More automobile contests take place where greatness is king than you can shake a stick at, featuring trailer queens so beautiful that most owners gasp at the thought of ever driving them on the streets. Wouldn’t it be fun if an unconventional event existed where the worst-in-show prevailed, and awards were handed out for being the most awful? Alas, one such occurrence exists, and it’s known as The Lemons Rally. This 1984 Buick Electra Estate Wagon here on Craigslist recently took the top honors for badness, and it’s now looking for a new owner to keep celebrating its wretchedness. It’s located in Butte, Montana, and can be yours today for $2,900. Fun find here, Curvette, and thanks for sending us the tip!
The Lemons Rally is an event held in various towns across the U.S. where a group of beater vehicles gathers for a multi-day road trip, driving through different checkpoints along the way, and trying to keep their automobile running long enough to complete the course. It’s not entirely unlike a demolition derby, but there are no intentional crashes here. This Buick Wagon completed the 2,600-mile journey along the Oregon Trail (or the “Oregon Fail”, as this particular event was nicknamed), traveling ably from Independence, MO, to Portland, OR, without breaking down. Judging is based on a points-earned scale, and by the end of the road, it had achieved the highest score.
The heart of the matter here is the Buick’s 307 engine, which was kept running long enough to complete the course. However, that’s not entirely accurate, as this Estate actually came with a V8 designed and built by Oldsmobile, delivering 140 horsepower in 1984. Unfortunately, the GM Computer Command Control 4-barrel carburetor has a reputation for being problematic, and this one is no exception, stalling when the wagon stops. The seller recommends replacing it with a different unit, which sounds like the way to go here.
The exterior has some positives, as the sheet metal still appears to be relatively straight with no obvious signs of extensive corrosion. It’s also nicely trimmed outside, and parts of the lower half of the woody treatment remain intact. For such a loser, the graphics are actually somewhat attractive and thoughtfully placed, and I’d hate to think that somebody might remove them and restore the body back to its factory specs. My suggestion is to leave this one alone and let this wagon carry on representing its last-will-be-first victory!
The odometer has rolled over, and for a vehicle with 153k miles, the interior looks fairly decent for the most part, except for the headliner. Another huge plus is that this one has a third row, so even more passengers can enjoy being seen traveling around in this monumental failure. It also has a roof rack and a trailer hitch out back, so hauling lots of luggage and/or pulling broken-down farm equipment should be a breeze. I’m leaning toward replacing that Rochester with an aftermarket component and keeping this Buick alive as-is, then maybe entering it again in another Lemons Rally in the hopes of a second win. What are your thoughts here?
The ad itself is worth the price!
Solid looking car, one of a kind graphics and at a fair price.