In the past, I’ve talked about cars that have been listed for sale, and how they have generated a lot of interest amongst potential buyers. Well, this 1987 Buick Grand National is up there with the best of them. The auction initially opened at $10,000, but some fairly frenetic action has seen 53 bids placed on the car, and this has pushed the price up to $50,100 at the time of writing. There is a good reason for this activity, as we’ll see. If you want a piece of the action, you will find the Grand National located in Pompano Beach, Florida, and listed for sale here on eBay.
So, what’s all the fuss about? It’s pretty simple really. In the first photo, you can see that the original window sticker is still attached to the car. The owner states that the car was never dealer prepped and that it has covered a grand total of 757 miles since new. I’m a huge fan of the Grand National, and I can’t quite fathom how someone could own one of these and not drive it. Needless to say, the owner has provided plenty of photos, and the underside of the car still looks brand new. The car certainly has a decent dust layer covering it, so hopefully, the paint hasn’t been hurt by this over the past three decades. If the storage is dry, then it should be okay.
When you are dealing with what is effectively a brand new car, it is always going to be hard to find something to fault in the interior, and that’s true with this car. With the original protective covers over the carpet, nothing has really had a chance to become dirty, stained, marked, or torn. The owner says that the car still smells new, and that’s a pretty good indication that its storage environment has remained nice and dry. Of course, all of those nice luxury touches that we have come to expect in a Grand National are present, including power windows, power seats, air conditioning, cruise control, and power locks.
If the new owner’s plans are to return the Grand National to active duty, it’s here that they may need to spend some time and money. The owner doesn’t indicate whether the car has been run or serviced regularly while it has been in storage, so there’s a real chance that some of the perishable items like hoses and belts will need to be carefully inspected, and probably replaced. I would definitely be having the car pretty thoroughly checked before I hit the starter, because nothing ruins your day quite like having one of these items fail, and you suddenly find something that is supposed to remain within the car gushing out all over the floor. It’s something that you would do on any restoration project, so reviving a long-dormant vehicle should follow the same process.
A lot of you are going to look at this Grand National and say that its value lies in the fact that it has so few miles on the clock and that to drive it would instantly devalue it, and I understand exactly where you are coming from on that. However, there is a compromise position that you might consider, and it would still allow the new owner to get enjoyment out of driving it, but would also allow it to retain a high value well into the future. Just say that for argument’s sake you were to revive it and get it back on the road. If you then took it out for a decent drive once a month, say for a couple of hundred miles to blow the cobwebs out of it, that would keep the car in pretty good mechanical health. In 10-years time, what you would have is a 42-year-old car with less than 25,000 miles on the clock. That would still make it a very special and desirable car that has only averaged 590 miles per year. That might be a compromise worth considering.
2 words.( and I’m going to apologize ahead of time to people who I offend with this statement)
Who cares? Lol
So overvalued and so overdone here on BF’S….
If you’re expecting big money for your car, at least drag your lazy butt out off the couch and wash the damn thing! Geez!
I was literally more excited to see the two 1987 yugos the other day then look at another low mileage grand national. Did anybody ever drive their grand nationals?
Unfortunately no and the people that don’t make a killing selling them, I love GN’s and have one, but this is just stupid.
These and pace car Corvettes. I honestly don’t understand how they have any value at all. Every single one ever built is still in brand new condition.
I watched Wayne Carini pull one out of a barn and he was more concerned about somebody getting finger prints on the dirt that was on the car because it would cause the car to drop in price. Some of these people need to open the garage door will the car is running ! I enjoy seeing these old cars but get a grip!
What’s overdone are rusty Chargers in all sort of states of decay. At least most of the GNs are in nice condition and run.
You don’t always want to wash a barn find before you sell it. Sometimes it is worth more when you leave it as found.
Don’t get me wrong its a fantastic car, but I don’t see the value in it as you cannot drive it and hate the idea of giving someone such a large amount of money for flipping. Well now I’m going to step off my soapbox lol.
BF should put a dedicated ticker on the side to update readers on the latest no-miles Grand National up for auction. Love the site, but for the love of god, please put a moratorium on these cars for a few weeks.
We actually didn’t feature them for a while. You may not like them, but we have to feature the best finds when they pop up and there are just a lot hitting the market right now.
Why? Why would someone buy this car? The moment you start driving it the value drops like a rock! Also this car was the king of the hill back in it’s day but couldn’t hang with todays cars (Mustangs and Camaros etc.). Lastly for the asking price of this car one can buy a far superior new performance car for less money.
You seem to miss the point here. These aren’t appliances, they’re hobby cars. My Camry commuter will run away from any first or second generation Camaro. Guess which one people want?
Personally, I’d like to see some Gucci guy peal off some chump change and drive the crap out of it. Any other options would be plain old boring.
The Camaro over the Camry all day long because those car have all the class in the world over a Camry.
LOL. Couldn’t hang with todays cars? I bought my 20,000 mile GN for 2
$21,000 I put $10,000 of upgrades on it and now have a low 9 second car that blows the doors off any Hellcat or Shelby that makes the mistake of challenging me. Thats a 3 decade old car I have $31,000 into, embarrassing $80,000 brand new “super” cars. To top it off, I can’t go to the gas pumps without drawing a crowd. I have Chargers (the REAL CHARGERS from the 70s) I have a Cobra Mustang and about to get a second one. I have a 78 and a 79 Z28, and NONE of these compares to the feeling of driving a GN. To answer the question “did anyone ever drive their GN” in fact these cars were driven into the ground. The market is just extremely high for these cars right now, so the VERY FEW people that actually out them in storage and never drove them, are now taking advantage of the market. I have seen it with ALL the muscle cars. Its happening with the square body trucks and Fox body Mustangs as well. This is a historic car. The missing link between old muscle and new technology. Some people either forget that, or completely fail to realize it.
My 87 with a TE44 turbo, Terry Houston downpipe, 42 lb injectors, a “hot-wired” Walbro pump, a custom chip and a “ported” intercooler and some chassis bracing ran 11:90’s at a high of 115 MPH all day on street tires. All those modifications are early 2000 vintage. The people who can’t stand these or bad mouth them never had one. The experience of driving all cars truly is different. I have a 65 Tri-Power GTO, a 65 mid-engine 350 Corvair, and a 70 El Camino SS396, they are all uniquely different. The GN was a favorite. I just sold the car I traded the GN for, should have kept that one!
By the way, a car cover would have been nice while it was stored, just saying?
Thanks Keith!! Pay all that money but none left for a good quality car cover.
While I am at it, 800 miles over 30 years. If you have the money, always wanted one….buy it and drive it. If you don’t drive the wheels off it and take care of it, it will hold value.
NOW…..driving it, my guess is 800 miles, 30 years old…..a LOT of things are going to develop issues where “freshening up” a lot of items could start a long and expensive “to do” list. Just sayin.
It has finally happened. I officially do not care if I ever see another low-mileage Grand National on this site or in person. Show me a diesel Chevette. Show me a rusty Corvair. Show me a Fiero on chrome 22-inch rims.
These cars and the ’78 Pace Car Corvettes are all so horribly over-priced that it’s sad. Collectible? Sure. Rare? Absolutely not. THEY MADE OVER 20,000 GNs IN 1987.
And every last one of them has zero miles on it.
I remember the 1978 pace cars they couldn’t give them away sad over priced cars now.
Complain all you want, but a few people are obviously not sick of seeing them. The auction has 7 days left and it’s already bid up over $50k!
RX7 covered it. In total.
Jesse defends posting stuff like this on Barn Finds but really ?
As far as online bidding goes its mostly fake. 17 year olds bidding that have no intention of paying.
But its hard to find good barn finds in the middle of winter.
This almost looks decent with the rest of the junk posted for today ?
A 25 mile car did over $100,000 on BaT.A 7 mile GNX did $200,000 on the same site a week earlier.
You know that you don’t have to ask the readers to complain Jesse. They will happily oblige you all on their own!!!
To bad no one ever got to enjoy this car. I guess no one expected to have 700 hp cars at the dealership in 2019
Another ultra-low mileage GN. *yawn*
I am a big G body fan, and would love to own a GN. These came out when I when I was first of driving age in 1987. There were a few around at the time. They were one of the only “new” cars (along with 5.o Mustangs) that would give my 71 El Camino a run for its money. It was “just” a warmed over 350, around 350 hp or so, but most of the other new cars of the time were slugs (Monte Carlo SS, H/Os/ 442s, etc. Omni GLH/ GLHS was awesome as well. As for this particular car, it would be a case of the car owning you, instead of the other way around. Value would plummet as soon as you started driving it. keeping it in secure storage would be a hassle. God forbid some nitwit runs into you while texting…
I would like to think the buyer of this car will drive it and not care about losing money…there are people of means out there, and can afford it…I’m not one of them, but if I was, I would wait and find a GNX…go big or go home! Nice find, interesting reading, and keep ’em coming, guys!!!
Yes, truck was posted upside down to drain off water so there is no complaints about water spots !! Have some humor people !
Den, you’re my kind of guy!!!
Just hoping you aren’t upside down on the build … lol
The market with these is soooo boring :
the other site many of us follow ,has featured 2 sales in the last few weeks.
1987 GNX 9 miles ;second highest price recorded at $200k
1987 GN 27 miles ; sold at $105,000
Yep,total snooze fest ,low mile Buicks are everywhere ,bring on more Charger parts cars, and Yugos bla bla bla.
EXCELLENT feature guys !
Thanks a bunch,as always.
I dont know about you folks, but there’s been a dearth of flying Deloreans on here lately. What’s up with that?
I’m a Buick guy but enough is enough.
Same goes for coffee can 356’s, VW 21 windowed vans buried in mud, and cars roasted to the point where their molecular structure is in question…..we are collectively pricing ourselves into oblivion.
I guess that I would have to drive one, and experience what all the fuss is about with the GN/GNX. Many years ago, I drove a Regal, 2 tone paint (Midnight Blue metallic & dove gray), with cloth bucket seats, floor mounted shifter, digital instrumentation, all the bells & whistles. It was a wonderful driving car. It had plenty of power for me. For a driver, what’s the big deal about these cars ? The low mile ones have really flooded the market as of late. Did anyone actually buy one and DRIVE the car ?
Every collector car I own sports a California Car Cover. You can get reasonably priced ones that are cut to fit your vehicle. That said, whyinhell, do people park a mint automobile and NOT put a cover, or even some of Grannies quilts, on the car?
Just sayen.
This is me AGAIN with nothing nice to say about ANOTHER low mileage GN.
Uploading files are back – hooray!
The unfortunate thing about a 1987 GM car is the shoddy coach work and the ugly interiors. The driveline may be good on a GN but the rest is so so at best. IMHO
Ok its low milage and sat in a garage since new so what whos goin to use it after dropping 50g on a 32yr old car ? Thats right some one with money thats not goin to drive it more the 20 miles and ill bet it’ll be at Barret Jackson in the fall ! Its nice but not 50g nice and if i bought it you’d all cry as id drive it everywhere all seasons .
I should have kept my GN, it was a riot. With nothing more than a TE44 turbo, bigger injectors, “hotwire” fuel pump, adjustable fuel pressure regulator, and a Terry Houston downpipe it ran 11:90’s. More or less a lightweight, manual windows, manual antenna, solid roof, aluminum bumper brackets.Amazing car. Always drew a crowd at local cruise nights.
To my way of thinking logically, someone who buys a car, (like a new Grand National), and just parks it, never drives it, is not in any way a car guy at all. This individual is only an investor, the same as any investor who buys stocks, bonds or real estate. Nothing wrong with that, I’m an investor too. But the investor is really not a car guy or has any interest in cars, racing, or the car hobby. Lets admit it, a real car nut couldn’t possibly buy a Grand National and not drive the wheels off of it for fun.
These car were bad ass back in the day tootle down the street then hit the gas and they would scoot get off the gas and just a nice driving car. Worked at buick dealer in 1987.
*yawn* these are more common than rusty chargers! Way too ordinary. Just yet another low mile GN. Wheres the excitment? Maybe if these came up every other day it would be exciting. My neighbor has one tucked away, waiting for the big payday. Drive the stupid thing already!
This is old news.
I’ve honestly never seen so many whining little girls whimpering while they fill up their diapers….come on, men…..grow up…the world doesn’t revolve around you, or what you want…..you don’t like what you see? Fine and good….turn the page, for crying out loud…you’re an embarrassment.
True, if these things piss you off so much, don’t bother clicking on it and better yet, don’t waste your time complaining about it.
There are a lot of listings that I skip because I have zero interest in them. THere are plenty of others to look at.
44 Comments and counting, these GNs are actually some of the most popular BF listings!
If there was a better way to say it SEMRAD, I would have. YOU NAILED IT RIGHT THERE!
44 comments… how many are negative?
Approximately, 16 out of 40….roughly 25%. One in four whining self absorbed cry-babies with full diapers who get a kick out of the “disgusted” routine….if they, themselves aren’t entertained, then they start the whining, carping, and complaining just like the spoiled little brats they never grew out of.