Buick Riviera Midsize | Compact

Buick Riviera Midsize | Compact 

DESCRIPTION

The Riviera is offered in a 2 door coupe with a 3.8-liter, 240-hp supercharged V-6. It has a 4-speed automatic and standard ABS.

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 49  
[Dec 19, 2010]
David Nowalk
Model Reviewed: coupe

Strength:

v6 supercharged

Weakness:

window on the drivers side wont go up if i put it down

its a good car the only problem i have with mine is the window wont go up.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Jan 12, 2010]
moldy
Model Reviewed: Riviera

Strength:

Great car overall. Very Different.

Weakness:

Parts are VERY hard to find when it comes to making it look nice! If you need to get a new piece of chrove around the wheels expect to pay$$. some of the marerials can not even be touched let alone cleaned as they would need to be(dash). colors on he interior dont match as they should. Paint will probably fall off!! breaks dont last and squeek just like every other car i have ever owned. dont let wheel shop put the clip on wheel weights! the clear coat will come off and look BAD and the wheels will not hold air. If you take it anywhere people will open their doors into the side making the rounded body look like junk. SUSPENSION!!!! I cant seem to figure this one out. I have changed everything in the front and still get sounds when turning and brakeing hard. clunks and pop sounds like something is loose. replaced struts/mounts/wheelbarings/controlarm bushings/stabilizer link pins/stabilizerbar bushings/ rear trans mount insert/steering rack/tierods/powersteering pump+lines/cvhalfshaft/balljoints. Dont know what there could be left to change at this point. Intake Manifold warped and was letting coolant into airway so that was making it stall and smoke. Plastic fuel line under hood sprung a leak so if you smell gas take a look at the firewall. Plastic endcap on the radiator cracked from climbing in the engine compartment! not sturdy enough so watch out$$. Paint peels off steering wheel controls very expensive to replace. steering wheel pivot pin fell out so steering wheel is loose. drivers electonic mirrors gets air in it and fluid inside makes it not usable/cloudy. rearview mirror gets loose and wobbles when you hit bumps. master cylinder went bad cheep fix though. starter makes strange sounds when starting?? transmission needed rebuild at 150000 miles($1500). trans lines leak slowly as did power steering. gas filler point will get extreamly rusty! turn signal lights get all cloudy and need t power antenna will get stuck and run the battery down unless you unplug it.

Great car if GM had just designed a few simple things better. Each thing on its own is not a big problem but when you add them all up or try to fix them all you will be broke!! fix what you can and deal with the rest:( It is the case with all manufactures though. This car is still better than anything for sale now.... I love this car just wish the big things GM would have honored like the paint and transmission for a longer time. Replacement parts have mostly been discontinued if not far over priced. As far as the car goes if you can find one without these problems get it! it is a nice modern car. It goes thru the snow well and is comfortable! White with blue interior is the best combo

Similar Products Used:

aurora/sts/eldorado/lss 88

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[May 05, 2008]
fairyprincessda
Model Reviewed: riviera

Strength:

turbo,,kicks right in and scoots,,,lots of room for family inside

Weakness:

the belt pulley fro the turbo,,cant keeo the belt on

i really like this car,,,looks are amazing,,especially from the rear,,sporty but classy,,,,

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Jun 06, 2007]
M.Arbo
Model Reviewed: Riviera S/C

Strength:

Power, Handling, Room, Comfort, Life Expenctency, Style, Looks,

Weakness:

Hard to find performance poarts(but there out there), it hard to customize as your own vehicle

Alrite i have had this car for a year and absolutly love the 3800 Series II eng is strongest thing ived reved upon no matter how i treat this motor it still runs like a top if you keep up with maintence this baby will last forever

Similar Products Used:

none this is a one of a kind mix between power and elengance

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Sep 04, 2006]
Aaron14
Model Reviewed: supercharged riviera

Strength:

Power and luxery are the main stengths

Weakness:

expensive parts. So if you got a little problem like a fuel line leak you cant just stop by your local junk yard and get one becuase there usually not there. So you have to pay 60.00$ for a new one

I purchased this car from a private party.So i knew it needed some work. but after putting some money into it. It semms to be a pretty solid car. It is a flashy ride that is always sure to catch an eye.

Similar Products Used:

91 Olds toronado

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
4
[May 10, 2006]
theteeman
Model Reviewed: Riviera S/C

Strength:

Looks, comfortable ride, great hwy fuel economy- most importantly- solid feel to whole car

Weakness:

repairs, repairs.....hubs, brakes, tensioner, harmonic balancer, idler pulley,tensioner pulley, superchargers,cv axles, steering racks, window regulators, air ride suspension...where the fu*k does it end?

well..read most reviews carefully...almost all have similar repairs. don't get me wrong; awesome looking and riding car. great fuel milage, solid car. Too many repairs..front hubs, brakes, cv shafts, tensioners and harmonic balancer. I have always been a GM fan, but this is a perfect example of what is wrong with them- once they get ride, power, look and fell just right...the parts don't stand up....Sure the Japs can make a longer lasting car...but they will never feel or ride like these buicks.....you have to decide what you want...looks/power/comfort and most importantly a solid feel--or no repairs but driving what feels like a tin can....

Similar Products Used:

99 GTP, 97 cutlass

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
3
[Apr 05, 2005]
BigRe213
Model Reviewed: Buick Riviera

Strength:

Features and options, will put your head back. Sometimes seems like a really solid car sometimes not. It turns heads and not many people are around.

Weakness:

The lagging, the weird start ups.

I just love the way this car feels and handles. The dash is sleek and stylish and I get compliments all the time. Some people think I paid at least 8 to 11 thousand bones. I know it's only been a few weeks but things are starting to act up a little. I figured this car is was pretty solid when I bought it turns out I might have some major problems or they maybe minor. Everytime I turn on the car an hour after I drive it, it makes this weird noise like the crankshaft isn't turning correctly. The first try usually turns off the car and the second time around it's a little rough. I let it sit for a minute for it to kick back to normal. Then when I drive it out very slowly like under 1000 rpm it starts to lag a little.

Similar Products Used:

1992 chevy lumina, 1997 Chevrolet Suburban, 1991 honda civic hatchback si

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
4
[Apr 10, 2004]
dave96riv
Model Reviewed: Chevy Astro 2WD

Strength:

Roominess, Low maintenance, High seating position, 4.3 liter with plenty of torque, needs first repair at 6 years old, no endless small repairs like my '87 Astro had. Paint and interior have held up very well. Has never stranded anyone or needed tow. 27 gallon gas tank gives 550+ mile range on trips, easy on tires and brakes. Only 3 or 4 warranty trips during first 3 years. Very nice ride. Plenty of power. All things considered, to have only 2 non-maintenance items fail for a total cost of about $1000 in 6 years is easily made up for by the $6500 discount I got when I purchased it. Engine still like new at 68K mi.

Weakness:

Transmission has defect that manufacturer knew about, came with cheap battery that terminal was designed to fall off of at 50001 miles. Dealers only stock vans with roof racks that make lots of wind noise. All of these vans come from factory slightly out of allignment, but still managed 62000 miles out of orig tires. Cheap carpet these days is 1/8 inch thick. These things depreciate fast. New ones are up from the $25k this one stickered at, and they drop about $18-20k in 6 years, if you pay full sticker.

Loved this vehicle for first 5 years. I got a loaded, extended length van with great seats, reliability and gas mileage for the same as what my friend paid for a stripped, manual trans, bottom of the line Honda Civic the same month. The van stickered for $25k and with negotiating, a $3500 rebate, and my $1600 GM card earnings, I got it for 18,500. It came with dutch doors, front and rear a/c, am/fm/cd, Power windows, Power Door Locks and mirrors, remote entry, 4 cap't chairs,V6, auto trans, tilt and cruise. It delivers 24 mpg on the highway, fully loaded up. The biggest problem so far is: At 4.5 years old, I found out that the transmission has an aluminum control module housing that warps and causes an undetectable slippage that the vehicle computer can detect and responds to by taking away the clutch for shifting. Repair is $750. but I haven't done it yet. My friend's has same problem. About 9 months after I bought mine, GM eliminated the aluminum part (went to steel) and fixed problem, but they will not make any reparations for suckers who already own them. Should have been a recall. Mine went at 48000 miles, 12000 out of warranty. Why is the computer programmed to screw up the transmission operation by putting it in a 'Limp' mode for a slippage so slight that the van is still getting 23 mpg on the highway? It's not even rated to get over 21 on the highway, so what is slipping? Next disappointment is a/c not working this spring at 6 yrs old, 68k mi., when checked. This van doesn't compare to my '87 Astro for major item reliability. There have been no other repairs ever done after warranty expired, so the a/c will be the first. If we want to take the van out of state, we have to fix the trans too. Roof rack is noisy from wind at highway speeds. I planned to keep this van for 10 years when I bought it, as my previous Astro was 11 yrs old when I bought this one. Now the previous one is 17 yrs old and I CAN take IT out of state. I would buy another because they have fixed the trans problem starting in Jan '99.

Similar Products Used:

1987 Astro purchased in 1990 and 174000 miles on it now and still runs good and is still used weekly. I commute 100 miles a day and just got 21.6 mpg with it this week. It has same 4.3 liter V6 and has never needed a drivetrain repair. Nor has it ever had an engine oil or trans fluid leak.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jan 20, 2004]
mac mckethan
Model Reviewed: riviera

Strength:

it is a good looking car.....great ride...till the air ride goes out....good sound system....quiet car....decent power...am not afraid to pass on the highway....65 to 90mph is responsive...

Weakness:

mechanical failures....will not purchase another gm prod any time soon

Overall, I am not real impressed. I keep having to replace parts that I have never needed to replace on other cars. Have replaced harmonic balancer, idler pulleys, one wheel bearing.....now the air suspension system is down....quoted $1000 at dealer....have been searching for parts all day to try to do it myself. Another disappointment: the horn is shorted out behind the air bag....another $1000 repair....I added an after market horn button(ugly) on dash.

Similar Products Used:

mazda 929

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
2
[Oct 13, 2003]
streetracerx9
Model Reviewed: v6 suprcharged/ 240 hp

Strength:

Good acceleration 240 hp

Weakness:

Loose steering Body roll Dont drive this car to hard !!!

Im currently working on my project car so I am driving a Buick Riviera right now. For a luxury car (and for a Buick) this car is pretty impressive. If you get this car get the supercharged option. No, the supercharger doesn't turn it into a trans am, but it certainly gives it a kick in the acceleration department. 0-60 in 8.1 seconds. Not bad for this type of car. The interior is luxurious like you would expect with heated/leather seats and all that stuff. Although this is not a car to be driven aggressively. Brakes are not perfect and the car tends to sit up high which make fast cornering pretty scary. Overall this car is ok for a 45 yr. old man that still wants a fun ride.

Similar Products Used:

Olds Aurora

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
4
Showing 1-10 of 49  

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