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My grandpa began the Buick legacy in my family. He was a farmer in
southern California who always drove big Buick Electras. When my father
married his daughter, grandpa offered to buy them their first car as a
wedding present but my prideful dad declined. I give my dad credit for
being wise enough to accept grandpa's second offer to help with a new car
a couple years after I was born. Dad rightly took grandpa's money to
the local Buick dealership. That first car was a 1960 LeSabre. I still
tease my dad about not saving that car for me, I love the style of the
bubble top and the subtle tail fins. Dad's next new car was his all-time
favorite Buick (maybe because he bought it off the showroom floor and had
to save for years to afford it on his own). His new 1969 Riviera was his
dream car. What a wonderful Buick . . . the Riv had the power, the
comfort, the style, and the lines. Twice a year growing up, our family
rode the Riv from Portland, Oregon to Los Angeles. My little sister and
I still marvel at the fact that we shared the back seat of a Riviera for
over 4,000 miles each year (are we there yet?). I've got two favorite memories of that car. Dad
let me take it to my high school senior prom. What a great car for a
date. The big 430 cid to jump on a green light, the smooth Buick ride to
cruise around town, the sleek styling to be seen in, and the big front
bench seat for "parking". The second memory was taking the Riv to 118
mph on a 2 mile straight stretch just out of town, with me watching the
road and my buddy watching the speedo. I shut down before the Riv did.
Dad always wondered why the water pump mysteriously went out days after
my joy ride. I finally told him about it just a couple years ago.
It took me 17 years after my last drive in the Riv to get back intouch with my Buick roots. I bought my first Buick for $3,500 on my 35th birthday responding to a local newspaper ad. I was originally looking for a 1969 Riviera like dad's, but decided on something smaller and a convertible. A Skylark seemed to be the right size for me. Not being mechanical, or well versed in cars in general, it took me several weeks after purchasing my 1969 GS 400 Convertible to really appreciate what I had found. I was thrilled to discover its low production numbers. Months later I bought what I thought was a solid parts car to replace the rusty front fenders on the convert. By that time I had joined a local Buick Club, and a fellow member explained to me why the '69 GS California "parts car" just purchased was too rare not to restore. Well, off we go into a full-blown hobby . . . eight parts cars later the Convert is still under constant restoration, the California is a solid driver just for fun, and the barn is full of good used parts to help fellow owners enjoy one of Buicks best models; the '68 and '69 Skylark & GS family. Thanks to my understanding wife, Monica, the hobby survives. She has put up with the unsightly mess, the slow progress, and the loud vocal frustrations that often accompany that last bolt which is always the worst to remove. Monica has even begun playing the role of spotter and sometimes comes home with leads on potential parts cars. 4 year-old daughter Leiran can spot the distinctive '68 & '69 tail light; and we are expecting an addition to the family in May who will expand the Cornish family heritage of Buicks. Thanks for checking out my page. Please let me know how I can help you to continue to enjoy your Buick.  Jeff Cornish5616 133rd Ave SESnohomish, WA 98290(360) 568-8983e-mail me at:jacmsc@juno.comWebmaster: Stan Bradford (www.flash.net/~stanbrad) |
