New member and excited!

[hobbiesracer]

Well I just sold my real 70 SS Chevelle, and I'm looking for an 86 or 87 GN. Got tired of the old Big Block stuff and finally looking forward to fuel injection. Have always liked the GN and Turbo T's. So I'm in the market. Cdn dollar is killing me right now, and anything decent from the states will cost me $35k-40$ CDN I have a chance to purchase a very low mile 86 GN, is there really that much different from an 86 to 87 in terms of value. I know everybody likes an 87, but am I making a mistake purchasing am 86??

 

[626gn]

Welcome to the club! You are not making a mistake buying an 86 vs an 87. They are basically the same car with a different front grill being the most notable difference. Although much fewer GN's were made in 86 compared to 87, the current market value between the two are the same. As time goes on one could make the argument that an 86 has the potential to become more valuable based on production numbers (5,512 compared to 20,193 for GN's), but so far that has not proven to be the case.

Google says 35k CDN is ~27k USD. Before purchasing any GN in that price range I would first look at what you intend to do with the car. Years ago I was in a similar situation, what to buy as my first GN... At the time I was set on buying a low mile, completely stock GN. I ended up buying a very nice, low mile, almost completely stock car with exception of an aftermarket intake and exhaust. As much as I loved my new purchase, I was always somewhat disappointed with the performance of a stock GN. After 4 years of trying to keep it "pure" by only buying factory replacement parts as things started to wear out, I realized how trying to stay as close to factory stock, in the purest sense, was near impossible. It was at that point I said fuk it and started to mod it a little. I limited the mods to only a few bolt-on's but I will tell you that I enjoy driving my car much more now than when I first bought it!!

Moral of the story is, if you're planning on buying a GN just to park it and stare at it, you can find a near mint condition car for 27k. If you want to drive it and enjoy it, you can find a good one for a lot less. If I could do it all over again I would buy a car already modded to my liking or close to it. There are certain reliability mods that should be done to every GN (fuel pump, chip, timing set, etc.). The problem all new owners face is knowing whats good and whats not. That's where experience and this board come into play. In time you will see that these cars are unique in terms of what makes them tick and we have access to some of the best Turbo Buick experts on this board to help you with that. Answers to most questions can be found using the search feature. If you can't find the answer you're looking for, just post up. Anyway, sorry for the novel. Enjoy hunting for your first GN.

 

[hobbiesracer]

Welcome to the club! You are not making a mistake buying an 86 vs an 87. They are basically the same car with a different front grill being the most notable difference. Although much fewer GN's were made in 86 compared to 87, the current market value between the two are the same. As time goes on one could make the argument that an 86 has the potential to become more valuable based on production numbers (5,512 compared to 20,193 for GN's), but so far that has not proven to be the case.

Google says 35k CDN is ~27k USD. Before purchasing any GN in that price range I would first look at what you intend to do with the car. Years ago I was in a similar situation, what to buy as my first GN... At the time I was set on buying a low mile, completely stock GN. I ended up buying a very nice, low mile, almost completely stock car with exception of an aftermarket intake and exhaust. As much as I loved my new purchase, I was always somewhat disappointed with the performance of a stock GN. After 4 years of trying to keep it "pure" by only buying factory replacement parts as things started to wear out, I realized how trying to stay as close to factory stock, in the purest sense, was near impossible. It was at that point I said fuk it and started to mod it a little. I limited the mods to only a few bolt-on's but I will tell you that I enjoy driving my car much more now than when I first bought it!!

Moral of the story is, if you're planning on buying a GN just to park it and stare at it, you can find a near mint condition car for 27k. If you want to drive it and enjoy it, you can find a good one for a lot less. If I could do it all over again I would buy a car already modded to my liking or close to it. There are certain reliability mods that should be done to every GN (fuel pump, chip, timing set, etc.). The problem all new owners face is knowing whats good and whats not. That's where experience and this board come into play. In time you will see that these cars are unique in terms of what makes them tick and we have access to some of the best Turbo Buick experts on this board to help you with that. Answers to most questions can be found using the search feature. If you can't find the answer you're looking for, just post up. Anyway, sorry for the novel. Enjoy hunting for your first GN.

Trust me it will not be parked. Only problem with the car is that it just has J42 and no posi. Just want to drive it the way it is this summer and then all the regular stuff I've read about(fuel pump, injectors, rjc plate, exhaust, te44 etc...) The problem is there nothing up here to buy, infact there are G.N. wanted adds in the local kijiji and no cars to buy! I don't want junk, I want rust free. There's not much on ebay right now, even the rosewood colored 86 T-type looks like it will go for $28000.00 CDN buy the time you add 27% exchange, taxes and shipping to me. Been on carsonline, and other sites in Florida and Arizona and everything will be around $30000.00 CDN buy the time it gets to me.

 

[VIJim]

When I was looking last year I really had to fight the urge to buy a car and have it shipped. If the 86 you are looking at is local to you it's probably a good option.
For what it's worth I'm on the west coast and there are a few gn's for sale out here. Most of them are on Craigslist Vancouver including an 87 with 24,000kms. (None of them are mine)
Good luck.

 

[NY Twin Turbo]

If I was looking to buy another TR, I would begin by trying to find one that was owned by a person who was "connected" to the TR community. Meaning, he used one of the reputable TR shops for work on his car, or he was a member of this forum, or he hung around other TR guys, or he at least knew a lot of the "players" in the TR world. This gives you a better chance (although no guaranty) of not buying some hack-jobbed Buick that you have to spend time and money sorting out.

It would be nice if you had some input from his Buick mechanic/friends as to the history of the car. Check here on the board and call around to some of the Buick shops/vendors to put the word out that you are in the market.

I run into people at cruises and car shows all the time who own TR's and don't communicate with other owners. It flat-out scares me when they tell me what they have or not have done to their cars. They take advice from Honda, Mustang or small-block guys and are basically driving ticking time-bombs!

Or even better......I run into former TR owners who said that owning a TR is nothing but trouble and they sold their cars because all TR's are pieces of sh*t.
When I ask them who they went to for advise/experience, the answers are always the same. "I'm a mechanic, I don't need advice" or "I went to Joe-Shmoe, he knows his stuff. He build a lot of fast Chevys"

I just shake my head.

 

[626gn]

^^^Great point. Was going to include that in my post but it was already getting so damn long! The other thing I wanted to add is if the OP is not looking for a garage queen (like I did ) then don't get too hung up on mileage. That alone will should put more cars on your radar.

 

[TurboSkunk15]

not a mistake at all Best of luck you welcome

 

[TurboBuRick]

I will never understand why someone would drop big bucks on a stock turbo Buick. It is the most ridiculous thing you can do. They don't run.

Find a nice modded car from a longtime turbo Buick owner that is willing to stand behind the car and has all the main stuff already done. IE Built motor, built trans, inter cooler, turbo, etc etc...

For the right price I would give a warranty to who ever bought my car because I know what I have...

Rick

 

[626gn]

I will never understand why someone would drop big bucks on a stock turbo Buick. It is the most ridiculous thing you can do. They don't run.

Find a nice modded car from a longtime turbo Buick owner that is willing to stand behind the car and has all the main stuff already done. IE Built motor, built trans, inter cooler, turbo, etc etc...

For the right price I would give a warranty to who ever bought my car because I know what I have...

Rick

Yup, learned that lesson the hard way. I got lucky and it turned out to be a really good car with no major issues but what I failed to realize is after 20+ years even good parts wear out and had to replace part after part after part... Lesson learned. Better to buy one with the necessary mods already done. Just gotta make sure they were done right . The other mistake I made is passing on cars because they had some mileage on them . Still, there are lots of purists out there that will always drop their panties for a low mileage all original car..Different strokes for different folks I always say

 

[TurboSkunk15]

Not an affordable option for all of us to buy a 100% built car. At least around here they are prohibitively expensive ( for my budget) and rare. I looked for a long time and found most of what I wanted for a good price. And honestly I'm enjoying getting her where I want her bit by bit.
To each their own

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[mat231v6]

Welcome to Turbo Buick!

 

[SPOOLFOOL2]

Welcome to the site. Do your homework and take your time. Don't get too much of a fixer-upper.

Happy spooling.

Mike Barnard

 

[Pronto]

Try to find a local TB guru to help you find and/or mod a car. If you want to run it hard on the street or race it get something that has good mods. Look for a car here too.