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.
They where quicker than the Camaro in my opinion,you could hold low gear in this and manual shift, Camaro/Trans Am would shift 1st to 2nd on it’s own… About time it started making power .
Very nice car and looks to have been taken care of. Price seems fair more so with some of the crazy prices we see and the mileage is not that high.
Ahh, what a car. I would prefer classic Buick wheels.
I like the colors in & out. Has the LT-1, and though can’t get a clear picture, looks like power lumbar and heated seats, too.
It’s just that I’ve always thought the Roadmaster sedans look clumsy and ungainly. I prefer the wagon both for a more aerodynamic look and sleeker front end. But jmo.
Hi Jon,
How’s it going?
The sleeker front end of the Buick Roadmaster station wagon was a Chevrolet Impala/Caprice. Which was very disappointing as the Road master had a very “snobby” “sophisicated” front end that basically said “I’m better than you, peasant.” And the Impala/Caprice front end was just another Chevy. IMO
Never cared for all the GM full size wagons of the 90s. They all had the same rearend, same taillights.
If I were to ever own a Roadmaster wagon (probably never will) I would have to find a sedan with a good front clip and put that on the wagon. Im surprised I havent seen anyone do that.
Agreed, Angel. From the time that Buick introduced the Roadmaster sedan I’ve not understood why they didn’t use the sedan’s front clip on the Roadmaster wagon. The longroof would then have looked like a Buick, instead of a Caprice with a waterfall grille, and been much classier as well, and all the “development” that would have been required would have been the cost of ordering new left and right woodgrain appliques and surround moldings.
I looked at a 1990 Buick wagon on Carfax (I think). Last year of the square look. It had those ribbed look aluminum rims, power passenger seat & twilight sentinel. Nice blue. Those years were the good ones.
Looks like we’ll agree to disagree on this one.
Hope you’re doing well.
lose the SS wheels. they really don’t with those body lines. put some factory Buick wheels on it
With the SS wheels, grandpa was probably driving this “hotrod” to Hooters and not Red Lobster.
I agree with all the comments about the Chevy rims that belong on a Chevy.