How did you buy your Grand National?

[Christophah]

Damn, I give alot of you guys props for having these GN's since they came out. I envy you..............:biggrin:

 

[SouthernCal GN]

Cash money- didn't want a car payment.

 

[chopped39]

I bought my limited used in 1990 for 10,000financed through gmac . this car was daily driven year round untill 1995 when it blew up. car is undergoing a frame off restoration by me at this time. no regrets here.

 

[darkred87T]

Bought my 87 Turbo to in 2003. It was abandonded at a garage for a bad turbo. My uncle scooped it up at an auction and sold it to me for $850. I sent him a check in the mail and it showed up two weeks later in front of my house on a roll back. A before pic:

 

[TurboBuRick]

Was in the process of selling my 78 trans am when I found my GN. I did not want to wait so I took a loan from capitol one auto finance. $18.500. Figured when the TA sold I would pay it off. The first weekend I blew up the GN. Few weeks later I sold the TA for $16.500.
Needless to say, I am still paying off the GN.

These cars are money pits but nothing else compares.

 

[FlyinGN]

I traded a restored 65 El Camino and $4000 cash for mine 8 years ago

 

[Sweet6]

My Dad bought my GN(was his) brand new in March of 88. Got the last one at the local dealer. I did a car trade with him in 1996. The title is still in his name. I wanted an original title car.

 

[XLR8]

I bought mine the Monday after I graduated college in May 1986 for $15,550 (sticker $18,800). I think that I have spent almost that much money on it since.

 

[hrhoward]

First one, '86 T, bought in '88 with a loan from the bank of Dad. Seller went out and bought two Geo Metros for his twin daughters for college.
Second one, '87 T, bought with ins. money from the first one being totaled.
Third one, bought an '87 T rolling chassis with bonus and tax refund. That is all I say about that.

 

[watz]

I got mine for a $150 bucks with a bad master cylinder Paid cash lol!!!

 

[psycho6cyl]

Gn

Saw an ad in the Daily News (good friend fronted the cash, even though i still owed him $) for 3229 and bought it for 2800.. Money was paid back through Xmas tips) rebuilt was through taxes and my new Turbonetics Stage 5 was paid through my vaca which I will spend working at my other job.. My brother and friend helped me out ($$$) alot... Thanks guys...

 

[sandmann]

i traded a built 93 stang for mine. a month later i decided to redo everything the way i wanted including a complete rebuild with all the goodies and the carpet and seats are gonna get done too.. income tax has covered that. just a few more items and when its running i'm hoping for a high 10 run and i'll leave it like that until i get rid of it. they come and go

 

[no-nos]

financed my first turbo-t back in 91 got stolen from me
used my income tax and some cash $6500 for my 1st gn sold it before i went into the army
my new baby was for $6k and the mods i paid thru an injury settlement

 

[53dogg]

1/2 a block from my house,87 limited with turbo t package.grey leather.Guy was 2nd owner,purchased in 1990!!I gave him $4500 cash august of 2004.typically,new trans,and motor,tires wheels etc over the last three years about 15k additional.getting there ,long ways to go!

 

[toofastforyou]

I bought my GN brand new in '87. Back then, my ex-wife and I had two young boys ( 4 and 2 y/o) and my '76 Vette couldn't handle all of us anymore and it got to a point where I was the only one who was enjoying it. So I eventually decided to sell the Vette and get something in which all four of us could get in and also something which I could have a "little occasional fun" with at the track...:biggrin: I paid cash for it back then and still have it today. Having owned a drag race-only '69 Chevelle and '67 Camaro a few years back, I had no idea back then that one day, this "family car" would become a 10 sec. streetable machine that would be faster than the Chevelle and as fast as the Camaro !!

Well in short, that's the story about how I got my GN!

Claude :smile:

 

[1quick6]

I bought mine with a conventional car loan ten years ago. I didn't think I would get it because of the difference in book price vs asking price on the TRs, but they did. I paid it off in a year with overtime.

 

[QKRNYRS]

I have a great story

I always said that my Grand National purchase was meant to be. There was 5 of us that left South Bend in 2 cars on our way to Bowling Green 1996. This was our first time there. My friend who had a GN wasn't even going but it sounded like fun so wel all went. South of South Bend by a few miles we filled up gas. Craig's Camaro wouldn't start then. We all jsut decided to pile all 5 of us into my '88 Honda Civic 5 sp. We made it down there. There was no rooms to be had in BG. We had to stay in Cave city!! That first night was AMAZING as I had never seen anything like the amount of GN's in one place at one time. The next day, Thursday, we went to the track. I found my pride and joy. It was an '87 Buick GN. It was owned by Patrick Rowan from Nashville. He was the second owner. The original owner was from Alabama. No rust 40,xxx miles. a few mods already. $10,000 firm it said.

Now, here is where it gets interesting. I used my new cell phone with roaming charges and long distance and all to call him. We met. I drove it and was hooked. I said I'll take it, gave a deposit and said I'd have the rest of the money tomorrow, Friday. Well, Thursday night I called my credit card company and asked for a limit increase. They gave me the increase. Now all I needed to do was get cash.

Friday morning I walked into a Bank in BG and asked for a cash advance for $7,000. They freaked out. about an hour later after they confirmed everything, I had cash in hand. I met Pat at the track and we left to Nashville for me to drop him off and drive my new car back...

WELL, oddly enough, when I went to park my Honda that day at the track, it died. I thought I just killed it, but then it wouldn't restart. Turns out, it was a ignitor module. Anyway, I dropped Pat off paid 7k in cash and 3k in a check. The Honda wouldn't start, and no one in BG had an ignitor for it. So............................

All I could do was drive the GN back to South Bend with all of us in it!!

Like I said, it was meant to be!!


Honestly, the GN has altered my life in so many ways. It has brought me friends, made ememies, great frustration, exuberation, and GOOD TIMES!

Enjoy!

Pat

 

[NCTyphoonKid]

we bought ours for cash and a john deere lawn mower

 

[Turbo1dr]

I bought my first GN in 1993 from the original GM dealership. I was the second owner....the dealer was the first.

 

[pontiac6269]

Took out a car loan for $4500 from the local credit union..