Kind of funny to think, I first watched this video when it first came out (I'm 21 now, to clarify). Back then this would've been just a junk car that you'd /expect/ to see parked on the side of the road and forgotten about. Nowadays, they're sort of a rare commodity. Never would've really thought about the possibility of this becoming a classic car, the times they are a-changin. Meanwhile, I'm driving a trashy little 08 Aveo from when this video came out and want one of these for my own. ;)
That 3.8L V6 was one of the best engines GM ever made. Powerful, yet fuel-efficient. Really enjoyed that engine in an '86 Olds Delta 88 that I used to own.
Idk how I stumbled here but sure the glad Buick started up.. I work at Chevrolet and recently did an oil change on a Buick with 400k miles and still solid. Good old American quality workmanship.
I love your videos. The way you have the camera positioned the whole time REALLY puts the viewer in the FOV and same perspective you have. Good editing too. I was more excited as if I was really there with your commentaries than actually seeing the car start with over 250K on the dash!!!!
You know, its magic to hear that sound and see all lights blinking on the dashboard. Its life, trying to come back from the beyond! Awesome! Thanks for sharing it, dude!
Maybe in some other universe or lifetime…I won’t touch a GM product with a 10 foot pole; the one I had as well as the ones others had were nothing but headaches.
Man what a sweet ride! I love LeSabres my folks used to have a 2001 until it was wrecked. I love Caprices too. The generation that ended in 90 and also the 91-96 too.
I used to own an 86 Buick LeSabre, my very first car. Bought it for 3,000 about 20 years ago. The car would need repairs constantly, sometimes I was going to the mechanic weekly. However, it was a smooth ride, and very comfortable. The dash is exactly the same as the Electra in the video, and it brings back a lot of memories. Very nostaligic and brings back memories from my coillege years. Thanks for the video.
You do very well bill. Keep up the good work. I am a fan. You are a great speaker. Very articulate and knowledgable with circuitry. I am studying electronics now.
I have a '91 LeSabre with the 3.8. I've had it for two years now, had over 200,000 miles on it when I got it. Changed the plugs. wires, and air filter and it started and ran like a top during some of the coldest winter mornings (negative double digits). I still need to change the fuel filters but it still runs silky smooth. The "Service Engine Soon" light is on on mine too (2 sensors out). I like your videos, very interesting. Please keep posting them!
I still watch this all these years later lol. I remember showin my buddies this once a few years back and we still get a kick out of the excitement of this old car firing up. I think I mentioned this once before but honest to god, for my sake, the best thing that ever come out of gm was their 3800 V6s.
you can go over 300'000 miles without any trouble with these 3.8 engines, they're (will never say it enouth)ones of the best engines ever. A friend of mine's got a '91 Bonneville which has the same engine and it's got 320'000 miles and the only thing he did was fill the clim compresser again.
my oldsmobile smoked just like that when I started it for the first time in 6 years. It's just a little bit of oil that was burning, I have no clue where it came from, but they both did the same thing! General Motors THE BEST!
Dude, I am totally envious of you. I'm in China teaching. I'm from England and I drive back home but now I'd kill for a free motor. Thanks for the vid great to watch. :)
Of course it will starts its a Buick! Great vids. As a motorhead I find enjoyment in cold starting vehicles.. idk why. Just do.. good vid. Would like to see a turbobuick attempt to start in subzero temps with a modern turbotweak chip
We had a lot of these cars in our family. We had a nice red one since it was new, think it was from the early 90's late 80's, had nice red seats, anyway it was parked in 2006 when my great grandma could not drive anymore and refused to sell her. Sat behind her garage since 2011. She started up and ran like the day it did when we parked it. Just didn't have any brakes.
BONG BONG BONG BONG. Oh my god that must drive people in America mad, every time I see a starting video in the US is BONG BONG BONG BONG when you put the keys in
Nice find for a freebie!!You may want to address that power steering issue PRONTO to avoid long term tricep damage.I drove a '78 LTD with no power steering for almost two years.You had to really plan ahead to park anywhere.Those old GMs will run forever, just keep 'em fed (oil and antifreeze).Keep us updated on the progress of this vehicle!!
Well I just bought a 94 lesabre myself very clean with the 3800 engine and about 114000 mi. I will take decent care of it and I imagine it will go for a number of years.
Sad to hear it finally died. Much is made of Toyota and others going 100,000s of miles and for good reason. But some.domestic models such as that Buick and others can also go for many years and miles especially if taken care of.
Cant blame the car for the bad battery. Buick is one of the best cars you can ever get. My 92 park ave had 276000 and still ran like it was new never burned oil leak anything and always started.
Cant blame the car for the bad battery. Buick is one of the best cars you can ever get. My 92 park ave had 276000 and still ran like it was new never burned oil leak anything and always started. it had the 3800 to. Those are 400k mile engines. My nephew has a van with a 3800 and has 363000 miles and still runs great
Awesome! I have been trying to start an old Scimitar GTE today (I'm British, so you might not recognise car) that's been parked up for about 8 years... Hoping I have similar luck to you to see it back on the road!
That has to be the world's best out look on life that I've EVER seen. I could use some lessons, btw great video! some minor fixes and that will be a great car.
I used to sell used cars, mostly the easy to work on 1980's up to 1992,that buick reminds me of the burgundy 1988 park ave. I paid too much for it, however seeing the low miles and cheap and easy to find junkyard parts, I couldn't turn it for much profit so I had fun driving it. I then sold it, I usually got a few cars here and there for $100 but darn I only got a few free cars. You were lucky.
alright iil defineatly look into the oil. what should the oil look like when i pull the, uh, whats its call, its a long stick that goes into the oil. anywyas, what should i expect to be a decent or good enough oil for a short start up.
89 Electra was my first car! Parents bought it new I got it in 07 with 337,000k and I drove it until 13 when the frame rotted out had 462,800 when I junked it and that 3800 still ran great.
love it how they remind you its a Buick under the hood, if i break down on the side of the road and see that.... i would be thinking, "should have bought that Chevrolet" ;)
If Johnny Cash never sang a sad song about an old, cold, nearly forgotten or dead Buick, well - he should have. Or perhaps Willie Nelson. The best thing about getting a car for free is you got your money's worth out of it by now. Happy thoughts, smooth sailing and good luck with that beast.
hey, i just got more recent info on my buick 86 park ave. the last time it has been started was 2 years ago. if i just wanted to see if it could run, without changing the liquids, cna i just throw in a new battery and see if it can start.?
Kind of funny to think, I first watched this video when it first came out (I'm 21 now, to clarify). Back then this would've been just a junk car that you'd /expect/ to see parked on the side of the road and forgotten about. Nowadays, they're sort of a rare commodity. Never would've really thought about the possibility of this becoming a classic car, the times they are a-changin.
Meanwhile, I'm driving a trashy little 08 Aveo from when this video came out and want one of these for my own. ;)
I love those old speedometers
That 3.8L V6 was one of the best engines GM ever made. Powerful, yet fuel-efficient. Really enjoyed that engine in an '86 Olds Delta 88 that I used to own.
+LMacNeill They were good in the Holden Commodore too.
+LMacNeill yep. had good power in the supercharged variety as well
I agree wholeheartedly, these are some badass little luxury muscle cars!
Idk how I stumbled here but sure the glad Buick started up.. I work at Chevrolet and recently did an oil change on a Buick with 400k miles and still solid. Good old American quality workmanship.
I first watched this video in 2010. Had to see it again after it’s been so long.
I love your videos. The way you have the camera positioned the whole time REALLY puts the viewer in the FOV and same perspective you have. Good editing too. I was more excited as if I was really there with your commentaries than actually seeing the car start with over 250K on the dash!!!!
You know, its magic to hear that sound and see all lights blinking on the dashboard.
Its life, trying to come back from the beyond! Awesome! Thanks for sharing it, dude!
Recommended after 12 years lol
Such is the magic of UA-cam.
The inside of your trunk looks like the back room of our IT-department.
You just can't beat General Motors. Best cars on the planet.
wb6162 Lol anything now can beat GM
Maybe in some other universe or lifetime…I won’t touch a GM product with a 10 foot pole; the one I had as well as the ones others had were nothing but headaches.
that kickdown when you were accelerating was amazing!, its pretty damn fast for 165HP (the torque probably helped)
I love videos like this! Warms my heart seeing a forgotten old car come back to life.
Blasting "The Candyman" at the end really makes this video
Man what a sweet ride! I love LeSabres my folks used to have a 2001 until it was wrecked. I love Caprices too. The generation that ended in 90 and also the 91-96 too.
OS/2 operating system rocks dude.
I have an 1988 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale, and she has the same problems. I love her to death, because she was one of the last true American cars
I used to own an 86 Buick LeSabre, my very first car. Bought it for 3,000 about 20 years ago. The car would need repairs constantly, sometimes I was going to the mechanic weekly. However, it was a smooth ride, and very comfortable. The dash is exactly the same as the Electra in the video, and it brings back a lot of memories. Very nostaligic and brings back memories from my coillege years. Thanks for the video.
You do very well bill. Keep up the good work. I am a fan. You are a great speaker. Very articulate and knowledgable with circuitry. I am studying electronics now.
I remember watching this in like 2010. Clean-running examples of these seem to be worth a fair bit now.
I have a '91 LeSabre with the 3.8. I've had it for two years now, had over 200,000 miles on it when I got it. Changed the plugs. wires, and air filter and it started and ran like a top during some of the coldest winter mornings (negative double digits). I still need to change the fuel filters but it still runs silky smooth. The "Service Engine Soon" light is on on mine too (2 sensors out). I like your videos, very interesting. Please keep posting them!
Bill, you are the man! What great commentary. Great car, too.
I thought this was a comedy sketch at first. Funny and interesting. Bravo!
I still watch this all these years later lol. I remember showin my buddies this once a few years back and we still get a kick out of the excitement of this old car firing up. I think I mentioned this once before but honest to god, for my sake, the best thing that ever come out of gm was their 3800 V6s.
Always good to rev the engine when first starting after it hasn't run in who knows how long.
My dad and my uncle were big fans of these cars and they were the best ones that they could ever own in all their entire life.
I have a 93 Buick Century, I love me those Buicks. Love the vid and commentary.
and I'm sure they can go even farther away... I love these engines !
you can go over 300'000 miles without any trouble with these 3.8 engines, they're (will never say it enouth)ones of the best engines ever. A friend of mine's got a '91 Bonneville which has the same engine and it's got 320'000 miles and the only thing he did was fill the clim compresser again.
3800 series...one of those engines that refuse to die.
my oldsmobile smoked just like that when I started it for the first time in 6 years. It's just a little bit of oil that was burning, I have no clue where it came from, but they both did the same thing! General Motors THE BEST!
Dude, I am totally envious of you. I'm in China teaching. I'm from England and I drive back home but now I'd kill for a free motor. Thanks for the vid great to watch. :)
Glad to know I'm not the only one with car manuals and OS/2 in my trunk!
Wow, that acceleration was so smooth, yet powerful...
I wish they still made cars like that.
That was the most satisfying cold start
Of course it will starts its a Buick! Great vids. As a motorhead I find enjoyment in cold starting vehicles.. idk why. Just do.. good vid. Would like to see a turbobuick attempt to start in subzero temps with a modern turbotweak chip
This video was fun for watching. That os/2 book was a trip through time. Look at that classic dash. :)
I miss this car! This is the video that brought me to the channel years ago :)
We had a lot of these cars in our family. We had a nice red one since it was new, think it was from the early 90's late 80's, had nice red seats, anyway it was parked in 2006 when my great grandma could not drive anymore and refused to sell her. Sat behind her garage since 2011. She started up and ran like the day it did when we parked it. Just didn't have any brakes.
I love the part where you are going 80 while listening to 'the candyman'.
BONG BONG BONG BONG. Oh my god that must drive people in America mad, every time I see a starting video in the US is BONG BONG BONG BONG when you put the keys in
LOL
I personally hate it alot. The only way it could be worse is if there was a voice that was like "KEYS IN IGNITION. KEYS IN IGNITION."
Not really.
Only if the driver's door is open.
Usually
That's a mighty good looking turtle you got there!
Nice find for a freebie!!You may want to address that power steering issue PRONTO to avoid long term tricep damage.I drove a '78 LTD with no power steering for almost two years.You had to really plan ahead to park anywhere.Those old GMs will run forever, just keep 'em fed (oil and antifreeze).Keep us updated on the progress of this vehicle!!
GM 3800, damn fine engine. I have one in my 1988 Oldsmobile Toronado with 140k, still runs like a dream even after a high speed wreck
Excellent Motor. Friend of mine has a 99 with 290.000. Runs like a top
Good stuff. Those old 80's+ GM stuff is bulletproof usually. Mines got 270,000 too!
I have one of those and I love it! 215000 miles and the most reliable car ever!
Amazing 3800 engine. At over 250,000 miles after sitting and it still runs that smooth? Hmm, very interesting.
Well I just bought a 94 lesabre myself very clean with the 3800 engine and about 114000 mi. I will take decent care of it and I imagine it will go for a number of years.
Sad to hear it finally died. Much is made of Toyota and others going 100,000s of miles and for good reason. But some.domestic models such as that Buick and others can also go for many years and miles especially if taken care of.
its fun to see these old cars start up
Cant blame the car for the bad battery. Buick is one of the best cars you can ever get. My 92 park ave had 276000 and still ran like it was new never burned oil leak anything and always started.
Great videos keep 'em coming.
I love the sound of those old staticky speakers...nothing like it... sooooo nostalgic... brings me back to 1994 :')
And this is why Buick has one of the biggest reputation for reliability in the business!
Holy shit, the old devices in the back of your car are worth more then the car itself!
The speedometer in this reminds me of the one in my 1984 oldsmobile 98 regency brougham
Great video and car
Cant blame the car for the bad battery. Buick is one of the best cars you can ever get. My 92 park ave had 276000 and still ran like it was new never burned oil leak anything and always started. it had the 3800 to. Those are 400k mile engines. My nephew has a van with a 3800 and has 363000 miles and still runs great
Awesome! I have been trying to start an old Scimitar GTE today (I'm British, so you might not recognise car) that's been parked up for about 8 years... Hoping I have similar luck to you to see it back on the road!
I think those old cars look cool :) well for playing with
very brave test drive there
That thing moves along very well.
That has to be the world's best out look on life that I've EVER seen. I could use some lessons, btw great video! some minor fixes and that will be a great car.
That WAS fun to watch!
i love it when he opens it up
This was a Fancy Car in it's Day..
I hope you fix it up and the old Girl Running.
That GM 3.8L is a near bulletproof. There’s very little to cause real issues. Minimum amount of electronics outside of their fuel injector systems.
I used to sell used cars, mostly the easy to work on 1980's up to 1992,that buick reminds me of the burgundy 1988 park ave. I paid too much for it, however seeing the low miles and cheap and easy to find junkyard parts, I couldn't turn it for much profit so I had fun driving it. I then sold it, I usually got a few cars here and there for $100 but darn I only got a few free cars. You were lucky.
This vid takes me back to the days before I replaced my ignition coil on my 89 LeSabre.
I want that OS/2 box! Damn it's nice!
I've always loved how the 3800 in my '04 LeSabre sounds.
makes me reminisce on my 1986 Buick Century, loved that little car even if it did have the iron duke in it, kinda makes me want another one
I'm amazed that you didn't stop immediately and rush to install that OS/2 in the trunk of the red car....
Reminds me of the old Olds we used to have... I miss that car.
For some reason this video made me happy! Good Stuff!
Those aren't jumper cables they're dental floss
We need more guys like you
I remember this from when I was a child
hahaha LeRoy Brown was playing at the end, love it
GMs, such great vehicles. You just can't kill them!
alright iil defineatly look into the oil. what should the oil look like when i pull the, uh, whats its call, its a long stick that goes into the oil. anywyas, what should i expect to be a decent or good enough oil for a short start up.
89 Electra was my first car! Parents bought it new I got it in 07 with 337,000k and I drove it until 13 when the frame rotted out had 462,800 when I junked it and that 3800 still ran great.
2.8 3.1 and the 3800...Best GM V6 engines built
ROFL 3800 Yes, Other ones Nope
toyoscio Sorry...i have to disagree...The 3.1 is a beast
jwillkens Same here. 3800 series 2 in my monte carlo ss. Its a great runner.
jwillkens I have a 1989 Buick Regal Limited with the 2.8. It has 107k miles and it is spotless.
jwillkens I own a 93 lumina with the 3.1. The car only has 27k on it!!!! Awesome shape I love it. Ps the torque is awesome
1:23 I thought I was the only one that kept vintage computer stuff in my unused cars!
This is a touching story.
This car has come a long way :-)
The handy candy man can start ur car because he makes the world taste good.
love it how they remind you its a Buick under the hood, if i break down on the side of the road and see that.... i would be thinking, "should have bought that Chevrolet" ;)
I have an Electra-Park Avenue
Definitely old & cold, not forgotten though.
Nice, Jim Croche on in the background there :-)
5:32 "Crap smokin on the manifold and power steering is putting out a halatious racket!" lol this gut sound like Hank Hill :)
This is very similar to when we were trying to start our car that's been sitting in our driveway for over half a year.
That's one excited uxwbill after that thing got up and ran.
inb4 10 (nearly 11) years too late
This car's automatic transmission has a nice kickdown effect
we had the rear wheel drive version of that engine in Australia until 2004
If Johnny Cash never sang a sad song about an old, cold, nearly forgotten or dead Buick, well - he should have. Or perhaps Willie Nelson. The best thing about getting a car for free is you got your money's worth out of it by now. Happy thoughts, smooth sailing and good luck with that beast.
Seems like it ran quite well considering it's circumstances!
Hell she scoots along pretty good yet! I hope my 2006 Grand Prix 3800 NA runs that good when its that car's age!
very very great vid
the music fits the car so well lol
Dylan Webb lol
hey, i just got more recent info on my buick 86 park ave. the last time it has been started was 2 years ago. if i just wanted to see if it could run, without changing the liquids, cna i just throw in a new battery and see if it can start.?
dude i love this vid i wish i had friends like you but to bad am 17 oh btw i love the tunes u listen to
anyone else notice the OS/2 book & old-style keyboard in the red car's trunk?
+Zach Schenfelt A whole lot of people. Scroll through the comments.
+uxwbill I think you should get another Buick electra
+Luke Hodge it's a free car, you can't get any better than $0