Father’s Day is coming, and the seller of this 1996 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon feels like it could be the perfect gift for the deserving pop in your life. Heck, I’d take it regardless of the upcoming holiday, as this is a desirable LT1-powered example with some recent servicing that should make it a turnkey driver. The Roadmaster shows just under 86,000 original miles and looks tough on Cragar Super Sport wheels. The seller has listed it here on eBay with bids to $4,850 with the reserve unmet. It’s summer time, which means road trip season – and this Roadmaster looks perfect for that task.
Now, to be perfectly honest, I actually feel like the Roadmaster should ride on some more subdued wheels. The Roadmaster sedan of the same era rode on steel wheels with polished hubcaps, and they would look spectacular on this wagon, polished to a mirror-like sheen (the seller reports that the original wheels are included). Everyone’s different, however, and the Cragars are still quite popular owing to their association with the muscle car community. The woodgrain trim is apparently a new 3M vinyl kit, and since the factory decor was just that – a vinyl design – there’s no harm done in replacing the original materials.
Inside, you’ll find acres of blue leather and plastic surfaces, still in excellent condition. The interior is said to be freshly detailed and the cluster is free of warning lights. When you turn on the radio, the factory power antenna even still goes up and down! The cassette deck is still installed, and the seller reinforces the fact that despite many of these LT1-powered wagons ending up heavily modified, his Roadmaster remains in mostly stock condition with no major alterations from the factory. He does note that the power mirrors are kaput and that one of the rear windows doesn’t work; both of those could be easy fixes with simple switch replacements.
The LT1 produced a hefty 260 horsepower and 330 lb.-ft. of torque, solid numbers even by today’s standards. This, of course, is why so many enthusiasts want to get their hands on the later productions wagons, since the power boost over prior years was significant and the aftermarket is massive for these engines. Of course, I wouldn’t mess with a wagon like this that has been incredibly well preserved, outside of perhaps an aftermarket exhaust system. Recent maintenance items of note include replacing the air shocks with standard shock absorbers, fluid changes, wheel cylinders replaced, new gas tank straps installed, a new idler arm, and fresh alignment. Would this make an ideal Father’s Day present in your house?
Any Dad would love this car especially w that motor 👍 Thanks Lavery.