The Le Sabre was one of Buick's most popular model series, since 1959. After it was totally restyled and somewhat downsized for 1977 (although it was still a large car), it retained much of its 1977 look for several years because the buyers loved it. So why mess with a popular design?

Like most American brands of cars in the 1970s and '80s, Buick put forth a wide variety of model series and sizes to suit every taste, from the "economy" to the "elite." In ascending order of size and luxury, the Buick line included the Skyhawk, Skylark, Century, Regal, Le Sabre, Electra and Riviera. Quite a range, and some models had subseries — "Custom," "Limited," "T-Type" and Electra's "Park Avenue."

Safety was a keynote feature of '82 Buicks, such as lap/shoulder belts; energy-absorbing steering column; energy-absorbing and nonreflective instrument panel; "passenger guard" inside door locks; safety armrests; pressure-relief gas cap and pressure-lock radiator cap; four-way hazard warning flasher lights; safety-rim wheels; dual master-cylinder brake system with warning light (to indicate low fluid); lane-change feature in directional signals — and much more!

According to the 1982 sales catalog, Le Sabre "has a reputation that says Buick value best!"

The Custom was a new standard Le Sabre model in '82. Some Buicks in that era used engines supplied by other divisions of General Motors — Oldsmobile, Pontiac or Chevrolet — for economy of production. It wasn't a problem, but buyers were advised in sales literature of this, in case anyone didn't like it.