Some Vintage NE Ohio CL finds

JohnRW1621 wrote: '96 Regal 2 dr 120k I bet this guy would take $1k all cash, now. This year could be a 3100 or a 3800. The ad does not say.

Well what about the 3100 or the 3.5 liter engines? What about something like an Olds Olero or should I stick with the 3800? If so, what cars came with it?

I've got a 92 or 93 bonneville se with over 330k miles. bought it from a guy that used it to commute to school with something like 290k on it. Straight body, ac didn't work anymore but it just stopped running one day. I thought it was a crank position sensor, but I couldn't get the harmonic balancer off to check it, needed some weird metric bolt size. Was to young to care and I kinda hated it at the time, but it was unbelievably comfy, and the 3800 was amazing in the fact that it pulled like a freight train. Bring it up to 3000 rpm, and it was almost like an electric motor, just hold it there and it would just go. Still sitting in my parents yard if anyone wants it for parts, make an offer on it, as I've been debating on sending it to the crusher. Located near gainesville fl.

JohnRW1621 wrote: '96 Regal 2 dr 120k I bet this guy would take $1k all cash, now. This year could be a 3100 or a 3800. The ad does not say.

I think most were the 3.8. It'd be a safe bet.

(I have a 94 Buick Regal Coupe in the garage, you see...)

I'd stick with the 3800. I had a 3100 series in a 95 Beretta and gaskets were always failing. Got em fixed and still the engine would always give me trouble. Oil and antifreeze liked to stay mixed. I knew others who had the same engine in the grand am's and they had problems. Mine only had 80,000 miles when crap hit the fan. There was a 3.1 before the 3100 I believe, not sure what all the difference was.

The very little that I know of 3.1's is to expect the intake manifold gasket like to go before 100k. Once fixed, it should never need to be fixed again.
They also seem far more prone to HG failure than the 3800.
Most importantly, expect no better mpg and less hp out of a 3.1 than the same vehicle with a 3.8
As an example look up on www.fueleconomy.gov for that '96 Regal listed above.
The 3.1's are rated for 18/21/26
The 3.8's are rated for 17/21/27

I have no experience with 3400 or 3500 but the current/recent GM lineup has a lot of 3500

Olds Alero is just another Grand Am. I kept them out of the conversation because I figured they did not have the level of "chush" that you were looking for. None of the engines offered in them have the keen reputation that the 3800's have.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_V6_engine

L36 Naturally Aspirated (3800 Series II)

This engine was used in the following vehicles:

1996-2005 Buick Le Sabre 
1997-2005 Buick Park Avenue  
1996-2004 Buick Regal LS  
1995-1997 Buick Riviera  
1996-2002 Chevrolet Camaro  
2000-2005 Chevrolet Impala 
1997-1999 Chevrolet Lumina LTZ  
1998-2005 Chevrolet Monte Carlo (Z34, LT, SS)  
Holden Commodore (VS, VT, VX, VY)  
Holden Caprice (VS, WH, WK)  
Holden Ute (VU, VY)  
1995-1999 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight  
1998-1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue  
1996-1998 Oldsmobile LSS  
1996-1998 Oldsmobile Regency  
1996-2005 Pontiac Bonneville  
1996-2002 Pontiac Firebird  
1997-2003 Pontiac Grand Prix

L67 Supercharged

This engine was used in the following cars:

1996–2005 Buick Park Avenue Ultra  
1997.5–2004 Buick Regal GS / GSE / GSX (SLP)  
1996–1999 Buick Riviera (optional 1996-97, std. 1998-99)  
2004–2005 Chevrolet Impala SS  
2004–2005 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Supercharged/Intimidator SS  
1996–1999 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight LSS (limited)  
1996–2003 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi  
1997–2003 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP / GTX (SLP)  
1996–2004 Holden Commodore VS (series II), VT, VX, VY

JohnRW1621 wrote: The 3.1's are rated for 18/21/26

I will vouch for that

'02 3.1L GP consistently gets 26+ in mostly highway/ mixed driving. Higher on 'all highway' tanks.

At 90+K miles intake gaskets are good per oil analysis at Blackstone Labs.

$700 Regal, 52,000 miles. My brother had the exact car in college: http://akroncanton.craigslist.org/cto/3338292647.html

Nice 2001 Regal: http://akroncanton.craigslist.org/cto/3365221140.html

I'm always leery of ads that say something like "the only thing it needs" is some small cheap part. if that's all it needs, then why didn't they replace it? I find that usually it's something more serious that they are trying to cover up.

the pre 94 3.1 mpfi engines are equally bulletproof as the 3800. the 3100 are the intake gasket leakers, and once fixed with felpro gaskets are fine.

that blue regal looks decent, if i needed a beater i'd go look at it. i think i have a tub full of coil packs and maybe a module, most likely they did not change it because it's down below the front exhaust manifold and they don't know what a 5.5mm socket is. the best thing i ever did to my lumina was relocate the coil packs and ignition module up to the radiator support, making them more accessible and less prone to heat issues. changing coils and or icm requires at least 3 bloody knuckles

Here's another tangent...
If it were me, I would inquire on this car as well.
'01 Nissan Altima, $2,100

No mention of miles.
Not the full on luxury cruiser but these are darn good cars. The engine is a fwd mounting of the durable 240sx shared 2.4L. Timing chain,not belt. Ample torque for a car of it's size but not really a high mpg'er. It is rated about the same as a 3800 at 19/21/26. It is a lot of engine for a car sized a little bigger than a similar year Civic and a little smaller than that year Accord. My 240sx delivered 24mpg in mixed driving all the time.
This was the last year of this body style which debuted about '95. The following year the Altima grew in size to the large car it is now.
If this one has less than 150k miles, it seems like a good deal.