Friend about to buy a possible fake turbo buick... help....

[Blazer406]

I have a friend who is looking at a supposed '87 GN. It has been painted white..... the hood has been exchanged for a flat hood, the trunk lid has been changed to one without a spoiler.....the seats have been changed.......the dash has been fitted with GNX gauges..... The car is decently clean and has the intercooled '86-'87 engine. I told him something was fishy....... I need someone who can tell me about this VIN number...... what it originally came on.......

1G4AM47A5BH138440


With my limited knowledge.... I say it is from a 1981 "A-Body"........ but I am not sure.

HEEEEEEEELLLLLLPPPP before my friend screws up....

Thanks in advance.

 

[turbojoe]

off the top of my head i can at least tell you that it is not an original GN or even a turbo regal. you are correct in that the 4th digit is an A (a-body). also the engine code is an A (8th digit) which i believe was the N/A 3.8. either way this is NOT a 87 GN vin #!!!

 

[U1ARUNIT]

Yep sounds like a normally aspirated '81 sedan.

 

[Blazer406]

A-Body????

Did GM used to call the regals "A-Body"'???? I thought there were always called G-Body's.........

 

[tim87tr]

If he really won't listen to logical advice, that may be his car to own. Tell him to look at the cars for sale on this board for actual Turbo Regals. I have an 85 Buick Regal Limited N/A also. Its VIN# has the A in it also: 1G4GJ47A5FP401xxx, and of course the TRs do not have the A's. So as turbojoe said, the 8th digit as an A is the N/A original car.

 

[toofastforyou]

Blazer406, I seems to me as if the owner wanted to convert a regular '81 Regal to a T-Type or GN clone, which I think is ok, as long as he tells your friend about it and that he knows what he is getting. I'm not implying that the car is wrong, just that your friend is entitled to know exactly what he is buying! The car itself might be really nice! Maybe he could add the turbo hood and the trunk spoiler and a few cosmetic details to really turn it into a T-Type or a GN!
Just my opinion though...
'Bye, Claude

 

[RobS]

The 8th digit in the vin must be a 7. The 7 was the engine code for the sfi turbo

 

[tjthorson]

Is the car an 81 on the title? If so, its a converted car, and that would be OK, as long as the price reflected it. If its obviously an 84-87 - it MAY BE STOLEN! If need be, have the police check it before buying.

 

[Blazer406]

title

I haven't actually seen the title..........or the car myself..... this has been over the phone...... The seller IS trying to claim it is a rebadged/reconfigured '87 GN. He purchased it some time ago from down around Orlando, Fla....... The car is now in east central Lousiana. I will find out more tomorrow and try and put an eyeball on it.......

Are there any markings on the tranny or rear end that would shout out '87 turbo regal? I know the valve body should be a BRF unit, but that is about it........


Thanks

 

[Dan Thompson]

Flood damage?

 

[MeanBuicks]

If you plug the VIN # into the freebie Carfax,

you get:

VIN: 1G4AM47A5BH138440
Year/Make/Model: 1981 BUICK REGAL LIMITED
Body Style: Coupe
Engine Type: 3.8L V6 2BBL OHV
Manufactured In: UNITED STATES
Search Results: 0 records found in our database


Zero records? Well, at least you know it's not a rebadged '87 GN. Question is,what are the VIN #'s on the engine and tranny? Stolen? Does it even have an 8 1/2" rear?

 

[MeanBuicks]

One other thing...

someone must have swapped the header panel & grill too if it looks like an '87 as the early one's looked quite a bit different.

 

[JToups386]

Everything these guys have said is true! The first thing I noticed was that it did not indicate is was a VIN-7 which as mentioned, is the engine code. It should also register as a G body. Carfax.com will allow you to run the number for free and get the basic info listed by someone else above, that maybe you can show your buddy and keep him from getting suckered. I would avoid this car like the plague if he has any interest in owning a true TR! If he's just looking for something to semi-race or tool around in, it might be okay, at a VERY LOW price. I wouldn't offer more than the value of the motor. You need to also make sure the transmission is the proper 2004R with the Turbo valve body inside. Otherwise, it will surely shell! Check the rear-end and make sure it's the 8-1/2" 3:42. The list goes on and on. I would be scared to drop a dime on this ride, based on what you've expressed. It sounds like a total scam. The owner is obviously lying to your face, and I'd be willing to bet there's a theft issue involved with the drivetrain! Very common. IMO...

 

[Blazer406]

car price

The asking price of the car is $4500. He (my friiend) asked what the value of a 50k mile GN. I told him an original '87 GN with 50k miles might go between 8k-10k+ depending on the condition. Then he told me about all the other stuff. I don't think he has to have an original, but he wants a car that is going to be fun to tool around in. I suspect there are good engine swaps and bad engine swaps...... It could be hard to tell if the original owner (I mean swapper) cut any corners and half-assed anything. I told him he could get a real T-Type with about 100k miles on it for 5k-7k. I will see what he finds out today......


Many thanks for the help so far.

 

[1badTTA]

Personally I would ask the owner if he would be willing to go down to the DMV and have them verify that everything is legal and none of the car comes up as stolen, then I would offer the owner $3000 which I feel it is actually worth unless the car is absolutely MINT which it sounds like it isn't.

Definately make a run by the DMV, and if the owner complaines, RUN!!! and then call the law. Too many of our cars have been stolen to let this slide. If it is a stolen drivetrain in an '81 body, would you want it to be yours???

 

[TClassic]

The cars JUNK!!! Tell him to pass and save his money up for a REAL TR!! Believe me, the seller is salivating right now, about to make a KILLING if he gets $4500.00 for that car!!!

 

[85_SS]

It has been painted white..... the hood has been exchanged for a flat hood, the trunk lid has been changed to one without a spoiler.....the seats have been changed.......

Ya, and I modified my 87 GN by changing to a Monte SS shell, interior, and drivetrain As the guys have said, its most likely a butcher job of a 81 Regal with a TR motor, or alot of stolen parts, or VIN swap, or some serious damage where the body needed to be swapped. All of which your friend would be smart to stay away from (especially for that price!)


If the seller is lying right to your faces about it (for whatever reason), then I wouldn't even consider it. The least he could do is come up with a good explanation/story as to why the VIN is from an '81 Regal. This car (and the seller) sound like trouble, stay away! And l also second calling the authorities to have the VIN checked out.

 

[TClassic]

Get the POLICE involved, maybe get this JOKER arrested for having STOLEN TR Parts!! Do the TR community a favor!!

 

[Blazer406]

UPDATE!

I just talked to my friend. He talked to another friend of his that knew the original owner of this car personally. He said the guy couldn't afford the insurance, so he bought a 81 regal and swapped the deck lid, and basically the front cap and titled it as a 81 so the insurance would be real cheap. He was trying to make a real sleeper. I told my friend that the guy shouldn't mind giving him the original VIN so he could check it out. This way he could verify the motor and tranny matched the real VIN of the car. I hate that someone has hacked up a legit GN so he could afford insurance. I told my friend that the guy that hacked this car up seriously de-valued what he had. I told him if he were to buy it, when he sold it, he would be selling a 81 regal with '87 GN drivetrain....... nothing more. My friend has offered the guy $2500 for the car. I told him that IF there wasn't anything shady going on, that the car was probably worth $2500 if the air/cruise/power master worked and it didn't smoke. The guy (my buddies friend) concurs that the car is pretty low mileage...... <50K miles. I guess I will see the car if my friend buys it. He just wants a intercooled TR so he can tinker with and take it to the track.

 

[ghall]

Re: UPDATE!

Originally posted by Blazer406
I. He said the guy couldn't afford the insurance, so he bought a 81 regal and swapped the deck lid, and basically the front cap and titled it as a 81 so the insurance would be real cheap. He was trying to make a real sleeper. .

Just an observation-----that sounds like the biggest bunch of BS i have heard in a while.To go through all that trouble just to have lower insurance(jeez---how about how much he lost in value of a car)----gotta be WAY more to this story than meets the eye-----RUN.

Geoff Hall