Buick dealers here once sold Opels, while today most Buicks ARE Opels. In between then and now, they sold cars like this Nice Price or Crack Pipe Grand National, and you'll need to decide if this one's selling price is equally grand.
Classic Civics are apparently like Civics Classes, by which I mean not all that popular, especially when the tuition is too high. Yesterday's classic 1978 Hondamatic-equipped hatch proved the case as fully 85% of you did not feel Civic-minded at its twelve-grand asking.
Today's car is less than a decade newer than that Civic, produces almost four-times the horsepower, and represents one of America's great performance icons. It's also a Buick from back when Buicks were Buicks, if you know what I mean, jelly bean.
This 1986 Buick Grand National hails from the marque's Intercooled era, and has one of the most technologically advanced engines produced by GM in the '80s. Bonafides include the aforementioned intercooler, cooling the pressurized intake load and boosting horsepower to a respectable 235-bhp.
That was aided by sequential port injection and a distributor-less electronic ignition. These are all features that are pretty standard fare on a modern turbo-equipped car, but back in the '80s, it was like they were from Mars, or maybe Japan. Oh, and for those of you who are from Mars, or maybe Japan, or anywhere else not the U.S., this is about as 'Murica, Eff-yeah! a car as they come.
All those American ponies are fed through a 4-speed 200R4 automatic to a live axle out in the back. These cars were some of GM's last RWD body-on-frame mid-sizers and have become coveted over the years for those factors and their outstanding performance.
This black beauty may be especially desirable as it sports not just an exceptionally clean looking GN package, but T-tops to boot. I mean, you can store the glass T-top panels in the boot, er, trunk, when you want some fresh air tousling your trucker cap, or to provide greater ventilation on the way home from Taco Bell night.
A set of new Cooper Cobras are mounted on the handsome chrome with black accent steel wheels, and there doesn't seem to be any evidence of the car's claimed 134,000 mile life anywhere in the paint or trim.
The interior is equally clean, featuring a set of stock-looking thrones and some aftermarket gauges adding to the limited instrumentation the factory provided. The '87 GNX had a more comprehensive gauge package, but this model's funky tiny thermometer tach is cool in its own weird way.
There's also an aftermarket and modern stereo so you won't be confined to listening to the '80s when driving it. If that's more your thing, the original radio/cassette player is included in the deal.
Befitting its looks, the ad also claims that the car runs and drives excellent, and that everything works, even the R134-converted AC. In fact, fast and ready to enjoy is the ad's closer and that seems to be an appropriate place to then consider this cool Buick's price tag.
The seller is asking $15,750 for the car, which seems to be about middle ground for these cars. It's been a while since I've seen one this clean for this kind of money, which makes it interesting, and worthy of your opinion on whether you think it's a deal or not.
What's your take on this T-topped Grand National and its $15,750 price? Does that get your turbo spooling? Or, does that make you think this Buick is less than grand?
You decide!
Austin TX Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Scoots McGee for the hookup!
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