A little exuberance in for sale listings is often what’s missing from most craigslist ads, but not this time: the seller of this clean 1993 Buick Regal Gran Sport advises that the rockers are so fresh, you can literally stare at them for hours. Listen, I can’t remember the last time someone told me I could lose myself in the car’s rockers, so this has to be a specimen worth checking out. You’ll find the Regal here on craigslist with 99,000 miles and a $2,500 asking price.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Pat L. for the find. The third-gen Regal helped launch GM’s long-lived W-body platform, and in some ways, returned to the original recipe since it was offered only in coupe form. But with front-wheel drive and no high-performance trim available, the two doors were the only similarity between it and generations past. Check out those rockers!
The inside of the door jambs shows impressively shiny paint, and the bucket seats aren’t bad, either. The driver’s seat shows some wear but the backseat looks unused and the console trim is holding up well. Wood trim in the dash and around the shifter appears to be in good nick, but it’s also very obviously not real wood. No issues with the glass and the interior is full-power.
While first-year Regals made do with fairly lethargic power plants, the later cars came with a 3.8L Buick V6, an easy-to-live-with engine with plenty of spares available. Torque-laden engines like this one make using an emerging classic such as the Regal every day a real possibility, especially since the higher miles won’t scare you into leaving it parked in a carcoon.
Ha! Best title ever! I’m back up to a 4-pack again from laughing so hard! I could not agree more, this seller is great and the car ain’t bad, either. Nice work, Jeff.
Great play on words, Jeff-but watch your mailbox for a nastygram from the Colorado (or was that Montana?) Tourism Board RE: copyright infringement…🤣
Hopefully the seller is not off his rocker!
I dunno. The price seems OK but despite the condition it’s still a 1990’s GM with 99,000 miles. The Buick is a bit better looking then the forgettable slab sided Chevy Lumina but not by much. May make a great second driver for someone.
Pretty sure though if you are in the same area as this Buick you may want to check the classifieds (does anyone still do that?) or on line for a 1990’s Civic or Accord with say 250,000 miles for the same price may be a better purchase. Obviously they wouldn’t have rust either but beware you may need a place to stay overnight. Those rockers would be pretty impressive :)
I wouldn’t be so sure about that as those 250k hondas are now mostly beat to death by the millenials . The Buick is the better bet as its not a race car and wasn’t popular with kids, so getting one pampered is more likely. So id go for the Buick
Love that it has a moonroof! If it has cassette deck, my phone could play over the adaptor. Everything I need!
OH!!! So THAT’S what Dr. Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) was saying as he helped Inga (Teri Garr) out of the hay wagon!!
All these years, I thought…
I like this thing. After seeing all the shiny on the outside I just want to dive in and detail that engine bay. I won’t…but I want to.
I always liked these and the other w bodies (Grand Prix) this one appears to be in remarkable shape, and the 3800 is nearly bullet proof!
If I had the cash I’d buy it. Forget the moronic comments above. Something tell me they drive smart cars. This would turn out to be a nice classic looker. Done up right.
Wonder how it’ll perform if you switched the 3.8 supercharged V6 from a Bonneville or a Regal GS from a later model. Sleeper material…
Mike, “They” drive a 2006 Honda Insight with 287,000 miles that still averages 61 mpg. My wifes beater happens to be a 2004 Scion xB with 204,000. I refer to it as a truck as it hauls about everything. Hauled a new full size washing machine recently. It gets 38 mpg. A friend has a Scion (Toyota) like it with 450,000 miles on the original drive train. Only a small part of my fleet but my two favorite drivers.
To each their own.I guess if I really wanted to look my age and throw care to the wind I would buy a Buick
AMCFAN, that’s crazy! You’re “new full size washing machine” gets 38mpg??!? 🤣
In all seriousness your Scion was one of the smarterToyota car configurations they designed, “Tactical Toaster” references aside. Many foreign countries innovatively (is that a word?) use it in place of a full-sized van with great success. Everyone has their druthers and we see them all here!
I don’t know how many miles these engines are good for, but this sounds like a good deal. The body looks great, that’s a big plus. Once rust sets in, most vehicles this age are heading to the crusher.
Future collectability seems unlikely. But if I had a friend/family member/myself looking for inexpensive, relatively bulletproof, easy-to-fix/maintain transportation, I’d be all over something like this.
Shiny, rustless, lowish miles, $2500… normally you’d have to accept a 4-door to get a deal like that. It’s the (increasingly hard-to-find) entry level car that you’ll buy for beater money, keep rolling with junkyard parts, and yet keep waxed and vacuumed to maintain its visual sweetness.
Oh Boy!! If this car was on this side of the Apallaician Mtns, I’d go get it. It is perfect for my present needs!! I can get the money.
had 2 regals a 94 and a 98 that motor was fantastic never lost a minute from both beautiful cars in the buick tradition
My Mom bought this exact car , same color in and out brand new and then drove it to 200,000 plus miles. It was very dependable, and fairly easy to work on years after the warranty expired.
I like that this example has a moonroof. A car without one is a cave on wheels!
In ten years moonroofs will be standard in all passenger vehicles except probably non-crew pickup cabs.
I hope not. Those things are heat exchangers. Too hot in the summer with them open. Lets in all the heat.
PatrickM:
Perhaps the laws of physics worked differerently in my last moonroof-equip. car: Heat tends to rise, which made heating the car a little challenging on 5°F New England winter days, but a small price to pay for the additional light coming in, and aforementioned blistering summer heat escaping quicker in mid-Summer.
There must be a reason they’re appearing in more and more makes & models. Just like Aircon used to be optional, now ya can’t buy a ride without it. Hmmmm..
Too hot? Close the shade! :)
A lot of slagging against domestic cars by Honda and Toyota owners.
I had a 1989 Mercury Topaz, bought it brand new, had it for exactly 16 years, 330,000 KMs. I found it amusing when I lived in Winnipeg that on cold winter evenings after late shift at work that I was getting out the jumper cables to give a boost to Honda owners whose cars would not start in the minus 30 degree weather !!
At -30 Celsius or -30 Fahrenheit?
Come to think of it, Doesn’t really matter! It’s too dang cold to be outside..
I’d say the best solution is a battery heater or move more southerly for winter..
Minus 30 is about the same in Fahrenheit or Celsius !! But that’s Canada for you !! PS it helps to have a block heater but if you park on the street or parking lot with no access to a plug, you better make sure your battery is in top condition !! Both Winnipeg and Edmonton vie for bragging rights to coldest major capital cities in North America. Makes for great ice fishing though !!
Yessiree-that’s what ice fishing and ice RACING are all about! Good stuff…
Re: vying for the claim of coldest major city? That’d be LAS VEGAS-when my ex is there and we cross paths….
Winnipeg Jets will always have difficulty attracting free agents from other teams when their contracts expire. Many players will want to migrate to warmer American cities. Notable exceptions are Dustin Byfuglien, who gladly signed a lot term contract with the Jets a few years ago, as he is an avid ice fisherman. And Mark Scheifele, good Canadian boy, and Blake Wheeler. good Minnesotan, all previously resigned with the Jets. Players who spent time in Winniepg grow to like it and most opt to stay put.
Pocket Rocket. As long as that 99 thou not 199 thou.
If its 199. It is toast
I can’t imagine being sentenced to driving an econobox for 50k miles, so 200k, 300k, and 450k would be unimaginable. I’d take the Buick instead for the long-haul!