Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Park Avenue ads offer very little information; other than that the car runs smoothly, has passed emissions testing, and has proper paperwork. Let’s see if the price tells us all we need to know.
Consensus in yesterday’s comments 1976 Fiat 131 Abarth Rally Replica is “not wanted.” Honors are never as desired as they are true, and in Fiat’s case, few could have known what it was honoring. The $19,900 asking price proved to be the final nail in the 131’s coffin, resulting in a whopping 92 percent loss for No Dice.
I have a question: what is the best measure of a car’s value? Is it pounds per dollar? Is cash measured by space? Maybe feature set weighed against purchase and running costs?
Here is an interesting consideration: this 2000 Buick Park Avenue Ultra It checks all those boxes. It’s big, it’s powerful, it’s fairly frugal for its size, and it’s a classic sedan packed with luxury features, with a 3,800-pound turbocharged V6 under its spacious hood. What’s not to love?
Buick first introduced the Park Avenue name for the 1975 model year as a trim level on the Electra 225. In 1991, Buick dropped the Electra name altogether, leaving behind a new, custom-designed replacement called Park Avenue. This was the top-of-the-line “Ultra” trim, and as befits its position in the model hierarchy, it featured accessories and gadgets that were literally out of its ass.
Power seats, locks, windows, and transmission make every interaction with the car a simple one-touch affair. It even has a head-up display that displays the speedometer and turn signals on the underside of the windshield. One of the more unusual features of this car is the seatbelts on the front seats. They are adjusted via raised and lowered pads on the outer corners of the backrest, giving the seat a two-headed creature-like appearance.
The Ultra’s own L67 supercharged 3800 V6 engine puts 240 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque to work for the driver. All of this is sent through a four-speed automatic transmission to the front wheels. Independent suspension and ABS disc brakes can be found at each corner, as well as chrome alloys in this car’s body.
These are big FWD sedans and so won’t be turning anyone into a hero on the Gymkhana circuit. However, they make great cruisers and have a pretty benign reputation for reliability and ease of maintenance.
This one has only 105,000 miles and shows some wear considering its modest mileage and years of ownership. Most notable are some minor paint scratches on the bumper edge and a tear in the leather on the driver’s seat. Everything else looks fine, and the rear window even has an old-fashioned cell phone antenna holder still attached to the glass. It’s a throwback.
It’s clear that the person who wrote the ad for this car is a guy, because the description isn’t very detailed. Of course, the basics are there: the car runs smoothly, has passed emissions testing, and has proper paperwork. The final piece of the puzzle is the price, and that’s it—$4,450.
What do you think of this big Buick and its $4,450 price tag? Is it a bargain for a car that looks ready to hit the highway? Or is it just a bargain price to hurt?
You decide!
San Francisco Bay Area, California, Craigslistor go This if the ad disappears.
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