1970 Buick Riviera

Coupe

455

Automatic

494870H919495

Clear

Gasoline

I am listing this 1970 Riviera for my mother. It is a low mileage car that has it's original engine and transmission. Maintenance was performed by a local repair shop and there are invoices for all sorts of repairs and routine maintenance since the 90's. I recently replaced the water pump, all radiator and heater hoses, heater valve and the timing chain cover gasket(it had an oil leak at the front of the engine). The car drives nicely and brakes well. The engine runs great and provides ample power to the transmission which shifts as it should. The tires are older, but with most of the tread left and no sign of abnormal wear. The Riviera has been regularly garaged since it was new and has only been outdoors for a couple of months since 1970. The vinyl top is original and still in nice condition with no signs of rust underneath. The upholstery is in great original condition. A small section of piping is worn on the driver's seat(pictured) and the package tray below the rear window has a crack(pictured). All of the lights work, the power seat works well, the power windows work well and the AC works. We checked the AC on a cold day, so it was hard to tell how well it worked, but the compressor kicks on and the air gets colder. The body has a few dings: the right front fender(pictured) above the side marker light and on the hood(pictured) from an earthquake related accident. There are a lot of paint chips along the passenger side from my mother's other car door. It was involved in one accident that I know of, a rear end collision that appears to have been limited to the right rear fender. It was repainted once, at the time of the accident repair, to the original color. There is no apparent rust under the paint. There are a few things wrong with the car: the gas gauge doesn't work, the stock fuel pump doesn't work(an external electric pump feeds the engine now), the right rear passenger window can't be raised or lowered from the driver's door switch, the clock doesn't work, the rear mufflers need to be replaced, the pictured vinyl floor mats look great but have become brittle with age, the rear bumper needs to be rechromed. The paint is good for a nearly 40 year old respray, but it's not perfect and I did find a few defects upon close examination. I did not take pictures of the underside of the car or even crawl under the car to look for signs of corrosion. Since it has never been in the snow and has been exposed to more water from car washes than rain, I didn't think it was necessary. The history of the car is that it was purchased new in Covina, California off the showroom floor in January 1970 by my mother's aunt. It was bequeathed to my mother in about 1975 and she has owned it since then. The bulk of the miles were put on by my mother's aunt and it has only been driven about 20,000 miles since 1975 with less than 300 miles since 2002. It has been registered in California continuously since it was new. This Riviera could be driven as is and it does draw a lot of appreciative attention. I think it's the perfect candidate for a minor restoration. It's so hard to find a 43 year old car that is in such great original condition, without rust or modification. Feel free to ask questions and arrange to inspect the car if you want. I have set a low reserve price. Good luck bidding.