“It’s a classic all over again.”
The 1989 model year brought the first significant changes to the exterior of the seventh-generation Riviera. The wheelbase and other hard points could not be easily or inexpensively modified, but Buick did extend the rear portion of the body by 11 inches. One version of that year’s brochure (which came with what must have seemed hip floppy discs) claimed that it was “noticeably longer,” while another stated that it was “reminiscent of classic Rivieras.” In the real world, there was no denying that the restyled exterior effectively called back to the suddenly beloved sixth generation. This was a strange symmetry, as Bill Mitchell passed in September 1988.
Various other components also scaled up along with the body; the Riviera moved up to P205/70R15 tires on 15-inch wheels. The roofline had a wider sail panel, and side trim and rocker moldings were modified. New standard equipment included a driver’s side airbag (returning to the Riviera almost a quarter-century later than those first airbags), a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and a leather-wrapped shift handle.
Making all these changes only three years into the sixth generation Riviera’s life cycle marked a significant and unexpected effort, which was led by Anthony Derhake, vehicle chief engineer for the Riviera. What remained of the domestic personal luxury coupe market responded well—Riviera sales increased 146% (!) to 21,189, likely making Buick’s restyling and re-imagining well worth all that effort. Of course, those upgrades didn’t come free; the Riviera’s base price was up over 4% to $22,540 (about $60,300 in today’s dollars).
Amongst all this change, there was also a significant minus for folks who liked choices in their Rivieras: the T Type was no longer available. After eight years (ten if one counts the S Type), Buick essentially gave up on the idea of a specifically branded sporty Riviera for a second time. A $104 Gran Touring package featuring much of the performance-related equipment from the now-retired T-Type remained available.
Many of the changes for 1989 didn’t help Buick in its eternal goal—which continues to this day—of reaching more youthful buyers. Although temporarily successful, the move to more traditional styling was a complete abdication of the hopes for the Riviera that the division had articulated only three years prior.
One thing that didn’t change significantly for the 1989’s exterior was the colors. Eleven of the thirteen available colors remained precisely the same. The only exceptions were Sterling Silver (which changed its formulation but not its name) and a brand new extra-cost Pearlescent Diamond White offering.
Standard exterior equipment for the 1989 Riviera included Soft-Ray tinted glass, tungsten-halogen headlamps, coach lamps, an electric rear window defogger, and a power antenna. Mechanical equipment included four-wheel power disc brakes, power steering, a Dynaride four-wheel independent suspension with automatic level control, and P205/70R15 tires on 15-inch wheels with custom locking wire wheelcovers.
Inside, standard equipment included the Electronic Control Center, Electronic Touch Climate Control air conditioning, a tilt steering column, Electric Speed Control, and electric door locks. Interior trim and upholstery featured manual reclining cloth front bucket seats with an easy-entry passenger feature, a six-way power driver’s seat, and an operating console. An ETR AM/FM stereo radio with seek and scan, clock, and cassette tape player with auto-reverse, search/repeat, and Concert Sound speakers was standard.
The only available powertrain continued to be the LN3 “3800” 165 bhp 3.8 liter/231 ci V6 with sequential fuel injection paired with a Turbo Hydramatic 440-T4 automatic transmission with overdrive. Fuel mileage ratings were 19 city/28 highway, with the highway number off one gallon from 1988 as the refreshed Riviera gained about 75 pounds along with its added length. The 1989 Riviera’s 0-60 mph time was once again a “respectable” 10 seconds due to its increased weight.
Options & Period Reviews
Exterior and mechanical options included an electric sliding Astroroof ($1,230), a Landau top ($695), and an anti-lock brake system ($925). Inside, you could get a 16-way adjustable driver’s bucket seat ($1,230) and a cellular telephone installed in the console armrest ($1,975). Buick offered two optional stereos, with the top-of-the-line being the Delco GM/Bose Gold Series Music System ($783), which included an ETR AM stereo-FM stereo radio with seek and scan, a clock, and a cassette tape player with Dolby noise reduction, auto-reverse, and search/repeat.
A new option for 1989 was the Remote Radio Keyless Entry System, which included automatic electric door locks. Pearlescent Diamond White paint ($210) also became available—an extra-cost three-stage paint option that wasn’t a Firemist paint but had the same price.
The $104 Gran Touring package included the Gran Touring suspension, a 2.97 performance axle ratio, fast-ratio power steering, and P215/60R15 Goodyear Eagle (Buick remained with Goodyear for tires for many years, but kept changing the specific fitment) blackwall tires on 15-inch aluminum wheels.
Along with the undeniable interest from potential owners, the 1989 exterior redesign also attracted at least some attention from the automotive press. Popular Mechanics stated that it was a “radical restyling” that counter-intuitively returned the Riviera “to the look of the past.”
The View From 2025
With the excellent support of the Riviera Owners Association, folks are collecting these late seventh-generation Rivieras. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, a 1989 Buick Riviera in #1/Concours condition is $16,900, with a more normal #3/Good condition car going for $9,100.
Please make mine the extra-cost (but still gorgeous) Sapphire Blue Firemist.
Other Rivieras I have written about include the 1980 S TYPE, the 1982 convertible, and the 1984 T TYPE. Another 1989 Buick I have written about is the Electra Park Avenue Ultra sedan.
Most material in this blog entry was sourced from the unfinished Riviera Project.
Eighties Cars 