Thinking of buying a 87 GN with 100,000 miles on the clock. The body and interior are virtually flawless but the engine is somewhat clean. I'm into Chevelles and don't know too much about these cars except my dad had a nonturbo 86 Regal which he bought new. Is there something that I should look into that may give me problems? And what price range that I should be paying? Thanks in advance!
Buyiing a 87 GN
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Pronto
No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot.
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Is it stock or moddified? There are some typical "things" to look out for like oil leaks, timing chains and running bad because of a bunch of things not right. If you make the plunge there's lots to learn if your an old school type of guy. TBs are "finicky":wink: That can be frustrating. A very common mistake is to try to go too fast without supporting mods. Things go boom and then the owner gets mad, bad mouths them then sells. There's lots of basic information on this site- Turbo Regal Web Site Learn what you can before you buy. It could save you from buying a dog or help you get a better deal. You might also try to find TB guys in your area and they might help you or know the car you're looking at. One thing for sure though, when they are running right they do put a big smile on your face. Good luck.
Thanks for the reply. The seller said he owned it since new and the records shows it. There are no mods on it which I like. Original paint and no dents and clean interior another plus that I like. I will check into the link but I don't know any TB guys to help me out. What would be lower price range that I should be looking at? I know that is tough questiion without looking at it.
There have been a ton of GN's on ebay lately. Check the completed auctions and see what they have/haven't sold for. Typically you want a hard top (or moon roof) and rear end posi. Lacking one or both usually brings the value down. Price range for a nice one owner car would be $8500-$12,500 with 100k miles.
He is asking close to the low end of the range that you quoted. Its a hard top but I don't know if it has a posi rear end. I did take a look at Ebay and Craigslist for some info on pricing and I think the price is where it should be at maybe a little less.
The GN is about a 2 hour drive so I want to gather as much info as possible before I go take a look.
Pronto
No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot.
- Joined
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- Messages
- 16,792
Did the owner say what they wanted or thought what it's worth? Browse the cars for sale section here and you'll see some people asking big money while there are others that are practically giving their cars away. Prices have dropped and if you got cash in hand there are some nice buys out there. I wish I had the extra money to pick up a couple to hold on too.:wink:
I paid 8k for mine..it had 114k when I bought it......it had a few mod's nothing big. I would try my best to find someone to go with you that knows these cars. If I knew what I know now I would have talked him down a 1000 or so....but hey. I love my GN
I live near Los Angeles. The GN is two hour east from LA.
Ask for a picture of the RPO label in the trunk. It will be on right side with a bunch of 3 digit codes G80 is the code for posi. You can find all of the code descriptions online at Turbo Regal Web Site. This will help you determine if it has alot of the desireable option or not. FYI. The majority of them have power windows, power door locks so they are no biggie. I believe all LC2 GN's in 87 came with A/C and tilt columns. I could be wrong there, but I have never seen one without. The rarer desireable options would be power driver seat, twilight sentinel, power trunk release, rear defogger, remote adjustable mirrors and power antenna. A good number of them will have a few of these, but if you got them all, then you are looking at a pretty loaded car. Don't be too scared of the mileage if the car appears to be original and cared for. Rule of thumb is, if they cared enough to keep the interior and exterior clean, chances are they took care of it mechanically. I would rather have a well cared for 100,000k plus car than a lower mileage car that had a re-built motor and trans, etc. from someone who is not a specialist in doing so with these cars. Good luck, I hope it works out. ANd the pricing of 8,500 sounds about right from the info provided.
Mark Parks
Member
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WHY is Posi such an important option??
Because without it the power of the LC2 will never make it to the ground. The posi unit transfers power to both rear wheels simultaneously, this lets the car get traction so it does not keep spinning the one tire to death. You can easily replace the rear with an aftermarket posi unit or posi from another car if you do not have it, but the factory unit is pretty good for what it is. You can make a hell of a lot of power before you have to start thinking about upgrading it.
Thanks, Sunday is probably the best day for me, but its probably too short of a notice to grab someone to help me out.
I could buy a better GN if I sold or trade my 65 Chevelle and combined the cash I have on hand. Is there any good buys around LA?
