- sedan 108,591
- Valley Center, KS
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- autoshopper.com
- sedan 108,591 white automatic
1997 buick lesabre review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. Rewarding the loyalists. introductionthe buick lesabre is a car with a loyal following. Which is just what its cadre of loyal drivers want. the car has changed a little over the years. Modern notions like front-wheel drive, an electronically controlled v6 engine, and traction control have crept into recent redesigns. Lesabre owners, though, have not been clamoring for more major changes. Quite the contrary. so when buick designers and engineers, ready to redesign the car for 1997, asked lesabre owners what they wanted changed, they did not get a long list of demands. Indeed, they were urged not to mess up a good thing, and they listened. in fact, the most noticeable changes they could point to were the new plastic moldings that keep errant grocery carts from dinging the doors and fenders. New halogen headlights. New end-release seatbelts. Very cautious. no one is complaining, however. The result of the update is familiar, yet sophisticated, reliable and comfortable transportation. A chrome strip running all the way around the car accents the notion that this is well-to-do family transportation. This is a solid car, well assembled, with high quality ratings. One senses it is also a car with few surprises. the overall shape of the lesabre is reminiscent of traditional full-size american family cars. The hood is long, with far less slope than more aerodynamic designs. The cabin is squarish with virtually no rake to the rear roof line. A sizeable portion of the car extends forward from the front wheels and back from the rear wheels. There's not much of chrysler's cab-forward design influence here. but buick did achieve a more contemporary appearance with the flush wraparound headlights and trunk-wide rear lights and reflectors. it comes in two models--the custom and limited. The tachometer and speedometer are placed in a long, narrow space between small gauges for engine temperature, oil pressure, and amperage. in a car designed for mature drivers, we find this unusual. Big, easy-to-read instruments would seem a must. The instrument panel leaves the overall impression that the designers ran out of space for all the things they needed to include. Though the wipers and cruise control switches are conveniently located on the left stalk, the light switches, perched on the front edge of the driver's door, are not. higher up on the dash there's a narrow line of warning lights that extends all the way across the front of the car. This arrangment leads to a few anomalies. For example, when we engaged the cruise control a green repeater light blinked on in front of the passenger seat. buick product designers swear their thinking on this is drawn from the preferences of current lesabre owners, who are not enthusiastic about the trend towards bigger displays, housed under rounded cowlings. However, we note that buick has ignored the owners on this issue in the new park avenue, and hope to see the same changes in the next lesabre redesign. the cabin design imparts a feel of comfort and reassurance. Many armchairs are not as plush and comfortable as the front seats of the lesabre. Fold up the center armrest and three adults can be fairly comfortable in either the front or the back; the car really does hold six, as promised. The luxury car touches extend to the interior with a strip of woodgrain running all along the doors and dash. safety features are up to date as well with dual airbags, standard antilock brakes and daytime running lights. Some small sliding switches on the instrument panel for things like dimming the lights feel less than solid. The mylar chrome switches for the windows and power mirrors on the door blend less than ideally with the otherwise subdued interior. but in general the lesabre's fabrics and components impart a very solid, well-appointed character. driving impressioncomfortable, dependable, quiet transportation is what the lesabre is designed to provide. As a result, the car's handling is only adequate, though the ride is plus. The shifting is nearly unnoticeable. On the freeway, the miles can slip by almost unnoticed. it is far less at home on twisting, secondary roads. Which is the essence of the traditional front-drive sedan. summarybuick has modestly updated the traditional american family sedan without compromising the things its owners most admire. Its one concession to progress is front-wheel drive. The faithful are rewarded not only with what they like, but also with good value. Power Mirrors✔ Tachometer✔ Anti-lock Brakes✔ Power Windows✔ Cruise Control✔ Power Seats✔ Air Conditioning
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