From timeless icons to everyday essentials, Crucial Cars examines the vehicles we can’t live without. For this installment, we get the lowdown on a most unlikely star of the lowrider scene: the Buick LeSabre.
Fifth-generation Buick LeSabre Did you know that the fifth-generation Buick LeSabre, a large car produced from 1977-'85, is still in high demand? We'll forgive you if you missed the memo. After all, the LeSabre is slow, clumsy and thirsty by modern standards, with outdated squared-off styling to boot. It's the car Grandma bought decades ago that's still sitting in the garage, collecting dust. And yet, there are plenty of lowrider fans who would love to turn that LeSabre into a lean mean street machine.
In fact, LeSabres of all vintages are desirable to the tuner crowd, but the fifth-generation car has some unique qualities that make it especially well-suited to this scene. First of all, it's new enough to have modern amenities like power accessories, and chances are you'll be able to find one that doesn't require much restoration. Second, it was the last rear-wheel-drive LeSabre ever, and if you know the lowrider scene, you know there's a strong preference for rear-drive platforms. Third, used examples are incredibly cheap -- you can find a low-mileage fifth-gen LeSabre for $3,000 or less if you wait for the right one.
It also doesn't hurt that this LeSabre was powered by old-school American V8s that sound like beasts, including 5.0-liter and 5.7-liter workhorses along with a massive 6.6-liter (403-cubic-inch) variant that was briefly available in the late '70s. So what happens next? Well, at a minimum, the suspension's going to come in for a thorough overhaul. The cornerstone of almost any lowrider project is a hydraulic suspension with adjustable ride height. Combined with tiny aftermarket rims and tires (whitewalls add an extra touch of class), the hydraulic suspension allows the car to hug the ground for that classic lowrider profile, rise up to monster-truck heights, or even bounce around like in a rap video.
Beyond the suspension mods, it's really up to the individual lowrider, because personalization is the name of the game. You'll see Lambo doors, custom graphics, TVs inside, crazy stereos -- you name it, some lowrider has probably tried it. Of course, there's always some kind of custom exhaust system, too. You've got to let that old V8 breathe.
1992 Buick LeSabre But again, one of the keys is buying in cheap so you'll have room left in your budget for the good stuff, and that's what's given this big Buick new life. Next time you see Grandma puttering around in that pristine old LeSabre, tell her that if she ever wants to sell it, there's a nation full of lowriders who'll gladly take it off her hands.
Have you ever seen a lowrider Buick LeSabre, or caught a ride in one? Tell us what you think in the comments, we'd love to hear about it.
