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The Buicks of 1986

1986 Buick LeSabre Coupe, The Buicks of 1986
1986 Buick LeSabre Coupe

For Buick, 1986 was a transitional year; it was also a down year saleswise. The transition came in the form of an all-new LeSabre. For ’86 Buick’s bread-and-butter big sedans and coupes migrated to a front-drive platform, joining the higher-end Electra models that were downsized the year before.

Perhaps in part due to the LeSabre switchover, Buick sales tanked for 1986; after reaching more than a million units in 1985, sales dropped to just over 850,000. The softening sales may help to explain the discount financing being promoted in the Buick commercial below.

Riviera sales also took a huge hit for 1986. Like the mechanically similar Cadillac Eldorado and Oldsmobile Toronado, the Riv was downsized for 1986, and the new look proved to be sales poison. Riviera sales dropped to just over 22,000 for ’86, down from over 60,000 units the year prior.

For trivia lovers, it’s interesting to note that 1986 was one of only two years that Buick’s N-Body compact coupe was named Somerset. For 1985, the coupe was introduced as the Somerset Regal, with the name having been simplified to just Somerset for 1986 and 1987.

Car shoppers never embraced the Somerset moniker, and the coupe was renamed Skylark for 1988, joining the related same-name sedan alongside which it had been sold since 1986.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QOgjBH6kaU]

If you remember having had some wheel time in any of these Buicks, please tell us about it. The place to leave your comments is below the last vehicle.

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Century

1986 Buick Century Sedan

Class: Midsize

Body Styles: Coupe, sedan, wagon

Base-Price Range: $10,052-$$12,223

Base Engine: 92-horsepower 2.5-liter four

Optional Engine: 112-horsepower 2.8-liter V6

Optional Engine: 150-horsepower 3.8-liter V6

Drive Wheels: Front

Air Conditioning: $750

 

Electra

1986 Buick Electra Sedan

Class: Premium Large

Body Styles: Coupe, sedan

Base-Price Range: $15,396-$17,388

Base Engine: 140-horsepower 3.8-liter four

Optional Engine: None

Drive Wheels: Front

Air Conditioning: Standard

 

LeSabre

1986 Buick LeSabre Sedan

Class: Large

Body Styles: Coupe, sedan, wagon

Base-Price Range: $12,511-$13,633

Base Engine: 125-horsepower 3.0-liter V6

Optional Engine: 150-horsepower 3.8-liter V6

Drive Wheels: Front

Air Conditioning: Standard

 

LeSabre Estate/Electra Estate

1986 Buick Electra Estate

Class: Large and Premium Large

Body Styles: Wagon

Base-Price Range: $13,622-$16402

Base Engine: 140-horsepower 5.0-liter V8

Optional Engine: None

Drive Wheels: Rear

Air Conditioning: Standard

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Regal

1986 Buick Regal

Class: Midsize

Body Styles: Coupe

Base-Price Range: $10,654-$13,714

Base Engine: 110-horsepower V6

Optional Engine: 140-horsepower 5.0-liter V8

Optional Engine: 200-horsepower 3.8-liter turbocharged V6

Drive Wheels: Rear

Air Conditioning: $900 (standard some models)

 

Rivera

1986 Buick Riviera

Class: Premium midsize

Body Styles: Coupe

Base-Price Range: $19,831-$21,577

Base Engine: 140-horsepower V6

Optional Engine: None

Drive Wheels: Front

Air Conditioning: Standard

 

Skyhawk

1986 Buick Skyhawk

Class: Subcompact

Body Styles: Coupe, hatchback, sedan, wagon

Base-Price Range: $8073-$8971

Base Engine: 88-horsepower 2.0-liter four

Optional Engine: 84-horsepower 1.8-liter four

Optional Engine: 150-horsepower 1.8-liter turbocharged four

Drive Wheels: Front

Air Conditioning: $645

 

Skylark

1986 Buick Skylark

Class: Compact

Body Styles: Sedan

Base-Price Range: $9620-$10,290

Base Engine: 92-horsepower 2.5-liter four

Optional Engine: 125-horsepower 3.0-liter V6

Drive Wheels: Front

Air Conditioning: $645

 

Somerset

1986 Buick Somerset

Class: Compact

Body Styles: Coupe

Base-Price Range: $9425-$11,390

Base Engine: 92-horsepower 2.5-liter four

Optional Engine: 125-horsepower 3.0-liter V6

Drive Wheels: Front

Air Conditioning: $645

The Mercurys of 1977

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