This is one of those cars we don’t think of often enough when it comes to affordable classics with all the right boxes checked. The wagon version of the Chevrolet Caprice (and its various corporate twins) got all the love a few years ago when enthusiasts woke up to the fact that the venerable 5.7L LT1 engine was stuffed under the hood of the family hauler. Well, GM gave the Buick Roadmaster the same treatment in its later years, but hardly anyone talks about it. This 1995 Buick Roadmaster is equipped with the LT1, a limited-slip, and Impala SS wheels and looks like a bargain at $9,500 or best offer and listed here on eBay.
As your resident Euro car snob, I am unsettled by how much I dig this thing. The Impala SS wheels completely transform its personality, and it’s shocking how good they look tucked under the fenders. The Roadmaster went out with a whimper after years of that storied nameplate signaling that you had purchased the best Buick money could buy, and it also seemingly marked the end of the rear-wheel drive land yacht era. From what I recall, GM even shuttered the plant that built Roadmasters to switch over to trucks and SUVs, signaling the end of the big sedan era. It’s a shame, since Buick built some of the best.
I know if I were to drive this rig, I’d have to be content with simply wafting down the road with some urgency and great sounds and not judging the car based on its road-holding abilities. This is where the big American sedan products always fall down for me, as I’m not quite sure what to do with it other than enjoy the V8 noise and perhaps surprise a few left land squatters with my sudden, silent urgency. Of course, if you value comfort, the Roadmaster delivers it in spades, with living room couch-like accommodations front and rear. The seller notes he snagged this car off of the second owner, and the sale included a variety of valuable service records.
These included important jobs such as water pump replacement, fuel pump replacement, new shocks all around, a full brake job, and new tires (the tires were apparently replaced again when the SS wheels were mounted.) The powerful LT1 gave grandpa 260 horsepower and 330 lb.-ft. of torque, more than enough to get to the early bird special at Red Lobster. Sadly, like most of my memories from the late 90s, Red Lobsters and Roadmasters are few and far between, but this one looks like a ton of car for not a ton of cash. Do any of you think this LT1-powered Roadmaster would be a hoot to own?
I had a ’95 Roadmaster for a few years. Mine had a Chevy 9C1 police car suspension under it, a cold air intake, a 3.42 posi in the back and the same Impala SS wheels. Loved that car, it was a genuine sleeper and tons of fun but the ask here is a bit steep, especially for 114k miles and the colors. Good luck to the seller.