The Buick Riviera is a midsize car built from 1981 to 1999 over 9 generations. Most were assembled in the United States — 100% of those on record. Engines offered: V6, V8. Worth buying? It depends heavily on which year you buy at 3.5/5 — and the year you pick matters far more than the badge (best and worst years →).
What the Riviera is
The Buick Riviera is a midsize car that Buick built from 1981 to 1999 — 19 model years. Our measurements put it at 9 generations, the current one starting in 1995. It has been offered with V6, V8 power. Its closest siblings in the Buick range: LaCrosse, Regal, Century.
Where the Riviera is built
A badge says where the company is registered; the VIN says where the car was bolted together. We counted the first three characters — the manufacturer identifier — across 240 Rivieras on record.
| Assembled in | Share | VIN starts with | Years seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| the United States | 1G4 | 1982-1999 |
Check your own: the first three characters of a Buick VIN decide which of these 9 lines your Riviera belongs to. What every character in a Riviera VIN means →
Got the full 17 characters? A free VIN check on a Buick Riviera adds what the decoder can't see: open recalls, theft and total-loss records, and the safety ratings for that exact build.
Riviera generations, and what changed
These boundaries are not copied from a brochure — they fall out of the measurements. Where the Riviera's length or wheelbase jumps between consecutive model years the platform changed: a facelift moves a bumper by centimetres, a new generation moves the whole car — for the Riviera that gives 9 distinct generations below.
| Generation | Length | Wheelbase | Weight | vs previous | Weight change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-1972 | 552 cm | 310 cm | 2009 kg | - | - |
| 1973 | 593 cm | 310 cm | 2108 kg | +41 cm | +99 kg |
| 1974 | 575 cm | 310 cm | 2146 kg | -18 cm | +38 kg |
| 1975 | 566 cm | 310 cm | 2123 kg | -9 cm | -23 kg |
| 1977 | 554 cm | 294 cm | 1777 kg | -12 cm | -346 kg |
| 1981-1985 | 525 cm | 290 cm | 1668 kg | -29 cm | -109 kg |
| 1986-1988 | 475 cm | 274 cm | 1501 kg | -50 cm | -167 kg |
| 1989-1993 | 504 cm | 274 cm | 1551 kg | +29 cm | +50 kg |
| 1995-1998 | 526 cm | 288 cm | 1710 kg | +22 cm | +159 kg |
Buick Riviera tire size, oil type & owner specs
The fitment Riviera owners look up most — tires, wheels, oil and batteries. Exact wheel and tire sizes decode from your VIN or the driver's door-jamb placard; the universal items are listed below.
Exact tire, wheel, oil grade, capacity and battery group are added per trim and model year — decode your VIN above for the factory fitment. Universal items shown as-is.
What engines does the Buick Riviera have? Power & range
The Buick Riviera is offered with 2 powertrains — 3.8L 6-cyl, 5.7L 8-cyl. Here's the lineup by engine, transmission and drivetrain — 2 for the Buick Riviera, against one or two on most rivals.
| Engine | Displacement | Transmission | Drive | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V6 | 3.8L · 6-cyl | Automatic 4-spd | FWD | Premium |
| V8 | 5.7L · 8-cyl | Automatic 4-spd | FWD | Diesel |
Horsepower, torque and fuel-tank size decode from your VIN — exact figures vary by engine and trim.
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov (engines, drivetrain, range, charge time). Horsepower & torque from NHTSA vPIC on VIN decode.
The Riviera by the numbers
What the federal and market records say about the Buick Riviera. Each line opens the full breakdown by year.
| Topic | Riviera | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Recalls | 30 campaigns | NHTSA, all years |
| Owner complaints | 367 filed | What breaks and when |
| Reliability | 3.5 / 5 | Best and worst years |
| Used value | 19 listings | What it sells for now |
Frequently asked questions
What kind of car is the Buick Riviera?
The Riviera is a midsize car, built from 1981 to 1999 across 9 generations. Engines offered: V6, V8.
Where is the Buick Riviera made?
Across 240 cars in our records the split is: the United States (100%). The first three characters of a VIN identify the plant's manufacturer and country — that is where these shares come from, not from a press release.
How many generations does the Riviera have?
9 by our measurements, the latest starting in 1995. We draw the boundaries where length or wheelbase jumps between model years — a facelift moves a bumper, a new generation moves the whole car.
What is the Buick Riviera warranty?
New models carry 3 years / 36,000 miles basic cover and 5 years / 60,000 miles on the powertrain. Worth knowing: across our complaint records the typical car reaches the halfway point of its faults at five years, so most repairs land after the basic warranty ends.
Is the Riviera reliable?
It scores 3.5/5 in our data. The honest answer depends on the year far more than the model — see the best and worst years, and when this car starts to break.
How do I check a specific Riviera?
This page describes the model; it cannot tell you whether that car has an open recall or a branded title. Run its VIN against the records — free, and matched to the exact production run.
More in Buick
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buick Enclave | 2007–2026 | 57 | 23 mpg | 4.5/5 |
| Buick Envista | 2024–2026 | 4 | 30 mpg | 4.5/5 |
| Buick Encore | 2013–2026 | 42 | 30 mpg | 4.0/5 |
| Buick Envision | 2016–2026 | 16 | 26 mpg | 4.5/5 |
| Buick LaCrosse | 2005–2019 | 44 | 29 mpg | 4.5/5 |
| Buick Regal | 1981–2020 | 173 | 29 mpg | 4.0/5 |