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Ask a room full of car people to name a collectible and the Buick Century will not come up. It was a midsize family sedan, built in huge numbers, bought by people who needed a car that started every morning. That is exactly why this one-family-owned 1999 Buick Century Limited on Hagerty Marketplace is worth a second look. It has 26,400 miles, it still wears its original paint, and it is being sold with no reserve.
A Collector Kept His Mother's Buick
The car is part of the David Neuman Collection, offered by Wisconsin auction house Sell It Now in partnership with Hagerty Marketplace. According to the listing, Neuman was an avid Ford collector from West Allis, Wisconsin, an active member of the Early Ford V8 Club, and a familiar face at Midwest car shows and swap meets. His collection leans toward early Fords, parts and advertising memorabilia.
The Century is a different kind of car for that crowd. The listing says it was sold new to Neuman's mother through Frascona Buick in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, and that it was stored for much of its life. It is being offered with a CARFAX report and a clean Wisconsin title.
That is the part that makes this one worth talking about. Plenty of people hold on to a Model A or a GTO. Far fewer keep their mother's Buick sedan, and fewer still keep it long enough for the odometer to read 26,400.
What You Get
The Century Limited was the top trim of Buick's front-drive midsize sedan. This one is finished in Light Sandrift Metallic over a Medium Neutral interior and runs the 3.1-liter V6 with a four-speed automatic. The Limited package added leather seating, dual-zone automatic climate control, heated power mirrors and a power driver's seat. A cassette player is still in the dash, and the car comes with its owner's manuals and dealer paperwork.
It is not presented as perfect. The listing is upfront about the flaws: the brake warning light is on in the instrument cluster (the seller says the reservoir is full), the air conditioning blows warm, the leather shows some wear, and there is some underside corrosion. The CARFAX lists very minor damage in December 2013. The selling broker describes the car as cosmetically near mint with a few minor marks from storage, and says it could use a tune-up but runs well.
Why It Is a Good Argument
The case for a car like this has little to do with horsepower. A 3.1-liter V6 and a quiet ride will not win a drag race. What it offers is an unfiltered look at ordinary American life in 1999: the cassette deck, the leather seats, the dealer paperwork that came with the car. Most of these sedans were driven until they were worn out and then scrapped, so low-mileage survivors are uncommon. A car like this one preserves a part of the automotive landscape that was everywhere and then largely disappeared.
It is also a reminder that preservation does not always follow fashion. A man who knew early Fords inside and out still held on to a plain Buick from his family. Whether that was sentiment, practicality or simple habit, the result is the same: a 27-year-old sedan that still wears its original paint and carries its first family's history.
If low-mileage oddballs are your thing, Motorious has been collecting them for a while. Take a look at our roundup of the coolest, weirdest low-mileage cars for sale, the time capsule 1974 Oldsmobile Toronado, and the one-owner 1996 Buick Roadmaster, another General Motors sedan that has earned a modern classic label. You can also see the collector car auctions we recommend bookmarking.
The Auction
As of Monday, Nov. 2, the Century has a high bid of $1,200 after seven bids, and the auction ends Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 2:50 p.m. EST. Because it is a no-reserve sale, the highest bid at the close wins the car. The seller encourages pre-purchase inspections while the auction is running, and the car is located in West Allis, Wisconsin. Like all Hagerty Marketplace listings, the details come from the seller, so bidders should do their own due diligence.
It is not a sports car, a muscle car or a Porsche. It is a Buick Century with its original paint and a story about a family. Sometimes that is the better reason to save a car.
Photos and details: Sell It Now via Hagerty Marketplace.
