Bidding is pretty staggering at the moment for this low-mileage Buick GNX, which is listed as having a mere 4,990 miles on the clock. Obviously, the GNX is well-documented as being one the more collectible of the 1980s muscle car class that you can buy, but with the auction already approaching $80,000, it’s safe to say the Buick is entering another realm as it relates to who, exactly, is collecting these. Thank goodness regular Grand Nationals remain somewhat attainable, so long as it’s not also a time warp example. Find the GNX here on eBay with bids to $75,000 and the reserve unmet.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen a GNX like this, and while it undoubtedly looks just like a Grand National, it was sufficiently upgraded under the hood to ensure no one would confuse the two on the drag strip. The GNX benefits from an additional 31 b.h.p. over the standard Grand National, and also wore wider wheels and tires and fender flares that provided some visual clues to the enhanced performance under the hood. The improved performance was made possible by a unique Garrett T-3 turbocharger and an intercooler with greater cooling capacity, among other enhancements that included the exhaust and recalibrated engine control module. The result? A car that could beat the pants off of that year’s Corvette.
That being said, it still wasn’t much of a handler, as the GNX was built to go confidently in a straight line and not so much in the twisties. That’s OK, because the out of the box performance is so damn impressive, you can buy something else for the backroads. The only trouble is, no one drove these cars. Slight exaggeration, but many GNXs went right into long-term storage so as to preserve them for an eventual payoff down the line. The marketing behind the GNX helped fuel this rampant speculation, highlighting the limited production quantities and the exclusivity that comes with owning a car of which only 547 examples were ever made. The interior of our subject car is as mint as you’d expect for the low mileage.
Underhood, the 231 CI V6 presents well but is not overly detailed. This is not a bad thing, but it’s a little surprising considering how pristine the rest of the GNX is. The seller does point out one visible flaw, which is the sagging headliner in the interior. Those sorts of things can happen simply with the passage of time, and it’s a tricky decision as to whether to fix it before the sale at the risk of it looking less than factory, or letting the next owner take possession of the car with all factory components in place and let it be their problem to rectify. The GNX will forever be a collector’s item, offering exclusivity and speed as few other ’80s muscle cars can.
OMG.. These people are crazy! I hope the new owner likes looking at it. Unless he is rich enough to just drive it.
What I see here is three decades of not having fun with it, though I suspect who ever “collected” this, had plenty of other toys. Too bad, these needed to be driven. Capitalism spoils so many things while it otherwise makes so many things possible. A double edged sword for sure.
Don’t cha know Buick built these to be parked away as a collector’s item not driven! Ha ha, that’s what it seems like anyways. Blame it on the HemiCuda, the super rare street/strip thumper that got used and abused for years before becoming a big dollar item, around the same time this whoosh mobile was made. Even the magazines back then considered hiding a few for future collectabillity(money).
For the die hard Buick nut out there loaded with dough.
Back when they came out my wife’s sister was dating a guy who bought one. Boy was he ever anal about it. He kept saying that it would be a collectible so no driving it, no sitting in it, and no touching. I doubt she ever even got a ride in it. He kept the car, she dumped him…
Sorry dude but as I remember it, I dumped her. My other car was nice also. She was a very picky girl. 3 months and done.
Great car. Yes, they were produced to be collectable. I won’t knock driving it and enjoying it. I don’t know that this car will be a “69 Trans Am”, with similar production numbers, in the years to come. It will hold its value where 95% of “classic cars” are NOT going to hold their value in the market in the coming years.
I also don’t know that driving the car a little will do much harm. You could put another 5000 miles of enjoyment on the clock and not impact its value (outside of the risk of damage/wreck).
I was 21 when this car hit the streets and it was AWESOME, shades of the muscle cars of the 60′ and there was not much in 1987 doing that. A corvette from the 1980’s and 90’s was really nothing to talk about (and yes I am a GM guy and a 4 time corvette owner). So saying the GNX would beat the pants of an 87 Corvette was unfortunately not much to brag about, ugh!! It was a car you could just brag about on its own merits.
The headliner can be fixed at a level that no one would ever know if done by the right trim shop/guy. And it should be fixed. Tt is not a “deal breaker” to the car fixed or not. Nicer car if fixed in my opinion and “still a virgin”. It is not like an engine getting replaces that is now NOT original to the car. BIG difference.
Laugh but is it a standard shift or automatic. Asking for a friend who didn’t have the nerve
1963, probably figured it out already but automatic transmissions only.
It may have been a while since the last GNX came up, but it seems like every day with so many low-mileage black Grand Nationals being auctioned.
Almost as often as a Corvette, almost..
These are $150K all day long at auctions. If not more.
How could the owner stand not driving it! 🙄
I worked a a Buick dealer when there GNX was delivered and the guy put it on a trailer and took it home to put it in storage. The days for this car to hit $150k are over Cars with less then 50 miles on them are in the 130K range not sur if they are selling.
I still have my “I brake for Corvettes” bumper sticker from those days. That used to really piss off the guys over at the Corvette garage at MPG.
Seller also has a Yellow 87 IROC-Z with only 64,000 miles up on the block currently has 8:30 left in the auction and bidding a little under $15,000 reserve not met
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1987-Chevrolet-Camaro/184333740652?hash=item2aeb25aa6c:g:XGsAAOSw9~Ne7EHg
To bad I don’t have an extra $100,000 laying around. I’d love to get this and beat the snot out of it like it was made to be.
Even when you barely use and pamper an 80’s GM, the headliner still fails.
I was the body shop manager at a Buick dealer when these cars came out and I remember a guy bringing his back in for warranty paint work. The turbocharger got so hot it burnt the paint off the hood. Our dealer rep had to approve the paint work. Has anyone else heard of that problem? Just curious.
car sold on eBay for 90k not a bad price.
90 K for an ugly car?
Why?
If you took your $30,000 back in 1987 and put it into a Whole Life insurance, you would have about $245,000………Rule of thom is every 7 years your money doubles. So start doing the math: ,
Really, eh? I better sign up. I’ll be able to buy some classic cars in 7 or 14 years with money left over.
Yes but that GNX went to a $150k in less then 5 years but they all do not do that
I’m curious, are you saying that some GNX’s were selling for 150k in 92?
I never followed them but it seems crazy.
Yes they were. Crazy for a new car appreciation . The only other car that seemed to match it is the Ford GT of the 05 and 06 production run.