minor injuries from this problem but no crashes or fatalities, according to the company. Spokesperson Alan Adler also told Autoblog: "GM has reports of 1,345 fires in vehicles that were repaired under two previous recalls for this issue." At this time, GM is still developing a remedy for the problem. According to Adler, the company advised owners to park these vehicles outside for the previous recalls. "The cars can be safely driven. In cases where a customer reported an engine fire while driving, smoke was reported, which would be an indication of a malfunction," he said. This is GM's fourth recall for this problem since 2008, according to The Detroit News. At one point it was believed that aging valve cover gaskets allowed the oil to leak out and drip onto the manifold. A campaign in 2009 covered nearly 1.5 million of these models through the 2003 model year for the same issue. At the time, dealers installed new spark plug wire retainers as a fix. Related Video: GM Statement: General Motors is recalling 1,283,340 older sedans and coupes in the U.S. from the 1997 to 2004 model years because drops of oil may be deposited on the hot exhaust manifold through hard braking, which can cause engine compartment fires. GM is working on a remedy. The company is aware of post-repair fires in some vehicles but no crashes or fatalities. There have been 19 reported minor injuries over the last six years. These vehicles with 3.8-liter V6 3800 engines are affected: 1997-2004 Pontiac Grand Prix, 2000-2004 Chevrolet Impala, 1998-1999 Chevrolet Lumina and 1998-2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 1998-1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue and 1997-2004 Buick Regal. Including Canada, Mexico and exports, the total population is 1,411,332.

Buick unveils new Verano hatchback in Guangzhou

This is a Buick Verano. We know, it doesn't look like a Verano – or at least not the version we get here. In fact it looks more like the new Opel Astra with a Buick grille. Which makes sense, because that's pretty much what it is. The vehicle you're looking at is the new Buick Verano Hatchback, unveiled just days ago at the Guangzhou Motor Show in China – arguably the only market that matters as much to the brand as the United States. Like the sedan revealed this past April in Shanghai, the hatchback is a newer model than the US-market version, based on the new Opel Astra, but with that signature waterfall grille. Otherwise, it looks virtually identical to the version sold as an Opel in Europe and a Vauxhall in the UK. Buick will be offering two versions of the Verano hatch in China. The base model pairs a 1.5-liter inline four good for 117 horsepower and 108 pound-feet of torque to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. The sportier Verano GS packs a more potent version of the same engine, rated at 166 hp and 184 pound-feet and paired to a seven-speed DSG. That's enough to propel it to 62 in 8.8 seconds, but displacing less than 1.6 liters, both versions come in under the Chinese tax threshold so they're taxed 50-percent less. Between the Verano and Astra, we've now seen this new model in three different body-styles being sold in markets around the world. The sedans, hatchbacks, and wagons seem to be proliferating like so many jackrabbits, but keep hopping away just out of reach. So here's hoping that the next leap it takes will be to US showrooms. Related Video: Buick Launches Verano Hatchback and Verano GS Priced from RMB 145,900 to RMB 205,900 2015-11-18 Guangzhou – Buick launched the new Verano Hatchback and Verano GS this evening in Guangzhou, China. The five variants of the two newest members of the Verano family are priced from RMB 145,900 to RMB 205,900. Buick's 740 dealerships across China have begun accepting pre-orders. The new Verano models have trendy, sporty styling along with European car-like handling, premium interiors and advanced technology. They are targeted at younger trend-setting consumers who are looking for a driving experience that is "born with sportiness." Stylish and sporty exterior The Verano Hatchback and Verano GS have adopted Buick's latest design language for sport sedans. The brand's signature waterfall grille has taken on a creative frameless design, with a newly added piano black finish.