Considering purchasing a Regal GS

[xtremexnyc]

Hey everyone, I'm considering purchasing a Regal GS. I have a couple of questions so I know what to look out for in my search.

Whats the best year to get?
What are trouble spots to look out for?
What are issues that you have experienced?
How hard are these cars to maintain?
How is the reliability of these cars (I will be driving it on an everyday basis)?
What are the basic mods to give it a little more power but keep it reliable?


Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advanced.

 

[Kevin Turch]

I have a 97.5, only problem i had was the fuel pump resistor. Bought it with 40k on it, now I have just over 65k. The only other issue i have is it leaks into the pass side floor, I still havnt found out where, but its minor, and not all cars do it from what ive read.

Overall I love the car, I also use it as my daily driver, it gets great gas milage also.

 

[xtremexnyc]

Thanks Kevin. Any more help is appreciated.

 

[98 GSX]

IMHO I would get a '99 or '00. I have owned several. I've had a '98, 2 '99's, and a '00. I am also the used car manager at a Buick dealer ship.

The '97.5 & '98's have a restrictive air box and you have to re-locate the coolant bottle to open it up. I have also heard they are not as fast( dont know why ) but my '98 was kind of a dog compared to the others.

On the '01's & up they started taking options away. For example performance shift and strut braces.

Very reliable cars.

Basic mods - CAI, smaller pulley, open up exhaust & delete u-bend.

 

[Jack]

98 GS about said it all!

Great car, I've got an 01 that doesn't have the Perf. shift---never had it so don't miss it. The car is quick.

The another simple mod that makes a big difference in handling is a new wheel tires set up....I switched from the OEM's 225-60-16 to 225-55-17 and saw a significant difference in handling with little change in ride harshness. 18 and 19 inch rims are also a possibility--but be careful of tire rub.

 

[troGNman]

I posed these same questions earlier this year.......and now I have a 2000 GS.

I LOVE THIS CAR!!!

I picked up an off-lease Sterling Silver with the full load of options including power pass seat. The car is "GM Certified" and had super low miles - 17,800. It will be my daily driver and I expect many happy miles behind the wheel.

 

[KendallF]

I have a 97.5 with over 120k on it now; we have driven it a lot. Mine actually seems pretty fast for what it has; it's run 14.16@96 with a 3.4" pulley, K&N, and a colder t'stat..that's it.

I would echo the advice to get a 99-00; my car has had a variety of minor problems that later year owners don't seem to have. The climate control going black is very common; there's a fix for it but I haven't done it. Mine had to have a trans rebuild at 57k which annoyed me. That's been the only major work, however. The engine has been super reliable and it's my wife's daily driver.

 

[rkkt788]

Kendall, Just picked up a 98GS. Climate control is black.......where can I find the fix or what can I do?

Thanks for the help!

Keith

 

[neverenuf]

For a fix on your display go to

http://www.regalgs.org/

top of the page under "how-to"

#1 on the list is the climate control fix, worked well for me, just make sure you have a very small soldering iron.

 

[INTENSE-Racing]

And this link should get you started modding:

http://intense-racing.com/recipes.html

Enjoy!

Scott