I’m beginning to identify more and more with this Buick LeSabre:
It’s old: √
It’s still in pretty decent shape for its age: √
Some non-vital body parts are getting brittle and crumbling: √
It’s white: √
The lights are on but nobody’s home: Hmm…
I see that the filler panel between the bumper and body has been replaced. The plastic GM used on those invariably deteriorates and crumbles, even in Oregon’s low-UV climate.
The front one is presumably next up. According to the license plate check, this one sports a “5.0L V8 OHV 16V”. That would be the 307 CID Olds V8, according to my Encyclopedia. Keeping track of the various divisional V8s in these cars is not my forte. It’s a bit embarrassing considering how I knew every engine available in every car back in my prime (youth). By 1983, I had other priorities for my decreasing number of memory cells. Now I have to look it up…pathetic.
This is a Limited, thank you very much. And don’t forget it.
In case you did…
The Limited got you the nice interior. Don’t those big Lazy Boys look comfy? Why did seemingly all Buicks of this era have blue interiors?
Except for the very ends (and the wheel covers) it looks just like a Chevy Caprice or Olds 88. The generic big American sedan.
And now that’s it’s over 40 years old…I feel old.
The last car my grandparents bough was a 1985 LeSabre Limited “Collector’s Edition.” It was a nice car. It eventually got handed down to me, after Grandmom gave up driving, and I kept it for a few years, until the brakes went out on it in 2002. Back then it was just an old car, and I had just gotten a ’79 New Yorker 5th Avenue Edition that I liked more, so I got rid of the Buick. Sometimes I wish I had held onto it, but back then I already had too many cars, but not enough time/money/space.
Funny thing, maybe to modern eyes that car looks generic, but to me, it looks distinctly Buick, thanks to the unique wheel cutouts. I wonder if all of the B-bodies shared the same door sheetmetal by then, though? The creases appear to be in the same places on the Delta 88, as well as Caprice/Impala/Parisienne. But in that pic of the LeSabre, the lower crease looks bolder to me. Unless it’s just lighting?
As for engines, I think from 1981 onward, the only V8 you could get was the Olds 307, unless you went with the Olds Diesel 350. While other divisions relied on those tiny 260/265/267 V8s to fill the gap between the base V6 and the 305/307, I think Buick relied mostly on the 252-4bbl V6.
I share your feelings. I kind of wish I still had almost every car I sold over the years, in the same condition it was in then. Of course, that would be silly and unrealistic. If I had the resources to maintain and have garage space for a dozen or more cars, I’d fill it with more interesting vehicles than my old low-budget transportation.
I’d be willing to bet all B’s had the same front door. And for sharing the whole middle part of the car, each division’s B-bodies look more distinct from each other than they have a right to, at least to my eyes.
I believe you are right on the engines. I’ve never had too much trouble remembering B-body engines post 1981. With the demise of the old Buick and Cadillac engines and GM limiting gas engines to no more than 5.0L, Buick, all wagons, Cadillac Brougham (86+) and of course Olds got the Olds 307, while Chevy and Pontiac (which was just a Canadian Caprice) went with Chevy’s 305.
Re: the door sheetmetal – Chevrolet and Pontiac shared one set of door stampings, Buick and Oldsmobile shared another (the wagons all used the Chevy/Pontiac front door along with a wagon-only rear door). It was the same setup with the 1978 A bodies and 1980 X bodies. This is in contrast with the ’71-’76 full-sizers and ’73-77 (colonade) intermediate sedans where each marque had easily distinguished doors. The shared door skins made all of the downsized cars look rather alike IMO, since shared doors prevent the front or rear fenders from deviating much from each other since they have to line up with shared doors. This even though GM allowed each division to use unique fenders.
Guess I would have lost that bet!
The Buick and Olds shared doors (the belt line trim was different) and the Chevy and Pontiac shared doors. All the B body wagons were Chevy’s with the front clip being different for each division.
Nice find! It would look approximately 72% better with whitewall tires. As people have commented recently, the presence or absence of whitewalls tells the story on whether the owner of a car such as this treats it as a pampered hobby car or just an unusually old transportation car. It takes effort and a willingness to have no-name tires to purchase whitewalls these days.
The interior certainly does look posh. The Limited option is also responsible for the extra large expanse of plastiwood on the doors. I am a sucker for the extra thin, extra smooth steering wheel rim. It’s in fine uncracked condition here, probably a sign its an Oregon native. Another OR indicator would be if the door wood was not very faded on the upper horizontal surface (not visible in the picture).
As comfy as the seats are, I never understood why on GM’s split benches in this era, the middle section was attached to the passenger side not the driver side. If the driver wants to be higher or further forward than the passenger, he loses any use of the already-too-small armrest. Shouldn’t the driver get the armrest??
Some cars had split front fold-down armrests that allowed both sides to have an armrest that was in proper relation to the seat, at the cost of an armrest half the width. I’ve contemplated which of those two arrangements I prefer. Either is better than the center armrest mounted to the console in many recent cars that’s barely long enough for your elbow. The center armrest(s) in recent crossovers tend to be longer and better.
As people have commented recently, the presence or absence of whitewalls tells the story on whether the owner of a car such as this treats it as a pampered hobby car or just an unusually old transportation car
There’s another option that you’ve overlooked: those folks who never liked whitewalls, as in those kind of drivers that placed handling and the driving experience over the feel (and look) of soft plushness. Do you think anyone who ordered the F41 (or equivalent) suspension on one of these B-Bodies was likely to also order the whitewalls?
You may be surprised, but given the excellent handling of these with the F41 suspension, there were folks who bought them for their dynamic qualities, and skipped the vinyl roof too. I had a friend who bought a new white ’77 Caprice with the 350-4V and F-41 and I was very jealous.
You’re forgetting that whitewalls and white shoes and white belts tend to go together, and that’s not the look some of us were after. Blackwalls make a car look more serious. Taking it one step further, there’s nothing more garish and pathetic than an ex-cop car with whitewalls. All sorts of wrong.
I’d rather have whitewalls than the extra-large wheels and hard-riding rubberband tires that are the norm now. I suspect the decline of one led to the rise of the other even more than larger brakes, sporting pretensions, or ‘hood street cred. Or did the Explorer underinflated tire lawsuits have something to do with it? It seems like the more powerful engine a car has, the less sidewall. I’m thinking of buying a newer Cadillac to replace my 2008, and it’s annoying that even certain interior colors and unrelated gizmos only come with the biggest wheels.
My aunt bought a ’69 Cutlass with blackwalls, and it looked so weird to me, but it couldn’t have been as rare then as whitewalls are now.
Was it UV that made the fillers brittle, temperature changes, or just age?
I’d rather have whitewalls than the extra-large wheels and hard-riding rubberband tires that are the norm now.
It’s not an either-or proposition, is it? There were narrow and tall blackwall tires too, right?
I suspect the decline of one led to the rise of the other even more than larger brakes, sporting pretensions, or ‘hood street cred
I see little or no correlation. Whitewall tires past about 1970-1972 or so were strictly an American thing. They were a fairly brief fad in Europe in the second half of the ’50s and first half of the ’60s. After that, no European would be caught dead with white walls.
The European/international influence on car design after 1974 or so was of course huge, which explains why we’re not driving big RWD sedans like this Buick anymore. Whitewalls just didn’t look right on a BMW or Mercedes, and American cars emulated that look, big time. So whitewalls increasingly became the province of old men and old fashioned cars.
The trend to ever lower profile tires has been a steady progression since almost forever. Tire aspect ratios kept changing every few years, well before the Wide Ovals appeared in the late ’60s, and the trend has just continued on and on. Nothing to do with the Exploder.
Was it UV that made the fillers brittle, temperature changes, or just age?
UVs are by far and away the primary source of degradation of just about anything. The sun is determined to destroy all. Look at the south side of painted wood houses, then the north side. These fillers are of course facing up right to the sun. The material they were made from was not up to the task.
If you can find some of these original fillers stored since new in a garage, you’d find them to be in pretty decent shape yet.
You know about skin cancer, right? And vinyl tops?
Good points. It’s all about having the right tires for the right car. Get it wrong, and the car just looks off. A whitewalled Caprice cop car and a blackwalled Caprice Classic with vinyl roof and wire wheelcovers look equally oxymoronic, even if they are the same basic car.
On the folks in 1983 who preferred blackwalls, even on their large GM sedan, I’d say they would be unlikely to have bought a LeSabre (came standard with whitewalls in 83) or chosen the wire wheelcovers. That person who wanted as sporting of a big car as he could get and also wanted a Buick would have been well served to look across the showroom at the Riviera T-type, which came with some really handsome aluminum wheels and blackwall tires.
My grandparents special ordered a 1986 Pontiac Bonneville (last of the G-bodies) with blackwall tires, standard hubcaps, metal roof, but with a V8 and all the interior options. They wanted low-profile car that looked as plain as possible and wouldn’t attract attention, but didn’t want to drive a stripper.
Back in the mid-80’s, my employer had a couple of LeSabre sedans of this vintage to use as company cars. They were very definitely a step up from the Crown Vic and Caprice wagons that I used most of the time.
But — one of our LeSabres was equipped with the standard 3.8 liter V6. While this may otherwise be considered to be a fine engine, it was decidedly underpowered in the 4000+lb LeSabre. It crawled up hills, and the transmission shifted back and forth non-stop between 3rd gear and overdrive on the highway when encountering headwinds or going up slight grades. Not surprisingly, it was the least-used vehicle in the fleet.
If I owned this LeSabre, I would have long ago installed the attractive turbine-style wheels, Buick designed in the early ’80s. And repainted it, in a more flattering colour, than white.
Speaking of memory, I still vividly remember my only ride in this generation LeSabre Limited. It was the early summer of 1982, and my mom decided to call a cab, to head home. As it started to downpour, as we finished our shopping at Sears in the St. Laurent Shopping Centre. The first car in the taxi stand lineup was a new navy blue LeSabre, with a plush blue interior. As a teen, I found the interior tacky-looking, with the heavy use of light coloured plastic wood. Though the colour did contrast nicely, with the blue velour-like upholstery. The ride was silent and smooth, as one would expect. I even remember the older French-Canadian driver, and his name. His ID on the back of the driver’s seat, identified him as ‘Royal Besner’. Properly pronounced as ‘Roy-Al’. I was happy for him, he drove such a comfortable full-sized car. As the most common cabs in the Blue Line Taxi fleet at the time, were late model formal roof all-black Dodge Diplomats, Plymouth Gran Furys, besides Chev Impalas and Caprices. That LeSabre, really stood out among cabs.
Your story reminded me that I’ve seen at least one full-sized Buick taxi of this generation, and white like this one. In Amsterdam. The Netherlands, not upstate New York.
Bet that cab was popular. Johannes might even recall seeing it.
The LeSabre cab I rode in, surprisingly did not have the transparent plastic seat covers, common in cabs at the time. Specifically, to protect fabric seating. Perhaps the owner’s car was so new, the seat covers were yet to be installed.
My LeSabre cab did retain a new car smell.
Negative. I’m in Benz W115-W123-W124 taxi county (seventies, eighties, nineties).
I saw the white Buick taxi outside the train station in Amersfoort, in 2004. It was right behind the taxi we got, which was a W123. Diesel of course.
Low beams are on but doesn’t look like anything else is. With all the advantages of a headlight relay setup, this is one pitfall. I’ve had it happen before. Switch is off, but stuck relay causes headlights to remain on. The plant manager announced “there’s a white Plymouth wagon with its lights on”. I’m thinking maybe but I have a Pontiac. Well I went out anyway and that’s what happened, so I plucked the relay for the time being. He was a narrow minded bully who would belittle you for something like leaving your lights on, and consider it to be a reflection of your quality of work. So I just bit my lip and said thanks, even though I had done my part in turning the switch off. He would have never understood what happened. I’m just glad I didn’t find a dead battery when it was time to go home.
This reminds me of my current Cutlass Cruiser, which is stashed away for the winter. Different platform, but it’s an 80s GM in white in similar condition, with the dark blue velour and split bench. I also have that identical cupholder caddy, cocked diagonally like that because it doesn’t fit between the seatbelts. I keep it because it secures any size cup better than anything I’ve tried. I’ve actually thought about using a heat gun and plastic welder and trying my hand at skinnying up the back so sits squarely, and is still stable and looks decent. I’ve looked into the company lineup, and they don’t offer one like that, or I’d buy it.
I’ve stayed in CC Jail long enough. Let’s see if this site finally lets me post without locking me out for days.
My Dad bought a new ’85 LeSabre CE to replace his ’77 Electra Ltd, and the difference in feel and quality was pronounced, as GM cut off another 3-400 lbs in 1980 it just felt flimsier and cheaper. That said it still rode smoothly on decent roads and was a very pleasant car. It was replaced by a ’91 Caprice then a ’96 Roadmaster, his last car. He was a full size GM loyalist to the very end. Of all of them it’s the ’77 Electra that I’d pick to own today, and in face we did buy a low mile ’78 Electra Ltd in the late 80s that was one of our best cars ever.
With these ’83s, I’d like to own one with the “big” V6, they must be super rare now, and even back then I don’t recall ever seeing one.
You mean the 4.1 V6?
Neat find. These are really rare up here, with more Delta 88’s and Caprices around from that era. I find that the Buick and the equivalent Pontiac are the least represented of the B bodies. My example is an ’82 with the 307/350 THM combo, with the inevitable cracked plastics and blue interior that I’ve owned since 1997.
Interior
Looks nice!
A little generic, perhaps, but these mid-Eighties LeSabres can be truly handsome cars, especially the four-doors without a vinyl roof and with the high-line interiors. Luxurious, without being excessively showy, as a Buick should be.
One of my college roommates came from a Buick family and the kids inherited LeSabre coupes every 2-3 years when Mom or Dad got a new one. Our first year, he drove a 1977 model, in medium blue with the Buick road wheels. I liked this car a lot, thinking it to be especially handsome with a slick top, even a bit sporty, though that giant round clock with a silver face in the middle of the dash kind of ruined the impression.
The second car he cycled into was a 1980 or 1981 LeSabre coupe and in almost every way it was inferior to the first one: tinny, slow, unreliable, and geriatric in that ugly champagne brown with a dark brown vinyl half-top and wire wheel covers. Fortunately for him, the car fell apart quickly and by the time we graduated, he was driving an Audi 4000, never to return to the Buick family again.
What a fantastic find. I would put those seats in my house.
Dennis ;
I can dig it but not with cloth covers, I’d ruin them so fast .
We wound up with some decent spare Mercedes S-Klasse seats so my brother cobbled up some bases out of old angle iron and they’re in his Man Cave, very nice to relax, read or snooze in after a hard days work .
M-B Tex of course, folks always think it’s leather but it isn’t .
-Nate
Yup I feel the same way when I consider that I never worried about these much because they were “new” cars and now it’s 40 years old.
We’re all aging together at this point Paul, so that’s cause for celebration. Hopefully we’re not like this car in that we’re only one expensive failure away from the boneyard.
I would say that this car was at least until rather recently quite well cared for. My evidence for that is the replaced rear filler panel (and what is probably a similar repair to the front stalled but for lack of the part) AND the fact that it’s a white car that does not seem to have been covered with the mold/algae/lichen/some-combination-of-all-three that plagues white cars out there in your corner of the country. Someone kept this car indoors or at least regularly-washed.
The accumulation of trash and floor litter (plus the plush dice) in the interior picture makes me fear for what comes next. Perhaps this was Grandpa/Grandma’s car that has recently been handed down to a (much) younger generation.
I just found out that there is already a firm called ‘Replica Plastics’ that came up with the smart idea to reproduce all kinds of these malaise GM bumper-filler caps. Why didn’t I think of that?
THANK YOU SEBASTIAN ! .
I see replacement fillers and have been asking here and else where but until today had no name to search .
-Nate
Welcome. These late ’70s and early 80’s B and A and C-body’s, and even the X and J-cars are really becoming collectible. I owned some nice Monte Carlo’s and Caprice’s from this era when they were still dirt cheap. These fillers were always brittle/distorted or missing. Trying to fix them with a polyester compound gave them a few good more years, but urethane is slightly flexible and polyester hardly.
I hope people will take it upon them to preserve these nice-find yet not-really-great old relics.
Even though all the large GM cars shared the basic bodies, they were differentiated by the front and rear ends. The slanted headlamp housing was used on the big Buicks since the cars were downsized. The large horizontal tail lamps that wrap around the quarter panels is a Buick styling trait. The interiors were much more individualized. The dashboard is very Buick-like with big circular shiny gauges, Buick liked to have a clock on the passenger side that mirrored the speedo. The plush seating carried on Buick’s reputation for comfort.
Large American rear drive sedans used to be the norm, Now they really stand out when seen in modern traffic.
Getting old? Well, it does beat the alternative! I’m going to cross the septuagenarian Rubicon, myself in a year. I’m finding myself liking, “nice” you can read that as, “old mans cars” more and more.
As for the shiny brushed aluminum gauges, they’re cool looking but unfortunately can catch reflections in the sunlight. I think Buick switched them out to white-on-black faces around 82 for this generation. Probably more practical for legibility but not as distinctive looking.
I don’t think most people noticed, but I believe that each Division got its own wheel-opening shapes too. Buick’s is unique in being flattened off at the top (like the Olds), but with a “faster” slope on the aft side than Olds had.
Maybe you are right about Buicks and blue interiors – the one I owned was a 2 door Limited (and 85) and had blue velour interior. I always found Buick’s choice of the light color for the plasti-wood interesting. As a matter of personal taste, I thought the darker trim (used in Oldsmobiles) looked richer, though I preferred much else about the Buick’s dash and interior.
This car being 40+ years old is yet another re-set of my Age-O-Meter. I guess 40-year-old cars aren’t from the 1930’s anymore. And neither are people in their 60s or 70s. 🙂
Nice find. Rare option too with the tilt/telescope wheel. Most of those went into more plush Park Avenues
Paul ;
Not ‘pathetic’, versatile ~ no one needs to remember all that stuff with these new fangled computers .
It’s a nice old Buick, not terribly special but I’m sad they’re mostly all gone now .
-Nate
GM designer Gray Counts did a series of Buick artwork from this period. There is one drawing of the left rear tailight of a ’77-’79 LeSabre. The tailight consists of five three-dimensional blocky sections- two red, two orange, and one white. No chrome surround. Buick could have given this kind of “Euro” treatment to the rest of the car and marketed it to the emerging non-whitewall crowd.
The car seems quite well “preserved”. Me? Not so much..lol
I inherited a one-owner 1984 LeSabre Limited from my father in 2007. The original burgundy paint was badly faded. I took it to Firestone to have the whitewall tires replaced. When I walked over to pick it up after work it was sitting outside. My God, I didn’t recognize it! It looked like f**king taxicab! They had put blackwalls on it. I was outraged. But we went thru the catalog and there were no whitewalls available. What has happened? Is this due to the prevalence of aluminum wheels? Do I have to look for my old Port A Walls in the shed? 😆
I’ve got virtually the same car in the two-door flavor of a Park Avenue, red interior instead of blue. Filler panels are blown out, engine runs great but can’t get out of its own way. It’s an uninspiring blank canvas I cannot seem to get motivated to paint.
One of the best cars made in the 80s. Here’s mine