This triple-green 1969 Buick Electra 225 Custom two-door hardtop showed up on Bring a Trailer in March 2025, looking like a clean, low-mileage turnkey cruiser. It’s ended up being another example of caveat emptor (“let the buyer beware”), with much higher mileage, fewer features, and more problems than advertised.
The big problem with buying anything online is that you have to take quite a bit on faith. Another frequent problem is that a little bit of candor on the part of the seller can be disarming — sometimes more than it should be.
This Lime Green Electra 225 was offered by Bullet Motorsports, a niche dealer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In the above video, Bullet owner Jonathan Perque explains that when he acquired the car from North Carolina, he initially planned to slam it (big wheels, air suspension, etc.), but decided the car was too nice not to leave as it was. It was offered on Bring a Trailer in March 2025, and went for $17,500 to a buyer in Wisconsin.
Perque described the car as being “7½ out of 10,” with a few minor issues (nonfunctional radio, nonoperational windshield washers, air conditioning not blowing cold) and enough minor wear to keep it out of the concours class, but no major cosmetic or functional problems. I think for a lot of collectors, that’s really the sweet spot: Being not quite pristine keeps prices down and the car out of the “too nice to drive” trap, and if you do your own wrenching, niggles like fixing (or replacing) the radio are not a big deal.
Another frustration with online auction and sale listings is that the sellers are typically not subject matter experts, and they can trip over minor details. Some of those are trivial and have no impact on the value of the vehicle on offer, but occasionally, you realize that the description doesn’t match the VIN or the body plate. In most of those cases, such stumbles are innocent mistakes, but it’s another reason why it’s good that platforms like Bring a Trailer seem to encourage sellers to include pictures of those data plates.
This car’s listing includes a good example of what I’m talking about. The seller describes this as an Electra 225 sport coupe, which is mostly correct, but the description lists the style code as “69-8257,” which is not. In 1969, Buick divided the Electra 225 series into two sub-series, the standard Electra 225 and the better-trimmed Electra 225 Custom. If this were an 8257, it would be a base-model sport coupe, which would actually be a fair bit rarer than the Custom. However, the VIN and trim plate codes actually identify this car as an 8457, a Custom sport coupe. Since there’s a picture of the trim plate immediately above the text description that identifies it as a base model, this was obviously a transcription error or editorial glitch, not anything nefarious, but it is wrong nonetheless.
Why would you care about the style code? From a modern bidding and buying standpoint, you probably wouldn’t. When this car was nearer to new, it mattered quite a lot, since most of the $179 higher price of the Custom trim translated into higher wholesale and retail values. Today, it’s probably a wash, although for a collector, it’s important to be aware of the difference because base and Custom models had different seats and different door trim — if you needed to source a replacement, you’d have to be sure it was for the right version.
Fortunately, this car’s green “Madrid-grain” expanded vinyl upholstery does seem to be in very good shape given its age and mileage.
Regarding the mileage, the Bring a Trailer description says, “The five-digit odometer shows 15k miles, approximately 30 of which were added under current ownership”; Perque says in the video that he believes the mileage to be true. It probably is … but a close look reveals that the odometer reading in these photographs is clearly 1,492.6, not 14,926, and the odometer was making its second trip around, meaning the car actually had 101,492.6 miles! The Electra is in exceptionally good shape for a late ’60s car, but 101,500 miles is not 15,000 miles, and that WOULD affect its value.
As for the “sport coupe” part of the description, some people get very excited about it, but that was just a GM generic term for a two-door hardtop, not any kind of special sporty model. Although 44.6 percent of all domestic cars were two-door hardtops in 1969, buyers of senior Buick models strongly preferred the four-door hardtop body. The two-door sport coupe sold only 13,128 cars in the base Electra 225 series, 27,018 in Custom trim, which was only about one-quarter of all Electra 225 production.
The Electra 225 was very popular in 1969, with production for both series totaling a very healthy 158,618 cars. I don’t think its 1969 facelift did it any great favors aesthetically — the circular headlights in the rectangular surrounds look a bit clumsy, and I can’t help wondering how much better the nose would look with concealed headlights — but buyers didn’t seem to mind.
A noteworthy point the seller didn’t highlight is that this car has front disc brakes. Power brakes were standard on the Electra 225, but front discs were an extra $52.63, and they were not often ordered. In 1969, only 6.3 percent of Electras (about 10,000 cars) had front disc brakes. Since the discs provided better stopping power and greater fade resistance, I would consider them very desirable for a car that’s to be driven rather than just garaged, and their presence avoids the need for any philosophical struggle about whether to do a disc conversion.
This car is well-equipped: air conditioning, power windows, a 6-way power seat, AM/FM radio with a power antenna, a tilt steering wheel, a power trunk release, tinted glass, and a speed alert warning chime. (The setting of the latter is indicated by the little yellow bead you can see on the speedometer in the earlier photo.) Excepting the radio, most of the power accessories seemed to be working, although there was some confusion about the power antenna — the description said it wasn’t working, but the video shows that it was, despite the nonfunctional radio.
The seller’s description also claimed this car had power locks, a $47.37 option that is not in evidence in these photos. On these cars, the driver’s power lock switch would be just ahead of the power seat controls (you can see it in the door photos of this 1969 Electra 225 Custom sedan), and that space is blank here. Given how troublesome decades-old vacuum-operated accessories can be, the absence of power locks might be a feature rather than a bug, but claiming a car you’re selling has a feature it doesn’t is not cool.
The video above also implies that the car has automatic climate control, although that was due mostly to Buick’s disingenuous labeling. Buick DID offer automatic climate control on these cars, and the frilly silver script on the HVAC panel does say “Climate Control,” but this is actually the manual A/C. (The thermostatically controlled automatic system, which cost an extra $78.66, had silver script reading “Automatic Climate Control” and had numerals above the temperature control lever at the bottom rather than just an arrow labeled “WARM.”) Perque’s video asserted that the A/C was working, but didn’t blow cold, which he inevitably attributed to it just needing to be recharged. In the comments, he claimed that after recharging, the air conditioning “was working excellent,” but that the compressor then began to slip and had had to be replaced, along with the alternator and voltage regulator.
By the time the auction ended for this car, Bullet Motorsports assured bidders, “It’s ready to go.” However, months later, the buyer, Bring a Trailer user Middler89, reported that after taking delivery, things were not so sunny. They had of course anticipated the nonfunctional radio and disclosed issues. However:
The listing of 15,000 original miles is incorrect. It rolled over and actually had 101,500 miles on it when I took ownership. replaced the radio which wasn’t working with a Custom Audiosound bluetooth and installed new speakers with the existing bezels on the package tray, replaced the quarter window seals, replaced the radiator which was corroding at the bottom, replaced the brake booster (what a difference), valve cover gaskets were leaking…replaced those and sandblasted and painted the valve covers. Though the listing said the air conditioning was fixed, it hasn’t worked since I took delivery. That’s on the list for the Spring along with replacement door and top side window seals, front suspension components, and I found a replacement lens for the passenger side taillight that melted at some point (can see in photos above).
With a car of this weight — around 4,800 lb at the curb — and front disc brakes, a bad brake booster could easily become a significant safety issue. (I suppose the consolation is that the booster for this probably didn’t cost nearly as much to replace as the one on my modern ABS-equipped Mazda, which went out around Christmastime.)
As for the passenger side taillight lens, it does appear to be drooping a little on the right side in the photos, but the word “melted” in proximity to electrical components always makes me uneasy, especially on a car that’s obviously been garaged for most of its life. Melted adhesive would probably just be an age-related nuisance, but a melted lens might indicate an electrical short and a fire hazard. (The buyer didn’t elaborate, and I’ve no way to ask them.)
For a reasonably handy collector, none of these issues would probably have been a deal-breaker, especially for such a well-preserved original car with a solid body and surprisingly rust-free undercarriage. Both the bones and the interior seem sound, which is a good starting point. As for the various seals, with rubber components, it’s the years, not the mileage, and even if the car had really had 15,000 or 1,500 miles, some of those pieces would likely be ready for replacement due to age.
There are two ways to look at this situation, which come down to buyer expectations. As 57-year-old luxury cars go, this Electra 225 is by no means a basket case, and the selling price doesn’t seem too outrageous even accounting for everything it’s actually ended up needing. On the other hand, if someone had bought this car expecting it to be the lightly worn but “ready to go” cream puff the description and video suggested, they’d have a right to be pretty bummed.
Collectors who are accustomed to seeing older vehicles as open-ended works in progress might scoff at that, but there’s a reason that truth in advertising laws are usually based on what an average person would reasonably expect based on the seller’s representations. In this case, I think the degree to which the seller was upfront about some of the car’s problems, and the confidence with which he claimed some of them had been fixed, created some reasonable expectations that were not met. (Certainly, it appears that the A/C wasn’t fixed as claimed.)
Someone else in the comments asked if Middler89 had reached out to the seller about these issues, but the answer was no. “It’s an auction…what is one to do?” the buyer said.
I want to emphasize that there’s no big scandal here. While Bullet Motorsports is more casual and sloppy with details than I’d like, I don’t see any malice in it (although the mileage gaff was certainly embarrassing). It seems to be typical of dealers and consignment sellers; these old cars may be prized possessions for owners and collectors, but for sellers, they’re ultimately just more inventory to be moved off the lot.
However, for buyers, it’s a reminder of the need to be realistic about your expectations — and that “realistic” often means “taken with a bigger grain of salt than the seller is serving.”
Related Reading
1968 Buick Electra 225 Limited: “I Didn’t Know They’re Building A Car Like This Today” (by me)
Curbside Classic: 1968 Buick Electra 225 – The Great Society (by Perry Shoar)
Curbside Classic: 1969 Buick Electra 225 – Drive It Like It’s 1979 (by Jon Stephenson)
1970 Buick Electra 225 Sedan: Big Buick Luxury From The Big Sky State (by Aaron65)
“1492” – that rings a bell!
I had a convertible in ’95. The engine went bad about a month after I bought it. I found another 430 out of an older Wildcat.
Swapped out the oil pan and intake manifold, and just kept plugging vacuum lines until it ran right. You do not know hell until you’ve owned a convertible with a black vinyl interior…
Those power window switches were like little boats that held water.
The A frame bushing were the weak link on these, as a friend had a 4 door hardtop 20 years earlier.
But it was truly like driving by a couch.
I’d buy another in a heartbeat if I had the space.
Just a word of caution about style code matching the VIN. I’m not a Buick expert but I can tell you that there are well documented cases at Oldsmobile where the style code did not match the VIN. The most well-known is the 1968-69 442s, which came from the factory with a Cutlass S style code on the cowl tag. Fortunately, Olds documented this in the Fisher body manual, the parts book, and several notices, but it still is a source of confusion. The cowl tag only contained info that Fisher Body needed to build and trim the body, and in those years there was no difference between a Cutlass S and a 442 as far as the work Fisher did. I’m not saying this is the case with this Buick, only that a mismatch may not be a problem. By the way, BaT doesn’t get this right with the aforementioned 442s.
In this case, the style code on the trim plate does plainly match the VIN — the discrepancy was in the seller’s description. Also, this car has the Custom upholstery and door trim patterns, which I noticed first; I was looking back at the description like, “Wait, why is it saying this is a base model?”
“…the confidence with which he claimed some of them had been fixed, created some reasonable expectations that were not met. (Certainly, it appears that the A/C wasn’t fixed as claimed.)…”
It was likely fixed. But Freon escaped anyway. It happens all the time, even here in Germany. Precautionary renewing the compressor’s seal and doing a leak check before and after filling would help avoid a garage’s embarassment
A 2 door version of the car in the Sir Mix-A-Lot video MY HOOPTIE
Same pickle-slice green color, same wheel covers, same upholstery pattern and color.
He had to roll that puppy because his Benz was in the shop.
At 115,000 miles the cam gear at the very least is ready to go and the timing chain is likely worn out .
Not huge jobs but also not minor .
I hope the winner of the auction is pleased with this fine car for many years yet .
-Nate
Prime Curb Appeal material! As a kid during the 1960s and ’70s, I learned that GM and Chrysler would play with the patterns in the grille (egg crate, honeycomb, vertical bars, &c.) while using the same fixtures to differentiate model lines (say, LeSabre, Wildcat, and Electra). Stingier companies like Ford and AMC would play the same game, but use the patterns to differentiate model years. How many years did the AMC Matador have the same front clip? Ultimately, all the automakers got lazy and new patterns in the taillights and grille were about all you could expect from year to year.
Truth in advertising, air cleaner does not say “Wildcat 475” like it would have a few years earlier.
That still catches so many people out; I see 1964-66 Skylarks for sale all the time with the “310-cubic-inch Nailhead.” It is neither, but rather a 300-cubic-inch small block with the “Wildcat 310” decal on the air cleaner and valve covers designed to mimic the Nailhead’s.
I live in hilly country and for that reason I am a stickler for brakes. I can’t imagine driving a 5000 + pound car with drum brakes in front. Apparently GM agreed and made them standard soon after this car was produced.
I love the colour of the featured car, and the matching green interior. Today’s cars (my own included) are a sea of black and grey. I understand that said colours don’t show dirty, but it would be nice to see other colour choices. GM offered a tan interior on the 2018 Golf, at least in theory, because I have never seen one.
In those days, lots a cars had those kind a brakes.
Ultimately I think the buyer still got a good car for the money, there’s just too many variables in old cars to ever make the claim “ready to go” whether it has a genuine 15,000 miles or 101,500 miles. There’s bound to be sore spots here and there and like you said I think the mileage claim is more embarrassing for the seller than anything else, I strongly suspect the buyer might well have caught that error prior to bidding given the clear pictures of it, and brought it up in the comment just to add to the list of issues, which are all pretty minor for a car that age.
Remember a triple, blue one a these on a used car lot outside a “Butler PA”, circa “82ish”. Looked good from the road, never teered in to lot to get the “close, examination”.
Anyone familiar with US odometers of the period would know that it had rolled over, as long as pictures of it were provided. Paying attention is rather vital when buying old cars…says the guy who sometimes learned that the hard way while purchasing over 220 cars over 56 years of horse trading them.
I don’t mind the green exterior and interior but never liked the loop bumper-grilles used on these and other cars of the era. To me, the styling of the 1967-68 big Buicks is much more pleasing.
The seller could have done better in describing things, but they’re usually just more or less used car dealers. Sure, the model enthusiasts would know all the detail stuff, but to me the only glaring fault is the odometer, and that should jump out at anyone looking at an older car. Yeah, A/C too I suppose, but overall it looks like a clean vintage hobby car. Maybe a bit pricey, but I don’t know the market on them.
Pretty sure the 69 Olds Delta 88 my mother bought in 1970s was this color. I still have bad memories of family vacations roasting on the green vinyl seats because my dad refused to run the a/c…said it gave him headaches.
Over all this is a very nice car, in original condition. The mileage is a bit worrisome, as 1960’s cars seldom ran to 100,000 miles without some engine work; usually at least a valve job. If the engine idles nice and smooth at the proper idle speed, I’d guess that the valves had been redone some time in the past. This was not a big or complicated job, most corner service stations could handle it, though the owner of a Buick would most likely have the dealer or a trusted shop handle that repair It’s actually better for the car to have the higher mileage, that meant that the car was in constant service instead of sitting for years which is bad for the car. Old A/C systems are always a problem unless they’ve been rebuilt and constantly used. (with the appropriate work orders in evidence) If not, the seals dry out. It’s better to regularly use the a/c and that will keep the seals lubed.
The melted tail lamp lens is a question. I’d check the area around the bulb socket, that’s what’s going to get hot first, and maybe melt the rear of the housing a bit. My thought was that the tip of the tailpipe (it’s located on the right side) rusted off in the past. When idling and driving at slow speeds the hot exhaust may have traveled up behind the bumper and over heated the tail lamp housing and lens. But that would have probably left a lot of exhaust residue on the housing.
Old cars are going to have sustained a lot of wear, and many parts will just deteriorate due to age. What is very troubling is that the data plate has two gobs of body sealer smeared over the attaching rivets. This is not a VIN plate, which was standardized in 1981. Those are attached with special rosette rivets that must be intact, and in place, or the police will get very curious and have to do a secondary VIN inspection.
I just cannot imagine paying 17,000 dollars over the internet to buy anything sight unseen, especially an old car, just relying on photos. Everything looks better in photos. I’m certainly not rich enough to shrug off getting burned for that amount.
On the other hand, I know of lot’s of guys that have bought old cars that were represented as being in excellent drivable condition, and they all needed some sorting out after they took ownership of them. That’s why it’s better to buy a car that has been in constant service, They usually have the bugs worked out as they are being used.
I drove one of these my senior year in high school. Not positive on the year, but it was a 455 Deuce and a Quarter. And I want another green Deuce! I am 71 y/o and I need to do this. As soon as my husband awakens from his nap…
I have a lovely lo-mileage v-12MB we might be willing to swap…
Granny Nita