Vehicle Description
1981 Buick Riviera
The Buick Riviera is a personal luxury car produced by Buick from
1963 to 1999. GM's first entry into that prestige niche, the
Riviera was highly praised by automotive journalists upon its
high-profile debut. While early models stayed close to the original
form, eight subsequent generations varied substantially over the
Riviera's thirty-year lifespan. In all, 1,127,261 were produced.
The name Riviera, Latin for coastline, was chosen to evoke the
allure and affluence of the French Riviera. It first entered the
Buick line in 1949, as the designation for the new two-door
pillarless hardtop, described in advertising as "stunningly
smart".
For consignment, a very nice, mostly original, low mileage,
well-kept and pampered Riviera with a mere 70,650 original miles. A
1981 ad has a huge laundry list of available options for the
Riviera with "Kitchen Sink Not Available". By the sheer ways to
outfit your new 1981 Riviera it's almost as if the designers and ad
men knew they were pitching a future collectible, and with its
looks and styling, how can it miss? Read on for more
excitement.
Exterior
Bathed in its factory paint and in the color of Silver Fawn, we can
see some aging areas on the straight steel panels. The car is from
1981, but has low mileage, and this car presents as such. One can
pretty much guarantee this car was garage kept as both the front
and rear filler panels are present and accounted for. A Light
Sandstone landau style vinyl top is seen above the rear passenger
compartment on the exterior. The chrome bumpers both front and rear
present well with only minor dulling and oxidation. The brite work
is clean and shows a very slight dimpling beginning. A few
scratches are noted throughout but can only be seen upon close
inspection and we see a notable dent at the rear of the driver's
front fender. Nice chromed wire wheels are spotted on all 4 corners
along with nearly new thin whitewall radials.
Interior
Luxurious Saddle leather buckets, (only in the sense there are two
seats and they are separate), and spacious rear bench are seen with
the opening of one of the massive doors, which is also covered in a
mix of saddle vinyl and carpeting. Burl feathered veneer accents
abound in the seats, door panels and cover the dash. All straight
and square and rectangle design right out of the 1981 design
playbook, the dash is very clean and unmarred. A small center
console glove box is flanked by the front buckets and is Saddle
vinyl and plastic. Conveniences such as climate control, a power
driver's seat, an aftermarket AM/FM/CD radio, power windows, power
locks, power mirrors, and power antenna are on board. A lighter
Saddle headliner appears to be losing some of its adhesive and has
a few loose areas but remains clean with no tears. Fairly clean tan
carpeting with a few stains covers the floors, and carpeted floor
mats cover the carpeting.
Drivetrain
A little dusty and a little patina can be seen on the 307ci V8, and
it is mated with a TH325 3-speed automatic transmission to its
rear. A 2.41 geared final drive turns the front tires.
Undercarriage
Save for the occasional surface rust on straight steel parts,
(mainly suspension), the undercarriage maintains its integrity with
plenty of rustproofing coverage on the floor pans, and
undercarriage surfaces. Looking underneath the doors we see clean
rubber weather stripping, and only the beginnings of rust at the
passenger's door lower seam. Giving this Buick its trademark ride
is an independent torsion bar front suspension and an independent
coil spring rear suspension and for the stopping power we note
power front disc brakes and rear power drums. A newer single
exhaust system is seen.
Drive-Ability This car started right up, ran flawlessly, and is a
wonderful comfortable cruiser with a kick. It handled our test
track with ease and provided such a smooth ride my cohort, partner
in crime, and crack decoder dozed off in the rear seat. All
functions working as they should, and every option well placed for
ease of operation.
A nice example of a lower mileage Riviera from 1981. Well kept, a
few faults, but all in all easy repairs to make the car nearly
perfect on the exterior and interior with faults noted. Square and
Rectangle late 70's early 80's design mmmmmmmm delicious!
VIN DECODE
1G4AZ57Y8BE419749
1-USA
G-General Motors
4-Buick
A-Manual Seatbelts
Z-Riviera
57-2 Door Coupe
Y-307 CUI V8
8-Check Digit
B-1981
E-Linden NJ Assy Plant
419749-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 650 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
