Buick's Biggest Sales Flop: The 1986-88 Riviera Was a Handsome Design, But Missed the Mark

[@roberthoffhines5419]

Something abot seeing "May 16, 2023" on that 80s control screen of my youth is really cool.

[@sblsbl7600]

I was a Buick car salesman in 1987. You are right customers resisted front wheel drive and the downsize was not popular. It was a great car though. Drove great and was very comfortable. The 3.8 was an excellent engine. In the 1990s my friend bought a used 89 Toronado and it was amazing. The 87 Buick Le Sabre 2 door was cooler and cost less.

[@BillWoodillustrator]

Certainly was the age of malaise design wise.😢

[@LongIslandMopars]

Buddy's dad had a 2dr LeSabre from that era and it was a good-looking coupe.

[@patrickflohe7427]

It was a lovely car.

[@HAL-dm1eh]

I was a sophomore in high school in 87 when I pulled my 68 LeSabre up on a Buick dealership to see what I knew was a rare Regal GNX. I just wanted to ogle at it a second, especially since this was a time when we weren't carrying cameras around everywhere. A salesman came out to talk to me and knew nothing about the GNX but everything about the LeSabres on the lot which he tried to sell me on. He didn't seem to realize I was just a high school student who'd been handed down my car and wasn't interested in a new FWD, even if it was "even faster and more efficient". I remember having a "bless your heart" attitude the whole time he talked to me. LOL! Looking back I understand his motivation and logic though, and they obviously were great cars. Still, given the choice of having that 68 or an 87 today? Even to drive everyday? Give me back my 68! I'd appreciate it a heck of a lot more than I did as a teenager.

[@LongIslandMopars]

@@HAL-dm1eh Es DiBennedito Buick in Bayside, Queens, NY had a GNX back in 87. I remember going in there and seeing it roped off. Looked underneath and saw the "track bar" that tied the rear end to the right side frame rail. Sticker on that car was $29999. I knew the car was special but 30 grand for a Regal? I was 17. Who knew....

[@rickeyricardomatthews2147]

The Buick reliability was better than all the GM products

[@Lasuvidaboy-jp4xe]

The gorgeous 1979-85 model was a very hard act to follow.

[@petestaint8312]

I disagree, they were also hideous.

[@kellyvariste4831]

@@petestaint8312 You told no lies but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.😂😂😂

[@edwardpate6128]

No, they were quite lovely and the sales numbers reflected that. @@petestaint8312

[@peterdelestrez8880]

You got that right.

[@peterdelestrez8880]

I had an 87 Riv. Biggest mistake I ever made. Traded it in 89 on a Cadillac DeVille. What an improvement.

[@edwardpate6128]

After that beautiful 79 to 85 Riviera this was such a let down.

[@GarySaarimaki]

I had a '87 Riviera...loved that car! I had it in the same 2 tone brown as in the video with the wire wheel covers. I worked in I.T. so I loved the centre touch screen :-) I had the car for 7 years. Only problem I had with it was the power antenna motor quit working and the auto levelling gave out in the last year.

[@joehumenansky8225]

I owned an '86 Riv. What a fantastic road car! Black cherry metallic. I drove between msp and DesMoines and got 30 mpg. It finally succumbed to a bad timing gear. AM/FM stereo. How unique! I did a lot of work to repair options that didn't work properly. Got everything working except twilight sentenal. I would buy another if Buick would build them again. Not holding my breath. Those days are long gone. So much for GM making cars people want!!

[@jeffrobodine8579]

My Dad had the same car in the same color with the cabriolet roof and the gold package. He sold it to a high school buddy of mine for $1000 in the late 1990's with 220,000 miles on it.

[@Andyface79]

The problem was not that many other people wanted these.

[@joehumenansky8225]

I believe it was because it wasn't much different looking than the Somerset or any of the N body cars of the time. When you pay the kind of money for an upscale model you expect it to look different than the models that were lower in price.

[@attackb5349]

Misspelling employee to save a penny? LOL GM in the 80’s never cease to amaze me 😂

[@TomSnyder-gx5ru]

I was 28yo in '85 and when I saw "sneak spy shots" of the upcoming '86 Riviera - I was not impressed to say the least! I literally went to my local Buick dealer THAT NIGHT and traded my '78 Buick LeSabre Sport Coupe turbo V6 (great car) for one of the last three new '85 Rivieras (burgundy/burgundy with burgundy velour) they had left and was so glad I did when I finally saw a new '86 Riviera in person and thought it looked like a Somerset "Brougham!" That Rivera turned out to be one of the best cars I've ever owned and I always got "looks" when driving it. Now I'm 66yo and drive a Toyota Tundra - go figure!!

[@jeffrobodine8579]

That 1978 LeSabre Coupe with the turbo V-6 is highly collectible now, go figure.

[@RobertSmith-le8wp]

The 1985 Riviera is still a very beautiful car to me. i would still drive one to this day. Back in the day my Mom had a 1987 Cadillac Sedan Deville. My Dad bought it at a car auction for maybe $2000 in I think 93/94. It had I believe 80,000 miles when we got it. Even though it had the much maligned 4100 HT my Mom ended up putting close to 250,000 miles on it before she got something else. Because of that I’ll always have a soft spot for mid to late 80’s GM cars because that Cadillac and a Buick Park Avenue were the only 2 cars we had growing up. Both were incredibly reliable and served us well

[@lorieandpatrickdavies7483]

Sorry Adam, I disagree with your assessment of the 1986-1988 Riviera/Toronado/Eldorado/Seville. I've always thought they were incredibly ungainly and disproportionate. Their chopped off, truncated rear ends don't fit with the rest of the design, their greenhouses are too large, and their wheels too small. Where the design really goes wrong for me is the last 1/3, basically from the B pillar back. Its funny how later in that model run (1989), GM added 11" in length (to the trunk area) to try to fix the proportions, and make the vehicles look better. And if GM actually believed a "younger, more affluent buyer" would really cross shop one of these with a BMW or Mercedes, they were kidding themselves, and the sales results were glaring proof of how badly the cars were received by the market. I loved the previous generation of these cars (I even liked the bustle back Seville!), but couldn't stand this generation.

[@parrotlover9035]

Yes. This car looks cheap. There is no way to spin that.

[@dmandman9]

These cars looked nice. But the downsizing went too far. But most of all, you’re correct in that they also looked like the cheaper cars. I think that was the main drawback. I remember thinking that this car looked like an upscale version Skylark/Somerset. It was a totally different vibe than the previous Riviera.

[@alsguitars5127]

The 1986 Riviera should have never been released. They should have sent it back before launch like the mid cycle lengthened Toronado for a stretch job. That would have given time to fix the tons of electrical gremlins. The first 1986 ones just drove customers nuts with walk homes from bad MAS sensors and defective ECMs and wiring. This car invented techs learning what a pin pull test was on terminals.

[@dgmcbride]

The 1979-1985 Riviera was one of the best-looking cars GM ever turned out. To me it’s actually better looking than the Eldorado, its upmarket stablemate.

[@marcodarko6941]

Agreed. As a kid I had an uncle with a dark metallic blue, dark blue velour interior 85 Riv. It was an absolutely beautiful car in pristine condition it sat in the garage and was mostly driven only every few Sundays. It never saw rain or snow. I was able to get a ride in it a few times, it was so smooth and quiet with that soft, cushy interior it was like riding in cloud. I love all the Riviers even this downsized version is very sharp.

[@johneckert1365]

100% Mom had a silver 83

[@markman7]

​@@johneckert1365Exactly. If you drove a 79-85 Riviera, you carried a purse.

[@owlnswan4016]

@@markman7 I must have forgotten mine every time I drove the 1979 I had for many years.

[@owlnswan4016]

@@marcodarko6941 My '79 actually rode a bit hard, but the 1979-81 had a torsion bar suspension. They changed it to coils in 1982, and improved the ride quality.

[@Rush-gu3ij]

Your comment on the spelling of employe made me smile. I believe it even predates the time of memory on computers, but is related to secretaries or clerks typing documents. One less keystroke equals time and on less letter extends the lifetime of a typewriter ribbon. I had to relearn how to spell words when I started working for the General.

[@johnh2514]

This was one of my favorite cars as a kid back when I saw it at an auto show in 1987. I was absolutely amazed by the futuristic GCC interface. My dad told me in 30 years we will all be driving cars with computers and touchscreens. Amazing just how accurate his prediction was.

[@jeffreywick4057]

In 1967, most mornings our dad drove us to school in our 1966 Mercury Commuter station wagon. Upon arrival one morning, we pulled up behind my friend, Rick who's dad had just bought a new 67 Riviera. It was gold. It was magnificent! I was 12.To me, it looked something like a big Corvette. Had you shown me the future and what a 1987 Riviera would look like, I would have been profoundly disappointed.

[@brettwaxdeck8155]

agree

[@judgegixxer]

in the mid 70's we had a Silver 67' Riviera for a family car and dad had a Silver Corvette for driving to work. I always thought the Vette looked like a mini Riviera. lol

[@petestaint8312]

Agreed! The 80's were not a good time for car design. Hideous and stubby.

[@eldoradony]

All the GM cars from the mid 60s to early 70s were beautiful with sweeping lines and style that is long gone. I believe these were from the era of Bill Mitchell running the design department. I was a teenager at that time and I would see the new cars and hope I could own one in the future. Sadly, today there isn't a car offered from any manufacturer, foreign or domestic, that I desire to buy even though I could afford to buy one. I am in the auto repair business and I buy my cars from my customers before they trade them in. I drive whatever is the best deal and I upgrade when another deal comes along.

[@petestaint8312]

@@eldoradony agreed! Most cars today are lackluster and dull. A sad state.

[@dvdosterloh]

You need to do a video on the 3800 engine. that damn thing was almost bulletproof. Dad had a Buick park avenue and ran over 350,000 miles, still didn't use oil, the body fell apart, creaked like an old wagon but still ran good. He just didn't feel safe in it anymore

[@leeatterberry1239]

Yeah I agree once you got past some things that you had to go back and redo and put better parts on them

Absolutely!

[@1967buickriviera]

Pretty sure there is a video on it

[@anthonynicholich9654]

No it wasn't. It had hydraulic lifters actuated by rods lol not to mention that it was a pushrod dinosaur. Speaking of dinosaurs English Massey Ferguson tractors were bulletproof and lasted forever but they were dinosaurs. Let me educate you on a bulletproof engine Mercedes diesel OM616 and 617

[@21Piloteer]

@@anthonynicholich9654 Yawn....perhaps those M-B diesels were bulletproof but they couldn't get out of their own way, even the turbo models were gutless pigs. The fact that you point out the 3800 was pushrod engine is not relevant. It was one of the best domestic engines ever built.

[@chrisgreen67]

I own a 1987 Riviera T Type now! I just got it in January 2023. I have always admired these cars, along with the related Toronado and Eldorado/Seville, and was thrilled to find a rare T Type in decent condition. The Riv is a pleasure to drive, very luxurious, quiet and the perfect size, in my opinion. The GCC touchscreen system is fun to use, offers so much detailed info, and makes the car feel very modern, considering that it's 35+ years old. I will say that steering wheel volume controls would have been a great addition and may have even kept them from eliminating the system after 4 model years, but overall it's a very logical system and easy to use. Thanks for the review and especially the concept images--very cool to see!

[@ronh1940]

Adam, I continue to be amazed at the breadth and objective application of your knowledge of this period of the automotive industry (technical, design, sales, marketing, user experience). Your’s is the KZbin channel where I always jump when a new posting occurs. Thank you.

[@DGillyy]

I've been on here before, i worked prepping these for delivery when they were new. An interesting time to be doing this sort of work, fall of 1982 up to about 1989. There was also the Riviera TType in this time, although it wasn't the turbocharged 3.8 like the Regal, it was still a cool car. The convertible E body was gone but your could get this with a factory sunroof. I do remember that GM made the older E body back about 1985 that had a version of the CRT screen in it that they just used to get salesmen used to it so they could sell it properly, i thought i read they all got crushed, they made a few of them. I remember the overall thought of the CRT operation was like the helicopter "Blue Thunder" from the movie of the same name. Very high tech and sophisticated in it's day. I remember having to show different operations to the more elderly Buick salesmen. I believe the CRT was omitted from the car after 2-3 years. It was also in the early Reatta, which would be another Buick that would be a good topic for one of your excellent videos.

I was working at a Linclon dealership during those same years, and got to PDI some of the trade-ins we got. Great cars.

[@chrisgreen67]

The CRT was in the Riviera from 1986-89 and the Reatta in 1988-89. It was eliminated for 1990 in both.

[@j.sayler6330]

The 1985 Rivieras with the touch-screens must have been very rare: I have never seen one in that earlier generation, and even ardent Buick fans often don't know about them. They must have been offered to the public, not being purely experimental, because they are on the long list of options in the 1985 Buick sales brochure--but not pictured in the brochure or given any emphasis.

[@andyk6796]

The 3800 V6 is the best engine GM has ever made IMHO. Adding a supercharger made it even better! Smooth and efficient with solid power.

[@march24-lp4pv]

It's a good engine but let's not overdramatize... I had to replace many expensive timing components in my 1990 3800 Oldsmobile well before 100k.

[@johneckert1365]

​@march24-lp4pv And sometimes thier harmonic balancer falls apart

[@tonywilliams4066]

I loved these Riviera’s!!! The touch screen was something I wanted sooooo bad. I actually like the shape. As a poor college student, in electrical engineering, I couldn’t afford one.

[@Doc1855]

Now you can afford one and restore it.

[@chrisl6492]

We saw the final car when we went through Buick engineering in Flint in June of 1983. It was a photo that one of the chief engineers pulled out of his desk, proudly displayed it to us and then returned to his desk drawer. As he turned and was putting the photo away, mom and I looked at each other, both frowning, little did we know those frowns would foreshadow sales 3 years later. That was such a cool private tour, we sat in what would be the 85 Park Avenue, and the twin turbo Riviera Pace Car. As soon as we walked in all the engineers started flipping off their monitors.

[@jaymes1]

They knew they messed up, that's why they turned off their monitors

[@jeffrobodine8579]

The 1989 restyling helped those three models greatly.

[@sgrant9814]

I miss the large greenhouses of cars from the 80s and 90s. Today, most vehicles have slit like side and rear glass....like driving a tank

[@thewiseguy3529]

I loved these as a kid. Wish I had one now.

[@I-Libertine]

Sometime I hope you do some concept cars. My fave was the Lincoln Mark VIII on the Tbird/Jag S chassis. A convertible with an eggcrate grille! Chef's kiss!

[@patrickmcgoldrick8234]

I believe that series of the Buick Riviera is the epitome of everything that was wrong with the Roger Smith General Motors

[@petestaint8312]

Agreed! Buick lost it's way during this time.

[@doncnunez6231]

That was era of look alike cars Eldorado, Riv, Seville ,Toronados and the larger sibling Electra, 98, Devilles, Bonnevilles

[@jw77019]

I remember the price of gas dropping overnight due to the oil glut. It caused a financial collapse and many bank failures in Texas. Of course the federal government always bails out oil people, then let’s them price gouge when the price goes back up-which it always does.

[@jamescalvin902]

I remember riding with a neighbor in his Toronado in the early 90s. That was years before I myself became a GM customer, and I didn't expect to like the Toronado. But I did. Best looking car of this group IMHO.

[@kenleppek]

Can we get a video on the Buick Reatta? Those were pretty neat.

[@HAL-dm1eh]

This car is gorgeous. I was a teen in the 80s and I was highly critical of GM's move to FWD and downsizing. I thought their late 70s downsize was perfect and should have remained. Having a better understanding of the world I can look back and see the pressure on them from government agencies and foreign competition from both Europe and Japan. Ford's revolutionary new Taurus and move to rounded aero themes, while also still keeping the traditional boxy RWD Panther platform vehicles did not help GM's situation at all. If you can forget the environment surrounding these at the time they can be appreciated a lot more.

[@ronaldwarren5220]

I owned an 88 Reatta which I liked. The dang Teves braking system kept breaking though so I sold it. I now own an 88 Eldorado with low miles and a V8 engine. Love the car!

[@fmphotooffice5513]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="60">1:00</a> We had a 79 Caprice like that with 2 tone silver/blue paint, very dramatic.* Also, I think Buick saw the steering wheel on a 1984 AM Lagonda and felt a bit of inspiration... * That was the Chevy that would not die! Everything eventually wore out or stopped functioning, electric seats, windows, a/c, paint, ceiling, etc. But the engine and transmission always performed. I don't remember how many miles it eventually had. Quite the beast.

[@jeffshadow2407]

I have driven my 1985 Toronado just over 100 miles in five years. I just replaced the headliner and am working on the front and rear bumper fillers. It now has just over 68,500 miles.

[@ricksand6477]

Great presentation on what was a bridge too far for the Riviera. In retrospect, yes - this is an interesting vehicle that showed the way for the industry in terms of electronics and many design features. It just wasn't a Riviera as people had come to know and love them. The fact that it was delayed a year and came after the N bodied Somerset/Skylark was really the final nail in the coffin. I saw and drove the car just before long lead press previews in July of 1985 and thought, "Uh oh". Bill Porter, who was lead designer on the car told me that they added about 6" of width to it at the 11th hour in the design process to give it more presence to try to setting apart from the N car, to little avail. The high-end personal luxury car buyer of the day was looking for unique design and indulged in the Harley Earl/Bill Mitchell school of "longer, lower, wider". This car was shorter, taller and smaller and priced a few grand MORE in the bargain. Between cheap gasoline and all of the above it was a ticket for disaster. Larger and more stylish Thunderbirds and Lincoln Marks from Ford didn't help.

[@CKWinners]

This vehicle in my opinion was a GM flash of brilliance. Just look at how the center console sides are carpeted and extend all the way in to the front dash tunnel. This vehicle has aged well and is an example of what GM was capable of. Yes maybe it wasnt an Acura Legend coupe but I think it makes a pretty successful and unapologetic argument for what it was.

[@rovervitesse1985]

Really dislike the short stuby rear. They fixed it though eventually

[@compu85]

I think many 80s GM cars have excellent under hood appearance. Like you said, attention was paid to how clean things looked, but they didn't just hide everything under a big plastic cover. You can still see the parts of the engine, and they're presented in an orderly fashion.

[@markmaiello9180]

Glad that GM was trying to save money by deliberately misspelling words in official documents…rather than scrimping on its vehicles…OK…kidding, but it’s wild that the brass thought that saving ink would add up significant savings. The Riv is attractive & the Toro body & hidden headlights were just as cool. Very interesting video-again.

[@Mark-xh9ne]

I clearly remember as a tween standing in my grandparents driveway watching my uncle's new 86 Eldorado backing out. I could only think WTF? Amongst my mom's 78 Park Ave, my Nana's 79 DeVille, Gramps 65 Bonneville & Great Grandmother's 65 Fleetwood that Eldo looked frumpy and cheap; lacking any kind of presence I thought a Cadillac should have. Fast forward a couple years later and Dad buys mom a slightly used 86 Riviera. That eventually led to my immediate family eventually owning a Seville, Reattta, Eldorado, and another Riviera all from this first Hamtramck generation (Reattta it's own assembly). It took a Saturday wax job for me to realize the subtlety and excellence of the design. It's subtle, but once you see it you appreciate it. These cars were really neat little packages that had a ride and handling much superior to any of their predecessors. The gas mileage was fantastic from what we were used to. Mom actually enjoyed driving them unlike her previous'70s b&c bodies . On the rare occasion I see these on the road today they're actually quite striking and handsome. Maybe they were just too ahead of their time.

[@rightlanehog3151]

Adam, In those days GM downsized the cars every few years. Today GM downsizes the company every few years. 😉

[@averyparticularsetofskills]

Love this era ... mainly due to my age, the mid to late 80s is when i went absolutely car crazy so anything around that time holds a permanent spot in the "whats cool" category for me. So MORE MORE!!

[@markcollins457]

I had an 87 and loved the screen on the dash "Riviera by Buick" every time you started the car. The soft touch windshield was just weird.

[@TonyM132]

According to the Merriam-Webster page on the word, it was spelled as gage or gauge with roughly equal frequency since the 15th century. The spelling with the U began to be preferred in the late 19th century, but gage without the U is still an officially recognized albeit less common spelling today. So I don't think we can blame.or credit GM for that one. 🙂

[@AGPreston12]

I would love to see you do a video on the last Riviera.

[@markman7]

The '86 cars all had the same profiles on the outside. All had flush lamps and vertical rear windows. It wasn't until 88 and 89 mid cycle refresh that there was actual sculpting and distinctive styling on this platform. This was a disastrous time for GM styling.

[@ttop64]

I miss the Riviera . I wish Buick would bring it back .

[@P.Galore]

" Never a good idea to have an expensive car look like a cheaper one" - Well, my friend, GM is doing exactly that BIG TIME with the Lyriq and the Celestiq, the front ends looking almost identical. The problem: Your $300k car looks just like the $60k car.

[@Scott-j3w]

Thanks for making this video. I have fond memories of the 1986 Riviera as I took my driver’s test in my Mom’s 1986 Riviera in the Spring of 1988 when I was 16. The examiner had clearly not been in one before and was surprised at the GCC. But I passed and the Riviera was around for a few more years until my parents left GM for Acura. One additional item to point out. The 1986 (and possibly later model years) had a windshield that was “glass-plastic material” and this was indicated with a disclaimer printed at the bottom center on the glass - and was also present on the vehicle in your video. I mention this because I do not know or understand the benefits this windshield provided. I can tell you that the Buick dealership scratched the inside of the windshield on my Mom’s 1986 Riviera on one of its many service visits. I think in 1988 or 1989 and they replaced it free of charge with a GM windshield that no longer had the glass-plastic disclaimer.

[@RomanJockMCO]

I loved this car when it came out. I can still remember playing with the GCC back in March 1987 at the first car show I ever went to at 13 years old. I would later buy a 1989 in 1997 and kept it for six years. Mine was the only year with the updated longer styling with the GCC. I originally wanted to resto-mod it but after a flatbed backed into it and health issues forced me to sell it. I will admit that while the close resemblance to the smaller and cheaper Somerset did kill some sales I feel the way-to-advanced electronics really kept buyers at bay. My grandfather to his dying day didn't understand digital tuning and wanted a dial. My dad who retired from NASA and worked in the shuttle had to be taught how to turn the a/c on. Everyone who rode in my car was astonished that the technology was from the mid-80s. Touch screens are common place now but that car definitely was a couple of decades ahead of its time. I'd love to get another one.

[@EmmyJune212008]

Stylewise, I thought the 1989 refresh was a huge improvement. It looked like a modern version of the previous gen.

[@wall-e3313]

I had an 89. My wife and I loved it.

[@judgegixxer]

My grampa traded off his 78' LeSabre on an 87' Delta 88 with this 3.8litre. He loved it. He thought it was a hotrod compared to his old LeSabre. 12.5 mpg though? according to the Graphic Control Cemtre. That's only half the mpg of the C.A.F.E of 27. They must have paid fines to Uncle Sam that year. I always thought these little cars were quite good looking too. I had a girlfriend in 91' who drove a Somerset. Adam's vids always bring back memories.

[@petrovicmotors3775]

That’s a 12.5 km/L average. You could set miles or km on the info center. Most 3800 get that mileage

[@HAL-dm1eh]

I saw that too. It could be it was being idled a lot for show and city driven. That will plummet the mpg quickly. I can sit at a drive thru in my car and watch the avg mpg slowly notch down if waiting for anywhere more than 2 minutes. It also reminds me of a video SaabKyle did of a beautiful black Lincoln Town Car where the avg mpg's read somewhere around 8 mpg when they usually avg somewhere around 18-24 (my Crown Vic got 24).

[@jeffrobodine8579]

My Dad had a 1988 back in the he day and he averaged around 20 mpg. He was no slouch driver either.

[@coreylach7942]

I own the 1988 Silver Anniversary Sport Luxury T-Type Buick Riviera Coupe, 28 years in 2024. Never has left me stranded once. Many more features not described in your well made video.I have kept the car true never molesting the beauty and engineering to this day. I had thought the innovation would have had significant impact as a collective aspect, However the stigma of the 1980's automotive engineering has no exception as of yet. I get compliments and comments every time its driven! Mostly, "you still own that ?"..

[@jewllake]

I think it's a very tasteful and stylish car. I'm impressed that the touch screen still shows the current date. The factory Navigation Radio in my 2006 GMC Yukon shows 2004 now.

[@lilibethdoherty295]

The car it was replacing was a work of Art. Sadly this new model was a unappealing GM lookalike of several other cheap models, Grand am olds cutlass supreme which was far from being Supreme.

[@joshuagibson2520]

These generation of cars were EVERYWHERE in Dayton Ohio. Not so much anymore and I dont think many have survived either.

[@joshuagibson2520]

No one I knew considered them keeper cars like we did with 60s and 70s cars at the time. No one is \ was keeping them put up in barns and other places. So it seems to me anyway.

[@RobertSmith-le8wp]

Growing up my Mom had a 1985 Buick Park Avenue with the 3800. That was such a great car. I remember my Dad bought it at an auction for maybe $750. No one else bid against him. We drove that car for another 10 years after that. It got passed down from my parents, to my brother, to me, and then a cousin got it and none of us could kill that 3800. Because of that I’ll always have a soft spot for the 3800

[@nlpnt]

Good point on the N-Body, which imo would've itself benefited from a more sloping/less formal roofline.

[@MrJayrock620]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="732">12:12</a> it’s kind of like how the US spells color, but here in Canada we spell it colour. Although those sort of spelling changes were because of the printing press and it actually would save you money as they paid per the letter not word.

[@HC-cb4yp]

Loved my gray '87 Riv. I had a LONG commute into and out of snowy Anchorage, Alaska, every day and it NEVER failed to plow right through the snow.

I was lucky enough to drive a few fresh models of these when they were traded in at the Licoln/Mercury dealership I worked at during '87 and '88. Very nice runners.

[@madmanmapper]

As is typical of GM (and most other makers) they didn't go far enough. They tried to be so middle-of-the-road that they ended up alienating most potential customers. Had they kept the super-futuristic concept designs, they would have captured a big market of young people looking for something that wasn't grandpa's car. Instead they toned it down to look more like grandpa's car, so they lost the young people, but it wasn't enough like grandpa's car to sell one to grandpa. The concepts looked super cool. And while the end result is certainly not a bad looking car, it did kind of look like everything else GM was selling at the time.

[@chriskucia8348]

Largely agree here. Also, if memory serves, these cars were pretty expensive given that there was really no solid demand compared to the vehicles they replaced. I remember back then that a common complaint was "why should I be paying more for less of a car". It seems to be a trend at GM to try to create the illusion of demand by commanding a premium, only to end up discounting the vehicles later when the market rejects them, rather than maybe taking a bit of loss and getting early buy-in by consumers and then exposure to the rest of the public that would justify raising prices later on a successful model. The other thing about these models is they had totally redesigned powertrains, sharing almost nothing with the previous generation. GM got a lot of that right - eventually once they got the kinks worked out, but I recall a lot of issues with these vehicles in the first few years, especially the transaxles not living up to expectations and just general unfamiliarity with the new platforms by mechanics. Being stranded in a new car you paid a lot for and didn't really like all that much in the first place is a great way to alienate your customers for life.

[@petestaint8312]

Agreed! The concept car was much better but still a bit lame with the truncated back.

[@CORVAIRWILD]

I'm going to look at a '79 Seville 5.7 diesel tmrw, same owner last 30+ years.. I cant wait! It'll be my 3rd Olds diesel! I have several other diesels... CLATTER CLATTER!!!

[@johneckert1365]

Awesome! 😊

[@douglasgreen437]

I have a diesel Lexus IS 220d..2006

[@20TIL6]

Thanks for bringing up the spelling of gauges. I remember seeing “gages” in GM cars as a teen and wondering if it was misspelled or was it me who didn’t know how to spell that word.

[@bretttimmons2653]

I really liked these cars. But I do agree the N cars really hurt them. I had a 85 Calais Supreme. You had to look closely to differentiate it from the size of the Toronado and Riviera. It didn’t help that Ford had the Thunderbird and Cougar that were rear wheel drive and had V8s. GMs cars were more expensive and underpowered. Also remember these cars were a part of GM’s new robot plant. The robots were crude and these cars suffered. There welds were imprecise, body fitment was lack luster and paint was poor in its application. It was not uncommon for whole crews to have to correct flaws in the cars before they were shipped out. Dealers would complain for over a year about customers not appreciating the poor build quality compared to the 1979-1985 models.

[@kevinmcginness3253]

I had an 86 I bought used, great car until the CRT began to malfunction, causing no start, or dead electronic system at random times, I took it to the dealer and it did not take long to understand the service manager had nightmares about these cars, and lamented that no parts were available and rebuilding the CRT was out of the question, so it soon headed to the junkyard

[@markbehr88]

I liked the last of this series but the Toronado was better looking and the previous generation was MUCH better looking. Sales reflected this.

[@TheTonytodd]

You mentioned not recalling Buick ever using a three-spoke steering wheel with thin horizontal spokes and a very thick center spoke. I recalled my '68 LeSabre had such a thin/thick design.

[@judgegixxer]

1st thing that steering wheel reminded me of was the late 80's /early 90's base option Chevrolet wheel that came in S10s, Blazers, Cavaliers, Base Camaros. Looks like the same core just not as fancy as this buick one.

[@TheTonytodd]

@rafaelfiallo4123 he doesn't have anything to correct himself about. He said he was not aware of any other Buick that had a steering wheel like that. He didn't say no other Buick had such a steering wheel.

[@allstate125]

Complain if you want but I drove one and it was comfortable with a very smooth ride. Today’s mid size vehicles ride very hard. Every single bump is transmitted to the people inside. And many of today’s roads are poorly maintained.

[@EngOne]

The 1986 Riviera and its' sibling the Cadillac Eldorado suffered a sales crash with this UGLY new Riviera compared to previous model year. It looks like a cheap economy car with a cheap grille added to try to pass it off as a luxury car. It was not a performance car, did not have the size and spaciousness of it's predecessor, did not have any particular attribute, NOTHING to objectively classify it as a luxury car, and consumers at the time saw right through GM's attempt at this con job. This Riviera was UGLY and ridiculous then, since, now and will always be a failure

[@rpsmith2990]

About that steering wheel...it looks like a very fancy version of the base Camaro steering wheel. It's nice to see these cars get some love. You talked about the need to get new customers for this Riviera. One thing that made the task more difficult for Buick was Car and Driver's review of the T-Type. They really kind of piled on about it, to the actual point that while C/D planned and started one of their 40,000 mile long term tests, Buick (from one report I've read0 took the car back the day after they read the initial road test. I had a chance to buy one for about 600 bucks from a member of the Riviera Owner's Association. It had over 300K on it...

[@bobcarlino7280]

Your absolutely right about the resemblance to the Camaro's steering wheel.

[@jasonrackawack9369]

80s & 90s GMs have a some strange quirks....I had a 91 Grand Am that I really loved, my only complaint was the steering column was not centered on the driver seat....the steering wheel was offset towards the middle of the car......its like drafting department forgot the tape measure that day and guessed at the placement 😅🤣😅

[@TheBrokenLife]

Aesthetically I always liked these cars, but I could pretty easily see customers going to the much more familiar (meaning, way less weird) Cougar of the same year and getting most of the styling, a little bigger car, and traditional RWD. In 1986 the Riviera would have been a tough sell and I don't remember seeing many of them compared to Cougars. I could easily believe the Cougar was less expensive too. Oddly, that seems to continue on into the next generation of both models too. '89 Riviera vs. '89 Cougar was a blink-and-you-miss-it difference in traffic, IMO, other than the Cougar being moderately bigger. All are great looking cars, but pragmatically I would have gone with the Fords vs. the Buicks during this period. The Fox and MN12 platforms were wildly popular for Ford, so, I wouldn't have been alone in that decision.

[@HowardLewis2]

My grandmother had a used ‘87 T-Type she purchased around ‘91. She drove it for ten years. No real problems to speak of really. I drove it on occasion. From the driver’s seat they felt much more substantial than their footprint. The GCC was kind of cool, but a pain. There was a lot to like about it compared to my Dad’s ‘90 Biarritz, and if packed the 4.5HT instead of the pre3800 V6 the Riv would have been the better car.

[@josephvaldora49]

GM misreads the market again. What a surprise!

[@Fleetwoodjohn]

Those seats are awesome. The Cadillac Buick olds interiors from the mid 80’s to 90’s still stand out as looking classy to me.

[@Greatdome99]

They certainly used smaller swatches of leather rather than large pieces ($$$).

[@mattg8369]

Our neighbors growing up traded their gray Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme for the updated version of this body style when the waterfall rear was put back. It was a deep maroon and absolutely gorgeous.

[@skipcampbell4226]

GMs V6 drive trains were durable and efficient at the time. Back when GM still had their shit together in regards to this.

[@johnmcmullen456]

Back in that time period I rented for a weekend in Houston the nearly identical Olds Toronado. Was almost new and I found the 3.8 engine spirited in that significantly downsized platform, and the car was an overall pleasure to drive.

[@wall-e3313]

This car has special meaning for me. It was an 89 after the styling change, but it was our 'date car' when we met in '08. We also brought our daughter home from the hospital when she was born in '14, but by then the years had taken its toll. Being a 'rust belt' car, some serious perforation had formed on the rear control arm mounts. The CRT no longer worked but I found info on how to work the basic functions. It was also getting to be difficult to get suspension parts for. The engine would no longer start at around 193000 miles. We were told that the timing chain may have jumped a tooth or two and that's all it takes to kill it. But she had a good run and we still miss her.

[@z06rcr]

My Dad wanted to buy a 1985 Riviera but I convinced him to wait for the all new ‘86 … a decision I regret mainly because it was ordered before ever being seen in person and presented smaller than expected..and he was somewhat disappointed. I really liked the interior and GCC was fun to play with. But my Dad grew to really dislike the car especially since the engine had a tendency to stall while pulling out on the highway…. An issue the dealer could never resolve.

[@williamk5998]

What’s up with all those awesome vintage MB in the background?

[@larryhullinger4141]

Ii drove an 86 model for 6 years Loved my Riviera

[@rnt45t1]

These reminscing videos of a time before I was born, in 1988, but grew up seeing these cars in the church parking lot.

[@timyank8433]

This was always my favorite generation Riviera but particulariluy the 89-93 when they extended the rear over hang with the sloping taillights and composite headlights up front. I also preferred in 90 when they revamped the dash.

[@paullopez7561]

I liked the video. It's true 1986 to 1988 Buick Riviera is still a handsome design. Unfortunately, people don't like change and having another model: the somerset be of same dimension and basic looks hurt the Riviera. It's the same thing with today's Nissan Maxima and Altima. They basically look the same and almost same dimensions. That's why people go more for the Altima

[@bobcarlino7280]

Well said!

[@pcno2832]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="39">0:39</a> In all of the rounds of late 1970s downsizing, GM was able to claim that in one way or another, they were "bigger inside", and while there was some trickery and obfuscation involved there (including the absurd claim that the 1977 Fleetwood had as much legroom as the '76), most of the ordinary models gained a bit of leg and usable trunk room. But by 1986, there was no way to conjure together such claims about the newest models; they were simply smaller, smaller than the cars that were already as small as the public would tolerate.

[@marcodarko6941]

Excellent presentation on the Riviera here, I am partial to the name and like just about every one of them GM made. I do like the downsized version and even the Eldorado, another favorite of mine.the Toronado was the least favorite yet still a very good looking car in my opinion. Would love to have this generation, a mint Riv or an Eldorado, I would even take a Toronado.

[@Paul1958R]

I just looked at internet pictures of a 1987 Somerset coupe and a 1987 Riviera side by side and if you ask me they appear to be virtually the same car. I understand the Riv is a bit larger but it blows me away that GM thought that mispelling words would save them money but spending billions on a seperate platform that was a essentially 107 percent scale copy of an existing platform (or vice versa) was assinine. THIS is why GM slowly died.

[@DavidBugea]

It’s sad that these looked like slightly larger versions of the N platform cars (Pontiac Grand Am, Oldsmobile Calais, Buick Somerset), because these were well engineered and assembly was above par for American cars of the time. I never liked the proportions, though. To my eyes I found the area between the rear wheel opening and the C-pillar to appear awkward; I wanted there to be more visual mass in that area. As it was it looked fragile, like the rear third of the car could break at that point. Perhaps if the rear backlight was angled as more of a fastback it would’ve looked better to me.

[@charlesmcginness7214]

The extension on the ‘89 Riviera was a huge improvement! Before that the car just looked too small.

[@JohnnyAloha69]

Those cars weren’t unattractive but were catastrophically insufficient in terms of size, presence and proportions. It looked like a crappy little Grand Am type economy box. Just park it beside your 67 riviera! And the extended overhang replacement model was even more awkward looking with overhangs that just made the runty wheelbase look even shorter.

[@march24-lp4pv]

Exactly, people are only seeing what they want to see it's really weird.

[@dennislyon5412]

I had an 80 model Toronado and an 88 model Toronado. Loved them both, but the 88 was the Trofeo submodel, with an interior and exterior look which made it quite special, and my favorite car to date - to me it was the perfect size for the personal luxury car they were after. Although they were all front wheel drive cars, the 88 was a terrible winter car, with the strange wheelbase/track spacing that just didn’t work in snow, so I’d park mine in winter, which made it last longer. I drove mine to 236k miles, and it went on for about 40k more miles after I sold it. Too bad they only made something like 3500 of them in 1988.

[@thomasdearment3214]

in-laws had one of those. I think the silver anniversary edition. A little funny looking but a comfortable performance car, touch screens up the wazoo down to the power ash tray.

[@robertchristie9434]

I owned 2 Rivs, an '83 Bronze 6 cyl that was bulletproof & got almost 30 mpg on the highway & an '85 Platinum T-type that had the Grand National 3.8 turbo engine. Talk about a sleeper that was very quick. I got a deal on a set of tru-spoke fine wire wheels with Royal seal tires. It was flat out gorgeous. I put over 100k on both cars without any issues, both were very reliable. When GM downsized the E-cars (Eldo, Riv & Toro) in '86 I thought the product folks lost their mind. Although a few years later the '86-'88s made for some great, cheap used cars almost as bad as the '82 Caddy Cimarron. GM was really shooting themselves in the foot back then & seemed like they couldn't do anything right.

[@tedlym.3390]

I enjoyed watching this video. If someone gave me a 1986-88 Riviera, I'd say thank you.

[@sergioleone3583]

Ive always liked these, even when I was in my early 20s when this came out.

[@adamcampbell8794]

I had an 88 Rivera. Fun and reliable I would love to have it today. The touch screen was very cool