Buick Forum - Buick Enthusiasts Forums - HI! N00b with n00b3 questions

Hi everyone! My name is Jon, I'm 36 years old, and I live in the middle of the great state of GA. I'm new to this forum, but not to car forums in general (used to own a Caprice, Roadmaster, and a Corvette). Recently my wife totaled my 2004 Chevy Cavalier (she's OK, no injury), and I'm on the hunt for a "new" vehicle.

My neighbor is selling his 1995 Buick Riviera. Super sweet car! He's a "collector" and always keeps his vehicles clean and in great shape. The car is black with tint all around, and I'm pretty sure the car has every option available. I know some of these are not "options," but "features," but I'll list everything on the car anyway:

163,000 miles
super-charged engine (rebuilt by current owner w/approx 40k miles)
sunroof
AM/FM cassette
factory CD player (does not work)
power seats
heated driver sear
power windows/locks/mirros (memory)
cruise control
auto headlights
auto-dim mirror
auto climate control
steering wheel controls

He also has the original tires and wheels, but right now he's sporting 20" chrome wheels on it, which also require new tires. I would end up selling these and just using the originals.

Here's my n00B questions, which I hope you won't mind me asking....

A) I've never driven a super-charged engine before, and I know it's different than one that's turbo-charged. When I drove the car last night, it didn't feel like the super charger ever engaged. I just didn't get the "pull" I was expecting. Is that normal for this car/engine combo? Just curious if there is supposed to be a seat-of-the-pants feel, or is it more subtle?

2) Did GM/Buick offer the stereo console in 1995 that had the CD player as part of the main unit? And did it have the speed-controlled volume (SCV)? Having owned it a few times before, I absolutely love that head unit and feature, and I want to know if I can do a simple "plug & play" with that particular unit into this car's system.

d.) He's asking $5,500. The body is dent and more-or-less scratch-free. However, the trunk lid and just behind the sunroof are fading and losing some clear coat. With that in mind, the mileage, and the broken CD player, I was thinking of offering $3,500. Do you feel this is fair, or is that an insultiong low-ball? I know that a community such as this will feel thier cars are more valuable (trust me, I've been there, too!), but I'm also a realist, and I know the actual value of the cars we love are seldom what the market will accomodate.:D

Anyway, I guess that's it for now. Thanks for listening!