Thinking of selling the GN. I need an idea of how much it's worth.

[cool 84]

I'll start by saying I'm not sure yet if I'm going to sell the car but I was thinking of putting it on E-bay. It has over 200,000miles but mechanically it's new. I know the mileage matters more than the mods so if I can't get what I want I'm going to keep it. Mods are:
Engine: 4.1L, JE pistons, total seals, girdle, 212-212 comp cam, ported GN1s, ARP head studs, very worked ported hotair intake, TA-66 turbo, powerstroke intercooler, APEX BOV, 62mm TB, EGR blockoff plate, KB headers, LT 3" DP, ATR uppipe, Innovative external wastegate, ATR 2.5" duals, 60lb injectors, billet regulator, Walbro 340 with hotwire, turbotweak chip.

Ramchargers dual fans, aluminum F-bod radiator.

Trans:
PTS extreme billet trans with Vigillante 3,000 stall lockup convertor. Braided cooler lines. Large B&M cooler. Duttweiler driveshaft loop.

Rear:
New stock axles, posi, gears, and bearings.

Suspension:
Tubular uppers in front. One step stiffer springs, Koni adjustable shocks all around, front rebuilt with polygraphite kit and all balljoints. Triangular front end braces.

Metco aluminum lowers in rear, ATR swaybar, Konis. Kenne Bell behind the seat brace.

It's in the bodyshop now getting the GNX flares and a badly needed repaint. It's been stripped to the metal and has no bondo on the body. I'm ordering the Simmons 18" wheels in the next few weeks to get the right offset with the flares.

I finally have the car exactly like I've always wanted it minus maybe a brake upgrade but I no longer have the time to play with it. I know I will never get my money back out of it but does anyone have an idea of where to start at an asking price?

Oh, and I forgot, it has no AC and the passenger inner fenderwell is badly cracked/melted. It has the Lear Siegler interior with the usual guages but needs reupholstering and the carpet is fading after only 3 years. No timeslips on the new combo yet, but it has several Vipers, two modded 03/4 Cobras, two R6s, and a ton of regular cars under it's belt at less than 17psi.

 

[alb84]

It's hard for me to believe that you could think of selling it. You are finally going to have it how you allways wanted, just drive it man! Over the years I remember you trying all sorts of stuff to make it faster. You have too much of yourself in it to ever get rid of it. I had two for a long time, and I kick myself for selling one all the time. The pain doesn't go away. Take a deep breath, or take a pill, or a drink, or what ever it takes to stop thinking CRAZY! Put it in storage for a couple years. You have never had a good day at the track. Go get some good times under your belt this spring, and you will feel much better. The value can't be measured in dollars. Later....Danny

 

[Jerryl]

......... I finally have the car exactly like I've always wanted it minus maybe a brake upgrade but I no longer have the time to play with it. ..............

Sorry to hear, but only YOU know when it is time for a change.

......... I know I will never get my money back out of it but does anyone have an idea of where to start at an asking price?

If I stated any starting price, it may be an insult or something to get your hopes up. So, it all depends really on what someone is willing to pay for it, or, what you are willing to take for it. PLUS, without seeing the car, it is hard to say. Good luck.

 

[racemybuick]

for what is listed, if I had, say 100K, that is what I would pay for it....i think 100,000 is a good starting price (hoping not an insult ), but I know the possibility of a hot air reaching such an amount would cause such great unrest in the IC world....lol...Seriously....I would honestly give you 100,000 for it tomorrow If I had it...OOOOR......I could low ball your a$$, insult the hell outta you, and convince you to keep it and enjoy the damn thing!!!!!!!!!

After reading your first post on top, i think it is unfair to put in the wrench time like that and say you have no time left for it...I have been putting wrench time in so many projects, i dont know where half my tools are....lol...but when you complete a project such as yours, and looking back at all you have contributed to this tiny little community, I feel it a shame to have to settle for anything less than what you paid in the blood, sweat, tears, arguments, and $$$ you sunk into that dream machine. Once you get the 18's on there....Take a day, take two...Just park it in a really nice setting and stare at it....Think hard about the above argument, and reflect on your goals...did you accomplish them? Did you exceed them? Did you fail??? If you can justify (with very good reason) that you are beyond these rationals, then fine...ebay witha 20K reserve! If not, keep it...drive it...race it...DAMMIT!!! ENJOY IT!!!!

John

 

[cool 84]

Thanks for the kind words guys. I love the car but it's so much trouble to keep it going. I guess I could let it sit at the bodyshop for a few more months or put an outrageous reserve on E-bay. It would be nice to get one clean pass at the strip so I can say an actual number and not compare it to other cars.

I was also enjoying my new car when I wrote the original but now that I've had it for a few weeks, it lacks the "personality" of the Buick. If I do sell, it would be nice to sell it to someone who will get the good timeslips that I never got.

 

[Jerryl]

Thanks for the kind words guys. I love the car but it's so much trouble to keep it going. .......

Turn down the boost and you should have a lot less trouble. Problem is, you have that "King of the strip" taste .............

 

[getchasum]

Hey man it's not about a time slip...it's the feeling you have when just handed a Mustang owner his a$$ at that last light.

 

[coldair85GN]

Dont be a dumbass. I doubt seriously that ANYONE on this website could get what they have in their car. Relish the fact that you have one of the FIRST of the last TRUE musclecars that Detroit produced. Its unique, they are getting rare, its comfortable and roomy....and generally speaking...its just a downright badass car. If you sell it...you know deep down inside that eventually you will be searching for another one...and you will have to probably pay more for one then than what you sold the one you have now for...and it won't be as fast..and you won't know its history. Dont make a mistake you will regret for many years to come. I for one know that I will probably be buried in my GN. I would rather pour gas on my 94 Ram Air Trans Am, light it on fire and watch it burn than sell my garaged with no engine in it 85 Grand National which is ironically worth more in its present condition than my mint 94 Trans Am that runs 12's. Keep the Buick. Put it in a garage with a cover on it...let it sit for a while until you decide you want to mess with it again. You will be glad you did. My .02.

 

[WFO]

I hear ya...

It's funny,I'm kinda at the same point.

I've put a sh!tload of time/money/sweat into my GN and there are times when I can't bear to even bother with it any more.I've run some decent times with it,and there's more left in it,but when it comes time to go out into the shop and do something to it I always find something else to do .

I've come up with a couple of problems when it comes to selling cars like ours:

1:At the end of the day,it's an 84 Grand National with 200+ thousand miles.Not really worth much in the grand scheme,no matter how much $$ I was dumb enough to dump into it.

2:I keep thinking about my Dad and his '68 Roadrunner he bought new and sold during the gas crunch.I've given him no end of sh!t over the years for getting rid of that car,and he kicks himself in the ass for it.It didn't matter at the time,they were a dime a dozen,but now it's one of the most collectable cars out there,and I would have loved to have it when I was 16. It was paid for,and it could have sat in storage for next to nothing until I was ready for it.

I keep having recurring visions of my own kid saying "You had a REAL GRAND NATIONAL?!?!?!?!?!" "And you sold it for HOW MUCH?"


So-bottom line is,I don't know what to tell you :redface: .When we first started coming on this site I always wondered how guys like Dan Smith could just fold it up and walk away.I guess now I'm starting to understand... :frown:

 

[Jerryl]

......... So-bottom line is,I don't know what to tell you :redface: .When we first started coming on this site I always wondered how guys like Dan Smith could just fold it up and walk away.I guess now I'm starting to understand... :frown:

There are many forks in the "road of life". If you are tired of it and ready to sell, than this may be your fork in the road. Only you will ever know and only you and your kids may kick you someday.

If you owned a newer mustang, it would not be as big of a deal to sell and you would not have to work on it as much ........... "maybe".

Ever given some thought about selling the GN and buy a Mustang or Camaro, or,........ keep the GN, buy a Mustang or Camaro and play with that for a while?

 

[Grumpy]

I would rather pour gas on my 94 Ram Air Trans Am, light it on fire and watch it burn than sell my garaged with no engine in it 85 Grand National which is ironically worth more in its present condition than my mint 94 Trans Am that runs 12's. .

well how much ya want for the TA ??? I am interested
now onto this thread .. I am old I have had cars that I would allways say "I am never goin to sell it" Shelby Mustangs, 427 Cobra (real ) 396/425hp 65 Corvette, 70 Mach 1 Cobra Jets and prob 30 Buicks . sorry it's only a car .. you do reach a point in your life when you just want to move on . nothing wrong with that at all !! my "most fun" car of all has been the 89 TTA . bought one new in 89 for my wife !! what a ball that was .. she was so down when she sold it around 1997 . BUT we ended up with 2 more that we still have . I have had GNs since 1986 and really started to get tired of them by the late 90's ... now we have mostly "T's" that are not black .. I think your goin to take a bath but ya never know .. you might get someone with $$$$ to pay a decent price . I have had guys around me sink $20-25K in a car and sell it for $8-10k because thier buddys got a new Vette or some other new car . my daughter has had prob 5-6 Buicks that she drove all the time ..last year she went out an bought a new Pontiac GTP .. she loves it .. great gas milage , new car, and take it anywhere!! she just uses the Buicks in the summer now .. plus its time for her to get a house !!! good luck on your sale .. and if ya miss the car that much you can get another !!

 

[alb84]

OK, let me put it another way. The money you get for the car will be gone in a day, a week, or maybe even a month. Besides not getting what you put in it, the money is really not going to change your life. If you are like me you don't have alot of money to throw at cars, and even less to modify them with. (I know you are like me) I had two GN's. It was a hassle sometimes so I sold one. I have no Idea what I did with the money, and the car went through two owners that didn't appreciate it, and it got trashed and went to the junk yard and crushed. I'm still pissed off. It's been 6 years. Just get it out of your sight for awile. Even if it takes a couple years you will realize you never wanted to get rid of it. Later....Danny

 

[Grumpy]

hmmmm thinkin here ... ya have a good use for the $$$ ??? if not why sell ?? I keep trying to move up the food chain :biggrin:

 

[WFO]

hmmmm thinkin here ... ya have a good use for the $$$ ??? if not why sell ?? I keep trying to move up the food chain :biggrin:

That's exactly what I keep thinking...

I have single turbo/FAST plans for my '65 plymouth,it'll be a way faster/nicer/more fun car than my GN,and every time I think about throwing $$ at the GN I think about what I could do to the plymouth instead...

I've had thoughts of pulling and selling all the hi-po hotair stuff,converting to '87 (I have all the parts) and selling the GN to help finance the Plymouth's build.At least that way I could still race at Turbo Thunder with Gene and Dave and all those guys...

I dunno... I gotta stop working 60+ hour weeks before any of it matters anyway...