Thank you for the compliment!
I will turn 70 years old in a few weeks, God willing…
I am 72years old. Our Volvo V70 has the R design package which gives the handling package , Recaro like seats and bigger low profile tires . That might cancel your too young statement.
I have been a plush car driver (Grand Marquis etc) and now I have an Avalon. I prefer the “Buick” ride myself. I think Avalons are great cars but I would not recommend the newest generation (2013 and later) to the OP. The ride is too harsh. On the other hand, Avalons of the second (1999-2004) or third (2005-2012) generation are extremely reliable and have a nice ride. I would recommend them.
I would avoid 1999-2002, as the engine had sludging issues if the oil was not changed often enough.
Avoid 2005 as there were a few glitches due to the model changeover.
My favorite is 03-04.
Otherwise, i think you can’t go wrong. In my area, cars like this are $6000 to $13000.
As usual, I am thinking against the wind, but prefer a firm ride and this goes back to my teen age years. I like seats that are firm, but give good support. We can travel on long trips in our 2003 4Runner and I can get out after 400 miles with no aches or stiffness, and I am 76 years old. It’s probably the way I am built. I like an extra firm bed. When I was in college, the dorm room to which I was assigned had an innerspring mattress on top of coil springs. It was too soft. A fellow down the hall had ribbon springs and a cotton mattress. He complained that his bed was too hard. I traded my springs and mattress to him for his cotton mattress, ribbon springs and a 6 pack of Carling’s Black Label. He was happy and I was even happier. Until I was 12, I slept on a canvas army cot. Maybe that’s why I like firm seats and ride in a vehicle.
OP, try out the Genesis sedan. It starts at a little above your stated price, but I think you might like it. They’re meant to compete with the Germans (Mercedes, etc). It’s got all the luxo-toys you want, too.
Beyond that, the only way to get a land-yacht style ride these days is to get something like a Rolls Royce, which would of course blow your budget out of the water, and it probably still wouldn’t be as much of a cloud mobile as your old LeSabres were.
One problem is that new cars don’t come with worn shocks, like most '98 cars. New cars can’t help but ride ‘firmer’. Given a couple of weeks, I bet many folks would come to prefer the newer car’s ride + handling combination.
I drove a friends old ('94) Lincoln, almost got seasick!
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Are you assuming the shocks on the OP’s 1998 Buick are shot?
Or are you just saying that, from a statistical standpoint, it’s probable?
None of us . . . except OP . . . has driven the car and I’m unwilling to assume they’re shot, just because the car is old
While we’re at it, we could make all sorts of other assumptions about the car, and undoubtedly some of them will be incorrect
I’m saying the shocks are probably worn to some extent, making the ride softer than new, which was fairly soft to begin with.
Thanks for your input. I agree the seat and visibility are gone along with a decent ride. Will probably keep the Buick as long as possible.
You’re welcome. I’m just a little ahead of you.
I own 2 Buick Lesabres
Have you ever talked to your dealer about retrofitting your Buick with some new gadgets? Just a thought!
Seems like your Buick is in decent condition. For 1-1.5K a stereo shop can put in a new in dash nav with bluetooth, rearview camera/etc and you should be set.
We have an older female family member, She has a 2005 Camry with 40K miles on it. She asked me for recommendations for a new car and when I asked why, it was mostly the phone and rear view camera. So I sent her to a shop and after $1200 she was back on the road.