I’m retired from the company that made the aluminum housing of the supercharger for Eaton those were good days

We should all be thankful to Steve doing these great episodes.

I had a 2002 Pontiac Bonneville SSEI with all the bolt on parts available, made over 300 hp to the wheels fun car.

"Real Estate Lady Car" - I almost spit out my coffee with that one! Hahaha 🤣

Rivieras always had beautiful styling. I’ve owned an 86 Grand National and a 98 Regal GS with the supercharged 3.8. Some basic suspension and engine mods made the Regal GS my favorite car of all to drive regularly, even though I also owned a GMC Typhoon and a 93 Ford Taurus SHO at one time.

we had those 3.8 v6's in our commodores (rwd) here in aus from 1988-2003

When I was a young hanging out at coffee shops there was a guy that had one of these with go fast stickers all over it and a hood scoop. He was a character. Those cars ripped. Thanks for the blast from the past!

the 3.8L gm v6 is legendary. that is coming from a ford fanatic!

Aluminum hood so the gas cylinders will last for 35 years.

Had a 98' Regal GS supercharged, it took many Mustangs! It hit governor at full boost like hitting a wall! That car later saved my life in a horrible accident was a great car .

I love the Buick/Bruick Rivera! I had an, 82 diesel model, that had been converted back to Gas, with a 403 4bbl! What a wonderful car! It was like driving around in a big pillow! Some of my favorites were the, 71-73 models! But I love all of them! They were some serious land yachts!

I have a '98 Grand Prix GTP with the 3.8L supercharged, still runs and drives great. The first 3.8 supercharged I ever saw was in a Buick Park Ave. And my Father had this same Riviera back in the '90's . It was a fun car to drive then. Just as my Pontiac is today.

Another great profile from the Junkyard Crawl. I had a white 1996 Supercharged Riviera years ago. Cool car and one of the more unique designs of the 1990's. Fond memories and thanks for always having the brochures and magazine articles as a part of your daily profiles. LOL, no models of these as far as I'm aware of.

Buddy of mine owned one of these. It was about 7 years old when he acquired it but it was a pretty quick car. Remember him coming off the bridge to MD and he had to merge. He 'stomped' on it and we were doing 90mph in a very short time !

I remember about 15 years ago seeing a couple of those supercharged 3800s showing up at Maple Grove Dragway. Only they where swaped into Pontiac Fieros. Clicking off 12.70's all day long.

I owned a 2001 Park Avenue Ultra and I have to say that I LOVED that car. Every possible option and the same Series II 3800 supercharged engine and it was fun to drive. Absolutely roasted the front tires from a standing start with the traction control off. Luxurious with a little bit of power is always a good combination.

hahaha look at the styling on that car! I want one!

So sad to see this car rotting Steve. I own not only a 16,000 mile all stock and original Grand National, I also own a minty 99 Riviera Diamond White with the Shale interior, 81k miles, all options. Garage kept it's whole life. Almost still like new. Also own a 65 Riviera which is in the middle of a frame off restoration at the moment.

We're all pulling for you Steve. Hope to see you soon

i always loved the late 90s Riviera... unique styling and real nice car.... these, along with the Mark VIII, Lexus SC and Eldorado were my favorite in the late 90s. Long live coupes.

Only problem with that roof,if the backglass had to be replaced,that fiberglass roof had to be removed! Nightmare!

Had a '98 Regal with the Supercharged 3800. One of the best engines GM has ever produced! Awesome power and good gas mileage.

The Riviera’s were always a very classy automobile. The styling of the nineties though were a little bland, but still nice to look at. I remember when my sister got married back in 1983, she married a man who’s Dad owned a Buick dealership. For their get away vehicle they had a white Riviera convertible. Very cool and classy. Neat video Steve. Hope someone will save this junkyard Riv.

You simply cannot beat those '90s Buicks! I drive a 1996 lesabre and my drives a 1999 Bonneville. Both are clean cars and super comfy. Gotta love the 3.8.

I have owned two of these. They are extremely reliable, handle great, and are very peppy. Also as soft as a caddy...almost. Very well built!

I had a 2005 Gran Prix with that supercharged 3.8. It supposedly mad it’s most horse power on premium fuel. Since it was a company car, I had to have a really good excuse for fueling it with premium. It ran good regardless. So I can appreciate that Riviera.

I have a 1980 Buick Riviera S-type 5.7 V8 in Europe.

Morning Steve.... owned an o4 grand prix with that powertrain, pulley change and a tuning chip and it was a real rocket ,ran in the low 14s in street class at the strip. Not bad.

I worked at a Buick/GMC dealer bodyshop when they were around. We had one come in with a hard hit on the passenger side. The inter structure of the reveal (opening for door etc) was a one piece boxed unit, which provided rigidity and strength. There's no place to cut and seam it, as that would compromise the structural integrity. The technician had to gut the entire side of the car to replace that structure, even the rocker panel is part of the structure. I remember the insurance adjuster had to come back out and write a supplement that was almost as much as the original estimate. I was the refinish tech, what an extensive cut in (painting the inside area) that was! Although not damaged, the roof also had to be painted, as that structure was welded to the roof inter structure.

I've owned a 98 Rivi for 21 years now. I love it

It's pretty common knowledge that the Grand National horsepower ratings were highly underrated. In real life they were pushing close to 300hp.

The Riviera R within the oval started in 1964. '63 taillights had the Buick shields in them. The '64's have the R within the oval.

Most bizarre thing about these is that they developed coolant leaks from the alternator brackets . my son had this engine in an Impala SS and my brothers wife in a Grand Prix but the regular 3800s have the same issue . Coolant passes thru the alternator mounting bracket to the engine and the plastic spools inside degrade allowing coolant to weep thru where you cant see it leaking . Dorman makes steel replacements . many of these cars ended up being junked because no one checked the coolant and overheated . The milkshake oil wiped out the internals and new engines in a rusty car made no sense

That and the Olds Aurora V8 of the same year were AWESOME sleepers!

Same output as the later Australia Holden Commodore with the supercharger. Fortunately it was rear wheel drive and I believe was also available with a five speed manual option, but then if you wanted performance their was the V8...

The L67 is a great engine. Bolt on a few aftermarket performance parts and a get tune and that engine will really wake up. I own a 2000 Grand Prix GTP.

Steve Mags magnet!!

It's astounded the number of beautiful cars of this vintage that gather dust, obviously haven't been driven in a very long while, that reside in condo complex parking garages. Obviously belonging to seniors, or condo owners in abstention, there are times when I want to wash the Rivera parked close to my car just so I can enjoy it's beauty.

We have owned a 1997 supercharged Riviera for 22 years Steve told us so many interesting things about our own car .Your are an amazing man .Wish You Well .God Bless!

I was a Buick Drivability Tech when these cars were new. With an easy "upgraded" chip install, these cars (3800 Supercharged Riviera, LeSabre & Park Ave) had real "seat of the pants" acceleration you could feel immediately (no turbo lag).

Steve You would not believe ,I mounted 1 of those super chargers to the side of a 4.3 Making 11 pounds of boost, I still have the super charger on the shelf, what was the boost on those cars, I don't remember. Buick made some nice car. Nothing bad to say about them. Great video Steve

Steve's automotive knowledge is truly legendary. He is a walking, talking automotive encyclopedia. 👍👌

Man I remember just like it was yesterday seeing those beauty’s on the road! Now rotting away to the elements. Boy how times fly!! And I said beauty because that was probably one of the most beautiful Buick from the 90s. Great video Steve!

Holy crap, it's a sideways commodore engine. Had a couple of these in my VN commodores. Ripper with a manual

Front wheel drive is what made those suck.

Oh I remember those cars ,and that supercharged engine, thumbs up, great video

You talk about having more tq causing tq steer, and it’s no joke. A little later the Grand Prix gxp with the transverse mounted 5.3 v8 wanted to change lanes under heavy acceleration.

My red 98 Riv with 360k on the clock is still my daily driver. It has a blower pulley, ported heads, manifold & blower, Caddy throttle body, injectors headers & a speed limit delete & still does 28mpg. We tested the parachute system for my Bonneville streamliner with it by shooting them out through the sun roof.🤓

This was about the time that Buick tried to make the AARP crowd "hip" and "modern". No VIN, can't win, but easy to figure out, no doubt: 1G4 for US made Buick, GD for Riviera, 2 for two door coupe, 2 for active seat belts with dual air bags, 1 for 3.8L V6 with supercharger, then a random check digit, W for the 1998 model year, 4 for Lake Orion Assembly, Lake Orion, MI, and the rest is the production sequence. The Lake Orion plant opened in late 1983 to assemble 1985 GM luxury cars and still operates today. Both my Pontiac G6 convertible and Chevrolet Sonic were assembled there. No SPID, wish you did, but possible code 16 Bright White exterior paint, or possible code 78 Bright White Diamond exterior paint, among other codes. The transmission is a 4T65E-HD four speed automatic overdrive. The last 200 of the 1999 cars (total production was only 1,956 units) were called "Silver Arrow" editions and had special silver paint and trim treatments, a homage to show cars of the same name. Yes, the 1977-1978 Riviera models were on the "B" body platform and were essentially stop gap models until the 1979 "E" body front wheel drive cars came out. The 1979-1985 Buick Riviera shares designs with the Cadillac Eldorado and Oldsmobile Toronado and some design work on the 1980-1985 Sevilles which were "K" body cars. All 1979-1985 E body cars and 1980-1985 K body cars were assembled in Linden, NJ, which closed in 2005 after last making the S and T Series trucks.

Good ol supercharge riv, where you gotta pull the engine mount to do a belt change, and need E sockets to remove the fenders, gotta love it!

I owned a 3.8 Bonneville with just the fuel injection. I miss that car every day. Fast, comfortable, reliable, I'll add this Riviera to my wish list.

Blast from the past! I had both a 1970 and a 1997 Riv like this one here. The supercharged motor was great--calm and quiet and the power & drivability of a V8. But mine made constant maintenance demands. But lovely looking and a great highway car.

3800 Series II and III is my absolute favorite American V6 - Series 2 engine with a Series 3 aluminum intake is probably one of the strongest NA V6 platforms there ever was for hot rodding, right out of the box. And if you really knew what you were doing you could boost the living shit out of one without the stronger lower compression ssei bottom end, but the latter really took it to the next level as a Grand National killer - all on factory ling block parts

I have a 1995 Riviera, supercharger. Love it

I took my driver's license exam in my mom's '95 supercharged Buick Riviera. Fantastic sports-luxury car! 225hp and it really kicked you back into the seats when that supercharger started to whine! 😘 Also that antenna was power retracting.

Good Morning Gents ! 🇺🇸

Good stuff Steve. I always enjoy watching the things you do. Keep up the good work.

I've owned a few 3.8's,and still have a 97 lesabre going on 13 years plus. It's my daily driver with 212K. These cars have a bullet proof drive train and run perfect. Only problem is keeping the rot away in the salt state of MA. My grand total price was $625.00 back in 2010.

I still miss my old '72 Riviera with the 455 4 barrel. That puppy could fly!

The Riviera was such a well designed modern classic car. I remember driving my old girlfriend’s mom’s car in the ‘96. Boy that car was super fast.

I went to see these when they came out at the dealers. Tire kicking. I liked the look. I don’t think they had super charged at first. But it was front wheel drive. Still decent car

The best 2 cars I've ever owned were The Rivieras ... 1995 & 1998 both had the supercharger.

i always see these still floatin around even today!!... which tells how reliable they were and still are.

I'm surprised Steve didn't make more of a fuss about the styling which, as I recall, was regarded as fairly radical (along with it's Aurora cousin) for '96.

Id like to get my hands on a 2000s park ave ultra. Super charged

My 69 and 98 Riviera BOTH can close the trunk with ZERO interference with anything in the trunk. My Avalon has hinges the size of hula hoops!

I always loved the 90s Rivieras. That supercharged 3.8 is a lot peppier than people give it credit. They get a bad rap because they're fwd and pretty heavy. 3.8s are legendary for being bulletproof.

Hi Steve great video on this last of the Rivieras. As a fan of luxury cars I can't say anything negative about this ride. Well maybe that padded pimp-moblie top 🤣. It just takes away from the Bright White Diamond paint in my opinion. I've never had the opportunity to drive the later supercharged Riviera but have driven a few Pontiac GTP's and some Impala SS's that were supercharged and they did a pretty good job of setting you back in the seat. Getting from 0 to 100mph isn't very hard to do in these rides. My old GMC K2500 Suburban has that same compass and auto dimming mirror. No OnStar. Love my (factory) big block suburbans! Well, tonight in Charlotte, Dead&Co will be playing their farewell tour. Of course, I'm here, and on Thursday, they play Raleigh and on into VA we GO! My last show seeing the remaining Dead will be in Burgettstown, PA, on the 5th of June. What a Long Strange Trip It's Been. I have a few "miracle" tickets for each show if anyone needs one. 😇 Well, the skies have cleared up, and I think it's gonna be a outstanding show tonight. Parking lot opens at 2pm and I'll be in line waiting at 1. 😂 Have a blessed day everyone and I'll see you at the show! Love the shirt Steve. Namaste 🙏🏼

Mr. B. Here ! Good morning Mag ! ☕️☕️🍩 Many of you guys may enjoy the style not a fan , 1963 to 1965 I think GM hit it out of the park . Have a good day guys .👍👍👍

One of the Best V6 engines ever. I bumped mine up to 400whp and it handles the power so well

I really like and appreciate these videos. Thanks, Steve.

Exquinencial bar of soap design.

That was a beautiful edition of the Riviera.

I loved the Rivieras when I worked the service station in college. Thanks for the memory trip..

Morning

Ever see a pink Mary K car in the yard?

I loved that era of Riviera.

Probably the best time-travelling roundup

Yeah. Sure. They're kinda cool. I'll take a '65 Gran Sport with the 425 big block. Yeah, I know. Rarer than an honest politician, but a guy can dream. 😊

New T-shirt

My father bought 1974 Buick Electra 225 for my Mother and when he sold it in 1998 it had 473,961 miles on the original engine ( got a valve job at 290,000 miles ) and when the second owner drove it off it ran like a top . It was basically a Cadillac with a 455 ci Buick engine . I loved that car it was one SWEET RIDE !

This is my first watch and this is format is amazing! Thanks for the tour!

What happened with the fire last week with the fire in the Hubbardston yard?

I liked the unconventional styling of this generation of Riviera. Such a departure in looks and size from the little E-body of before. A pulley kit could make them even a little extra spicy. The 2007 Rivy concept car was a pretty striking design exercise that influenced Buick styling for a decade. Woulda been nice to see that given a go.

Excellent Steve !!

What a beautiful model, a masterpiece respectively. I saw few examples on the road in Europe. Thanks for creating this episode. Very respectful narrative about this lovely Riviera.

Oddly enough, GM detuned that 3.8 SC in the Rivs and Park Avenues as well as the shift points in the transaxle, which made them feel slow and not much different than the base 3.8 vin K motor. However, in the Pontiacs, they seemed to run like mad with crazy midrange torque that would make the front end feel mighty light under a full head of steam. I recall many of the SC's front bearings failing because they were sealed and not fed engine oil.

Pretty sad that it got into that condition given all the money that was paid for it. The paint is in terrible condition, worse than many cars that are 20 years older than it

Great episode, man you're awesome for doing this

You know in retrospect this was a good looking car. I know this particular example had a vinyl top based on the roof but the black roof over the white body actually is pretty stylish.

Good morning from Canada. 👍👍🇨🇦

😊

Love all your videos bro !!

WE ALL LOVE YOU STEVE! GET WELL SOON!!!!

One of, if not the last full size domestic 2 door cars. Despite their FWD underpinnings, these last Rivieras were a fitting continuation and in my opinion, still worthy of the nameplate. Unfortunately if GM were to bring back the name nowadays, they'd just ruin it by making it a bland, soulless EV and/or crossover. 🙄

~

Amazing knowledge and appreciation for overlooked cars.

Thanks Steve

Those supercharged 3800s had torque steer for days.

I had the pleasure of driving one of those at 17. Wanted one ever since, the SC400 was nice as well and maybe an NSX. Nothing gets me excited anymore.