Remarkable power and torque. The supercharged v-6 is the only way to go. Running at 240horses it's something that makes you smile

If you're driving this car with the understanding IT IS a luxury car then nothing...If you're trying to drive this vehicle like a nimble little coupe...look elsewhere.

Company Car =]
And I highly recommend it. Even if your company wont spring the 35,000 for a loaded ultra.

Similar Products Used:

None

This is my 5th Buick and 3rd Ultra in a row. I am in sales and am on the road a lot. This car has good power, super ride and ids an excellant ride on long rides.

Cost was $39M and the car has almost every available option. It has very good value for a luxury car. Have friends who say that it has much better value and is better equiped thta their Cadillac. I would recommend the Buick Ultra to anyone looking for an excellant ride, good gas mileage (filled up today and the last tank's mileage was 24.4.

Power from the supercharged V-6, impressive gas miliage for a big car, roominess, and a lot of features

Reliability, handling (even for a big car), quality of leather used, wind/road noise

Overall, the Park Avenue Ultra is a decent car. I really like the power and the comfort. There is more than enough "gizmos" to adjust almost every facet of driving this car. The super-charger gives off a nice, low-key whine when it kicks in and the power is smooth and effortless. Five people fit easily inside with there being enough room in the back seat for all but the tallest people.


I've lived with this car now for almost three years and, unfortunately, even with the pluses considered above, I can say I wouldn't buy another one. It has really disappointed me in several areas.

First of all, there has been an on-going problem with the transmission. It gets stuck between gears, doesn't shift down at a stop light, and slips on a regular basis. The local Buick dealer has had it in at least a half dozen times and these problems still exist. From what I have read and been told, General Motors is having this problem with a lot of their transmissions from 1997 to current model year.

Secondly, the quality of the leather used in the interior is rather poor. At 40K miles, the leather on the driver's seat looks severely worn. It is also much thinner than the leather Ford uses, which contributes to the premature wearing problem.

In addition, there is much more road/wind noise than I am used to in a luxury automobile. My 96 Ford Ranger 4x4 wasn't any noisier on the highway. Tire noise is definately prominent on the highway above about 62 mph, especially on concrete road surfaces. I also feel that, even though we are talking about a large car, it could handle better. It really wallows in turns and just feels heavy and bloated. The car feels unattached to the road.

This could really be a very nice car and a good value to boot if GM would take care of some of the obvious reliability and quality issues. It's a minimum of $10k less than a comparable Caddy and about $4k less than a fully equiped Town Car. As it sits now, I'd go back to the Lincoln without second thought. The quality and attention to detail with the Lincoln is considerably higher as is the customer service provided by the Ford/Lincoln dealerships.

For a luxury car, I've found the Park Avenue to be merely average overall. If only they'd build a better car around that wonderful supercharged V-6.

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Lincoln Town Car

Large, very safe, turnpike cruiser.
I believe this luxury care has a very high safety
rating in crashes. It is one of if not the best.
It was rated a better car than Cady DeVille in 98.

Too nice a car to park in typical US shopping lots.
It is a true, long distance turnpike cruiser.

The cost to me was approximatel 27000 dollars. It was
my fourth Park Avenue and I'll keep right on with them.
For long trips it cannot be beat. Handling is what it
should be in a large, very safe touring car. The engine
is adequate. It is far better than a sport car for the
mature driver. It is not for the teeny boppers. The
1997 or 1998 Consumer Reports (I don't recall the
month} rated it above the Cady DeVille and Lincoln.

Similar Products Used:

Cady Deville and Buick LeSabre

It made me look at Lexus and Infinity

Extremely poor quality and reliability

DeVoe Buick is the best dealer I have ever experienced.
The 1997 Buick Park Avenue will be my last General Motors product.
Quality is extremely poor.
In first 3 years the car spent over 30 days in the shop for warranty work including:
Bent half shaft replaced.
Spark cable not installed.
Door gaskets twisted.
Decorated panel on side scrateched.
Paint spots on trunk.
Black door trim discolored.
Vibtation when braking. Disks were buckled. Repaired twice.
Poor gear changes required the transmission to be rebuilt.
Battery split and leaked over engine comparment.
Second battery split and corroded terminal fell off. Car would not start.
Instrument panel replaced.
Tire vibtation. Required dynamic balancing several times but, kept recurring. Replaced 3 tires with no permanent fix. Finally paid 50% cost to replace with Michelin tires which solved problem.
Drivers leather seat wore through and replaced.
Steering wheel cracked and replaced.

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Yugo

Smooth quiet ride, paint and trim quality, interior quality, especially the leather, engine performance and durability, super smooth transmission, comfortable seat with many power adjustments, being able to buy a $35,000 car for under $7,000 in mint condition. Rugged suspension which withstands my constant running into curbs and potholes without damage or misalignment, great winter traction. Easy to bolt on an inexpensive trailer hitch with over 1000 pound towing capacity. Lots of automatic features like trunk remote and closer, lights, radio controls on steering wheel, automatic air/heat system, automatic oil change monitor tells you when to change oil. Unless you drive dusty roads and lots of short trips, it easily goes 7-8000 miles between oil changes.

Radio volume too loud compared to cassette tape volume so if you're forwarding a tape, radio has to be turned down or tuned off station. Lid on front armrest/storage compartment occasionally comes unlatched, lack of fold down rear seat or pass through but I'm thinking of easily removing the plastic panel behind the rear arm rest for a passthrough for skiis, long items, etc. Only one lighter outlet in front when you're trying to hook up more than one 12V device so you have to use a 2:1 adapter or use the rear seat lighter outlets. Average quality sound system for a luxury car but my 65 year old ears don't mind. Doesn't handle or corner like a sports card but an easy trade off for the classic GM luxury card cruiseliner ride. Not the right image for the young or young at heart but sure is comfortable for mature adult. Can't find oil reservoir for supercharger in the place mentioned in owners manual. Lacks built in compass. Bought nice one for $9. Lacks trip computer showing details of trips, gas economy, average speed, ETA, etc. Be nice to have an OnStar system. I use my GPS and maps if I get lost in the boonies and carry a spare key in my wallet for frequent absent minded lock outs. Doesn't have a long range alarm panic button so I can find it in parking lot when I forget where I parked it. Can't adjust sensitivity of automatic light system

I bought my Park Avenue Ultra after owning a 94 New Yorker/LHS I sold to a friend. The New Yorker looked elegant, more modern inside and had better handling but a much stiffer, noisier ride and many more mechanical problems. One major reason I picked the Park Avenue was the separate passenger temperature controls since it always seemed like passengers wanted it warmer or colder than I did. The interior and exterior were elegant enough without being pretentious, comfortable for six adults and quiet. The ride was impressive and the trunk was huge. The supercharged engine gives phenomenal acceleration and cruises along at 80mph barely breaking 2000 rpm which means long engine life. At 120,000 miles, it still uses less than a quart of oil for 3000 miles and gets 21-28 mpg on regular gas, even though the manual suggests premium. Since it never knocked accelerating up hills I figure there's no harm done. In fact several tanks of premium didn't improve performance or fuel mileage at all so why waste the $. In over two years and 45,000 miles of driving I've spent less than $200- to repair passenger door locking mechanism and one locked up brake caliper.

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Town Car similar luxury and comfort at lower cost and better winter traction. Saturn, feels like driving/riding in a sporty sardine can, Olds 88was less luxurious and less power but similar. Ford Taurus. OK but smaller and noisier. Model A. basic, cost $4 in maintainance over two years while it doubled in value. Lacked heater among other amenities. but always started and made it there.