Dating all the way back to 1936, the Roadmaster was an on-again, off-again offering from Buick, with the moniker taking a more than three-decade break before returning for a final run lasting between 1991 and 1996. Now riding on the GM B-Platform, the last Roadmaster represented what would be the end of the road for traditional full-size cars at Buick, with this 1996 model here on Hemmings truly being the swan song for this memorable era of luxury. This sedan is located in Sarasota, Florida, and comes with a sure-sale price of $6,700, although offers are also being accepted. Our thanks go out to reader Rocco B. for sending in the tip here!
Looking all around this large Buick, it’s hard to believe this one’s traveled 221,425 miles, as the condition would lead admirers to assume that number would be far lower. The story here goes that this Roadmaster was originally purchased by a doctor in Augusta, and it was his only vehicle, which he cared for meticulously. The car saw numerous trips from Georgia to Englewood, Florida, for many years, so the miles accumulated, with the physician sadly passing away in 2020. This one is said to be wearing all of its original paint, and the finish still looks considerably younger than its actual age of nearly three decades.
The 1994-1996 Roadmaster had only one engine available, but that’s OK, as it was a modified version of the LT1 shared with the Chevrolet Corvette. Although it was detuned slightly, the V8 offered a respectable 260 horsepower, which was a lot for a sedan of this period. Recent maintenance includes draining the gas tank and installing a new fuel pump, just in case, as well as the brakes and cooling system being gone through. The seller says the car is driving great, and the transmission is shifting smoothly.
Inside, a few components show a bit of light wear, but it’s minor considering the cabin has been occupied for not far from a quarter of a million miles. As would be expected, the interior is loaded with luxurious features, such as power front seats, windows, and door locks, plus cruise control, an AM/FM/Cassette Stereo, plus the optional leather package. I miss these mid-nineties monster sedans, and even with the high mileage here, the level of care this one has received appears to have kept this 1996 Roadmaster roadworthy. Any thoughts to share about this one?
After warming it up well, the 2nd thing to do for the new buyer is stomp the gas pedal and have a smokeshow for the kids🏁🙆♂️🙆♀️ 👨👩👦
221k miles is easy miles if most are freeway. This car, barring rust issues, should have a lot of life left.
Would you rather have a car that sat in storage and was hardly used, or a car that has been driven, well-kept, and maintained with an open checkbook? I believe this car is smart money for that price.
I believe cars should be driven. As long as the owner can provide detailed service records, I would buy this before I buy a 358 mile anything. Super comfy road cars. And fuel mileage as good as any big SUV today.
last of the ‘large’ buicks?
I’d take the wagon model shown here often~
These BIG old BUICKS are like riding on a cloud ,,,,,, nice old cars .
Thanks go to a couple of guys at Buick Motor Division that built the business case to bring the Roady back to life for a few years.
I’m very pleased to see this high mileaged Roadmaster listed for $6700. Especially since I just bought a ’96 Roadmaster in better condition with just 105,226 miles for only $5,500.
Last month Barn Finds featured cars for sale from the Generous Collection. That piqued my interest and lo and behold I ended up bidding and buying this one.
Congrats! A lot of nice cars went for great deals from the Generous Collection. I watched the results, but could not participate.
Its not a Corvette motor “detuned slightly”. Its an iron head motor with a different cam. Likewise, the aluminum headed Corvette motor is not a “slightly tuned” Roadmaster engine. They share a common intake but that’s it. If I put a LT1 intake on my 1986 C10 does that make it a Corvette motor?
I wonder how many times the water pump and the opti_spark distributor has been changed. With that many miles, I would think several. Just like my 93 Z-28
I owned the Sister – Ship to this, it being my Caddy, had the same motor I believe with the same Corvette parts. It had more power than any other Beast I have ever owned. I’m 78 now so 62 years of driving an array of muscle cars and full sized Lincolns, Buicks and Caddys I loved them all. I started off with Buicks and at 16 I picked out a 1956 Buick with a standard transmission 3 on the column. At least I enjoyed the better gas mileage than my Dad’s red and white torpedo back straight 8. I got off subject a bit but in my books this Buick is a dream car in my world.