should I purchaseadn what to look for ?
Never had one. Owner says all it needs is brakes. Tips on what to look for as far as problem areas.
They are a reliable car, as far as I have heard.
look at the intake manifold for leaks, injectors for any leaks, engine compression, shifts on acceleration(any slipping?), looseness in steering, shifting the gears(engine should not buck over an 1"; motor mounts), smoothness of braking, basically everything to make sure it can run strong. these 3.8L iron blocks are very reliable and durable when well serviced. i miss my old 89 riviera. those years were great.
I had a 92 regal limited in high school 120+MPH I got into a lot of trouble. No matter how hard I beat on that engine it always pinned me to the seat. Only thing to look out for is the cam sensor magnet that rides the cam gear, it likes to pop out of the gear.
Your best bet is to ask the owner if he minds if you take it to a qualified mechanic to have a general over all inspection of the car. If you don't know much about a car this is your best bet. Do a little calling around town to repair shops and ask them how much they will charge to do just a general inspection. Most folks these days don't have a lot of money to through down a hole and always when buying used your taking a chance, like are you buying from an older guy who is the original owner or some young kid. Huge difference. I have always looked especially for Buick cars from older folks as they always do exactly as the dealer recommends so you know the car has had the oil change always at the exact time etc. Young guy equals, probably beat the crap out of it, just my rules of thumb and I have owned probably 8 fantastic Buicks and always from the original owner and they usually took it to the same dealer or repair shop so I was then able to call that shop and get all the past maintenance and repair reports and some times it really paid off having that info. Good luck and great car
