tabascojohn
New Member
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2006
- Messages
- 11
I also posted this in the general engine tech forum.
This is my first post, although I have been lurking for some time. First let me introduce myself. My name is John and I am considering getting into a Turbo Buick. I can remember the first time I saw a GN. It was in 1988, I was in high school and my dad and I went to a Buick dealer just to look around. And there it was sitting in the show room. I remember thinking to myself that is a cool looking car. I also remember the salesman saying how quick it was and that not many people were aware of the cars performance.
I didn’t really pay too much attention to what he said. Little did I know his words would be proven to me about 4 years later. At that time I was in college and had saved enough money to buy my dream car which at that time was a 1990 charcoal metallic 6spd corvette. I thought my car could beat just about anything out there. Well, on a warm summer evening my cousin and I pulled up to a stop light on Countyline Rd just south of the I55 on ramp in Burr Ridge Il. A few seconds later a shiny black GN pulls up next to us. The driver of the GN and I were both looking over each others car. We both gave a little nod. When the light turned green I managed to get a jump on him, about a car length. Then my cousin and I heard this high pitched whine and then we saw the Buick shoot past us and our jaws just dropped. We could not believe what the hell just happened.
Anyway, ever since then I have had an admiration for these cars. I am now 38, live in Huntsville, Al and have 2 young children and thought this would be a good family hobby. There are very few cars that are this quick, cool, and can fit four comfortably. But before taking the plunge I would like to hear some of your Buick turbo car purchase experiences ( good and bad), and if you could answer the following questions:
Can I get a descent car for around $14k? I was thinking of getting a car with some mods but nothing too extreme. I would like to be able to run high 11’s at the track and be in the 12’s on the street. I also want to be able to drive it to work and get descent fuel mileage( low to mid 20’s mpg)
How much should I expect to spend the 1st year after purchase to get a reliable driver?
What are common problems with these cars? ( I have searched but I really don’t know what to search for)
Are these cars difficult to work on and are the finicky?
How much do you guys spend annually on maintenance and upkeep?
I know each car is unique and it is difficult to generalize but if you could give me ballpark figures.
Thanks for your time.
I look forward to reading your responses
John
Oh one other thing, are there many owners in the Northern Al area?
This is my first post, although I have been lurking for some time. First let me introduce myself. My name is John and I am considering getting into a Turbo Buick. I can remember the first time I saw a GN. It was in 1988, I was in high school and my dad and I went to a Buick dealer just to look around. And there it was sitting in the show room. I remember thinking to myself that is a cool looking car. I also remember the salesman saying how quick it was and that not many people were aware of the cars performance.
I didn’t really pay too much attention to what he said. Little did I know his words would be proven to me about 4 years later. At that time I was in college and had saved enough money to buy my dream car which at that time was a 1990 charcoal metallic 6spd corvette. I thought my car could beat just about anything out there. Well, on a warm summer evening my cousin and I pulled up to a stop light on Countyline Rd just south of the I55 on ramp in Burr Ridge Il. A few seconds later a shiny black GN pulls up next to us. The driver of the GN and I were both looking over each others car. We both gave a little nod. When the light turned green I managed to get a jump on him, about a car length. Then my cousin and I heard this high pitched whine and then we saw the Buick shoot past us and our jaws just dropped. We could not believe what the hell just happened.
Anyway, ever since then I have had an admiration for these cars. I am now 38, live in Huntsville, Al and have 2 young children and thought this would be a good family hobby. There are very few cars that are this quick, cool, and can fit four comfortably. But before taking the plunge I would like to hear some of your Buick turbo car purchase experiences ( good and bad), and if you could answer the following questions:
Can I get a descent car for around $14k? I was thinking of getting a car with some mods but nothing too extreme. I would like to be able to run high 11’s at the track and be in the 12’s on the street. I also want to be able to drive it to work and get descent fuel mileage( low to mid 20’s mpg)
How much should I expect to spend the 1st year after purchase to get a reliable driver?
What are common problems with these cars? ( I have searched but I really don’t know what to search for)
Are these cars difficult to work on and are the finicky?
How much do you guys spend annually on maintenance and upkeep?
I know each car is unique and it is difficult to generalize but if you could give me ballpark figures.
Thanks for your time.
I look forward to reading your responses
John
Oh one other thing, are there many owners in the Northern Al area?