This is awesome http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-autos-buick-gnx-20101211,0,403704,full.story
Wow only 164 miles. Makes this 471 miler seem like a clunker. http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=306842 Drive'em, don't stare at 'em!
This one was for sale and had 9 miles. http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=150650 Real world auction prices for GNX's have come down. Last year at the Zephyrhills classic auction, there was a GNX with 1,000 miles or so that we saw go for $49k. The car in the article would struggle to get $80k IMO right now. I know of several mothballed...one in particular with 4 or 5 miles on it is housed in Ocala, FL at NPD's headquarters with the plastic still on the seats. RMX
is it just me, or does it seem like the majority of the "time capsule" cars are American cars from the 80's? I see lots of near zero mile Corvettes, Camaros, TransAms, GNX's, etc but almost never see that with Ferrari/Lambo/Porsche.
I actually tried to purchase that very car when I bought my Grand National from that dealership back in 1987. Thought they were crazy then and still do. I ended up buying another GN and converting it to GNX spec(minus the badges, of course). They were great cars. I remember driving up Highway 1 on the way to the Monterey Historics in '87 or '88. My GN was slightly modded and had the top speed limiter disabled. I was cruising at about 70-75mph when two gents in new, black Testa Rossas(perhaps folks on this board) caught me and began flashing their lights. I moved into the right lane and when they began to pass, I dipped the GN into boost. The two Ferraris also went for it and were stunned when the Buick pulled them by a car length or two up to about 140. We were headed into a twisty section and I knew better than to try and match the Italians in the cornering department. Good times.
I know, and that's not my point. While many Ferraris are low mileage, they aren't "put away" for "future value" the way a lot of American cars have. In the past six months I've seen several GNXs, TransAms, and a C4 ZR1 with less than 500 miles, all owned by people who basically mothballed the cars as "investments". I haven't seen that with exotics since the Fcar bubble of the late 80s/early 90s.
I'm going to buy another GN sooner or later. My 87 had ram air, nitrous, true dual exhaust, cats were removed, etc. She would spank pretty much anything that came near. This pic is from 1989 or so. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Neat write up! Remix...Perhaps you mean you upgraded the exhaust? On the TurboBuicks there is no way to have "True dual" exhaust as the exhaust comes through the turbo and exits in a single pipe.
Yes, that is correct. I had to think for a minute because it was 23-odd years ago, but I seem to remember going to a larger diameter exhaust and eliminating the cat with a test pipe. Car got a lot faster after that modification alone. RMX
In 1986 when I had mine (from Nov 1985-Nov 1987) it was a fast car. And I enjoyed the car immensely for 75,000 miles. But they were only really fast then. Today pretty much any upmarket car is as fast. I dont want to burst any GN bubble but stock these cars were 14 flat to high 13's, and mine with mods and a NOS 75HP shot ran 12's. A new Boxster S will run 12's right off the showroom floor (and that's a girls car right?), and pretty much any late model premium sport sedan will too. Coming from an owner of a GN, I question the hype. These cars were great then (and the limited GNX is very cool), but now good Grand Nationals just sell for money in the teens. Quit dreaming about them & just go get one. You can even park it outside next to the daily driver.
I am not saying to not lust after them. I am saying to just go get one. Good lord their cheap. I can understand a thread saying "oh I wish I had one" about a 250 GTO, but a $17,000 Buick? Get two and quit lusting. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Buick-Grand-National-Mint-Low-mil-1987-Grand-National-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3a6138719fQQitemZ250739192223QQptZUSQ5fCarsQ5fTrucks
I'd like to have a 2. An 86 or 87 T-Type in blue, dark gray or silver with the chrome bumpers, cloth bench and column shift and then an 87 GN with reasonable miles (40k or so). These will be worth a lot eventually. I'd pretty much bet on it. RMX Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I had an 81 Olds Cutlass that I bought cheap from a guy who changed his own oil and forgot to replace the drain plug. I took the motor out and crammed a 455 in it. I had to do A LOT of refitting and honestly thought I was never going to get it finished. Even after finishing it up I didn't drive it that much because it was outright dangerous. Too much weight in the front.
You know when I had mine the dealership owner called me (I had a great relationship with the owner who was GN nuts) and had me come look at a blue T-Type just like you describe. Well come to find out he was intrigued by my car (I optioned it with only 9 options, mostly speed related, to keep the weight down - and so I could afford it ) because mine ended up being pretty fast and he wanted to order something faster. So I pulled in there and he has us go line up on the highway to see if the T-Type was quicker. IT WAS! The aluminum wheels, no console & nothing else on the order made it lite & quick. He was ecstatic - but he would not drive it because he HAD to have the all black theme of the GN with the chrome wheels. The ice blue T Type languished on the lot for a while then it was gone. Looks just like the photo you posted. I always wanted to get a set of those aluminum wheels and see if my car could have chased that faster T down.
I kept all the magazines I collected back when I had my 2 GNs. It was widely known the T-Types were the quicker of the two. RMX Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I agree 100%. If they were expensive, that would be one thing, but since $17,000 won't buy much of anything new foreign or domestic, for that price, the Grand National is quite affordable (plus it seats four and has a trunk!).
A decent unmodified low mileage car will cost you $20k+ right now. Most of these cars have been abused and/or modified...I know I abused the crap out of mine! LOL. I give it 5 years or so and the prices will start going up. RMX
Resurrecting this thread - still seeing GNs under $20K, but you have to be careful. GNXs are all over the board - nice examples over $100K, but some under $70K. I'm a little out of the loop, but if memory serves, that Buick 3800 is pretty stout...high miles not really a problem except for turbos, is that correct or am I mistaken?
You are correct. These cars hold up great and only start to have issues when people modify them/turn up the boost. Turning up the wick on them usually leads to Knock (and eventually blown headgaskets) if the car is not tuned properly. I feel like these cars are just starting to come into the eyes of collectors now that they are 25+ year old... Perhaps I am biased Image Unavailable, Please Login
Great thread and brings back the memories. As a side note the 89 TTA was something special that had a modded version of the GNX engine if I remember right. Don't see those things around much either.
What vin is your car? I purchased #507 new from Lorne Buick in Glenview IL. Always liked these cars. Enjoy it.
