Find or Sell Used Cars, Trucks, and SUVs in USA

1998 Buick Lesabre Custom Sedan 4-door 3.8l For Parts Or Repair on 2040-cars

Year:1998 Mileage:79102
Location:

Decatur, Georgia, United States

Decatur, Georgia, United States

This was my daughter's college car.  She worked really hard to keep it running, but the constant struggle is too much for her to deal with while she goes to school.  This is not for sale as a daily driver that is expected to be in running condition.  Getting it through inspection this year may be touch and go.  This is what you need to know.  Please read carefully because there is NO WARRANTY.  If you buy it, this belongs to you.  There are NO RETURNS AND NO REFUNDS.  This is LOCAL PICKUP ONLY.  It will probably roll wherever you want to take it under its own power, but I DON'T RECOMMEND a multi-state road trip to pick this up.

Known:
  • My daughter changed the oil and filter, carefully measuring out the correct amount (she said that was important) every 3,000 miles or less since October 2012.
  • She says it dirties oil faster than it used to.  The oil looks worse coming out than it did at the start.
  • This car is on its second engine, but, as far as the very honest dealer in North Carolina knew, the odometer reading was still within 1,000 miles of accurate.  (None of us have any suspicion about his honesty.  We flew up from GA to buy a used car for her because he has sold us such solid vehicles that were in exactly the condition he said.  My daughter and some of her mechanic friends have wondered whether someone lied to him, though, and represented a very old engine as newer when he bought the replacement.  She got it running well at around 65k and says she's shocked at how fast it fell apart).
  • The transmission fluid and filter are coming up on needing replacement.
  • It needs front tires pretty soon.
  • It shifts kind of badly.
  • The engine is struggling, maybe due to the transmission and manifolds.  While the AC works and often runs ice cold, she says it sometimes cuts out just because the car isn't up to keeping it on.
  • The suspension is not perfect anymore but really pretty okay considering the car's age.
  • All the power stuff and the radio works.  The leather is in decent shape.  The speakers seem to work fine.  The remote unlocker doesn't work.  (She tried changing the battery.  It's just broken).
  • The interior smells like coolant sometimes.
  • It has some scratches.
  • The suspension is okay but not perfect.  This is an old car.
  • It runs fuel trim codes.  It runs lean.
  • The ABS is broken.  My daughter heard noises that make her think the problem is the pump, but she knew she was getting rid of it and didn't look into it too much.  Stability controls are off.
  • It probably needs a brake job pretty soon, too.  The ones in the back were done within the past 18 months.  They should be fine.  The ones in the front will need work.

Unknown:

  • This car's history before 2012.
  • Its problems seem kind of systemic and related to each other.  Several very good, very experienced mechanics have different theories.  No one really knows.
  • Whether the engine was accurately represented to the guy who bought and installed it.
  • If not, how old the engine really is.

This is:

  • for PARTS, SCRAP OR REPAIR
  • unlikely to pass inspection without work
  • a TWO TON + vehicle that DOESN'T STOP OR GO AS PREDICTABLY AS IT SHOULD

This isn't:

  • A GOOD FIRST CAR FOR A NEW DRIVER UNLESS YOU WANT TO PUT IN SOME SERIOUS WORK
  • a reliable daily driver

Auto Services in Georgia

Wright`s Professional Window ★★★★★

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Phone: (912) 927-7948

Vick`s Auto ★★★★★

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V-Pro Vinyl & Leather Repair ★★★★★

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Phone: (706) 432-2991

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Address: 384 Maxham Rd, Hapeville
Phone: (678) 401-6522

Auto blog

Buick Encore production increased to lift supply by 50%

Wed, Feb 4 2015

Trying to zero in on the Buick Encore leads us to the conclusion that the only place it really fits is in buyers' driveways. Every member of its so-called competitive set – we've read everything from the Ford C-Max to the Nissan Juke to the Volkswagen Tiguan to the BMW X1 – is so different in small yet fundamental ways that the Encore neatly slinks between them all, and with 48,892 sales in 2014, it doesn't stop slinking until it reaches consumer garages. That success, and preparation for the aggrandizing of the compact CUV segment, is why General Motors is upping production for the US market by 50 percent. Analysts keep predicting there will be more shoppers for tiny crossovers, and that's why those that don't have them are getting them. Yet the Encore came out in 2013 before people realized the power of the segment, and it has substantially out-performed GM and observer expectations: analysts predicted 18,500 US sales in 2013 and 25,000 in 2015; in 2013 we wrote, "We admit it. We have no earthly idea how this whole thing is going to shake out." It shook out 31,046 sales in 2013, puffing that number up by more than 50 percent last year. GM thinks that this year it will it will go from Buick's third-best-selling vehicle to its best-selling vehicle. GM wants that to continue, what with the Honda HR-V, Jeep Renegade, and Mazda CX-3 on the way. Dealers say they'd sell more if they could get them, and the four-month lead time at the moment between a dealer ordering and taking delivery – about double the normal time – creates a handicap. Plants in Mexico, Korea, and Spain will hive off production to bolster US inventory to keep the "downsizing empty nesters" who love it, happy. Seeing as the coming competition is falls meaningfully outside the Buick's combination of traits, there's a chance its popular tale can continue.

2016 Buick Envision might be your first Chinese-built crossover

Mon, Jan 11 2016

At the Detroit Auto Show, the new Envision crossover flips the traditional Buick paridigm on its head. We've been hearing for years about strong sales of the Buick brand in China, but now we'll see if North America is ready for a Chinese-built (but, as GM is very quick to point out, American-engineered) CUV. The Envision rides on the latest version of the Delta 2 platform that underpins many GM vehicles. It'll slot between the tiny Encore and the cavernous Enclave, which is a nice sweet spot for volume sales in the hot crossover market. Gas is cheap, and Americans are eating these vehicles up – in a market like this, does it really matter where the Envision was actually screwed together? The powertrain package is surprisingly compelling – perhaps there will be some life to the driving experience. Motivation is provided by a 252-horsepower turbo inline-four and a six-speed auto, and in a first for a Buick crossover, it'll feature the torque-steer fighting HiPer suspension, which splits up steering and suspension duties in a way that'll tidy up the front axle's manners under power. A few other neat tricks make it into the Envision, like active grille shutters to squeeze some extra efficiency out of the CUV, and available park assist. The 2016 Buick Envision goes on sale later this year. Buick Introduces Envision Luxury Crossover DETROIT – The 2016 Envision is an all-new luxury compact crossover with segment-challenging driving dynamics, advanced technology, connectivity and Buick's trademark interior acoustics. It is a global vehicle, designed from the ground up as a Buick luxury compact crossover. It goes on sale in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2016. "The all-new Buick Envision is a modern, confident and responsive luxury compact crossover that combines the brand's core characteristics with great performance features like our HiPer strut suspension," said Duncan Aldred, vice president of Buick.

General Motors Recall List

Wed, Oct 22 2014

It seems General Motors can't go more than a few weeks without issuing a major recall. Since the initial ignition lock recall on February 10, over 25 million vehicles have been recalled for defects. It seems General Motors can't go more than a few weeks without issuing a major recall. Since the initial ignition lock recall on February 10, over 25 million vehicles have been recalled for defects. We used the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall list to compile a snapshot of all the GM vehicles recalled in the last two months. NHTSA also provides a search engine that allows owners to search for recalls on their vehicle. An automotive company must do everything in their power to notify its customers when a recall is issued on a vehicle. If you own any of the following vehicles and you have questions regarding your car, you can contact Chevrolet at 1-866-694-6546, GMC at 1-866-996-9463, Buick at 1-800-521-7300 and Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339. Or check out General Motor's recall site. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or go to www.safercar.gov. Here's a brief summery of the other vehicles currently under recall: July 26 – 414,333 cars affected NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V447000 Models under recall: Certain model year 2011-2012 Buick LaCrosse, Regal and Chevrolet Camaro, as well as certain 2010-2012 Cadillac SRX, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles, equipped with power height adjustable driver and passenger seats. Problem: In the affected vehicles, the bolt that secures the driver's and passenger's power front seat height adjuster may fall out causing the seat to drop suddenly to the lowest vertical position. Consequence: If the driver's seat unexpectedly drops, the distraction and altered seat position may affect the drivers' control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash. Solution: Dealers will replace the height adjuster shoulder bolts, free of charge. July 14 – 16,939 cars affected NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V341000 Models under recall: Certain model year 2011 Cadillac CTS vehicles manufactured October 18, 2010, to June 2, 2011. Problem: In the affected vehicles, vibrations from the drive shaft may cause the vehicle's roll over sensor to command the roof rail air bags to deploy. Consequence: If the roof rail air bags deploy unexpectedly, there is an increased risk of crash and injury to the occupants.