Classic/Antique Car Repair: 1968 Wildcat, electra 225, safe assumption

Question
Hi again Dick!
I know a person that has offered to sell me his 68 Wildcat.
I havent seen it,but I looked at a picture of one on the 'net-nice looking car.
It has a seized up 430.
Do you know anything about this model?
Thanks.

Answer
Not specifically, but our family was a "Buick" family starting with a 39, then a 51, and 63, all bought new (the 39 and 51 by my dad, but I drove them both as a kid). They were all good cars (especially the 63), so I had a lot of loyalty to the brand.  

For that reason, I bought a new 69 Electra 225, which is basically the same car as your 68 Wildcat with a little fancier trim.  I have to say I was very disappointed in it as a new car;  the ride and the quietness was not what I expected of such an expensive car, and the performance and brakes weren't all that good either.   I later switched to an Imperial, also a 69, and found that a really impressive car - I kept it a long time - it had a much better feel on the road, disc brakes, and a really good combination with the 440 and torqueflight transmission - a bulletproof setup if there ever was one.

The 67/68/69/70 Buicks were very nice looking cars, but I just felt the quality and engineering wasn't up to the rest of the brands at that point.

It's besides the point, but I now have and drive frequently a 68 Imperial, almost the same car mechanically as my old 69, and it is also a great road car - we just returned from a long family trip in it and it was a delight on the road.

The siezed up engine is probably an expensive problem to take on - your only safe assumption is that you will have to do a complete rebuild, and maybe even replace the block, so budget at least an additional $2500 before you will be driving it.  

But the bottom line is, if you like the looks of the car, and it's cheap enough (like close to free!), go ahead and dive in, you may have a totally different experience than I did.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

Dick