looking at park avenues , wondering best years and what too look out for.

[00xjclassic]

I have drove a jeep cherokee since i was 16 and always loved them.. but with gas hitting high notes and jeeps rusting out worse then ever, i want to get something more fuel efficient with a little luxury. My sister had a Buick park ave back in the day, not sure on the year maybe 1996? she loved it and never had any problems. I am however looking at 1997-2001 or around there "newer body style".. right now I am looking at a 2000 park ave - 140k, new trans , water pump, brakes, intake and valve cover gaskets.. seller wants $3400.00. that seems like a reasonable price ? If i go and look at the car what do i need to look out for ? what is considered over heating, where should the temp gauge be, half way? i am just trying to get as much info as possible on what to look out for when looking at this rig.. also what is the best year for park ave 1997-2001? I really appreciate any help, GLEN

 

[00xjclassic]

*** I am also trying to stay away from the ultra model park ave..

 

[DetroitParkAve]

I always considered the 91-94 model years the best because they had the series one 3800 that doesn't have that plastic intake problem, also the best looking in my opinion. I see that you are looking for a 97-05, in that case, look out for coolant in the oil indicating a bad intake manifold. Also if you live in a state where rust is an issue check out the rear engine cradle mounts, these tend to rust out over the years and they are not cheap to repair (usually) also check for rough shifting in the transmission and if the air ride system is working properly,

 

[WaveRunner]

Also check headliner cloth...some start to fall down due to the glue they used begins to deteoriate after awhile. There are kits available to replace for around $90 pluse $25 for glue from 3M. Check all switches in door panels...imcluding seats--up back etc. Not all will work... they were made cheap and wear out fast. As posted above the air shocks tend to have problems with the compressor and relieve/discharge valve located on compressor. Rocker panels tend to rust as bottom of doors.

I have 91 PA with 128,000 that I am considering selling this fall. Has metal plennum on intake. Burns no oil. Tranny good...may need fuel regulator ? A good ride with 27+ mph highway. HVAC in great shape. I am now a single household and need my truck more for work--which I will upgrade after selling PA . Let me know if interested. 😀

 

[Cadillac_AL]

Your biggest concern will be rust in your area. Check the rockers and the front body mounts/K member mounts. Most likely any older vehicle you buy will need brake lines replaced due to rust. If you could buy from elderly people, chances are they could pick their days to drive and didn't drive on heavy calcium days. People of working age HAVE to drive in the calcium every day. I like the 91-96 style but as far as 97 and up I think the differences would be minimal.

 

[00xjclassic]

Thanks a LOT for the help guys, I really appreciate it. Im heading to chicago in the a week or so and will have time to rome around and look at some park avenues.I will make sure to check over everything you guys stated, thanks again for the help, GLEN.

 

[84ZZ4]

Take this as coming from someone who's relative new to the PA game, but from seeing quite a few in junkyards and owning two, here's what I've seen:

1) The intake manifold is not an issue on '97-'05 Ultras. The upper manifold is the supercharger. Nothing is plastic. It is an issue on the base model, though at some point GM redesigned the intake to make it happen less often. These are for the Series II motors only; I know nothing about the Series I.

2) Lots of parts seem to be unique to 1997-1999, and are discontinued (though are easier to find in the yards than later models out here in NC/VA). In particular, one I noticed was the switch bezels for the power seat. Not only is every 1997-1999 in the yard broken, the parts are discontinued for those years (but oddly, not for 2001).

3) A big one for me is the motor mount system on the '98. It has a mount directly in front of the water pump which makes working on the engine terrible (and requires lowering the engine to change the belts). I did a water pump replacement on this car, and it was a whole lot of no fun. I don't know when this changed, but my '01 ultra does not have this mount style.

Personally, I recommend the '01-'05 models, if you're looking in the '97-'05 range. The Ultras I've seen / driven don't seem to be any more prone to problems than the base models, so unless you're specifically trying to avoid having to feed them premium, there's no reason not to consider one. One thing to consider: When I was looking for a replacement for my '98, a similarly equipped base model commanded a significant price premium over an Ultra, which does buy quite a bit of hi-test gasoline.

 

[jlkwiththree]

I recommend a Toyota Avalon. Having had this 01 PA for 2 years now has turned me into a fan of anything other than a Park Avenue. My advise (and I buy and work on lots of cars) stay away.....

 

[rafadavidc]

I recommend a Toyota Avalon. Having had this 01 PA for 2 years now has turned me into a fan of anything other than a Park Avenue. My advise (and I buy and work on lots of cars) stay away.....

Avalons are great cars, and bonus for being Toyotas. Sorry about your TWELVE YEAR OLD apparent lemon Park Ave, though. You shouldn't be giving broad advice on its basis, though. These are great cars, too, even when they get old, as long as you take care of them.

 

[pila80]

Just as a reference, I bought a '93 PAU last July with 85 K miles. Big issue with it within a few weeks was the rear K frame mounts. Had to weld some washer type plates on the 4 rear mount areas on the K frame, and put new mounts, bolts etc in there. Weird part is that the only other rust ( Michigan cancer ) is in the right side rocker panel, under the plastic trim piece, and the brake lines in the rear were previously replaced. Rust is the issue around here usually....

 

[DetroitParkAve]

Good to hear you were able to fix that, I can't tell you how many times I've been told that when that rusts out it's unfixable.

 

[G-272221]

I always considered the 91-94 model years the best because they had the series one 3800 that doesn't have that plastic intake problem, also the best looking in my opinion. I see that you are looking for a 97-05, in that case, look out for coolant in the oil indicating a bad intake manifold. Also if you live in a state where rust is an issue check out the rear engine cradle mounts, these tend to rust out over the years and they are not cheap to repair (usually) also check for rough shifting in the transmission and if the air ride system is working properly,

Understandable.Though it’s very cheap to replace the plastics turtle plenum gasket coolant shell.Rare when it ever blows a head gasket.The whor tube melts the plastic causing problems in a huge vacuum leak.Expensive to get an intake though super easy to replace.Another problem is the coolant pipes made of plastic.The leaks come when the o rings fail & I just upgrade to the metal ones and that problem is obsolete.There’s no best problem free engine.Though these maybe the closer you can get for the money.The other parts like the egr valve two bolts and it’s down,thermostat done in 2 minutes,alternator easy to replace,water pump,50 bucks.I can go on and on though the from the og to the series 3.You can’t go wrong with these gm engines.Best of the best.