Newbie has a few questions.

[gp537]

Hey, whats up guys? I just joined this site because I was thinking about getting a new car and I was considering trying to find a 86-87 Grand National. But I had some questions and thought that this would be a good place to post. How do these cars handle as daily drivers? Assuming that I don't get on the car often, just driving under normal conditions. Because this would be my main car and just about everyday would get driven. Also, how much would one cost me on average? I would want it in good condition, decent mileage, even if a few things had to be changed. I would want to mod it, but wouldn't want to have to redo the entire car. If anyone could help me out or has any suggestions I would appreciate it. Thanks.

-Marc

 

[MistaScott]

Good choice!

Mine is a "daily driver" -- works great with 100K miles but I only put about 100 miles a week on it. I wouldn't recommend a GN if you want a car to truly BEAT on (like 300+ miles a week, city driving, etc.). If you want to drive it everyday, I'd get one with relatively low miles (50-75K) so you have some time to get used to it before you have to start doing the heavy maintenance items (timing chain, etc.) As long as you are nice to it, it should hold up fine every day. If you race it every day, it won't last as long.

As for money: As soon as you drive it, you will want to start modding. And that is when you get the seventh injector on your car -- the money injector Since the car is 16 years old, even if you don't mod it you will be spending money to get it up to date. GM parts are pretty cheap and available, but it will run you more money than a newer car. As long as you are willing to accept your car as a hobby (meaning time and money), you should love it.

Average cost: $5000 - $10,500 is a ballpark figure to buy one.

 

[gn85]

Hello,

Don't know if you've done your homework yet about these cars, but anyone here will tell you one of the best ways to learn about these cars is to read up. This website is very informative. The use of the "search" feature is a lot of time well spent. Also, there are great articles on gnttype.org. This is the 'home' of Buick information.

Also, a new forum that is starting up is t6p.com. Once again, good information and a lot of people who know what they're talking about.

As for myself, I used my GN as a daily driver when I lived in the states. The car is a lot of fun to drive on a daily basis, are extremely comfortable, and can be made to be fairly reliable.

As said before, you'll want to start modifying it. It's a disease we all get.

I had another vehicle that I drove in bad weather and whenever things went wrong with the Buick. (Things do go wrong with these cars...especially at their age) The Buick does OK in poor weather. I have posi on mine and it actually does OK in the rain and light snow. But I don't try to drive the car in these conditions. But of course, if I drive the car to work and it's nice out and I come out and it's snowing, there's not much I can do.

There's also a great community of people surrounding these cars. So if you're serious about looking at some cars for sale in your area, it may not be a bad idea to find Buick clubs in your area. They would be able to point you in the right directions.

Good luck on your search. Read.