What reeled you into a Turbo Buick

[I eat Z06]

What made you guys buy a Turbo Buick/Tubro T/A?
I'll go first. I was lookin at 80's Cutty's because I love the g-body. Then was sitting at home watching Speedvision (that long ago), and American Muscle Car came on. It was a special on the GN. Right then I was hooked, as soon as the show was over I opend up the classifieds and looked for a GN. Found mine, stock with 55,000 origional miles. 1 week later I was overcome by the Buick. Friday the 13th, October 2001.

Nick

 

[wlaukaitis]

I always liked turbine-like objets (Turbos, turbines, fighter jets, jet drag cars etc) I guess becasue it is a diferent kind of engine. I suppose reciprocating internal combustion engines can get boring.

I have always been a "sleeper" car kind of guy, and these cars are very "sleeper-ish", especially now, most of the younger import folks have no idea of its capabilities!

I refer to them as "A Black Menace"

I had a 1984 that was fun but very unreliable.

I came across my 1986 GN and the price was right. I was going to have it come hell or high water or divorce.

 

[2QUIK6]

Back in high school, I was cruising the local strip in my '79 Z28 with a hopped up motor me and my brother had built, I happened upon a chic driving a GN, challenged her to a race at the next light and she kicked my butt....this was back in the summer of '87, I later test drove one a few years later and knew I had to get one as soon as I could afford it......finally in Feb. of 1991 in found the one I have now and bought it with 10k original miles.

 

[cool 84]

Whenever I saw a GN, there was this certain mystery about it. I liked how it was like a family car yet very mean looking. I thought it was the ultimate sleeper being quiet and a V6 on top of that. There are a ton of fast V8s but at least back then no fast V6's. I bought mine in Dec 94 in highshcool and was surprised at the respect it got from the older crowd. Most highschool people had no clue what it was back then. I got made fun of for having wide tires and I always drove it slow. Then one day during lunch I did a huge rolling burnout and no one ever made fun of it again. I had a ton of people asking me if it really was a V6 and why it was whistling during the burnout.

 

[Sinister87]

I always had respect for the Gn's and the T-type's. I did own a 87 T-type for about 8 months and eventually sold it. I'm now ready for another. The true last muscle car I believe.

 

[fighterjet gn]

a good friend had an 86 GN & let me drive it then later on he traded it for a GNX, & i got to drive that also. i was hooked, i didnt get my GN until 92 when i came out a bar and saw 1 sitting on a lot friday night, that following monday, my GN was sitting in my garage. I LOVE THESE CARS.

 

[bogie1]

I was reading a copy of Autoweek back in late 1985 or 1986 and on the cover was a smokin pictue of a 1986 GN and the title read " 1986 Buick Grand National- Sideways at any speed". Back then the average "stock muscle car was running in the 15's or very high 14's. Their road test of the GN was low 14's. I was freaked out that a full size Buick Regal with a V-6 could run like that. Then Car and driver had a test with one running 13.9 bone stock. I drove to my dealer in Feb 1986 and bought one with out even test driving it. I still own it today.

 

[turbojimmy]

I was always into cars but really didn't know much about the TRs. I knew they were quick, but that was about it. In 1997 was driving a blown Mustang GT and wanted to move to a Cobra. My uncle buys and sells rebuildable wrecks. I went to his salvage yard to look at a brand new '98 Cobra that had run into a house. It had something like 400 miles on it. It was nice and the hit appeared to be light but there were indications that there was more damage than met the eye. I decided to pass.

Right next to the Cobra was the GN. Rear damage - looked to be an easy fix. I never had a chance to look at a TR up close and personal. Damage aside it was in pretty good shape. All original and cared for decently. It was someone's driver but it was in better shape than you'd expect given its mileage. I looked it over and decided that I had to have it. The rest is history.

So, my owning a GN was really an accident. Fate I guess.

Jim

 

[NEARING]

I got the worst ass beating I've ever had on the street at the hands of a designer series when I had a 95 6spd formula.

It was UGLY for me!

I didn't have a clue what was about to happen to me and couldn't figure out why the guy in the silver and black "monte" was laughing at me before the light turned green .

 

[progress1vebmx]

My dad had an 87 Maroon Regal.

 

[cwelk87gn]

I was looking for a cool old muscle car and had looked at Chevelle's, late 60's Camaros, Etc. Found a 68 Cutlass convertable and went to buy it and my wife asked if that was really what I wanted, after some thought I told her about a Buick my buddy had in college, solid black, with a turbo V-6, and how powerful the car accelerated. I guess I wanted something that you don't see a dozen of at the local cruise-in too.

 

[Raven]

What and why?

For me, it was the fame, all the hot babes, and the huge increase in my 'coolness' factor.

Ok, I'm lying.

Actually, it was the stealthy look, the fact that it is SO fun to kick a big V8's ass with a V6, and THEN, the fame, all the hot babes and the huge increase in my 'coolness' factor.

 

[1QUICK85]

Well about six years ago I had to pull my mom's boyfriends early 90's regal out of the driveway......so I could get my thunderchicken out......it was all black with vents on the hood and well........he was trying to fool people with Grand National badges on the front fenders...... So, I went back inside and asked him what the hell a Grand National was......he said not that car...........He end up telling me the basics on them and well one day I drove by my GN sitting in a dealer lot........Got to love "Hot Airs" To bad he is not around now to see a real Grand National........easly the coolest car I have ever owned. Punks in ricers think it is a monte and the older crowd give ya the thumbs up. I actually had a older guy driving a 454 70's camaro SS drive by me and hang out the window yelling, "Nice.....Nice"

Oh ya a girl I went to high school with use to drive her boyfriends blue T-Type to school........I just reliezed a couple of years ago what the hell that thing really was.

Nick

 

[Turbo Brian]

my dad bought an 87 turbo-t new in 87. i rode around in the backseat of that car for years, took some cross country trips in it etc. (was 7 at the time, 23 now) it just rubbed off on me i guess. as i started college i came across a one owner GN that was too good to pass up. i was also old enough with a decent job to afford car payments and insurance on a performance car.

 

[mar86gn]

When i was growing up i used to walk by an 87 gn from 8th grade till senior year. I loved those 3.8 badges on the hood. When i turned 21 i wanted to see if the owner would sell it to me. She had traded in for a newer fwd buick because somebody stole an emblem or two. I also use to have a nice and fast 71 chevelle until i got wooped bad by a gn. I could not believe that gn could chirp second. That got me hooked!!

 

[gordyzx9r]

I saw a Regal when I was about 9 or 10 years old and thought that the body style was just the coolest thing in the world, 15 years later when I learned that there were Turbo Regals I immediately started looking. The car is now part of the family (the wife treats it like an evil step child though...she's just jealous).

 

[BuickPower3800]

Well I havent had the pleasure of owning one yet, but I can remember the coolest test drive I ever had. A 87 Gn with 44K on it. Ill never forget how powerfull it felt along with the hiss of the Turbo. That test drive turned me into a Buick nut ever since!

 

[2 SLOW]

Well I go back a little farther than some of you.
In the early 60's there was a lot of street racing. I heard about a turbo Corvair Spyder that BEAT a Corvette. The story was big enough that I knew it was true.

Now move up to 1965 and I have a 65 Dodge Coronet with a "street 426" rated at 365HP. I took it to the drag strip and ran against a 64 or 65 Buick Skylark. I GOT BEAT BY TWO CAR LENGTHS I got a peek under his hood and he had two four barrels! It was factory! Never forgot how sneaky. AND ON A BUICK!!

By the early 70's horsepower was in the tank. By early 80's it looked like there never would be any performance again. So I stopped paying any attention to anything about cars. One day in June 87 by chance I saw a car magazine with a picture of a black 5.0 Mustang and black GN on the cover. It said "Which one is faster." So TURBO + SNEAKY BUICK. I figured if you can't beat them join them.

 

[charleslong]

I have an uncle that owned an 86 and an 87 GN, I would see him working on it, and see him doing burn-outs. One day I when I was trailing him, we were going arouda curved road. Speed limit was 35mph, and he got on it, and he started going side ways around the curb. This was his 86, I really like it, it was a lot more quite than his 87. One day, I sat in the 87 and that was the first time ever. Then I asked to drive it, and he told me to be careful. From that point on I was sold.

 

[tazgn]

For me, I owned a 90 corvette convertible, and had a friend with an 87 T. All of our mutual friends would always bench race with our cars trying to figure out who would win in a race. It turns out I never raced him, but it peaked my curiousity. Then a few years later the babies started popping out of the wife, so I needed more seats than the vette could offer, but at the time I REFUSED to go the mini-van route. So I went to the vette/muscle car dealership I bought my last vette at and they had my GN in the lot. They were all bragging about the car so I recalled a couple years back and that friend with a T-type. So, the dealer and I hoped in the car and took it for a ride. At the first intersection where I had to merge into traffic, and the dealer said "GAS IT, let's see how she goes". Well, I did, and she went alright... Right around sideways, and then fish tailing down the road. I about shat myself. We went back to the dealer and there was nothing else in my mind but driving that car home... That was one of those moments in my life I'll always remember, right up there with my kids being born.....

Derrick