1987 Buick Riviera

In a couple of days I'll have pictures of the actual car of which I will link to the forum.

How economical is that 3.8L engine, any known problems I should be looking for. I think this would make a nice ride for me, can you just picture me climbing out of this car with my goofy miners hat and long beard.

Truth is I would like to use this car for making house calls for buying scrap gold and silver.

If the Riviera has the same engine I can live with it, as you say matador their a decent engine.

The early 3800 engines manufactured from 1987 to 92 are series 1.

Originally Posted by matador

There were tons of variations on the 3800, but from what I understand, the major components are similar. My 1995 LeSabre is the only experience that I have with the 3800, but it's been a fine engine for me. If the transmission behind it is good (Should be on a lower mileage car like that), you have a solid car.

Out here, though, I paid $700 for my LeSabre with 190k miles on it. That Riviera is easily worth $1000 out here. Heck, almost anything that runs is!

At today’s exchange r ate your $700.00 US buys you $1000.00 Canadian.

Originally Posted by matador

I'm not in Canada, though

Still, a $700 car that runs at has lasted 40k miles with only a transmission (And that wasn't too expensive)- not too bad! Out here, car prices are pretty high.

With the value of your American dollar now would be a great time to visit your neighbours to the north of you.


When I was looking to replace that Kia with a used truck I could not find one, what I heard from a car dealer in Penticton every used 4x4 they get in trade flippers from the USA are buying them up to resell.

Years ago when pre-owned Toyota 4x4's were a hot item, when one was heading back across the border the buyer would remove the box then mount it upside down with the wiring on the tail lights reversed. Had something to do with customs, I think customs qualified the truck as incomplete saving the buyer on duty entering the USA.

If you have working capital now would be the time to put it to work, every American dollar you have is worth an extra $0.30 Canadian.

if you have to pay our HST tax you can apply for a refund from revenue Canada once your purchase has arrived south of the border.

I had a buddy that used to bring classic cars back into Canada, It took years to learn why his wife divorced him I was curious after meeting her on occasion as she was a very smart woman being quite the opposite of what he ended up with to which one would assume to have crawled out from the gutter.

He had purchased a 1956 canary yellow Thunderbird from the USA giving this to his wife as a present, Crossing the border put Canadian plated on the car by passing the duty owed on the car to which the Canadian revenue agency finally caught onto seizing the car they lost their house and marriage over that car.

If your going to export / import do it legally.

I once bought a Mitsubishi Pajero diesel a Gray market vehicle from Japan the most important thing to know is that the window glass is marked with the appropriate DOT safety code for your county. Fortunately the Japanese mark their glass with safety codes not only for Japan but also for Canada and the UK.

The numbers are laser etched into the glass.

A local guy to my home in Manitoba is an owner operator of a school bus which was manufactured north America but for some reason the side windows no longer met the safety code, when I spotted a bus that I had sitting in my yard that I no longer needed or used he purchased all the glass.

So it becomes necessary to keep up to date even on vehicles manufactured at home we never know when the rules are going to change.