Used 1996 Buick Skylark Consumer Reviews
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Decent for quite a while
I inherited this car 9 years ago and it was extremely reliable for several years. In the past 3 years I've had to put a lot of work and money into it replacing the entire steering column because of a problem with the computer (that was very annoying) and now the transmission is slipping. Other repairs have been minimal, it gets good gas mileage on the highway (about 30 mpg), the A/C is very cold, which I like a lot! it's very comfortable and doesn't feel like a huge car, but is still roomy. Also replacing window motors in the past 2 years was bad news. Several small things gone bad lately.
Fun car, but problematic.
This was my first car at 131k miles. As soon as I got it it started having problems. The radiator cracked and needed to be replaced, then the heater core went and got antifreeze all over the floor on the passenger side. Other than that I get about 24 mpg overall, but I drive through a lot of hills and it takes quite a bit of gas to lug the 3800 lb car around. The engine is plenty powerful and I've never had any problems with it or the transmission. Just the cooling/heating system that needs work.
Tough Car
This is a really tough car. In the 3 months I've had it, it's held up to a lot of abuse. I push this car everyday, and while I get pretty bad gas mileage from driving in a very "spirited" way, I get really good performance and the entire car is extremely tough (engine, chassis, trans, suspension, etc). I've heard some really good things about this car, and so far its lived up to the expectations. Theres only few minor electrical problems with the car, but all of them have been previously recalled. The previous owner did not fix them. Basic maintainence is all that has been needed for this car. Overall, this car is a tremedously good buy.
Best Car I Ever Had
I bought this car new in June of '96 for my wife, who gave up driving shortly thereafter. I took it over, and it's been the best car I've ever owned. It handles very well, has had minimal maintainence and still looks good.
Champion Underdog
Really awesome for a first car. With the V6, outperforms most other cars I've driven. Stomp on the gas in optimal gear-drop ranges (25-30 for 1st and 60-65 for 2nd) and you feel like you're about to launch. Elegant design, love the color (green). Joy to drive, feels 100% stable even at 90+. Seems like a car people love to hate though. Has needed some expensive repairs.