not sure what to get..your opinion?

[Steve]

Every car does have its issues. What I am saying is, the parts are more likely to fail after 25 years of being in use. The MAF issue may not leave you stranded, but its not going to allow you to keep driving it until you get another MAF right? Thats why I am pushing the LS1.. You can probably go to any parts store and buy an MAF off the shelf right? Not so with these cars.. So he has to wait until one gets shipped.. What does he drive in the mean time? Like I said above, I just want to get all the negatives and positives of these cars out there so he can make the right decision. I will say one positive thing. THESE CARS ARE MONSTERS :biggrin:

He could drive the same car he would drive when the ring broke in the LS1 car the first time he hit it hard with a 6 speed or the third time the 4l60e went out and it was in the transmission shop. There are very few LS1 cars that have not been run thru the ringer and they are going to have problems also. Again for the money he has to spend he likely wont get 25 year old parts. The WE4 I mentioned in my previous post had virtually no 25 year old parts. It was a fresh motor built right, a fresh transmission built right with the good parts, MAF translator with new LS1 MAF(since the MAF seems to be your biggest fear) and newer just about everything else. It did have a 25 year old cam sensor though because in 21 years of messing with turbo Buicks I have never had one fail or seen one fail on any of my buddy's cars. I even replaced all of the sensors on the motor when I went thru it.

 

[TURBOPOWERED68]

Every car does have its issues. What I am saying is, the parts are more likely to fail after 25 years of being in use. The MAF issue may not leave you stranded, but its not going to allow you to keep driving it until you get another MAF right? Thats why I am pushing the LS1.. You can probably go to any parts store and buy an MAF off the shelf right? Not so with these cars.. So he has to wait until one gets shipped.. What does he drive in the mean time? Like I said above, I just want to get all the negatives and positives of these cars out there so he can make the right decision. I will say one positive thing. THESE CARS ARE MONSTERS :biggrin:

Best post on this thread.

 

[Steve]

I will also throw it out there that I got my first GN at 19 and got by fine and believe it or not but that was before the internet. There was no message boards to ask questions and there was no google to look anything up and we made it fine. Now with the knowledge on this board its easier than ever to own and manitain a turbo Buick.

 

[Adrian87]

Here's a fun one - once I was changing the cam sensor out, and unbeknownst to me, the pin that holds the gear on the shaft had sheared..when pulling the sensor out, the gear fallen off the shaft, as well as the pin in several pieces, falling down into either the front cover or the oil pan. Not a good thing to have lying in the bottom of your engine. I tried every kind of flexible magnet known to man, and couldn't get the pieces out. Wound up pulling the oil pan off, engine in the car, to fish the pieces out. Not a ton of fun at all, especially for a novice, first timer. Just another oddity that can happen on these old cars. I can't think of anything strange like this that would leave a LS1 on the side of the road.

 

[Steve]

Here's a fun one - once I was changing the cam sensor out, and unbeknownst to me, the pin that holds the gear on the shaft had sheared..when pulling the sensor out, the gear fallen off the shaft, as well as the pin in several pieces, falling down into either the front cover or the oil pan. Not a good thing to have lying in the bottom of your engine. I tried every kind of flexible magnet known to man, and couldn't get the pieces out. Wound up pulling the oil pan off, engine in the car, to fish the pieces out. Not a ton of fun at all, especially for a novice, first timer. Just another oddity that can happen on these old cars. I can't think of anything strange like this that would leave a LS1 on the side of the road.

When my WS6 T/A was new and had less then 3k miles on it I ran a buddy of mine off a redlight and the ring gear broke a tooth and and wedged between the ring gear and the pinion gear and loocked the rear end up. That did not leave me on the side of the road but it did leave me in the middle of a intersection! If the pulling the cam sensor left you on the side of the road you should have at least waited until you got home to pull it!

 

[Pronto]

I'll take the 200r over the 4l60 and the F body rear end is pretty weak. The LS is nice but the f body is not without it's issues too.

 

[usetaboost]

I've had both, and on more than one occasion. If you have something else to drive, respect your vehicles, and are willing to sit at the computer and read, search, and research and learn about these cars before you do anything to it-get a GN. If you want something to cruise, pick up chicks, and do burnouts, get the t/a

 

[gentek10]

I vote for a Gn of course but remember u can buy three cars by the time ur done putting money into the Gn and u must be prepared to become hooked and hope u don't have a jealous girlfriend bcuz ull ne spending more time with the grand national

 

[Pittsburghkid]

It's a simple answer. If it's a 50/50 split between the GN and the TA get the best of both worlds and buy a TTA. You get the interior you want from the TA but the engine power you want from the GN. You won't find a cream puff for 14k but you will find a nice one and should something break thats why you have a DD in the GP. Buy what you need to fix it and cruise it on the weekends. Either way you'll be faster than most TA's and handle better than most GN's.

 

[Pronto]

Alot of the 4th gen issues are the same as the 3rd.

 

[usetaboost]

A tta would be the way to go. body and interior replacement parts are easy to come by. GN/regal not so much unless you live in the south or west coast.

 

[NOTSOFAST]

beenen, don't let these bunch of GN gearheads scare you off/.:biggrin: they all have valid & non valid points. but the Bottom line is this - if you buy a 5k project car, you will run into issue's no doubt about it. that's just the way it is until you learn what makes these GN's run like the Dickens. now if you buy a 14k dollar GN, it will probly be in good/better than good shape. it will more than likely have had some mods done to it. that's a given. just how well it was taken care of or beat on, you will never know. but the shape it's in will tell the story. so, you can buy mine when you reach 16k & drive off in a GN that is a mid 11cnd car with great street & highway manners, & only went to the track to shut some big mouth's up of the TA / Vett / Camaro owners that I work with. I told them my GN was Faster than their's & they didn't believe me. so I showed them when we all went to the track. and you know what------- they still talk ****..... oh well... you can see all my rides on FQuick.com under urntfstenuf.....

 

[wmerrell]

Both the GN and the TA are great cars. Another car to consider is a LS 2 GTO.
While I love my GN it is not my daily driver.
The GTO or TA would make a better daily driver.
The GTO has more horsepower, the TA is bettter looking.
The cost and frequency of repair would be lower for the GTO then TA and finally the GN.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[Tom Tom Turbo]

Coming from a now 28 year old who bought my Turbo Buick at 17 and my LS1 Camaro at 23.....buy the Trans Am and enjoy the time while you can. My Buick has been a basketcase for over 6 years, between the usual rust, finicky brake system, rebuilding the drivetrain (only to have to re-do the front cover twice due to Chinese junk covers), digital dash crapping out, etc..... I could have bought my Z28 again for what I've spent on this Buick in the last 2 years.

I spent $3500 modding my Z28, its got a very nice suspension, headers, exhaust, and intake. It makes around 350 HP, handles and stops flawlessly, is insanely reliable, the T-Tops don't leak, and gets 28 MPG.

Don't get me wrong, I love my Buick and probably will never part with it, but now that I'm married and starting a family, run my own business, and have other hobbies that don't revolve around cars, I'm finding I don't have the time or spare cash to keep messing with this Buick all the time. I would have been 10 times happier if I would have bought my LS1 car in high school and enjoyed it but then waited to buy my Buick.

 

[1984 t-type]

Get a grand national if you love working on cars. Lol

 

[usetaboost]

These cars really aren't as bad as what everyone makes them out to be. The ones that say they're bad to diagnose are the same ones that think these cars split atoms under the hood. Like I said if you are willing to learn and learn from the right people on the board and in your area, you will love having a TR more than any other car you've owned. If I lived in a warmer climate I would have bought one for a DD a long time ago.

 

[chops]

Go with the ta they can out handle and brake the gn any day and as far as power stock for stock the w02 will spank it!! The gn will become a nightmare for you if you don't know what your doing with it so stick with a w02 with a set of afr heads and a fast. Intake and a few other mods I seen those cars run very low 11's high tens with no power adders but if you get a gn you will have all the help on this forum that you need ill tell you that much

 

[jasjamz]

I like driving my GN. I have a friend with a fast LS1 Camaro. I love his car too but I would rather keep my GN as a car to mod. Doing heads and cam on those are not fun and they break like anything else. I raced him and lost due to the MAP sensor line coming apart. Cost me a headgasket. His nitrous had issues, he lost some valves and a piston. I repaired mine and was back out in two days... him....thousand plus in R&R. Insure both to the limit because they steal anything!

 

[Tom Tom Turbo]

Both the GN and the TA are great cars. Another car to consider is a LS 2 GTO.
While I love my GN it is not my daily driver.
The GTO or TA would make a better daily driver.
The GTO has more horsepower, the TA is bettter looking.
The cost and frequency of repair would be lower for the GTO then TA and finally the GN.
Just my 2 cents.

You've obviously never owned a 04-06 GTO or you would not have told this kid that they are cheaper to repair than a 4th gen F-body. They made a few hundred thousand of those over a 10 year period, as opposed to the GTO they bastardized from Australia for a few years with limited production.

 

[wmerrell]

You've obviously never owned a 04-06 GTO or you would not have told this kid that they are cheaper to repair than a 4th gen F-body. They made a few hundred thousand of those over a 10 year period, as opposed to the GTO they bastardized from Australia for a few years with limited production.

You are correct, I have never owned a 2004-2006 GTO.
I suggested the 2005-06 models as they have the 6.0 liter engine.
Since, it appears you have owned this car, maybe you can share with us the problems you had with your 2005-06 GTO.
I never suggest the first model year as they are usually not as dependable as later years.
My suggestion that the 05-06 GTO would be less costly to repair is based upon the newer the car, the fewer the repairs.