Some cars live amazingly good lives. While most end up rusting away in a junkyard or coming back to us as razor blades or new Corollas, a few cars live a life protected and loved. Take for example the Buick we see here that faithful reader T.J. has located for us. This 1948 Buick Roadmaster for sale on Craigslist in scenic Colorado Springs, Colorado is advertised as a vehicle that has spent its entire life garaged and/or covered. Maybe even covered in a garage. This is no small feat for a mechanical object produced while Harry Truman still occupied The White House. Running and driving with fresh brake work, is this neat old Buick worth the $10,000 asking price? If you bought it, would you feel honor-bound to continue as a caretaker, or would you have other plans for this stately Buick?
So many times, we read an ad and want to know so much more about a car and its back story. This Buick is certainly in that category of cars. The seller tells us that it has been “covered/garage kept its entire” life. Does that hint mean the seller has owned it since new? Is it a car that has been handed down in a family? Was this Aunt Hortense’s last ride, and everyone just loved her and her old Buick so much they kept it around in her memory? One of the commandments to purchasing a car is to buy the car, not the story. However, the story does set the tone for the sale and is often just plain interesting and important. Perhaps the seller will write in and give us some background on this car.
Despite the lack of a story, we can see that this car has received great care throughout its life. There are the various and expected nicks, scratches, and dings that an original car would have. The chrome and stainless are all in acceptable condition and none of the body panels show any signs of accident damage. We can also see that some of the interior pieces have possibly been replaced over the years. However, the seller states that the interior fabric is original. Maybe that is true, or maybe any replacements were in the original style and fabric. Original is a word we wrestle with a lot around here.
Regardless, all of it is honest wear on a car that has been around this long. The odometer reading of 83,255 miles is likely true and just a start for this well-made Buick. Roadmasters were traditionally Buick’s flagship model. They were built on the longest wheelbase chassis that the marque offered except for the limousine. Bodies were shared with Cadillac and Oldsmobile save for the distinctive Buick front end and various other understated but elegant touches the brand was known for.
That understated elegance can be seen in the Buick you see in this ad. One can see why someone with an interest in fine things without the flash of other luxury cars could be drawn to a Buick. From the silky-smooth straight-eight engines to the new for 1948 Dynaflow automatic transmission, a Buick was a car that was built well and rode exceptionally well. If one wasn’t enamored with purchasing a new car each year, a Buick of this era was a good choice. They were well-made, dependable, and dignified. The fact that it has lasted so long and is still in this condition proves the point that early postwar Buicks were fine cars.
One of the reasons for Buick’s stellar reputation from this period was the firm’s inline eight-cylinder engine. This utterly smooth engine put out a deceptively low 144 horsepower. While that was competitive with other luxury brands, the real benefit of this engine was that it produced gobs of torque at the low end of the RPM range. Buicks were designed to float away from stoplights and shuffle down the road with little protest from the exhaust or the engine compartment. The addition of an automatic transmission that year helped power go to the ground almost seamlessly. Riding in one of these is one of life’s pleasures. If you purchase this Buick, you won’t likely have to worry about any issues. The seller claims that it runs and drives great. If not, a shop manual is in the trunk for your reading pleasure.
Seeing a car with a history like this for sale on Craigslist is akin to seeing a dog that has been dumped on the side of the road. Surely the seller has reasons for letting this car go. Perhaps this should be seen as an opportunity to experience one of the best postwar cars produced in its original form. This is a vehicle that a car lover should consider. The drivetrain is top-notch in every way and easy to work on. The body is roomy and elegant without being ostentatious. These Buicks ride and drive very smoothly, and you have room to bring the whole family. This is a car to tour with, drive the family to the ice cream parlor in on Saturday night, and a perfect ride to work or church on these perfect sunny days. Who said Aunt Hortense should have all the fun?
Does this original Buick appeal to you? If it were yours, what would your plans be for it? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
Great article on a incredibly well-kept example of mid’50’s Americana. A Sunday driver that whispers to all “you’ll never forget the time you spend riding with me”.
This elegant lady should always be treated with the dignity and care of which she’s obviously been accustomed.
This is one fine looking car. You didn’t get there in a Buick you arrived. A Buick said you made it, but you didn’t want to show off in Cadillac. For 10 grand this looks like a solid investment. What always surprised me was how GM divisions at the time didn’t share motors, but Buick developed their own transmission as well. Pontiac, Olds and Cadillac all used the Hydramatic, and Chevy made the Powerglide for the masses. GM even sold the Hydramatic to car makers as well. Hudson, Kaiser and even Lincoln used them, but Buick had it’s very own Dynaflow.
The reason Buick developed the Dynaflow, rather than utilizing the Hydramatic, is due to the fact that Buick (like Chevy) used a torque tube drive, and the jerkiness of the Hydramatic was not a good match with that system. The Dynaflow, being smooth and ‘non-shifting’ was a better match.
Bought one of these in the late ’60s to
haul band equipment. Sad to say that
mine looked like it had been used for
climbing practice by a herd of mountain goats. It may have been rusted and beat all to hell, but that 320 straight 8 and Dynaflow tranny
worked great and were as smooth as fresh churned butter. It was very reliable and always got us to the show on time. Seeing this one makes
me want it no matter what my girls
might say. And to paraphrase an old
Buick slogan: Yes I’d really rather have a Buick!
When Buicks were something! Class, comfort, reliability and in the convertible version of this car, simply magnificent. Hopefully this car will be treated with respect and care. As noted, when you drove up in a new Buick folks noticed. What a grand old gal.
In 1960, bought a ‘47 Super at Aloha Motors in Honolulu for $100. Drove for two years at U.H. Ate tires! For $5, you could get a re-grooved bald tire. Ours had a metal sun visor operated from inside.
Hmmm….50 miles away. Beautiful car! Be still my heart….
Gorgeous lady, and $10k seems like a real bargain. Someone on here should buy this and tell us all about it.
Parking her outside would be a crime, and I’m no criminal. Ten large is a bargain.
A rare find indeed ! I can recall riding in some older Buicks in my earlier years . They always had an exceptional ride like no other automobile . Buicks were well known for producing fine cars that were highly optioned and built to high standards . They were considered a luxury car and of course were expensive to own .Buicks model ? ” When better cars are built , Buick will build them .” Circa 1940s . Happy Motoring !!
Had one…
Loved it…
Miss it.
This car is 20′ long has a 110 hp straight 8 with a single speed Dynaflow transmission. Just keep the oil up and it should last.
I thought they were 2 speed?
The two-speed characterization is confusing.
Buick Dynaflow transmissions offered two DRIVING RANGES, low and high. The low range provided excellent acceleration and greater pulling power than the drive range. Normal driving conditions required use of only the drive range. Neither range provided the automatic up-shifts and down-shifts that we normally associate with automatic transmissions.
The left front fender well has a bend.
Interior should be factory mohair.
Lots of nemories! One relative of mine had a ’42, and another had a ’48: both were black Roadmasters. I would LOVE to own this one! My father, who drove Packards, derided the Buick automatic as “Dyna-slush”, because of the oh-so-smooth loosey-goosey shifting. But what a joy, not to feel the gear-shift! Might be a tad less fuel-efficient — but you only live once. A Buick meant quality, delicious comfort, and elegance, free of ostentatiousness. But watch-out! — for those side-opening hoods on many of their cars! More than one filling-station attendant has sprung a Buick hood’s hinges, by attempting to force it open from the front! Appearance-wise, my favourite Buicks are the 1939 and 1949 — but I’d gratefully take a ’48!
Can’t help but grin when I think of the Captain of a small ferryboat woefully seeing this beast waiting to board. Surely this beautiful and sturdy beast has thousands more miles to go before it turns into razor blades or new Corollas.
I did see the bend in the left front fender — but at $10,000, and on an unrestored original, minor blemishes are a part of the charm. If you’re looking for “showroom-perfect”, then seek a frame-off restored show-car which is not driven, except to prove that it starts, runs, and drives: you cannot ENJOY it for its intended purpose — even to a Sunday picnic — you can only take pride in ownership of essentially a museum piece, not a vehicle. This Buick obviously has been LOVED. I doubt that it could be one-owner, since someone buying a car of this stature in 1948 would be well past 100 now. One family is more likely. As to why they NOW are parting with it, after more than 75 years of careful ownership; I can only surmise that the last in the family line to cherish it has passed-away, and it doesn’t interest any of the younger survivors in the clan. Many of us who are way up in years hold onto things that our progeny will neither care about nor want when we are gone. But they will be astute enough to recognise when something we left behind has a marketable value. We cannot take it with us; neither can we control what others after us might choose to do with it. Each morning I wake up a little more obsolete in my perspective, though exceedingly grateful at my age that I am still here, still alert, and stll able to live independently.
Wow, what a deal on such a Buick, beauty! It’s pretty rare to find a 1948 turnkey, classic like this. And, yes especially on Craigslist. I’m working on a 48 Chrysler with a 323 straight 8 fluid drive, and have had the chance to learn a little about these great engines. Funny how all US car companies, except Ford, produced these straight eights. You can appreciate how this car was garaged and loved most all of its life. A ready to drive turnkey classic at this price, is hard to find.
I grew up with middle-class Buicks, first a ’37 Special built just two years after I was. That one got away from me while I was away at college- my father didn’t want the liability of selling a then twenty year old car to a friend so he paid a junkyard $50 bucks to DRIVE it away! Only 70K on it and in perfect condition including three new wheel cylinders and the fourth in the glove box.
That was replaced by a ’46 Super in black. Got my driver’s permit in that one. As mentioned above, it, too, ticked all the attribute boxes save for the yet-to-be-born Dynaflow.
Wonderful machines, those old Buicks of yore…
The junkyard story resonates with me. My great-uncle had a black ’36 Buick business coupe that I used to squeeze into the rear drop-down seat in. When he got crippled his wife had a junkie come to pull it out (for $15). I begged them to leave it for me, but to no avail…
Bill, sorry about your ’37! I get it entirely: my father and mother did such things to me all the while that I was growing up. Any “treasure” I acquired simply “vsnished” while I was at school. During the latter part of the Depression, and during the War, it was deemed that folks at the Good Will needed these things more than I did. And when I bought a tall and stately shiny-black 1927 Model T in immaculste condition from its original elderly owner for $400 that I had earned, they would not let me have the car and demanded that I get my money back. Maybe they had a point: as an adult, and even as an old man now, I hoard way too msny old things to be practical. My parents simply had furniture which had been new when they got it, and practical items they used regularly — no “hobbies”, and no “collecting”, and only new cars. But they also had uncluttered lives, unlike THIS writer, who is well old enough to know better, but never learns! When I go, it will be a nighmare for my children!
Several days ago I bougt a 1954 Buick Ventuyry fro GatewayClassiccars I looked beautiful but would not run infact the day after it would noit even start so I calledAA and returned it I made a $10,875.00 down payment on that junker WHEN I get my funds back I WILL BUY THIS roadmaster jewel. I was 16 years old when it was built and we had a heated garage large enough to keep in the fashion to which it should be..AFTER all I’m 91 yeras old and GOSH danged I ALMOSTE entitled to her….:-) joined the navy as FROGMAN in 1949 To Korea 1950 NAM in 1962, Bocnia 1992 YEAH 43 years!!!!!! HOOOOOYAAAAAA
Damn, 91 years old and you still have the classic car buying disease. Hope you have better luck with the next Buick you buy. I bought a 48 Chrysler awhile back that was supposed to be running and driving, but had to rebuild its carb and fuel pump before it was a reliable, running car. So I understand.
To UDTFROG: 91-year-olds RULE! You GO for it, whilst I listen to the 78s we both remember so very well, and I envy you!
Go to the link to Craigslist at the beginning of the article to contact the owner. Good luck and be careful.
My grandfather had a ’39 Special. These old Buicks were lovely things, with 8 cylinders in a row, as God intended.
I hope that the new owner will be a custodian of this remarkable machine, and give it the care it deserves.
I think it’s a little too stately to have dice hanging.
I wondered about the dice also, in such an original and well-preserved car. Call it a prejudice — but that would make me question the back-story, here, maybe. But then again, I still was a young adult when kids put fizzy dice in old cars. But isn’t that the POINT? — when you buy any car like this, you want it always to have been adult-driven.
Too bad its two doors too many and not a vert..
Not all of are the same, Mike mano: I PREFER four doors!! And I particularly dislike coupes. I enjoy comfortable family sedans, and I like their flowing graceful lines. I drove a 1946 Ford Super DeLuxe Tudor flathead V-8 for years — and, as much as I loved that car, I would have preferred the four-door version — no folding-down the back of the front seat, to climb into the rear passenger area! I don’t like hot-rods or muscle-cars, either. For me, a car is to drive or ride in, in comfort, on regular roads at posted speeds.