What Inspired You to Buy Your Turbo Buick ??

[SCOOBY DOO]

Once it was confirmed Darth Vader owned one...then I knew it was badass and immediately went out and got one.

 

[dynoman]

My original post was how the love for Turbo Buicks came to be for myself , but the rest of the story is I had to sell it in the early 90's , to my brother in NYC due to divorce . Fast forward to 2009 and still missing the old GN days , I found this forum and started lurking BIG TIME . Man how things had changed from when they first came out in 86 . I found the WH1 I have now on the For Sale section on this board , showed it to my wife and she said " you always wanted another one ...... buy it " . 5 days later I picked it up from a member on this board who was ....... you guessed it , going through a divorce .
Since then I have been on here almost every day , always checking what's going on and what's new . If it wasn't for this forum I would NOT have a low 10 sec TB or even a TB at all . Made some great friends here also , all because of a car !!

 

[gusszgs]

In 1987 I owned a '69 Camaro SS 376/375. It was in at a friends machine shop getting the motor rebuilt. One day when I was in there checking on the progress of my 396, a friend of the engine builder popped in with his brand spanking new '87 GN.
We got to talking and he offered me a ride. I accepted and out we went. I was shocked at the pull this thing had and actually thought it would give my a Camaro a run for it's money. That memory never left me and FF to 2008 I bought my LTD. What really pushed me over the edge to purchase one was I was growing tired of the same old muscle car stuff. Headers, carb, jet change bal bal bla and was looking to learn the in's and out's of the tech side to these monsters.
I still love to old school muscle and still have a GS 455, but would have to say the TR is a true marvel and never ceases to amaze me. Way ahead of they're time.

 

[SpeedRacerX]

Back in the late 80s, I did a lot of very dumb street racing on the weekends in my 86 IROC and my 88 Vette. The Vette was mostly show with a Greenwood body kit, 17" gold BBS wheels, Ansa exhaust and big 315 wide rear Michelin Sport XGT Pluses. Most of my racing was lining up at lights, some of it very planned as this was common in certain areas in the region. The Vette had some basic bolt-ons but when I heated up the wide Michelins, I could really get a hole shot on most of my competition from light to light.

Anyway, one night (1988'ish), cocky me came across this big black Buick GN. I knew they were out there but had no clue they were as fast as they were. I had a passenger with me and so did he. He came up on me at about 40mph, we rolled windows down and he asked me if I wanted to run. In a very cocky way, I said let's go right now and I'll see you at 150mph+. He punched it, I punched it and he proceeded to walk me in very embarrassing fashion. It was bad. My buddy, trying to help me not feel so bad, told me at least my car looks better than his. LOL. I had a fascination/love/hate/respect about them ever since.

My other exposure to them was that the Buick dealer behind the Cherry Hill Mall had a GNX when I was buying my Vette. My father talked me out of the GNX and I bought the Vette instead. At that time, they were priced similarly.

Fast forward 26+ years when the moon, stars, finances aligned to allow me to finally buy a toy. There were many cars from the 80s in my mind but it was an easy choice to buy one of the baddest cars from the 80s and to today - the Grand National. I've been hooked for 3 years now.

 

[GNTIM]

I started turning wrenches professionally in the late 80's and absolutely HATED the Buick v6 until they added fuel injection. Before that, everyone I worked on was an oil leaking, powerless-pig with a million vacuum lines. Around 1990 a pilot from Dulles dropped off a modded GN with driveability issues at a Goodyear where I worked, I'm just glad it was straight before I nailed it. The seed was planted that day...

 

[kidsixpack]

Flash back to the 90's. Everyone wanted to race my Mustang (previous post in this thread). We would take my buddies GN out in the metro Detroit area and it was tough to get anyone to run.
They gained a rep. pretty fast!
KID

 

[TurboTGuy]

There were many cars from the 80s in my mind but it was an easy choice to buy one of the baddest cars from the 80s and to today - the Grand National. I've been hooked for 3 years now.

How could it have been anything but anything but an easy choice?

Honestly, the 86/87 GN/T Type was the ONLY car that was built worth a damn during the period of '72 to '94. There were a few "outside of the box" cars built in that time, but NOTHING even came close to Buick's TR's.

Car makers didn't get it until Ford built the 5.0 Mustang and that (and the others) are just now, 32 years later, catching up (albeit quickly) ......

 

[SpeedRacerX]

How could it have been anything but anything but an easy choice?

Honestly, the 86/87 GN/T Type was the ONLY car that was built worth a damn during the period of '72 to '94. There were a few "outside of the box" cars built in that time, but NOTHING even came close to Buick's TR's.

Car makers didn't get it until Ford built the 5.0 Mustang and that (and the others) are just now, 32 years later, catching up (albeit quickly) ......

That's a good point but I did have a fondness for the Porsche 928S (Risky Business car). The nice ones got pricey quick the last 3-5 years.

72-94 is an awfully big range. You are 99% right but there were some standouts and I'm sure I'm missing a few.

Super Duty TA was nice car.
The early 90s ZR1s had an amazing and reliable motor.
The Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 had technology and fit/finish way ahead of its time.

And I think the price increases I've been seeing on all of the above mentioned cars in nice condition show the appreciation for what some of these cars were.

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[salvageV6]

I always wanted a 928 with a Buick V6 turbo in it.

That would be a fun daily driver.

I already have the Ray Bans.

 

[toofastforyou]

When I bought my GN back in '87, my wife and I had two kids and I had a '76 Corvette which wasn't practical at all (and also, it had no power). I wanted something to replace the 'Vette in which I could get in with my wife and kids and which had more power. At the same time, a guy I knew just bought himself a GN and gave me a ride in it…I was immediately hooked and had to have one… I eventually sold the 'Vette and bought my GN, brand new and still have it today!
Claude.

 

[Frederickdav]

One evening a bunch of years ago, I was driving down a 4 lane just me, my wife and three kids in my 78 Pontiac Grand Safari. All of a sudden, out of the darkness came this GN. It was the first I'd ever seen and it wasn't visable very long. That thing flew by us like there was no tomorrow! I said to the wife" I need one of those" To which she responded," in your dreams". Fast forward, the kids are on their own, the wife passed away from lung cancer, I had to take an early retirement. I was bored, lonely and needed something to spend my money on. Then I remembered that GN. I looked at a couple and before I could decide to buy they were gone. Then one day I came upon my 87 T, the salesperson let me take it out and it was running like crap! So I dickered them down a bit and became the proud owner of a money pit!

 

[corsair231]

Late Dec. 1987, I was on the way to the nearest big city to find a 5.0 Mustang. The 4 cyl. Pontiac Fiero I had just wasn't cutting it in the power department and a couple of friends with 5.0s had hyped them up so I thought they were the way to go. I had read a couple of magazines about the Turbo Buicks so I wasn't totally dumb to what they were, but other than an older, grandpa looking, T-Type, I had never seen one in person so they had never really crossed my mind as an option. Anyway, I came up on a Buick dealership and decided to ride the used car side just in case they had a Stang. I cut the corner of the aisle and there, sitting just a little further out front than the rest of the row, was this evil looking, bad to the bone, all black beast with a bulged hood and a heck of an attitude. It was love at first sight until I took a test drive. Then it was pure, unadulterated, lust. Anyway, several days and several trips later, I drove home with a 5,300 mile WE-4 (what ever that was ). The original owner had bought it because the dealer didn't have any GNs but later decided nothing else would do so he traded it in when they got a new batch of GNs. His loss my gain. It has been an epic relationship. It started by hushing up all of my 5.0 friends along with numerous old school muscle cars and has lasted to this day even though the years have been hard on both of us. It was basically my DD for over 20 years and now has north of 240,000 miles. It's sitting now, patiently waiting for some more love to come its way in the near future. It will be back, better than it was, faster, more powerful. We have the technology.

 

[SpeedRacerX]

Late Dec. 1987, I was on the way to the nearest big city to find a 5.0 Mustang. The 4 cyl. Pontiac Fiero I had just wasn't cutting it in the power department and a couple of friends with 5.0s had hyped them up so I thought they were the way to go. I had read a couple of magazines about the Turbo Buicks so I wasn't totally dumb to what they were, but other than an older, grandpa looking, T-Type, I had never seen one in person so they had never really crossed my mind as an option. Anyway, I came up on a Buick dealership and decided to ride the used car side just in case they had a Stang. I cut the corner of the aisle and there, sitting just a little further out front than the rest of the row, was this evil looking, bad to the bone, all black beast with a bulged hood and a heck of an attitude. It was love at first sight until I took a test drive. Then it was pure, unadulterated, lust. Anyway, several days and several trips later, I drove home with a 5,300 mile WE-4 (what ever that was ). The original owner had bought it because the dealer didn't have any GNs but later decided nothing else would do so he traded it in when they got a new batch of GNs. His loss my gain. It has been an epic relationship. It started by hushing up all of my 5.0 friends along with numerous old school muscle cars and has lasted to this day even though the years have been hard on both of us. It was basically my DD for over 20 years and now has north of 240,000 miles. It's sitting now, patiently waiting for some more love to come its way in the near future. It will be back, better than it was, faster, more powerful. We have the technology.

Nice story. Love the last two lines. I hear they are finally making a Six Million Dollar Man movie soon.

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[Turbo Keith]

I just enjoy reading these stories of how our cars found us , really cool

 

[~JM~]

What Inspired You to Buy Your Turbo Buick ??


Sheer Lunacy!!!

 

[corsair231]

Nice story. Love the last two lines. I hear they are finally making a Six Million Dollar Man movie soon.

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Thanks for the compliment. Steve Austin was one of my favorite heroes growing up. I wore out a couple of his action figures as a kid. I still have one of them in my toy collection, errrrr, action figure, no no no no, art, yeah, that's it , in my art collection.

If they do make a Six Million Dollar Man movie I hope they do it right and don't try to camp it up like they did with Starsky and Hutch, The A-Team, The Dukes of Hazzard and any other thing they remake into comedy that wasn't supposed to originally be comedy at the time. Of course if they do it correctly they will have to change the title. it would probably cost over 60 million just to make a movie about a Six Million Dollar Man. That just doesn't add up. Maybe change the name to The Six Million Bitcoin Man. Of course, just to keep this post Buick oriented, he would have to race a TR to save the day.

 

[TurboTGuy]

I hope they do it right and don't try to camp it up like they did with Starsky and Hutch, The A-Team, The Dukes of Hazzard and any other thing they remake into comedy that wasn't supposed to originally be comedy at the time.

I always thought both Dukes of Hazzard and The A-Team were absolutely teeming with comedy. Old episodes still make me laugh.

How can you not laugh at "I'm in HAWT pursuit, uhgee, gee, gee!" ?

Or, "You messed up, now I gotta mess YOU up, it's the law."

Classic lines.

 

[jemook]

I drove the T-Type that I saw advertised for sale. Had to have it. My wife likes the GN better, says it looks cooler.
John

 

[TurboTGuy]

I drove the T-Type that I saw advertised for sale. Had to have it. My wife likes the GN better, says it looks cooler.
John

What made you buy the "cooler" GN, if you don't mind my asking? Did I miss a different story?

 

[TurboTGuy]

What Inspired You to Buy Your Turbo Buick ??


Sheer Lunacy!!!

You are a lunatic of precise decision, that is for sure...........

Never change!