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Donation Station: 1993 Buick Roadmaster

This seller on eBay routinely gets very cool donation cars, and uses the proceeds to support a non-profit organization for at-risk kids. It’s one of the rare times you can tell your spouse you bought a project car for the good of humanity! Fortunately, this clean 1993 Buick Roadmaster shouldn’t ruffle too many feathers on the home front as it appears to be in excellent condition with mileage that may or may not be below 40,000. The interior presents quite well and the exterior – with its classic wood paneling – shows no obvious faults. Find it here on eBay with no reserve and bids to $4,650.

Now, the tricky thing with these auctions is there’s not a ton of extra information. The seller includes a checklist of sorts that identifies any watch areas or mechanical faults, but it’s not overly detailed. Still, they’ve been at this for a while and their feedback is respectable (they also have a Cavalier Z24 convertible and an 8-Series BMW I’d love to be totally irresponsible and cast a bid on.) The Roadmaster has the essential third-row, rear facing seats, which is just where you want to put your least favorite children. The leather seating surfaces are one possible indication that the 34,285 on the odometer may be accurate – the condition looks quite good.

Here’s a shot of the higher-trafficked areas, and as you can see, the front bench seat presents quite well. The steering wheel also shows no major signs of wear, and with this photo in mind, I’m inclined to believe the actual mileage could be this low. Now, the seller has to include the disclaimer that the Roadmaster is exempt from mileage validation because it is over ten years old, so there’s always some risk when buying a car like this. Fortunately, we’ve seen plenty of these Roadmaster / Caprice / Custom Cruisers with verified high mileage, and they tend to show their age if not kept up as a museum piece.

And plenty of these square-body station wagons were purchased by older adults who planned to haul around the grand kids more frequently than they ever did, so it’s not a surprise to find a wagon from this era and from any manufacturer that doesn’t show much in the way of use. The 1993 model would have had the 5.7L V8 pushing out 180 b.h.p. In 1994, this output rose to 200 b.h.p. in a new 4.3L V8, while the big story was the detuned LT1 becoming standard in the Roadmaster, which kicked out a serious 260 b.h.p. This one may not have the most desirable engine option, but the rest of the Roadmaster looks quite nice. Will it clear $10,000?

Comments

  1. Avatar Jcs

    Jeff is pretty much dead on on this one, nice job on the write-up.

    Drivers seat and steering wheel are items that show excessive wear very quickly on these cars so this is a good indicator that the mileage may be accurate indeed.

    Shame it’s not an LT1 but will still make a great cruiser for someone. Full body on frame design is anvil strong, pretty much a Chevy 1500 pick up truck with a wagon body and leather interior. With any luck at all, minor inexpensive maintenance and moderate care should give you decades of comfortable service. Hard to go wrong at the price.

    Like 10
  2. Avatar Jason

    Not sure it clears $10k but $8k is a real possibility. My 91 has the 305 but I don’t think I’d take $10k for it.

    Like 3
  3. Avatar Jcs

    Can’t resist an additional comment, the runabout in the background looks like a nice little boat. Perhaps the seller would consider sweetening the pot a little on a package deal for those that particularly love abuse.

    Deserves a closer look for sure.

    Like 1
  4. Avatar harrry

    car collectors family vehicle

    Like 2
  5. Avatar Marathon06

    Be careful with this one. Rust monster has started eating, see pic 15. Underneath is very crusty. Love these wagons and this color in particular, but this one needs a close inspection.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Michigan Doug

      Not even close to crusty.
      Have lived in salt belt most of my life and have
      had frames rust away.

      Like 1
  6. Avatar Ron

    Overall condition looks good for a car of this age. With a six digit odometer the mileage claim is most likely valid…

    Like 0

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