Very original, well-maintained 1973 Buick Centurion convertible.
VIN: 4P67U3X113933
+ One of only 5,739 Centurion convertibles produced in the last of the three model years, it was Buick's only convertible offering in 1973.
+ Original 455.4 cu engine, the biggest V8 Buick ever produced.
+ This car has been in the same family since 1996. It has been garaged, and was never a daily driver in that. I purchased it from an estate in Los Angeles and drove it up the Pacific Coast Highway and then all the way to Chicago with the top down. It was like riding on a cloud, but with enough pickup to pass any car on the freeway. In the late '90s, it came with me on a move to Eastern Washington for nearly a decade, where it ultimately became a favorite weekend cruiser for my toddler son. When I moved back to Chicago in 2008, I left the Centurion with my father in Central Montana, where it enjoyed more than a decade as a star in local parades and on weekend summer drives along deserted two-lane blacktop. Before my father passed a few years ago, he let us know he wanted my now college-age son to have the car because he had taken such great joy in it as a child. It is now back in Chicago, garaged at my home. But it is awaiting a new owner and new adventures, as my son does not have a driver's license and is a public transit devotee. The sale will help him pay for the last two years of college, which his grandfather would appreciate. Great cars have great stories, and this one has enjoyed its share. It has been on a road trip from Washington State down to Joshua Tree National Park. Its last road trip was with my kids through the Black Hills of South Dakota, where we popped the trunk at a scenic vista and scattered my father's ashes. So many special memories. I hate to give it up, but my road trip days are over, so it's time. Here are some of the particulars:
+ Power front disc brakes; rear drum
+ Power steering, power windows, power seats, power convertible top, tilt steering wheel
+ Manufactured at Buick's Fairfax/Kansas City KS plant, with a Fisher body
+ Original Arctic White paint, with white vinyl seats and white convertible top
+ Original wheels with the Buick caps
+ Original Buick logo floor mats
+ Locking gas cap behind the rear license plate; runs on premium
+ Removable carpeted dashboard protector
+ Two sets of keys
+ Over the years, we have replaced the transmission, springs, brakes and alternator, and have done routine maintenance. We also replaced the non-functioning radio with an aftermarket radio/cassette deck. The last mechanic who worked on the Centurion is an old-school gear head who replaced the plugs, points, plug wires and distributor cap before roaring down the road on a test drive faster than I've driven it in decades. His grin was infectious.
The vehicle is sold as is. It has the following known issues, none of them dire: Crack in windshield, front seam split in convertible top fabric (the top itself is fully intact), muffler in need of replacement, outside door trim removed, some visible rust in the trunk wheel wells. Air conditioning does not work, but may just need recharge; we have never needed it with the top down cruising, so have never checked. I had a restoration specialist look at it when I brought it back to Chicago and he said it is a good candidate for full restoration. I have no idea what a full restoration would do for the ultimate resale value, of course, but I do know it is a gorgeous head-turner of a vehicle and one of the last of a rare breed. If I were 20 years younger, I would take the plunge myself, but I hope whoever buys this beauty turns it into a true showpiece. And, more important, I hope they get as much enjoyment from it as my family has over the past nearly three decades.
