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

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Auto blog

General Motors posts record earnings, but global sales fall

Thu, Apr 21 2016

General Motors started the year with record success. The automaker's $2.7 billion in adjusted earnings before interest and taxes was its highest ever in in the first quarter of 2016, up from $2.1 billion in from the same time period a year earlier. Net income grew to $1.95 billion, which was more than double the $953 million in the same period last year. The company's figures also beat analysts' predictions, according to the Detroit Free Press. Despite the financial growth, global sales actually decreased by 2.5 percent to 2.36 million vehicles. "We're growing where it counts, gaining retail share in the US, outpacing the industry in Europe and capitalizing on robust growth in SUV and luxury segments in China," CEO Mary Barra said in the company's financial announcement. GM did well in North America with an adjusted EBIT of $2.3 billion, up from $2.2 billion last year. Sales in the region also grew 1.2 percent to 800,000 vehicles. According to The Detroit Free Press, the company has been especially successful at selling more expensive models in the US. The company's average vehicle was $34,600 in Q1, about $3,000 more than the industry average. Elsewhere in the world, GM also showed improvement. Europe practically broke even after losing about $200 million last year, and Opel and Vauxhall sales grew 8.4 percent to more than 300,000 vehicles for the quarter. South America only lost $100 million, which was half as much as Q1 2015's $200 million loss. China remained flat at $500 million of income. Cadillac volume jumped 6.1 percent there, and Buick's deliveries increased 22 percent, thanks to the Envision crossover's success. GM Reports First-Quarter Net Income of $2.0 Billion 2016-04-21 EPS diluted of $1.24; First-quarter record EPS diluted-adjusted of $1.26 First-quarter record EBIT-adjusted of $2.7 billion GM Europe posts break-even performance DETROIT – General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) today announced first-quarter net income to common stockholders of $2.0 billion or $1.24 per diluted share, compared to $0.9 billion or $0.56 per diluted share a year ago. Earnings per share diluted-adjusted for special items was a first-quarter record at $1.26, up 47 percent compared to the first quarter of 2015. The company set first-quarter records for earnings and margin, with earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) adjusted of $2.7 billion and EBIT-adjusted margin of 7.1 percent.

Opel Insignia OPC Sports Tourer shows its fresh face ahead of Frankfurt debut

Thu, 22 Aug 2013

Drive down the Autobahn and there's any number of vehicles likely to pass you, and most of them are produced locally. But if you're wondering how that Opel left you in its dust, look closely (and quickly) enough and you might make out the letters OPC on the back.
They stand for Opel Performance Center (the German counterpart to Vauxhall's VXR line) and they adorn performance versions of the Corsa, Astra and Insignia. The latter is undergoing a bit of a refresh and is expected to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in a couple of weeks, but you don't have to wait that long as our intrepid spy photographers have caught it in the flesh outside an Opel facility in Germany.
Spied here completely undisguised in Sports Tourer (read: wagon) form, the Insignia has had a few nips and tucks performed, but we'll be more intrigued to see what it's got under the hood. The current model packs a 2.8-liter twin-turbo V6 driving 325 horsepower to all four wheels, but rumors suggest that the OPC (yeah you know me!) could have as much as 400 hp up its sleeve. That would make this one heck of a sleeper - especially in wagon form - and only make us pine for a more potent version of its twin Buick Regal to roam our highways, too.

GM's MPG overstatement could affect 2 million vehicles

Tue, May 17 2016

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