If you can’t be lucky enough to find a classic car hidden away in a barn or shed, maybe the next best thing is to find one that has only had one careful, elderly owner. That’s what this 1994 Buick Roadmaster Estate is. The owner has pampered the car over the past quarter of a century and now has come the time for a new owner to reap the benefits of this. Located in Tacoma, Washington, the Buick has been listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding is currently sitting at a very low $1,325 in what is a No Reserve auction.
When you look at the overall condition of the Roadmaster, it isn’t hard to believe that it has been garage kept for its entire life and that in the owner’s own words, it has been babied. The owner also states that the car has never been exposed to salt or harsh elements, which means that there are no rust issues. The underside of the car is absolutely spotless, while the panels, paint, and wood-grain look pretty impressive for a car of this age. There are a couple of small issues that I can spot, but the majority of these should be relatively easy to address. The chrome trim on the passenger side quarter panels has a couple of dings on it, while the trim around the front wheel arch on the same side is also damaged. I also noticed that the trim on the driver’s side rear door doesn’t line up properly, so this may have been damaged at some point.
When you look at the state of the interior, the only real sign of wear and tear is the wear on the wheel rim. This is all the more impressive when you take the vehicle’s mileage into account. The owner doesn’t make any outrageously low claims, but states that the Buick has covered just on 156,000 miles. The wear on the wheel is the only real sign of age, which isn’t bad. For the larger family seeking a classic wagon, the Roadmaster also comes with the desirable third row, so there’s room to seat seven people in this one. The owner says that everything works as it should, including the air conditioning, power windows, power seats, power locks, and cruise control. For added peace of mind and safety, the Buick is also fitted with both a driver’s and passenger airbag in case things should go horribly wrong.
The fact that the Roadmaster is a 1994 model is a huge bonus when you open the hood. When the Roadmaster was reintroduced into the Buick range in 1991, the standard 5.0-liter L03 engine produced around 170hp. By 1994, the 5.7-liter fuel-injected Chevrolet V8 had found its way under the hood, which meant that owners now had 260hp at their disposal. The 5.7-liter V8 in this car is hooked to a 4-speed automatic transmission, while power steering and power brakes were also part of the package. The 156,000 mile total for this car may be a bit off-putting to some people, but the car does come with a full service history dating back to when the car rolled out of the dealership all shiny and new.
The 1991-1996 Roadmaster was not the sales success that Buick had hoped for. In fact, sales of the vehicle halved between 1992 and 1994. The rise of the SUV was the main culprit, and this left Buick with no alternative but to discontinue the Roadmaster in 1996. Since then, Dodge has tried to revive the full-size wagon concept but was ultimately unsuccessful. With current market trends continuing to see new SUV sales go from strength to strength, it is highly doubtful that we will see any manufacturer pursue this type of vehicle at any point in the foreseeable future. This trend has also seen older wagons grow in popularity amongst classic car enthusiasts. While this Buick may not be an immediate classic, the fact that it seems to mark the end of the line for what was once a market staple should mean that good example will become highly sought in the future. That might make this one a good future investment.
Long wheel base, weight, ultimate comfort seats, 350 V-8 under the hood.
Great American road trips. Fond memories of these Roadmaster wagons.
SUV’s are sure popular but can’t measure up to the ride and comfort
of a Roadmaster.
I love these, but this is the least exciting color and rim combo. Who am I kidding, I’ll take one in any color though. The chrome trim is definitely beat up, but I’m wondering if the drivers rear door trim is actually poor photography? Nice car and the mileage doesn’t scare me.
Great old school GM ride. So many affordable, easy mods available for the LT1. Make it mildly more aggressive, swap the wheels out for something sportier, and enjoy! I never understood why Buick didn’t put the Roadmaster sedan’s front fascia on the wagon. The wagon’s fascia is essentially Caprice, with a grill swap.
This would not necessarily be an LT1. They had non LT1 5.7’s too. I actually prefer the standard 5.7 in these, although the LT1 is a LOT of fun.
I’ve had different versions of these over the years with a variety of all 3 engines. The 5.0 just sucks lol, the LT1 5.7 is the most fun & the standard 5.7 is the most reliable.
All offer decent gas mileage, handle well for a floating boat, and offer PLENTY of room. Great cars!
Wrong. For 1994, 95, and 96 the LT1 was the only engine in the Roady.
Exactly, ACZ. You got it! Though in the Chevy Caprice, a new 4.3 Liter V8 was standard, the LT1 was an option. Obviously, the Impala SS used the LT1, as standard.
4.3 is 6 cyl
I didn’t realize the LT1 was standard in 1994. My fault.
Jason Meyer, there was a 4.3 8 cylinder too in these years.
There was a 4.3 L V8 that was a Chevy only piece. It looked like the LT1, externally. Same abits distributor, same reverse flow cooling, but smaller displacement.
What do you consider to be “decent” gas mileage? Asking for a friend. 😉
If I had the cash, I’d do it in a heartbeat! It’s got all I need and a trailer hitch too!
Sure could use it and a trailer to haul
supplies needed to build my tiny house.
And when all that’s done, I’d have a great
road car for that trip down state to visit
relatives. All that, in one lovely package,
who could resist? I know I can’t!
Pick me up at the airport and I’d drive it home.
Very sharp wagon, never imagined cars like this would one day become collectibles. Mileage is good for the age, but for a car that was “garage kept and never exposed to salt or harsh elements”…that elderly owner sure did put on the miles when the sun was shining.
? – A little over 600 miles per month on average …
these are great vehicles but if you are thinking of buying it check under the rug in the rear cargo area for rust and or corrosion
Nothing screams octogenarian like a Roadmaster wagon, but at this point in my life that’s not such a bad thing. I hope I hang on into my 80’s.
My mother’s last 2 cars were Roadmaster wagons and she loved them. She owned a long line of station wagons over the years and liked the Buicks the best.
Pillowy ride, lots of interior room, three across seating without rubbing shoulders, that Buick dashboard, and most importantly, that Buick feeling.
With 156K this won’t go for a whole lot, but the new owner will have one fine ride.
A bit of trivia about that Buick dashboard……If the dash has a tach, it’s not an LT1, no tach and it is an LT1. I remember when that decision was made. The hot engine was made standard but feedback from the customers of the previous couple of years was that the speedo was too hard to read. When the speedo was made bigger, there was no room for the tach. A lot of people were left scratching their heads.
If the car is a NATIVE to the NW Region especially a newer there should be minimal rust issues even on a car kept outside. We have a mild climate up here things like road deicers are not real common and menially used. If was an outside car then the big issue would the Faux would trim fading in the sun.
It’s currently at $3850 with two days left. The owner’s about to make some good $$$ on this.
I know a septuagenarian book seller that still drives one that’s the opposite of this: WELL-worn, well-beaten, everything but mis-matched doors. He says the same thing everyone else would: “An SUV is too high for me; this carries a lot more books than an SUV, and they don’t make anything any more that replaces this for my needs!”
He gets a LOT of double-takes when he drives anywhere in it–more for the condition than the Roadmaster aspect.
A friend of mine, in Pennsylvania absolutely road the wheels off his. He is in the business of selling used Kent-Moore essential tools. The wagon fit his needs perfectly. It now sits in his back yard with the frame rotted through. After hundreds of thousands of miles, it now supplies low priced storage.
Love my 1995 cheBy version!
Mine just turned 115,000(383 miles a month over her lifetime)
after our 15,000 mile trip around the USA last year. Amazing old car. Like riding on the living room couch. With a light foot and the tires at full air capacity, I was able to just make 30 mpg. I get more attention everywhere I go in this thing. Sparks so many family memories apparently.
In a big tank like this, which is a lot more fun to drive than my 42 mpg Hyundai, I was able to accomplish 26 mpg on the highway. I consider that to be decent gas mileage. But it is all relative.
Mines older and has 170,000 miles on the clock, but I still like it.Bruce.
I need to sell at least six cars (5 Mercedes and an ’02 T-Bird) to cut my fleet in 1/2 but this is very tempting based on its condition. I just bougt a Toyota Sequoia so not sure how to justfy buying this one. Well still two days to decide.
BF has featured a Roadmaster Wagon in 4 or the past 5 months. This, along with the Haggarty article, is probably an indicator that a market exists for these relics. Alas, the market has yet to find mine!
Yes they seem to becoming very collectable!! I had a heck of a time finding a class 3 hitch for mine, This one has it! Sure do enjoy mine after about a year of ownership! Just need to find out why when you floor it the engine stumbles, sets check engine light and shuts down air, It wont stumble again when you floor it for the rest of the ride. shut off and it resets and now air works again till you floor it again, as in passing! Found other owners with the same problem on forums, Replaced opti spark distributor with minor improvement! Help!
I’ve owned 3 Roadmaster sedans. A charcoal 92, not a bad car but for $900 It ran good rode nice but it developed a bunch of electrical problems so I let it go. Then I got a gold ’95, I paid $1000 and it had 125k miles on it, this was in 2012, that car was perfection everything worked. The fact that it was a Canadian was cool because it had a 200kmh speedo. It was electronically limited to 108mph but thats about 185kmh which looks cool in any Roadmaster. Then I had a 96 but that one sat too long and had rust issues. Now I can’t find one cheap enough so I had to buy the next best vehicle, a 2000 GMC Yukon XL. $1200 how can I complain and still have a plush ride.