Pick of the Day: 1992 Buick Riviera
In 1992, Buick used the tagline, “The new symbol for quality in America.” From the compact Skylark to the flagship Park Avenue, Buick promoted each model for its value and luxury. One of the cars in the lineup was a distinctive coupe called the Riviera. The Pick of the Day is a nice example—it’s a 1992 Riviera listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Mission, Kansas.
“Beautiful Riviera in like-new condition,” the listing begins. The odometer shows just 58,003 miles, and the car looks well preserved for being almost 34 years old. Exterior features include two-tone paint, a hood ornament, a chrome waterfall-style grille, a sloping tail end, wire wheel covers, and whitewall tires.
From 1963 through 1978, the Riviera was rear-wheel-drive, but beginning in 1979, the car adopted the General Motors E-body platform and became front-wheel-drive. The media liked the car—in fact, Motor Trend named the 1979 Riviera its “Car of the Year.” Fast forwarding to 1986, the E-body coupes were revised (and downsized) once more. That generation—the Riviera’s 7th—would remain in production until 1993. (The “Riv” had just one more iteration and was discontinued entirely after 1999).
True to its luxury intentions, the Riviera’s cabin boasted a lot of innovation for its time; some models even had an advanced CRT touchscreen, known as the Graphic Control Center (GCC). It was was futuristic for the time, a predecessor of today’s modern infotainment systems. My friend Jason’s Buick Reatta—one of the cars in our caravan to RADwood 2025 in Los Angeles—had a similar setup.
One of the Buick full-line brochures from 1992 said, “By now you know the 1992 Riviera is a head-turner. Its sleek exterior is complemented by a luxurious interior that features amenities like a six-way power seat and automatic climate control as standard.” Buick also promoted that the car’s body used two-sided, rust-resistant steel panels that were galvanized with zinc inside and out, ensuring “lasting value.”
Under the hood of this low-mileage Riviera is a “3800” 3.8-liter V6 with Tuned Port Injection, rated at 170 horsepower. The seller says that the air conditioning compressor was replaced and uses R-143 refrigerant. The tires, though seven years old, reportedly have good tread remaining. “Great driving car,” summarizes the listing.
The original retail price of a 1992 Riviera was over $27,000—a strong sum for its time. The asking price for this low-mileage, original example is just $12,000 or best offer.
Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com
