Before I became a writer for Barn Finds, I was also an avid reader. It was always interesting to see that certain cars really tend to polarize opinion in the USA. One of these cars seems to be the Buick Grand National. You will find this one for sale here on eBay. Located in Buffalo, New York, and with a clear title, this Buick is listed with a BIN of $65,000. Interestingly when you look at the eBay listing there are 34 people currently watching the ad, so there may be a bit of interest in this particular car.
The seller admits that this is the second Grand National that he is selling from his collection, having sold another two years ago. He is very insistent about the originality and condition of this one. As you can see from this photo the car appears to be absolutely as straight as an arrow. If a color is going to reveal any issues it is most likely to be black. Personally I believe that it’s a brave move to include a shot like this, because it can quickly reveal any potential issues. The seller states that the car has never been wet sanded, and that all of the paint is completely original. He even provides a shot of a paint depth gauge measuring paint thickness to verify his claim. One of my favorite features of these is the wheels. I’ve always liked them and think that they set off remarkably well against the black paint.
The interior appears to be in about the sort of condition that you would expect from a car that has traveled a claimed 6,782 miles. Everything looks good with no obvious damage to speak of. There are a couple of detail things that I notice in the photo that may be more of a distraction than actual issues. The driver’s seat belt is not sitting straight which to some potential buyers may indicate that the car has seen more use than claimed. The cover on the steering wheel honestly should have been removed before this shot was taken. I know that it is only intended to protect the wheel from dirty hands, but a suspicious potential buyer may be put off by this. I think that the pedals are reflecting a camera flash back in the photo, but to me it makes them look dirty. I really am grasping at straws here!
Under the hood is the 3.8 liter turbo engine that once again seems to present really well at first glance. However, there are a few little marks on the paint finish on the radiator support which look out of place, and some of the rubber and plastic components look dirtier than I would have expected. We never received this version of the 3.8 in Australia. The normally aspirated version was the staple for a number of years as the base engine for the Holden Commodore. These were capable of quite respectable performance and were notoriously long-lived, so I’d really like to sample one of these to experience the difference.
If the mileage claims can be verified and some of the negative things that I’ve noted are not issues rather than me nit-picking, then this is a nice example of the model. My biggest issue is that if the mileage is that low and it’s as good as the seller claims, would this be a car that you’d be willing to drive? Or is it a car that would finish up being a feature in someone’s man-cave? I’m the first to admit that this is not a cheap car, and that prices vary widely on them. I’ve located plenty of relatively average to nice examples for half the asking price, but I’ve also located an example with 3,500 miles on the clock with an asking price of $150,000. I guess that it comes down to that old adage: Asking a price is one thing, but getting the price is an entirely different matter.
crazy price for a non-GNX.
i’d be surprised if he gets it, or anywhere close.
so many other, much better rides & investments out there at this amount.
but then again, what do i know, anyway?
i’ve always wanted one.
we had a T-Type Riviera with the 3.8 Turbo when i was in high school & it was pretty damn fun for an FWD tank.
still, i’d bet that the idea of driving one is way better than the actual experience.
mid-80’s quality with late 70’s body/chassis engineering
There is staining or discolouration on the driver headrest just above the belt. Stretched stitches same area where the welting cord is. Left shoulder high seat staining or discolouration.
Not seeing the point of buying something like that with low mileage you’ll be too afraid to increase, and a hi performance motor that will never get used the way it should. Oh, yeah – “investment”. But for 65k you can put it in your garage and be terrified to even go near it, then see it on BF in a couple years because you’re too stressed out from owning it.
Right now there are 11 1987 Grand Nationals for sale on eBay alone, priced at $29,000 or above. Some with of these cars with tens of thousands of miles. A prudent buyer will wait for the next recession, then cherry pick the cars that come out of the woodwork.
Steve R
You know, I wont even make a statement. I will let this speak for itself. They have a buy it now of 65k. A simple google search showed this-
2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Automatic Coupe
Sports car
Model: 2019 Dodge Challenger
MSRP: $58,650
Horsepower: 797 hp @ 6,300 rpm
Engine: 6.2 L V8
Curb weight: 4,448 lbs
Tire size: P275/40R20
Dimensions: 198″ L x 76″ W x 56-58″ H
Fuel tank capacity: 18.5 gal
18.5 gal tank that you can drain in six minutes.
Ah, but what a glorious six minutes it would be 😀
You put a 9 where there should be a 0 😁😁 but we get the point. The challenger makes more sense for less money
65 large, mentions those big auction houses, sold another 2 yrs prior in a stronger market for a record breaking amount. 75k car by his estimate but puts BIN of 65k really admitting the market is soft. Says one owner car but doesn’t go on to say it was him. Could be the lighting but it does look dirty in the shifter area. The icing on the cake is the storage lockers, meaning it’s stored in one and not a climate controlled one. It’s nice but like everybody has said, are you gonna risk driving it. Corvette museum was looking for display vehicles maybe they would pony up the cash.
As a salesman at the local P/B/GMC dealer in 87, I took one out for a test drive, and cruising the road @ 40 (no one around), hit the pedal .100 ft of rubber, and a cloud of tire smoke behind me! Almost needed new undies!
Odometer numbers not aligned…
Ron hit a critical observation. odometer # not aligned and the Screw below looks damaged and I can’t think of a reason why. It is a fine looking GN but you sharp eyed gents have pointed out way too many minute flaws for me to be critical of your comments. I too am skeptical of the claims. And too pricey.