1972 Buick Electra 225

[RebelKnightCSA]

My dad had one of these that he inherited from his grandma a long time ago. He said he hated it, as it was too long to park and handled like an army tank.

Does anyone else remember cars from that era, and would you buy a car like that today? I want to get one and register it as an Antique, but wont do it if theyre no good.

[Eric]

My dad had one of these that he inherited from his grandma a long time ago. He said he hated it, as it was too long to park and handled like an army tank.

Does anyone else remember cars from that era, and would you buy a car like that today? I want to get one and register it as an Antique, but wont do it if theyre no good.

I grew up with these cars and love 'em!

The 225 is a full-size GM battleship - same basic car as the Olds 98 and Caddy Sedan de Ville. A '72 should have the 455 Buick V-8 and THM400 automatic, as well as power windows, locks and three-across bench seats.

The Ups:

Great style; no new car has he presence these cars have;
Super roomy/comfortable; six adults can ride;
Easy to work on; no computers, simple as it gets;
Parts abundant and inexpensive; huge aftermarket support exists;
Smooth ride; nothing like it.
Still very affordable; you can buy a cherry '70s-era large sedan for less than $10k.
Good investment, probably; values have nowhere to go but up.

The Downs:

These are huge vehicles; most people younger than 40 have no clue. Some push 20 feet long. They will eat up even a large garage (and may not fit in a garage built since the '90s, which assumes modern - smaller - vehicles. (Last summer, I looked at and almost bought a '75 Caddy Fleetwood d'elegance. But I held off because the thing was so huge it would literally have just barely fit in the garage, leaving almost no space even to walk by it. )

They can be intimidating to drive/park.

Massive gas guzzlers. Mid-high teens is typical. Most have 22-25 gallon tanks, like a current full-size SUV. So cost about $60 to fill up. Many need premium unleaded.

By modern standards, brakes are atrocious; these things corner like Winnebagos.

Rust-prone bodies; if it gets wet routinely or is ever driven in winter, rust will be an issue.

Requires more frequent minor "fiddling" - with the carb/ignition especially - to stay in good running tune. It's no big deal if you can do this yourself but is a hassle if you can't.

[Mase]

[Mase]

[Eric]

Magnificent!

I can still recall like it was yesterday the emerald green crushed velour interior of my parents' '74 98 Regency....

[grouch]

For an occasional driver, they aren't too bad. I'd hate to drive one every day and fill it up regularly. I had a 1977 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham for many years. It was a tad over 20 feet long but after I rebuilt the engine, it would lay down twin stripes of rubber. That was the car I almost lost my license in. I was clocked at 124 in a 55. Hint; if a friend who is a lawyer needs a favor, do it.

[Eric]

For an occasional driver, they aren't too bad. I'd hate to drive one every day and fill it up regularly. I had a 1977 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham for many years. It was a tad over 20 feet long but after I rebuilt the engine, it would lay down twin stripes of rubber. That was the car I almost lost my license in. I was clocked at 124 in a 55. Hint; if a friend who is a lawyer needs a favor, do it.

Yeah; the biggest issues (aside from the cost feeding one) is how unwieldy they are to drive in today's world. I got a refresher course last summer when I test-drove the '75 Caddy I was thinking about buying. A car that big feels a lot like a battleship must in a small harbor, surrounded by dingies and tugboats.

The world has changed: Parking spots are sized to fit today's smaller/narrower cars; there are many more vehicles on the road, too, which adds to the sense of claustrophobia when you're driving a car that is literally twice as long as a Corolla.

I still love 'em, though - and one of these days, I hope to own one again.

[dieseleverything]

And with a car like that you're very well protected in a minor collision, more so than today's plastic-bumpered shit. In a major crash however a car of that era may not hold up to today's cars. They held up half decent back then though.
Note to self: never drive a Vega or Pinto.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bESXIHhTC90

[Mase]

Yeah; the biggest issues (aside from the cost feeding one) is how unwieldy they are to drive in today's world. I got a refresher course last summer when I test-drove the '75 Caddy I was thinking about buying. A car that big feels a lot like a battleship must in a small harbor, surrounded by dingies and tugboats.

The world has changed: Parking spots are sized to fit today's smaller/narrower cars; there are many more vehicles on the road, too, which adds to the sense of claustrophobia when you're driving a car that is literally twice as long as a Corolla.

I still love 'em, though - and one of these days, I hope to own one again.

Yeah, I know about cars from that era. I had a 1977 Caddy DeVille, and my Dad had a '74 Fleetwood. The '77 was actually a down-sized model compared to the '74. That Fleetwood was a huge boat of a car. I remember driving it on winding hilly roads between Escondido and Ramona California. It did not handle nearly as well as my 1979 Toyota Corona that I had at the same time.

The Fleetwood also had real leather seats, all over, not just in the "seating area." Even the backs of the front seat were leather, as well as the door panel inserts. Lots of cows died for those seats.

[swamprat]

Yeah. There are about 3 times as many cars on the road as there were in the middle 1970's. It sucks.

Everywhere you turn there is some schmuck in the damned way.

[Adam]

I remember back in the day sitting in old man's Clocks car with my buddies and going to the Chicago Bulls games in his 72 Electra. The old man wore one of those felt hats and rarely spoke a word. There would be like five of us kids in the car and plenty of room. Yeah those were good days,one time I asked Mr C if I could but some Deep Purple in his 8 track player. He said no jungle music and that was that.

[J. ZIMM]

Yep, those cars were easier to work on, if you were five foot, 29 and a half inches tall. That engine was a long way in there. especially if you had to replace the points and condenser, or do any work in the middle of the engine. Doors only weighed half a ton, took a small crane to get the hood off. But they were the best love boat on the road.

[Adam]

Yes Sir Mr. Z;

My Mom had a '74 LeSabre that I did my schooling on. Man if that ride could tell stories,the stuff I did as a kid was too crazy for words and I won't mention them here but beer and sex are two of the words if that car could talk would remember. That Honey could crank too to the tune of 120 plus mph. Felt right at home on the Dan Ryan terrorizing the locals. I was a beast from the east. Those cars were the real deal not these peanut shells we drive today. Yup I better stop myself but yes Sir I had fun.

[Eric]

Yep, those cars were easier to work on, if you were five foot, 29 and a half inches tall. That engine was a long way in there. especially if you had to replace the points and condenser, or do any work in the middle of the engine. Doors only weighed half a ton, took a small crane to get the hood off. But they were the best love boat on the road.

The main obstacle with those cars was all the smog stuff just spaghetti'd everywhere. Modern engine compartments are much more organized, although the packaging itself is often really tight.

[J. ZIMM]

The main obstacle with those cars was all the smog stuff just spaghetti'd everywhere. Modern engine compartments are much more organized, although the packaging itself is often really tight.

I agree. But they were not to bad untill 1974-5 and later. When they started doing all that pollution crap. Before that, they were de-tuning cars to get ready for the low emissions to pass Government Mandates. When the unleaded gas hit the market, Manufactures really went nuts trying to get cars down to the standards set forth. Yep, they went amuck with the vacuum hoses. With no diagrams that were worth a damn to work with, and you can forget about under the hood help. Back in those days, it seemed like every other week you would get a Service Up-date to Help you solve a Drive Ability problem. No power, no milage, stepping on the gas pedal was like stepping on a Grape. An EGR Valve that had us all shaking our heads. Yep, those were the good ol' days. Thank god I retired when I did. My hands and fingers don't bend like they use to..