So let me preface this by saying that I didn't get to take this car on a nice long test drive like I did with the '93 STS and '99 ETC, so my review won't be as long.

Exterior Design: 8.5/10
The Rivieras are a very handsome car, but it looks kind of odd when viewed from certain angles. Overall though, I like it, maybe as much as the 1993-96 Mark VIII, but more than the '97-98 VIII and not as much as the 1992-02 Eldorados.
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j313/Chadillac8705/1G4GD2216V4708625-2.jpg

Interior Design: 8.5/10
The interior is pretty snug and cozy...like the '99 ETC, but the Riviera's interior is much more rounded and everything flows together very well. It's snug and cozy, but not cramped at all. There is plenty head and legroom for everyone on board. I didn't think that there is enough woodgrain trim, but once inside, it doesn't matter as much because you're enveloped in the warm comfortable snugness of the cabin.
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j313/Chadillac8705/1G4GD2216V4708625-4.jpg

Seats: 9.5/10
In the 1995 Riviera brochure, Buick claimed they spent over 80,000 miles on the road, testing different designs for the seats. I say it was time and money well spent. These seats were more comfortable than the seats in the '99 ETC or '93 STS I drove. They were cushier than the seats in my '92 deVille, yet very very supportive. It was the best of both worlds. I don't recall them having more lateral support than the '93 STS, but still they were amazing seats indeed. And for a coupe, there was plenty of legroom in the rear, never felt cramped in the car.

Engine: 9/10
I didn't get to open the L67 up very much, but I could tell there is a ton of low end torque (more than my 4.9 perhaps) and it's far smoother than the 4.9. I did go about 1/3 from about 10 mph, and it pulled far better than either Northstar or my 4.9, it feels a lot more powerful than "only" 240hp...around town it made much more power than the Northstar. Sadly, I never got to open it up or take it above 60 mph, but it got to speed silently, smoothly and easily. Now I'm sure that an L37 Northstar Eldorado would beat this L67 Riviera to 100 by about one second..both are much quicker than my 4.9 at highway speeds.

Transmission: 9/10
The 4T65-E is just like all other GM trannys. Awesome.

Steering: 8.5/10
The Riv's steering was nicely weighted..not too light, not too firm. Firmer than my deVille, but lighter than the '93 STS. Offered good road feel and always felt capable, which brings me to my next point.

Suspension: 9/10
Buick's engineers did a terrific job on these. They feel just as composed and solid at speed as the STS and ETC do, but they don't need the electronic struts to do it. They're very smooth, but not boaty at all, composed and solid, but not bumpy and jarring. A very comfortable and confident car to be driving.

Electronic goodies: 8/10
These Riv's, for whatever reason, don't have all the electronic gizmos that the Cadillacs and other Buicks have, but this isn't all bad. The lack of these makes the car feel like more of a "driver's car", in other words, "ya don't need all the toys to make driving fun" . They've got the guages for tach, speedo, fuel and temp and that's really all you need. It's got Buick's excellently designed electronic climate control, but the display wasn't working on this one, but he was gonna fix it. I didn't get to listen to the radio, but Buick's always have great sound systems.

Overall: 88/100
These Rivieras are a great car. Awesome interior and exterior design, loaded with features, plush, comfortable, fun to drive, composed, confident and cool. Sure, they may not be as awesome as a '93 STS, but it's a lot cheaper to buy and run, and still a heck of a fun car to drive! I'd be glad to own one!

Back in the early to mid 90s, I knew a GM engineer who worked at the desert proving grounds east of Phoenix. He usually had a nice car to drive, and I remember getting to try out an STS and a Riviera. Loved them both.

I've always liked the looks of the last-generation Rivs. It's probably the best-looking Riviera since the '69. Glad to hear it's as nice to drive as it is to look at. It's really a shame the market for big personal luxury coupes died. There were so many beautiful, distinctive designs.

ConsumerGuide.com has a strong liking for the Riviera, preferring it over the Mark VIII and Eldorado.

That generation of Riv is probably one of the best looking Buicks ever, and one of my favorite Buicks ever.

Good review, thanks for writing it up!

Chad, if you want a real car, I would highly reccomend one of these.

http://www.edmunds.com/media/2003/sema/04.toyota.corolla.xrs/04.toyota.corolla.xrs.f34.500.jpg

They don't cost much, they're fuel efficient, have GREAT looks, and tons of 4 cylinder power.

:p

FWD never did anything for me. GM could have had so many great cars if only they kept 'em RWD. Good to see they are coming around now. :cool:

LOL! Imports, what a joke! All my friends are telling me to get a little import 4 banger with a stick and there ain't no way I'm going down that road! No way no how!

As for the FWD v. RWD, I guess I really have no preferences. Whatever I buy is a 365 day daily driver so it's gotta be good in the snow, which crosses off like 1/2 of the RWD cars out there.

LOL! Imports, what a joke! All my friends are telling me to get a little import 4 banger with a stick and there ain't no way I'm going down that road! No way no how!

As for the FWD v. RWD, I guess I really have no preferences. Whatever I buy is a 365 day daily driver so it's gotta be good in the snow, which crosses off like 1/2 of the RWD cars out there.Snow is not an issue here in Florida but I understand and know FWD is better in that regard. Besides all that though, if they had stuck to RWD the cars would so much more serviceable by guys like me. My wifes '98 Deville is a packaging nightmare whereas cars like my '97 S320 Benz and '91 Fleetwood are easy to work on. When buying used cars like I do (cause I refuse to buy new again), serviceability is a major concern. In addition, I like the car to be pushed rather than pulled, maybe its just me but I like the RWD handling characteristics better as well.

Those are all logical reasons to buy RWD. I can do RWD too, but the car's gotta be heavy and big to make it decently useable in the snow.

Thanks for the review. The cars are sweet, but it's getting hard to find good, low mileage units.

Loved the review! :thumbsup:

I was thinking about getting one, but the tranny issues scared me off. Ain't life grand? I wound up changing the tranny on my SLS.

nice write up..have you done a write up of the Mark VIII? Post it if you have
Thanks

First of all, thanks everyone for the positive reviews!

Mark, I drove a Mark VIII, but it was in June of '05 so I don't really remember anything. If I ever do test drive another one, I'll be sure to write up a review. It's very hard to find Mark VIII's for sale in my area..they apparently sell like hotcakes.

As for the Riviera, I loved it. Out of all the S/C 3800 powered cars I've driven, that's my favorite. The '97 Park Avenue Ultra I drove at work had lousy seats (well in comparison to the Riv's) and it didn't have the snug and cozy feeling that the Riv does. I've never driven a Regal GS at work, but I've driven a few LS's, and they're nice cars too, have lots of features that the Riv's don't but again, it feels like a family sedan, not a luxury/sport coupe. I've never driven a 97-03 GTP, so I gotta do that next...

One thing is for sure, by the time you do buy another car you can honestly say you made an educated decision.:cool:

I can give you a review of the 94 Lincoln Mark VIII.

Exterior 9/10
These are one of the prettiest cars on the road today. The sleek areodynamic design gives it a futuristic look. If lowered, they look very mean.

Interior 8/10
The interiors are WELL designed with all of the controls/gagues clearly visble and acessable. The dash seamlessly melds to the door panels and there is room for up to 8 speakers. It has nice features like the memory seats that automaticly adjust when you unlock the doors.

The seats are passable, but no where near as comfortable as my Towncar. Headroom is limited, espically witht the moon roof, I am 5'10" and I was brushing the top with my head. Leg room in the front is great, but limited in the back. 6 footers will have trouble. Rear entry and exit is difficult, but its a 2 door for crying out loud!

Drivetrain 8/10
The motor is a beast. It has 280-290 HP, but it feels like more. Like the N* it's power band is upward of 3000 RPM, so don't expect Z28 like 0-60's. Once you get past 30 MPH, the sucker is damn near uncatchable by anything in it's class.

The transmission has issues, but with a 1-2 accumulator upgrade, a chip and a J-mod, it equals the 4t80E in the caddys. Stock, it WILL burn it's self out without the 1-2 accumulator.

It handles like it's on rails, if the air ride is functioning. As for the air ride, it is nice when it works, but crap when it dosen't. I would reccomend doing a coilover when they need replacing.

Workability 3/10
It's a ford, what more can I say? Everything you replace is a PITA, but still no worse than my seville.

Overall 85/100

It's a great car and I highly reccomend it to anyone thats interested in sports coupe.

One thing is for sure, by the time you do buy another car you can honestly say you made an educated decision.:cool:

That's what I was about to say, and it's certainly no bad thing!

Only problem is, you'll have driven and commented on so much, it'll be impossible to narrow it down to one in particular that you'd actually spend money on and be completely happy:cool:

I'd vote the Riv into a one of the higher numbers, though. Same guts as a newer LeSabre and Park Avenue, but a more unique and higher quality all around design that you don't see everyday. Considered one myself at one time, too.

One thing is for sure, by the time you do buy another car you can honestly say you made an educated decision.:cool:

Never thought about that! And its so damn true! :rofl:

I'd vote the Riv into a one of the higher numbers, though. Same guts as a newer LeSabre and Park Avenue, but a more unique and higher quality all around design that you don't see everyday. Considered one myself at one time, too.


Yah, like I said earlier, out of all the S/C 3800 cars, I like the Riviera the most. The Regal has a bland exterior and interior design, the PAU is too big and won't have that "performance" ride I like with the Riviera. The GTP won't be as nice inside or out as the Riv. (I drove a coworker's '99 Grand Prix GT Sedan today for a bit at work...seemed very cheap, nothing special at all, terrible seats). So basically, out of all of the S/C 3800 cars I like, the Riviera is #1. I'm not sure how it stacks up against the Mark VIII, and I won't know until I drive it. But It's gonna be either two, as I don't plan on getting anything with the Northstar, and a Town Car/Fleetwood/Brougham is just too big and too floaty, and a 4.6L Continental really does nothing for me design wise, and is just too damn complicated. And those were all the cars I am considering right now..

I'm still not sold on the exterior look. If it looked better to me, there very well might be one in my driveway right now.

Yah, I can see how the exterior design would polarize opinions. It's a prominent design, prominent designs always have people who love and hate them. A few examples are the VW Beetle, '91-'92 Caprice, and the best example, the Bangle BMW's.

I just checked one out. 'Tis a 98. Black. I like it a lot. I called the guy to see if I can't get a closer look and to ask about the mileage. I'm thinking that if I fit in it, I'm gonna buy it. He's asking 3950, but with haggling, I'll see what I can do.

Will keep ya'll informed.

I'm glad to hear someone else on here likes the last gen Riv's as much as I do! Spyder, you're what??? 6'4"? You might have a bit of a problem fitting in the car. The Riv isn't cramped for headroom, but it's no deVille or Brougham.