As dawn broke on the 1980s, muscle car enthusiasts must have felt that there was little for them to look forward to when it came to performance car prospects. The days of being able to buy a 5-seater off a showroom floor that could produce a sub-15-second ¼ mile pass seemed to be a distant memory. However, automotive engineers were working away behind the scenes to find new ways of unleashing engine performance, and it was cars like the Buick Grand National that provided an indication that engineers were going to have to think outside the box if they were going to produce cars with real performance potential. This was especially true if they were going to achieve this goal in an environment of ever-tightening emission regulations. The best way to describe this cossetted 1987 Grand National would be to say that it is in as-new condition. It has led a sheltered life, and now has a mere 26,255 genuine miles on the odometer. The owner has decided to part with the Buick, which is located in Collierville, Tennessee, and listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has reached $25,100, but the reserve hasn’t been met.
Finished in Black, the Grand National is a seriously tough looking vehicle. This car has received a repaint at some point thanks to the fact that some charming soul chose to perform some engraving upon the original paint with a key. Otherwise, this is a car that is completely original, and also appears to be completely rust-free. The owner provides an impressive selection of photos in the listing and the underside of the Buick is spotless. The car has been kept in a climate-controlled garage for its entire life, and this has no doubt helped its cause. The panels are arrow-straight, while the external trim, badges, and the tinted glass all look very impressive. One of my favorite features of the Grand National is the chrome 15″ wheels. They just add to the car’s menacing look and prove that you don’t necessarily have to spend a fortune on expensive aftermarket wheels to make a car really stand out.
This is what made the Grand National such a special car. American manufacturers now knew that they no longer needed 8-cylinders and huge engine capacities to unleash some real performance potential. In this case, all we had was a V6 with a capacity of 231ci. However, strap on some fuel-injection, a turbocharger, and an intercooler, and now you had an engine that produced 245hp, and a car that could demolish the ¼ mile in 14.7 seconds. As an added bonus, not only did it meet or exceed all of the emissions regulations of the era, but it could still seat five people in comfort. Of course, it wasn’t just the engine that made this car get up and get moving, it also featured the THM200-4R automatic transmission, along with power steering and power brakes. The owner provides no real information on how well the Buick runs and drives, but there are a few reassuring signs under the hood. Everything is clean and tidy, with no signs of any major leaks or issues. On the other side of the ledger, it is nice to see an engine bay that is this clean and original that hasn’t been liberally coated with detailing spray. This looks clean and tidy, and if appearances count for anything, we could be onto a winner with this car. Of course, the documented low mileage is going to help things out enormously.
The interior of the Buick presents extremely well and has managed to avoid all of the wear and deterioration issues that can plague this model. The most wear-prone areas are the seats, especially the outer edges of the fronts. These look really good, while another prone area is the grey inserts on the seats. This is especially true of the headrests, but these look perfect. The rest of the trim and plastic appears to be flawless, while the custom floor-mats are a great touch. As far as creature comforts are concerned, a Grand National owner was well catered to in a 1987 context. What they got was air conditioning, power windows, power locks, cruise control, a power antenna, and an AM/FM radio/cassette player. That may seem like some pretty basic equipment by today’s standards, but in 1987, that made any owner “king of the kids” when it came to the toys in his car.
The Buick Grand National represented a completely new approach for American auto manufacturers when it came to the question of performance cars. Today, cars sporting turbochargers, intercoolers, and fuel-injection are an everyday occurrence. But in the 1980s, they represented a brave new world of engineering outside the realms of motorsport. The importance of the Grand National is reflected in the model’s value, which has continued to trend upward at a steady rate in recent years. This particular car appears to be a spotless example, and there is no reason why it couldn’t nudge up close to or even a bit over $40,000 in this auction. Would you be interested at that price?
I know someone will say “oh look, another pampered GN garage queen”. It never gets old for me though. I love these cars and will buy one someday.
Is this Barn Finds or Grand National Finds? I swear there are more of these things for sale now than GM ever produced.
Time for the GN haters to come out! If you hate ’em, you never had one… or GOT HAD by one! The only thing I’m not fond of is the optional digital dash, and the lack of the Concert Sound option.
I don’t think it is “hate” as much as GN/GNX fatigue. They are a lot like 1978 Pace Car Corvettes- Sometimes you wonder are there currently more for sale than were ever built.
The Only mid sized g body that was seriously worthy of muscle car status. Hate em or not there’s no arguing the straight line performance of these wooshmobiles. Decent shape car, if I remember right they were around twenty grand new, not cheap at the time.
We used to get a lot of these in the shop, some for complete paint jobs and quite a few for key jobs. Something about grand national owners kind of being a holes . One time a guy brought his in to get a estimate , almost the entire driver’s door covered by a big piece of cardboard taped to it . Underneath the cardboard scratched into the paint were 2 words , ( sounds like crock pucker ) scratched in there by his girlfriend. He probably deserved it.
Funny, back in the 80s I kind of felt the same way about people who owned them. Makes you wonder what kind of guy buys a car like this, and for what reasons.
@SDMA Who buys a car like this? Maybe a Buick fan, or a turbo fan, or a fan of black cars, RWD cars…etc. What an ignorant comment. Though I’m not surprised, you don’t seem to have anything nice to say about anyone on barn finds.
It’s not a ignorant statement if it’s true. Back in the 90’s quite a few of the newer Corvette owners were tool’s as well . My favorite thing they used to brag about was the fact they only to their cars to Corvette shops. Biggest butcher body shops in the area .
What kind of person? The same type of enthusiast that buys a Camaro, or a Mustang, or Chevelle, or for that matter a 1916 Model T. I got my license in 1968, have owned well over 150 vehicles, including a Grand National. I still have 4 vehicles ranging from 1965 to 1970 in addition to the two daily drivers. The point is we are all enthusiasts here. I’m considering buying another GN. So what do you own SMDA “Makes you wonder what kind of guy buys a car like this, and for what reasons.” SMH…
I’ll try and be constructive for smda, as everyone is entitled to their opinion….including rebuttals.
In the eighties the newfangled performance was only about a handful of cars, actual cars that were fun at the strip, autocross, or just the idea of it. The turbocharged Buicks were more like the midsized muscle we all craved, despite sounding like something from a sci-fi movie. Those cars seemed to have a cult following clear thru the nineties, even now. There was definitely a GN/5.0 Mustang rivalry back then. At the end of the day it was pretty cool seeing late models running in the eleven’s, even tens at the strip.
Chevy guys were giving me the business for driving Fords so I never even noticed the GN guys, it was just a Buick,,,, even when they blew my doors right off!
Never a fan of them and still wouldnt give a second look to one. I still have a couple Autotraders kicking around from 1989 and there is probably 30 of them for sale in each issue. Heck I would rather own a Cavalier from the 1980s !
Based on what we see here at BF, GN’s were either pampered and never driven or enjoyed the hell out of.
Could you get a grand nat’l with a vinyl roof? Never seen 1.
Or with no a/c or with crank windows?
Odd the shifter does not seem to be of the kind like you got in a 2nd gen firebird, where u can push it forward & to the right when shifting so you don’t skip a gear.
No GN’s were made with a vinyl roof, although you could get a Regal T Type, basically a GN except for the aluminum wheels and color choices, allegedly quicker due to the slight weight advantage due to the aforementioned aluminum wheels and aluminum bumper mounts. The T-Types were available with the WE4 blackout package, on a black paint car it was nearly identical in appearance to the GN, different emblems, no rear spoiler, and different wheels. Rare car, around 1500 made. You could order a Turbo Regal Limited, complete with pillow seats and a half vinyl roof, talk about a sleeper.. GN’s had AC as standard equipment. My GN did not have power windows or a power antenna. The shifter did not have detents to control upshifts as you describe.
@JOHN
He owns a Mazda Miata. A fine car if you ask me, but look up the last one sold on Barn Finds. SDMA caused problems over on that thread also. It’s just what he does.
Bakyrdhero, this is his fifth or sixth different user name. Same story everytime, he’s been Billy007, GrandpaLou, SusanOliver, GeigerCounter and some others I can’t remember.
Steve R
That’s what I was going to order: a Gold T-Type Turbo with blackout package. More or less just to save a few bucks and to be different than the “they all look the same” GNs.
State troopers in CT used to drive these. And many guys “thought” they could outrun them. Well, they couldn’t and ended up in court !
Or jail. lol
Unless u were driving a GNX, i guess.
What if you were driving a Grand Nat’l & the trooper was driving a Police Mustang? lol
Thanks Steve. You always seem to have information I never knew I wanted until you share it!
I remember those names, what a strange way to spend time and energy. To each his/her own I guess.
Love reading the different points of view here.
That is what makes Barn Finds. Too bad they don’t give free membership to folks who place ads with them.