Owner Installed a Bigger Engine in His Riviera in 1984, Four Years Later, He's Had Enough

And it did. The Riviera came standard with dual exhausts, power steering and power brakes, safety buzzers, warning lights, a tilt and telescopic steering wheel column, and the 3-speed Super Turbine transmission paired with the only engine – a 430ci unit rated at 360 horsepower.

Buick also offered a long list of options, starting with air conditioning and tinted glass and ending with cruise control and cornering lights.

The Riviera in these photos spent its entire life with only two owners, albeit it spent the last decades locked in a garage.

eBay seller a67turbo explains that a previous owner decided to replace the standard engine – the same 430ci unit I told you about earlier – due to a blown gasket. However, instead of installing the correct unit, the Riviera was upgraded to a newer 455ci block, although the model year is unclear. The original 430ci is still around and sells with the car, so if you want to restore this Riviera to factory specs, you should be able to do this with the right fixes.

The owner describes it as a "survivor," which implies that the car has never been restored and should be original, albeit the engine swap proves this isn't entirely accurate. The decades of sitting caused minor rust issues, but the floors, the trunk, and the frame are "in excellent condition," as per the owner.

The interior looks good, and I admit I expect the cabin to be in worse shape, considering the decades of sitting.

The engine starts and runs from a gas can, but the seller says the tank is still in excellent shape and needs to be cleaned.

This Riviera sells with the original owner's manual and a clean Massachusetts title.

The good news is the vehicle doesn't sell for big bucks, as the owner configured a $5,000 Buy It Now price. However, you might be able to get it a bit cheaper if you win the bidding, albeit it's unclear what is the value of the reserve. The top offer today is $3,000, and considering the auction will end in one day, we might see this Riviera getting relisted.

After getting a new engine in 1984 and being abandoned a few years later, this Riviera deserves a chance to return to the road, so fingers crossed that more of the 25 people watching the listing enter the digital fight to buy it. If you want to see this Riviera in person, you can find it parked in Fall River, Massachusetts.