Having a car salesman for a father can definitely make an impression on a kid growing up. Somehow, out of four kids, my older brother sees cars as a means of transportation and nothing more. My older sister hates Buick's but she always had a strained relationship with our father and professed her dislike for Buicks just to make him mad. My younger brother is more like my older brother although he does drive a Miata now. Even if it is considered a "chick" car by some, at least he has fun driving it.
Of the four children raised by a car salesman, I'm the only one that caught the Buick bug. The bug really seemed to take hold in 1966 when my father won a 1966 Riviera GS from Buick Motor Division. That whole story will have to wait but that car certainly got me interested, especially in Buick. He sold it in December to guy buying it for his wife's Christmas present; I was nine years old. I would bring the Riviera up now and then, begging for him to buy it back. The answer was always the same, he didn't know where it was and couldn't find the name of the guy that bought it.
Fast forward to September 1980 on my birthday. My father calls and asks if I'd like to come down to the dealership and he'll take me out for lunch. So I hop in my car and, when I pull into the dealership, there sits the 1966 Riviera GS in front of the showroom. The owner had obviously left it sitting outside for several years because the top surfaces of the car were fried from the sun. To a 23 year old, it was the most beautiful car on the lot! At the time, my daily driver was a 1968 Corvette, 327/300HP air roadster. That's a convertible with A/C for you non Corvette types. After I had the Riviera painted, the Corvette took a backseat. It never got compliments like the Riviera GS did; I always found that a bit odd but, still true.
In 1983, Buick released the new all black 1984 Grand National. My father had one for a demo and I was a new car salesman at a Buick dealership in Littleton, CO, a Denver suburb. One night, I had a date and he let me have the GN for the evening. I have been hooked on Grand Nationals ever since but, for some reason, probably price, I've never owned one.
Here I am at the end of one era and hopefully the beginning of another. My 1966 Riviera GS was totaled in a windstorm and the insurance company took possession of it last week. My birthday is coming up and I think it is appropriate that the car my dad gave to me for my birthday, 31 years ago, finance the purchase of the next car he got me hooked on, the Grand National. What a great way so celebrate my birthday than to buy a GN with the money I got from my Riviera settlement. I've found the one I want and barring any problems, I'll buy it on my birthday coming up in a few days.
Let the next era begin!
Of the four children raised by a car salesman, I'm the only one that caught the Buick bug. The bug really seemed to take hold in 1966 when my father won a 1966 Riviera GS from Buick Motor Division. That whole story will have to wait but that car certainly got me interested, especially in Buick. He sold it in December to guy buying it for his wife's Christmas present; I was nine years old. I would bring the Riviera up now and then, begging for him to buy it back. The answer was always the same, he didn't know where it was and couldn't find the name of the guy that bought it.
Fast forward to September 1980 on my birthday. My father calls and asks if I'd like to come down to the dealership and he'll take me out for lunch. So I hop in my car and, when I pull into the dealership, there sits the 1966 Riviera GS in front of the showroom. The owner had obviously left it sitting outside for several years because the top surfaces of the car were fried from the sun. To a 23 year old, it was the most beautiful car on the lot! At the time, my daily driver was a 1968 Corvette, 327/300HP air roadster. That's a convertible with A/C for you non Corvette types. After I had the Riviera painted, the Corvette took a backseat. It never got compliments like the Riviera GS did; I always found that a bit odd but, still true.
In 1983, Buick released the new all black 1984 Grand National. My father had one for a demo and I was a new car salesman at a Buick dealership in Littleton, CO, a Denver suburb. One night, I had a date and he let me have the GN for the evening. I have been hooked on Grand Nationals ever since but, for some reason, probably price, I've never owned one.
Here I am at the end of one era and hopefully the beginning of another. My 1966 Riviera GS was totaled in a windstorm and the insurance company took possession of it last week. My birthday is coming up and I think it is appropriate that the car my dad gave to me for my birthday, 31 years ago, finance the purchase of the next car he got me hooked on, the Grand National. What a great way so celebrate my birthday than to buy a GN with the money I got from my Riviera settlement. I've found the one I want and barring any problems, I'll buy it on my birthday coming up in a few days.
Let the next era begin!
Nice story. Post some pictures of your new GN!
