87 GN for my sons first car ?

[gculver]

Here's the result of a first time joy ride.

I vote NO until it's paid for, and responsibility is shown with a cheaper slower alternative.

On a side note...Isn't that the car James was/is parting out?...I vote NO on the GN as a 1st car with a 16yr old..You would never forgive yourself if he seriously hurt himself somehow..

GC

 

[Mattzoom]

i hope u take everyones words into consideration. I also vote no for a gn being a first car, not worth chancing it.

 

[jcuadra]

i vote no

i am 21 now when i was 16 my first car was an 86 t-type i put it together and the first time the tires broke lose i had no idea what was happening and i lost control and crashed it into the curb..broke both passenger side wheels and bent the front a arm ect. you get the picture ...since then ive learned to respect a car with alot of power

make sure he respects the car and its power before you decide(if you decide) to hand it over

 

[vicious6]

I am telling you man, do not do it. That kind of power will be nothing but temptation in the the hands of a young boy. It will put more on him than he can handle, everyone will want some of that car. If you care for your son or the car do not do it!

 

[Member # 77]

I'd say hold off or at least........................

Get it for yourself and you and him share the car.

I just know how I was at that age.
The Dukes of Hazzard was in its prime and everything was a hot rod to me back then.

 

[BobbyBuick]

I told my son your first one you will wreck .I will get you a NA regal(well he bought it) we fixed it up and I was correct DING DING DING

next He bought a Turbo limited it was stolen ....Now he has a GN...........

 

[TurboBuRick]

As already mentioned, remove the wastgate before you give it to him.
The car will be dog slow.

 

[jwheelz1212]

just sayin my dad gave me my 86 gn when i graduated from high school.... it needed alot of work and i worked my ass off to get it how it is now.. i have seen what they can do and i understand what kind of car it is.... so i say go for it it was the best gift anyone could have givin me

 

[SGRIM]

Its your call,you know your son better than anyone else!! :biggrin:

Each kid is different... If you trust your kid go for it... I would still have my first car if it wasn't to get my first Buick which I got at 18...

I know a few guys that got them at 16... They drove the heck out of them sure, single traction was a plus in those cases

I rather my boy in that big regal than some of the freaking shoe boxes they make today!

 

[theCATman]

If you have any regard for your sons life or any care for the car, no way!!

And thinking it's not much, if any faster than an Accord?? Are you nuts? Your GN would suck the paint off an Accord.

Furthermore, the new Camaro SS (V8) is a 13 second car. Not much different than an average bolt-on Turbo Buick.

Once again, to recap..... the answer is NO!!

 

[tford]

A little too early

I got mine when I was about 18 and it and myself are still in one piece, but...
My first car (Beretta GT) started out nice and gradually got in worse shape. Hit a dog, went through a field, etc. For a daily driver, I don't know how some of you guys do it. My GTP is the best all around quick & safe car you could start someone in & it is a tank in the snow. My first GTP got totaled by a someone running a red light at 40mph & I took a hit in the driver door with out a scratch on me. If he can drive a GTP for 4 years without wrecking it, he would be o.k. in a gn.

 

[TurboBuick86]

I have mixed opinions about its being his first car. I just turned 20 years old and my dad gave me the GN at 1, he had it since 89. I never thought I would have it in my hands but it wasnt my first car. I started with a horribly slow 99 Integra automatic... then got a neon srt4 at 17 years old and got it to make 312whp/418wtq @ 24psi stock turbo. Then came my chance to work on the GN and i definetly didnt pass on it. I traded my srt for a 09 mini cooper S which is my daily and since i got the GN the motor has been built and is currently doing 7.30's trapping 97 mph in the 1/8th. My parents knew what I had in mind and have fully supported me. And my fellow high school friends are SPEACHLESS that their hondas can't make 200 plus horsepower lol. If he knows about cars do it... the stock gn will get destroyed by 75% of the cars teens have nowadays

 

[03FatBoy]

My general thought is when you simply give a kid a car, they tend to beat the snot out of it. If this is a car he puts some sweat equity and some of his own money into it, he may have a tendency to respect and take care of it.
That being said, everyone is different, but I think another type of car would make a better daily driver.

 

[88 CuttyClassic]

It would be a car to drive to school and college till he decides to get something else...


Its not as safe as something new with airbags etc....

if he's not begging for the car why even bother? untill he gets somthing else?!!! really? just by that he doesnt sound like someone that would apprciate a GN.

not as safe as something new? HAHA stop drinking the kool-aid.. the GN is plenty safer than a lot of newer cars with air bags.

if he wasnt interested in cars since and early age i would just get something else like a v6 mustang. it looks cool and the non car people dont knwo the difference.

 

[mat231v6]

my first car was a grand national see my sig. im now 19 and i own 2 grand nationals. great car

 

[Monte231SS]

I know the GN is fast and all guys but the way i look at it...you can get in trouble in any type of car. GN or not... fast car or slow. If you treasure what your driving, you'll take care of it. My Dad had an old 442 w-30 sitting in the car port when i was 14 that i was saving up to buy from him when i got my license. Once that time came he said NO, "that car is too fast for you". He made me buy a 79 Monte carlo with a v6 in it. Needless to say i was hurt/pissed that he didnt trust me to let me get the 442. I ended up getting two speedy tickets in Monte (it was dirt slow too!) and crashed it twice! If i had been trusted to buy/drive the 442 i would have drove it differently than the Monte because it was something i really wanted and would have treasured it. I bet i still would have it to this day if i was just given the chance. If your son is responsible and loves the car, i would give him the chance to prove to you that he can take care of it and drive it normally. You're never going to know unless you give him that chance. Maybe you can just start off letting him drive it a little here and there and see how it goes. Def. going to need some massive security on it though, it wont last long parked out of site in those parking lots. Freakin theives:frown: What a cool Dad you are either way though! I think its pretty cool that you're atleast tossing around the idea of letting him have it.......my Dad didnt even give me even a slim chance of having an awesome first car.

 

[BandAid]

can you live with yourself if something happen,if so then give him a GN..


,everyone drives like a grandma when the parents are around and just learning to drive..dont kid urself...
best of luck to you on ur decision

 

[sullen]

These guys are drama queens.


Let me remind the OP and everyone else what has only been said a few times..
THE CAR IN QUESTION IS STOCK!!!!!

Stop picturing a 16yr old in your 9 or 10 second beast.
Big difference to a stocker to a modded GN.

Some kids can handle having a car like this for a first.
Especially one in stock trim.
Only you and your son can decide this and know what is right.
Not random buick owners who don't know you or your family.

Just do the vacuum brake conversion on the car, freshen up the sensors, get good insurance, and good security. He and the car should be fine.

 

[theCATman]

These guys are drama queens.


Let me remind the OP and everyone else what has only been said a few times..
THE CAR IN QUESTION IS STOCK!!!!!

Stop picturing a 16yr old in your 9 or 10 second beast.
Big difference to a stocker to a modded GN.

Some kids can handle having a car like this for a first.
Especially one in stock trim.
Only you and your son can decide this and know what is right.
Not random buick owners who don't know you or your family.

Just do the vacuum brake conversion on the car, freshen up the sensors, get good insurance, and good security. He and the car should be fine.

Here's a copy & paste of his signature. Unless I missed something, or it's a totally different car.... ummm... not stock & very capable of low 12s. My vote still stands as NO. Signature under line is mine, not his.

87GN...Stock Turbo & IC,TT Alky Chip, 42 lb injectors,SMC Alky system (old style), High pressure hoses, Adj wastegate, Adj fuel pressure regulator,K&N cone filter, Flow Plate under Plenum, , Walbro fuel pump, 160 degree thermostat, Autometers on A pillar

 

[xcessiv6]

If I had had my Gn at 16 I would never have seen 17. The only reason I never wrecked my GN at 24 was I autocrossed and knew how to control a car when it got hairy. Please don't do it.