For sale: 1995 Buick Century station wagon—$1,800 SOLD for $1,500

Please e-mail me at for more information.

About the car

This station wagon has been my primary car for six years. I am the second owner—it had 69,000 mi on the odometer when I got it in June 2002.

It is a so-called General Motors "A-body," which also includes the 1982-1996 Chevrolet Celebrity, Pontiac 6000, and the Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera. I have been an A-body fanatic for several years, and it's my opinion that the wagons were the last great American station wagons. I am quite fond of this car, but I need a newer, more refined car in my fleet and I don't have enough parking spaces to keep the wagon. I hope that I can find a good home for it.

The car is well-documented. I have kept fuel and fluid-change logs, and I have all receipts for parts and service over my six years of ownership.

The car is old and I am a private seller, so I am selling it as-is. I will be more than willing to answer any questions that arise after sale.

For payment, I will take cash or check. To protect my liability, I will wait until checks clear before transferring the car, both in title and in person. For that reason, cash might be most convenient.

Location

The car is in Menlo Park, CA 94025.

The quick facts

Photographs

Photographs will open in another tab/window.

Also included

A box of spare parts.
The official GM service manual, if desired.
A spare set of wheels and tires. The tires are winter tires, but they don't have enough tread remaining for true winter use. Use them up over a summer.
A car cover.

Condition

This car is orignally a Wisconsin car; it came to California in October 2006. It is in excellent condition for a 13-year-old “snow belt” car. Even in California, people who see it are impressed with its condition for its age. Below, I disclose all flaws to the best of my ability.

It does have some surface rust visible (see pictures). There was one location where rust ate through a fender well—this was repaired by cutting out the affected area and welding new sheetmetal in. There are two hail dents in the roof. The paint around the windshield has discolored (it was apparently a bad batch of clearcoat I used for touch-up).

The interior is in good condition. The first owner was a smoker, but I meticulously cleaned the interior when I purchased the car. You would not be able to detect by scent that someone had smoked in it. There are some burn marks in the upholstery. The headliner fell in 2006 and I glued a new one up. It is color-matched polyester suede (yes, it's goofy, but it's the only material I could get that was the correct color). Installing headliners is a royal pain, and I didn't do a perfect job. It's pretty good, though.

Mechanically, this car is in excellent condition. I try very hard to keep my cars in tip-top shape. It can be driven anywhere.

For more information about these cars, please check out the Chevy Celebrity Club of America and www.a-body.net.

Modifications to the car

These modifications contribute greatly to the drivability of the car:

• Stiffer springs (CC634/CC667) at all four corners
• Stiff Addco stabilizer bars in the front and the rear
• Custom PCM chip that corrects the performance-crippling OE transmission shift points and corrects for the non-stock tire size.

Other modifications

• 180° thermostat—it is necessary, since the cars have inadequate cooling for extreme heat
• Transmission fluid cooler
• Remote keyless entry—I retrofitted the factory RKE system
• Class II trailer hitch (with wiring)
• Custom painted rally wheels (two sets) with P205/70R14 tires (pictured in row 3, column 4)
• Daytime running lights and quad high-beam headlights
• Dome light override switch (for camping, for example; pictured in row 4, column 5)
• Switches for 3rd seat/cargo area: rear dome light and hatch opener (pictured in row 5, column 4)
• CD player (Sony CDX-1000RF) where the ashtray used to be (pictured in row 4, column 4)
• Rearview mirror with reading lights (pictured in row 4, column 6)
• Dome light fader
• Silblade 100% silicone wiper blades (pictured in row 3, column 2—will probably outlive the car!)

Maintenance status

Brakes: All pads/shoes are new. The rear drums are cleaned and repainted. The front rotors are new. Some recent mountain driving has let to slight warpage, however.
Oil: I always used 4718M-certified synthetic oil with 5000 mi change intervals. The next change is due at 131,670 mi.
Coolant: I last flushed coolant in summer 2005. It is probably due.
Transmission fluid: I changed the ATF and filter two months ago. I used high quality Dexron-VI fluid. The transmission was rebuilt at 106,000 mi.
Battery: The battery was new in summer 2006. It has a lot of life remaining.
Tires: There are two sets of tires. Both have 6/32 inches of tread remaining.
Exhaust: It's a little on the loud side. The intermediate pipe is about two years old; the muffler is about four years old.
Air conditioning: It had a new compressor installed just before I bought it. It works well and hasn't been touched since.
Smog: I haven't done a new smog test yet. Under California law, I must do this before I sell it to another California resident. I am confident that it will pass. This is a 50-state emissions car, by the way.

Build sheet

AJ3 Restraint system, front seat, auto, passive
AM6 Seat—front split, 3 passenger, center arm rest
AQ4 Seat—rear
A20 Window—rear quarter vent swing out
A31 Window—power operated side
B34 Covering—floor mats, front carpeted insert
B35 Covering—floor mats, rear carpeted insert
C49 Defogger—rear window, electric
C51 Deflector—rear window, air
C60 Air conditioner—front, manual controls
C95 Lamp—interior, roof, courtesy and dual reading
DA0 Arm rest—front seat storage
DD2 Mirror—inside, sunshade covered
DL5 Decal—Roadside service information
D35 Mirror—outside, left hand remote control, right hand direct control, painted
D42 Shade—rear compartment security
FE1 Suspension system—soft ride
FE9 Federal emission certification
F79 Ratio—transaxle final drive 2.97
IQC Trim—interior design (AM6)
JM4 Brake system—power, disc/drum, antilock
K34 Cruise control—automatic electric
K68 Generator—105 Amp
L82 Engine—gas, 6 cylinders, 3100, sequential fuel injection
MX0 Transaxle—automatic, provisions, overdrive
M13 Transaxle—automatic 4-speed, Turbo Hydra-matic 4T60-E
NF2 Emission system—federal, tier 1
N32 Steering wheel—2 spokes, deluxe
N40 Power steering—non-variable ratio
OKL Plant code—Oklahoma City, OK, CPC
PC7 Wheel—14x5.5, styled, steel
QFF Tire, all—P185/75R 14N BL R/PE ST TL ALS
UM6 Radio—AM/FM stereo, seek/scan, auto reverse cassette, clock, ETR
UQ1 Radio—provisions for stereo
U2E Instrument cluster—coolant temperature, trip odometer
U66 Speaker system—4, dual front dash mounted, dual extended range package shelf/quarter
U73 Antenna—fixed
VH9 Owner's manual envelope
VK3 License plate—front mounting package
VM3 Consumer information label—contains bumper impact standard
V55 Carrier—luggage, roof, chrome
V73 Vehicle statement—US/Canada
1SK Package—option 10
1SZ Package—option discount
16U Primary exterior color—bright white
30C Trim code
30I Interior trim—medium dark Adriatic blue
6RJ Spring—left front
7RH Spring—right front
8BF Spring—left rear
9BF Spring—right rear