While we come across Buick Grand Nationals quite frequently, rarely do we find ones with the AstroRoof option. It’s been over a year since we last featured one with this option and that one wasn’t nearly as clean as this one, then again that one had nearly 100k miles and an unknown number of previous owners. This one is being offered by its second owner and is said to have just 17k miles. The seller’s photos aren’t exactly the best, but from what can be seen, this is one clean Buick. If you’d love to give this rare turbocharged find a good home, you can find it here on eBay in Los Angeles, California where it’s currently bid up to $27,100.
The seller seems to flip flop from calling it a Regal T-Type to a Grand National, but based on the badges and the interior, this appears to be a Grand National. During the early years of the GN’s development, you could order a Regal as either a T-Type or a GN. In both cases, the VIN would decode as being a T-Type, so that might be the source of confusion. Both came with the same turbocharged V6, the main differences being cosmetic. By the time this car was built, GNs were exclusively offered in black with a two-tone interior and steel wheels. T-Types were offered in just about every color Buick had to offer and came with aluminum wheels. They actually built fewer T-Types in ’86, but this GN has a feature that makes it far rarer than its sibling. It’s believed that just 198 Grand Nationals were sold with the AstroRoof, aka moonroof, option, and this is said to be one of them, plus it features the rare digital dash. We don’t get a look at the roof to confirm it’s present though, so you will have to take the seller’s word that it’s there.
A find like this really needs lots of high-quality photos to reach its full market value. The lack of photos leaves you wondering if the seller is trying to hide something or if they simply believe the car’s value is in what it is rather than its condition. If the mileage is correct, it seems like this car would be well worth more than the current bid. At the same time, $27k seems high for a car that lacks photos of key areas like the engine bay, passenger side, or rear of the car. What do you think? Would you take a risk on this Buick? It sure looks nice in what can be seen, but there are a lot of unknowns here. Let us know what you think in the comments!
I count 3 different instrument options through the years
– digital
– analog sweep
– analog round
Am I missing any? Lol
There is only 1 instrument option on the Grand National, the digital dash. The round analog Stewart Warner gauges were standard in the GNX, and were not available as a factory option on other cars. Quite a few GN’s were updated with the GNX style dash, I converted mine over as well, but everything was done in a manner that was completely reversible, all original parts were retained. The sweep OEM dash is more desirable than the digital setup.
Two bidders with little (4) and no (0) feedback history have provided 75% of the 75 bids to date. Doesn’t inspire much confidence of this listing/lister.
Fully agree. Also, of their 30 positive feedbacks, only 1 was as a seller. The rest were as a buyer. This is a trick that people use to boost their feedback ratings. They will go around and buy a bunch of super cheap stuff. Since ebay does not let you see the listings after a certain period of time, it becomes difficult to spot this tactic. But still, the majority of the feedback as a buyer should definitely alert you that you need to do your due diligence before buying anything from them. Inspecting the car in person would be a great first step.
So a GN with a rare option, and not one picture showing said rare option??!?!?! It just makes no sense.
I see or should I don’t see what I should see. This post is so wrong. MoragaPulsar did his homework and so should all buyers of any auto on here.
My brother in law had a 86 T type, with the Astro roof, it was better for rigidity and didn’t get stress cracks near the quarter windows the way the T top cars did, for a 6cylinder she was quick, did monstrous burnouts
The T-Top cars were also known to crack in the A-pillar. Removing a serious portion of the roof structure, combined with a heavy foot really tweaked the bodies pretty seriously. Adding the missing body bushings, the brace at the front of the frame and the brace behind the rear seat significantly reduce the body flex.