Low Rider Candidate? 1987 Buick Regal Survivor

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The Buick Regal can be many things. If it’s a Grand National, it’s a serious performance car that many of us hope to own someday. If it’s a plain-jane Regal, it could be a few different things: a luxurious grandma-cruiser, or a low-slung street crawler sitting on chrome wheels. Of course, most of us here would opt for the preservation spec that not only protects the originality of the car but also makes it one heck of a slow-ride cruiser. The seller mentions that this Regal Limited has under 100,000 original miles and is listed here on eBay with bids to $10,000 and no reserve.

In some car cultures, the Regal is just born to be a low-rider. Full-on custom hydraulic suspension with chrome wheels on tires with barely any sidewalls. The body would still be meticulous with perhaps the addition of some custom airbrush or pinstripe effects. Whether a chrome-rimmed steering wheel is swapped in depends on the individual operator but I can almost guarantee the cloth seating surfaces would be ditched for leather. But, if you want to keep this Regal as honest and OEM-correct as you can, you wouldn’t dare think of altering an example such as this that has been lovingly preserved. The seller doesn’t mention whether the electronics all work and whether the A/C system is functional.

To me, this Regal is far too clean to use as anything other than a bone-stock boulevard cruiser. It will be welcomed into any car show it rolls up to, and you can use it comfortably as the occasional errand-runner. One of the best things about a survivor that is this clean is that it’s a pleasure to spend time in it. Buick and the rest of the big domestic manufacturers may not have been hitting many home runs during the malaise era, but they never stopped knowing how to build some of the most comfortable cars in the business. Look at the trunk lining and carpet of this Regal – it’s spotless.

One of the best clues that a car or truck was owned by an older adult is based on how original and unused the backseat appears to be. I see very little evidence of regular backseat passengers as the tufted seating surfaces are simply in too nice of condition. Of course, this would be a fairly unpleasant place to jam the grandkids anyway, so I can’t see anyone opting to spend all that much time back here. For a clean Regal like this with beautiful paint, nice chrome, attractive wire wheel covers, and the Limited trim, it seems like bidding is right on the money and that the seller will be bringing $10,000 home (or better) when it comes time to hand over the keys to this beautiful Regal.

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Comments

  1. Howard A Howard AMember

    “A low slung street crawler”?,,that’s it, I’m out of here( footsteps in an empty hallway, door slamming), one of the last RWDs, I believe, like God originally intended. Never was a fan of FWD and this is one cushy ride. I believe the author means those wheel hopping, hydraulic contraptions, with the wheels all askew, for some reason favor these cars. Nothing in my mind could be more ridiculous,,,but that’s me. The “Grand National” Regal gets all the thunder these days, but guess what? I never saw’r one, and a slew of these, and for good reason. A better American car, you simply couldn’t buy and almost 40 years later, the same still holds true. Far as I’m concerned, the auto industry went downhill from here.

    Like 16
  2. RKS

    Yes it would be welcome at most car shows (not the ones I take my cars to, I like pre 68 shows to keep the boring stuff out) but who goes to a car show hoping to see a bone stock G body? You might as well go walk around the parking lot of the local mall.

    Like 4
    • bone

      Not on the East Coast, the rear frames rails were well known for severe rust , and the anemic V6 on many didnt hold out . The ones that weren’t junked ended up being made into stock cars and local tracks. I haven’t seen a G body ( except for SS and GN models) on the road in many years

      Like 3
    • Brad460Member

      Show me any mall or public place anymore where bone stock G bodies are around. They just aren’t. I’m in the “please preserve this” group of people.

      Man GM had their interiors down in the 80s. I can almost feel how soft and comfortable those seats are. What a wonderful place to sit and watch the miles go by. Sure miss cars with comfortable interiors.

      Like 6
      • RKS

        What I meant was you might as well go walk around a mall parking lot to see boring cars. This G body has a lot of potential to be more than it is but all the boring people start to cry you anyone mention changing anything on it.

        Like 0
  3. Stan StanMember

    Be perfectly at home in the Club Champions 🏆 parking spot ⛳️

    Like 4
  4. FlaCo

    If it’s V8 powered then it’s worth the asking price but if it’s a V6 then you can keep it…

    Like 5
  5. Mike76

    Looks like my Pop’s ’86 Regal T Type, white with the blue velour interior. He bought it brand new in March of 86, it now has 84k miles and drives like a new car with routine maintenance performed. At 79, he’s more cautious with the accelerator but she’s still got plenty of power to get the french fries home quickly, nice and hot. These are some good cars.

    Like 3
  6. Keith

    No rubber side-trim, no badges… repaint? And those LED headlights gots to go!

    I found a similar one several years back. Threw on a set of Buick road wheels with white letter tires, shined it up, and made it my summer errand-runner – zero concern for how many miles, if it rains, etc., just give it general maintenance and a coat of wax every now and then.

    But that was bought back when such a car could be had for a grand or two. If this one ends up actually selling for somewhere in the teens, I may have to reconsider the future of mine!

    Like 2
    • BONE

      You’re correct, its been repainted – on top of the things you mentioned, the door strikers and trunk latch have been painted white . To be fair ,the seller doesn’t say the paint is original, he says paint “looks like new” . Of course he may or may not know its been repainted

      Like 2
  7. Dan

    Leave it alone!!

    Like 2
  8. Patrick Anderson

    You still see these here In SoCal that haven’t been given the full lowrider treatment, but have small wire wheels and some cheap custom touches-kind of budget “wannabe” low riders

    Like 0
  9. Glenn SchwassMember

    I had a friend whose Mom had a brand new one from those years. It was really nice until their mechanic checked it out and discovered it had been hit so hard, that one side had a light coil spring and the dealer had rebuilt it and sold it as new. They had to sue for a replacement. It sat lower on one side. Next one was new version and not as nice.

    Like 0
  10. Emel

    Whether a ‘plain jane’ Regal or a ‘not so’ Grand National Regal….i will pass !

    Like 0
  11. GIRTH

    Some of you guys will probably have an aneurism, but I’d put the Buick road wheels on it after I tossed whatever junk powers this thing with a 4.8 or a 5.3 . I’ve done this to a few Monte Carlos. I do drive it anytime it’s dry or no salt on the road. Year round. More than 2x the power , modern overdrive trans. All in a car worth driving . EVERYWHERE.

    Like 0
  12. JR

    I had an ’83 regal that was killed by a bad thermostat which warped the heads at 160k. Left me stuck in 1995 on the Dan Ryan outside of Chicago. I had zero dollars in my wallet and my cc’s were all maxed out. I helped change a tire of an angel while stuck who gave me a crisp $20 bill. I sold the car to to the garage for the price of the tow. Tough times….but I loved that car. So classy and comfortable. The dash above had a cool backlit Buick logo and design that would only work when it was 0F degrees. It was silver on blue Limited with solid hubcaps and no vinyl on roof. Super clean.

    Like 0

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