It’s funny how we tend to view classic cars as only being a certain range of years, as if time stands still. Sadly, each year we all get a little older and so does everything else. That once unloved ’80s car is no longer a slightly used car, but is now over 20 years old. As a matter of fact, this Buick Grand National is 31 years old, making it by definition a classic car. I know it can be hard to lump these V6 powered cars in with ’60s and ’70s muscle cars, but over the past few years they have been gaining interest as the last of the muscle car breed. There were only 2000 of these built in ’84 and not many have survived. This example, which can be found here on eBay, needs some work but the seller is asking just $4,500 for it and is accepting offers! I could be wrong, but I see these cars being worth serious money in the near future, but what about you?
This thing almost needs to just be put out of its misery.
I have had a couple GN / TTYPE cars and they are fun. I am a mustang guy but I still think these look great. This one looks rough and hood is not original! I’d hate to see it go to waste but maybe a better idea to start with a better regal body and transfer the drivetrain and make a clone. At least what matters will be preserved.
Holy cow!! I don’t think they used enough Bondo on that thing…
Are these my favorite, NO! That said these are demanding pretty good attention and money now in my area. i’ve seen nice one’s go for over $20,000.
If this one could be bought for the right price it could be a good deal.
Zzzzzzzz…
Decent cars must be rare in my area. Every time an interesting, reasonably priced car is on here, it’s UNAVAILABLE/SOLD by the time I see it! >_<
Almost bought one of these in ’89.Never liked the LEGO interior or auto trans.
I remember when these things were new. The Buick dealers were selling them for 25-26K in a time when one could buy most high end domestics for 13 to 18K. Turbocharged domestic cars did not have a good reputation in those days. The track record for turbo charged cars was pretty poor up to that time, and reliability was a consideration. Still these cars were limited production and were fast for the time. There are quite a few of these cars that have been babied and are available in good condition if one is willing to wait for the right one to become available. GN’s are a complicated machine, prone to expensive repairs if neglected or abused. If I were in the market for a GN, I will rather hold out and pay more for a nice well maintained example, than to try and rescue a basket case. The same goes for the Turbo TA’s that share the same running gear. This looks like a parts car. That’s my 2 cents.
I wonder if your insurance will pay for the damage when a huge chunk of bondo flies off the roof and smacks the car right behind you?
An 85-87 especially the later ones would be a better investment, but the first one I drove back in the day was an 84, and in the fall of 83 these were an ANIMAL ! I came close to getting a new one in the summer of 85 but I was about $5k short, so I ended up with a new Monte Carlo instead [ still have it all these years later, with only 51k on the clock ], still wished I had scored a GN , but I bet I still wouldn’t have a license if I had !
They are definitely are gaining in value…..recently a ’87 GNX sold at auction for a record $160,000!!
The car originally posted sold but there is another for sale currently. It is the intercooled 87 model with more horsepower. Pretty rough though and probably a drivetrain donor. I always wanted to build a GN wagon.
http://m.ebay.com/itm/111656137060?nav=SEARCH
I liked all of the Grand Nationals even though I’m a muscle car era guy. The only thing I didn’t like about them was the dash. What sort of a dork would put such fearfully ugly dashboards in in any car? Even Studebaker never made such an ugly dash. All of the GM cars of that era seemed to suffer with them. I had 1980 Olds Cutlass Calais with a glass top and a Landau roof that looked great until you saw the dash. For that reason I’ve stayed away from these cars. The thing you see the most when you own and drive any vehicle is the dash. So it stands to reason that if you’re going to do a good styling/design job anywhere on a vehicle you’d do it where the driver sees it.
Other than that I really enjoy the GNs and I also believe they’ll be legitimate classics and will bring an increasingly good price. Worth saving this one too. A parts car to day is a keeper a few years down the road.