I have had my car for two years now .It was fully stock when I got it but was never driven .I am trying to keep it as stock as possible but I have made up grades to make the car safer to drive . I am putting in guages and and added Vacuum .All summer I have driven it maybe 6 times . I would nto recommend this car to a friend ,
Would you Recommend a GN to a friend?
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1000MileStylez
Black Sheep
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that how i got into them some moons ago,i was actually going to buy a 72 chevelle and just lost interest, then my friend showed me a GN that a custodian at a school owned and fell in love with it ever since.
excobraguy
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You left out the most important part of your post, why wouldn't you recommend the GN to a friend? I wouldn't because I personally think they are a constant maintenance car. I have not been able to enjoy my car since I bought it. Yeah it's fast, but for how long?
Not everyone has the mindset, patience or intelligence for a Turbo Buick. Not to mention the tolerance for spending money. It's alot easier and cheaper to maintain a Camaro, Mustang type of specialty car. Parts are getting more expensive all the time and the community is shrinking. Having said that, NO I would not recommend these cars to a friend. These cars seem to require a steep learning curve. Most of my friends are still stuck in 1969, so anything about these cars is rocket science to them.
Now ask me if I could easily replace my car with a Camaro, Mustang etc. and be happy. I doubt it. You see, I have had all of those and more. With all the warts Turbo Buicks come with they are still a thrill to own. Just not for everyone. That is unless you like self abuse.
Now ask me if I could easily replace my car with a Camaro, Mustang etc. and be happy. I doubt it. You see, I have had all of those and more. With all the warts Turbo Buicks come with they are still a thrill to own. Just not for everyone. That is unless you like self abuse.
1000MileStylez
Black Sheep
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well thats the thing everyones crap stinks, you cant build something stupid fast with out something breaking. thats why racing specific parts are not warrantied because its known its going to break down at some point or if a part is warrantied its limited to craftsmanship. You gotta pay to play. I used to work at a mercedez and jaguar dealership as a mechanic, trust me the more you pay for a vehicle doesnt mean better quality, they both suck. If you want something reliable, buy a honda. Thats what i drive daily 150k miles and havent replaced one peice of drivetrain yet, just the normal crap like 02 sensor's and brake parts....
excobraguy
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No offense intended but you just took this thread off topic. This was a "Would you recommend a GN to a friend" question. Not a "Buy a Honda if you don't like it" thread........ just being objective. :biggrin: We all realize we have to pay to play, we are GN owners, remember?????!!!!!
TurboTnZ06
Go on red!
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I would not recommend one to a friend. But rather at least two Turbo Buicks. When one breaks just drive the other one until its fixed
1000MileStylez
Black Sheep
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well that is a reason, if you explain to a friend what it requires to run one of these cars, he can decide, im not talking anyone into anything im not a alligator salesman. So if he dont like it, he can buy a cheaper peice that wont break as much.
No offence taken :biggrin:
yeah i forgot about that, so many of my friends would say hey gabe guess what i just baught, youre going to be so mad and ill be like oh no you didnt and theyll be like your right i didnt i baught a ford. then i was able to breath agian
No offence taken :biggrin:
I guess I would say no too. Because you can't have a buddys car thats faster than yours!Right?
yeah i forgot about that, so many of my friends would say hey gabe guess what i just baught, youre going to be so mad and ill be like oh no you didnt and theyll be like your right i didnt i baught a ford. then i was able to breath agian
This thread caught my attention because I had a similar experience with the GN I own now as well as the one I owned previously. My previous GN (a hardtop '87) was a very low mileage car that was 99% stock when I bought it. I owned it for 4 years and in that time I'd guess it was down for one reason or another about 40% of the time. I've owned the GN I have now ('87 t-top) for a little over 3 years and it hasn't been right since day 1. When I bought the car it had numerous problems, I was aware of some, but not others. I've worked out all the problems except the ignition popping under boost. That problem cropped up after I had the car down for several weeks sorting out a bunch of other problems. The bottom line is, I've havne't been able to really "enjoy" the car in the 3 years I've owned it. *However* - this is my third turbo Buick and I purchased it knowing very well how quirky and tempermental these cars can be. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment in that respect, but I just keep coming back to turbo Buicks. Sometimes I just want to roll it out in the street, set fire to it and watch it burn. But then I walk away from it for a few days, think about the problem (or problems) and formulate a new plan of attack to attempt to fix it. I'm working with limited time and budget so that makes it even more challenging, but hey, some day it will be awsome....some day.... :biggrin:
Evans Ward
Love those LC2/ Y56 cars!
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I would recommend to a friend ONLY if the said friend is very mechanically inclined. Or, at a minimum if they are willing to learn lots..... Otherwise, I think you'd be asking for it and be at the mercy of whomever. As we all know, all it takes is one drive at 20+ PSI to hook you and reel you in!
Honestly, It would depend on the friend and the car. I have friends that can research things and listen to advice, those are the ones I believe can take a basically stock TR and slowly work it into a quick and reliable car. I also have friends that just want to go fast. If someone is just looking to go fast for cheap this is not the car for them. Although it is possible to go fast for minimum $$, the consequences of getting greedy with these cars can be much more severe that that of your typical NA small block hotrod.
turbofish38
Le Pétomane
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No! 20 years ago I would have said yes. For the obvious reasons. I only recommend cars for the sole purpose of basic transportation. Now as a second car to be used as recreation on the weekends or to get started in the "hobby" I would say yes.
nos487
Member
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Yes I would! because you would have parts to swap around to find all the diveability problems. Examples Mass air, ECM, cam sensor and all other stuff we all had to buy to see if it fixed our problems.
mikestertwo
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My 86' GN was a daily driver and went 243,000 miles with no issues other than normal maintance. Turbo was replaced at 155,000 miles. 
challengermike
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I think i would.They get good gas mileage if you can say out of the boost and haul ass when you are in it.Every car has its downfalls.I would recomend to have somebody that knows alot about them to look at the car before buying one.I know i didnt and its cost me alot of cash.I would think if somebody is bright enough to hop up any newer car they shouldnt have any problem working on a TR.Unless you are working on an older chevy or a mustang i think its still going to cost alot of money to build something fast.I also like mopars and they cost alot to build.But there are alot more used parts out there.So if he really likes them and doesnt mind learning how to tune them i dont see why not.
If you get into T/R's after restoring and trying to drive big block, multi carb muscle cars, T/R's are a breeze.
and if someone was going to "invest" $30K in a small block 60's/70's "muscle car" I would tell them to buy a T/R for 1/2 that much in a heartbeat. No comparison in bang for buck.
They aren't Honda accords, however.
If you don't feel comfortable swapping valve springs or changing out fuel pumps, or getting your arms dirty maybe a T/R isn't right for you.
and if someone was going to "invest" $30K in a small block 60's/70's "muscle car" I would tell them to buy a T/R for 1/2 that much in a heartbeat. No comparison in bang for buck.
They aren't Honda accords, however.
If you don't feel comfortable swapping valve springs or changing out fuel pumps, or getting your arms dirty maybe a T/R isn't right for you.
