What Inspired You to Buy Your Turbo Buick ??

[dynoman]

I was looking for a sporty car that I could fit my 3 kids in and came across this article in a November 1985 issue of Popular Hot Rodding " Hot Cars For 86 " . The GN was listed with " Corvette-level HP & torque out of a mere 231 cubic inches " . They had the 0-60 times of 6.7 sec & 1/4 mile times of high 14 sec. I had a feeling it would be faster because it was listed as 200 lbs lighter than the Corvette with the same HP & torque. I was sold and ordered one that week . It arrived in March of 86 and was an absolute blast all summer because no one would believe how fast they really were until it was too late .
I happened to find the Magazine that started it all for me , and I had to have it !!

 

[TurboTGuy]

https://www.turbobuick.com/threads/your-story-about-coincidences.448131/

Post number 14.

The story truly comes from the heart (I bought the little White T in 2010 and it literally changed my life for the better) and is 100% true.

My boss and I laugh about it all the time. He met me in '90 or '91, when I still had the '86 GN (he spent many-a-night wrenching on it) and he heard the story of the pass I took on the little White T many, many times way back in those "90's" days.

I really do miss that GN.........

 

[dynoman]

I remember reading your story . Mine was stolen in NYC , in broad day light also and never found .
That little white T was looking for you all these years !!

 

[TurboTGuy]

I remember reading your story . Mine was stolen in NYC , in broad day light also and never found .
That little white T was looking for you all these years !!

You're the second person that read the story here and say the very same thing. Somehow, in some kind of Karma/Destiny way, I believe it to be true.

The little White T has been a God send, leading me to some of the closest and most productive relationships made in my adult life.

The GN, however, led me to my current boss and close, close friend, so I gotta give it some serious props, too.

These cars, and the people that somehow gravitate to them, are a special bunch, no doubt.

 

[kidsixpack]

Well in 1987 an older buddy purchased three of them brand new and began to tweek them! I tried to buy one in February of 88, but couldn't afford the insurance. We had a lot of fun the following few summers playing with his GN's. . In 89 we had heard all about the intro of the TTA's so I went to the Detroit auto show. I remember sitting in the TTA and falling in love. Fast forward to 91 and I was married and working at Ford. So instead of buying a GN that I could now afford, I purchase and brand new 5.0. To this day the only car I've ever ordered. Picked it up on a Friday and took it to the track with just 47 miles on the odo. Ran 14.20's all day. Anyway I never got the Turbos out of my system. In 09 I purchased a TTA. In 14 I finally got My GN keeper. 100% stock with 10,800 miles when I bought it. It was like getting it brand new.
I love reading these stories!
KID

 

[Cyclops389]

Great stories guys!

I actually happened upon my 87 GN by accident 4 months ago. I didn’t even know what it was but I saw it at his shop and I was just drawn to it. It looked so mean just sitting there all black and shiny so I started to do a little research on it and the more I looked into it the more I wanted it.

I came from Sportbike racing and had bought a 80 Malibu pure stock to race with two years earlier but my business and life don’t allow me the time to race anymore so I had just sold all my other toys and was in the market for a hotrod I could drive around if I only had a few hours. So after looking at the car and thinking about it overnight I went and bought the car the next day and love it!

Never thought I would call myself a Buick guy but here I am a few months later with a newly rebuilt 87 GN, 1/18 model GN, 1/18 RC GN and a Hot Wheels mini GN.

I love these cars and have met some amazing people in the short time I have owned one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[deezdad]

I was 13 in 1987, my friend got on the school bus one morning n told me the story of how his big brother almost fought his father the night before due to scaring the shit out of his mom making her cry when he took her for a drive in this weird new black car he just bought, he let me come over his house after school to see it n thought it was neat that it had black and white checkers on it like my huffy bike Fast forward to 1995 I was an $8 an hour apprentice, got paired up with an electrician one day he had me meet him at his house in the morning to hop in his work van, I pulled into his drive way along side 2 of those checkered cars and a weird little pickup truck that said Syclone, asked him what was up with the used car lot.. one gn was his and the other gn and the Syclone was his dad's. Kept telling him how lucky he was over the next few years, in 99 he asked me if I wanted to buy his gn, told him I'd love to but was still making dirt money was on my own n paying child support probly no way I could swing it, car was bone stock with 66k easy miles, when he told me he'd take $4500 for it I took out a 401k loan and got my first gn, true gentleman that John Henry.

 

[longball]

June 1989 - never heard of a Grand National.
July 1989 - saw first Grand National - fell in love..
July 1989 - proud owner of Grand National with 208 miles on it.
December 2017 - still in love with it!

 

[TURBOPOWERED68]

Got beat by the strange sounding Black regal, and watched it continue to beat up on every one else.

 

[BEATAV8]

Grey one handed me my ass in my hot rod Pontiac....

 

[TurboBuRick]

Spent 10k building a 455SD motor for my 78 Trans Am. Thought I was king salami until a white T handed me my ass. The rest is history.

 

[NOKA72]

Funny. A Grey T handed me my ass in a built olds I had....never looked back

 

[needforspeed150]

In '91 needed transportation for now ex wife. Spotted a GN in a Buick used car lot. 30k on the clock. It was well taken care of and everyone here knows it really wasn't for the wife. Did the normal stuff to it and divorced in '99 and because I have more cars than I need, I had to choose between '63 corvette coupe and the GN. Well that car got hit, but fixed. Then was stolen out of her front drive and found with a rod through the side of the block 50 miles from her place. I went a couple years before I could afford to find another one. Found the current love way out in the country and had been setting under a car port for several years. Had to go all through the fluids but in pretty good shape with 25K on it. It now has 32k. And of course always another plan in the works for it. They will have to figure out what to do with it when I'm dead and gone. I feel sorry for my daughters. I have way to much shit.

 

[Pronto]

Got beat by the strange sounding Black regal, and watched it continue to beat up on every one else.

Yup got my first lesson from Melissa. Never expected that little engine with all those hoses and weird noises to hand me my ass by a mile. Light turned green and it was all over. Then a buddy of mine let me drive his newly bought GN. I decided right there I had to sell my 79 TA and a TB.

 

[dynoman]

I was personally responsible for the sale of at least 5 Turbo Buicks just from a ride in mine .

 

[Turbo Keith]

I rode in my first in bout 1990 , A friend had it Rodney Eaton , I remember to this day saying " Man you got a cool car BUT its a DAMN V6 hahahahahaha " Then he gave me a ride and I was blown away . I had an 87 IROC and thought I was king of the hill , Until that ride . I remember getting back to our national guard armory and pulling the hood , counting plug wires . I could not believe what I just rode in , No DAMN way this is a 6 . He pointed out the turbo which I had no idea what is was . I was Mesmerized with this car and fell in love on the spot . Fast forward to sept 2015 I got my first GN , bout 25 years it took . I truly love our cars . Wish I owned them all . Thanks to the OP for this post , TurboKeith

 

[kidsixpack]

Here’s my 5.0 back in 91-92. Notice the GN in the background. At this time I knew 16 people with GN’s. There are GN’s in three of the storage bays too.
KID

 

[INEEDAGN]

I became aware of the potential of the cars from reading the viral thread "anyone know joe cippola" that was linked all over every car forum circa 2002. Obviously knew they existed but didn't know what they were capable of until reading the signature lines of the members that posted in that thread. I was born and raised die hard mopar but could never afford a mopar worth having when I was 20 and I wanted something I could just get in and drive and not be broken every time I moved it, which was the situation with my 65 Plymouth station wagon. So I sold it to my dad (still has it) and, like many other Buick "noobs", had to have a t-top 87 grand national. Skipped over any ad that wasn't a t top 87 grand national. I found one on this forum just three hours down the highway and made payments on it for three years while living with my parents. Dumbest damn thing I could have ever done at that age but I still have it. And I gained a t type in '13. With the feeding frenzy over 87 grand nationals lately, if that upward trend continues it will likely be sold in the next 5-10 years because I honestly like the t type more and for $20k+ I could find something I like more than the gn. I'll probably never be done with turbo buicks though.

 

[6APPEAL]

Needed a car to go to school in. Uncle was a car dealer and found a super clean 1978 Buick Regal Sport Coupe. Buying that car was the start of my Turbo Buick addiction in 1983. I've owned a Turbo Buick every since. Purchased my first GN in 1991 and still own that car. It's been hanging out on jack stands in the garage waiting on me to start a restoration for several years while life has been happening. I have turned down many offers for the car, but can't see myself getting rid of it.

 

[CHARGED]

While still in HS I just finished restoring my(was my dad's for 15yrs) 72 Buick GS Stratomist Blue, before my senior yr, 89' Was driving that completed for about 6 months before some A hole ran into the back of it while parked on the side of the road and totaled it..
Being a Buick kid I now wanted the GN but the Insurance companies said NO($3k yr), had to wait until I was 23 before buying my GN, still have it along with my TType, also had a TTA for a few yrs.