How did you get into Buicks?

My dad had his 65 Skylark(now mine) since I was 3.(only 13 years ago)Then passed it on to me because I wanted an old car that was different.He kept tryin to talk me into gettin a Camaro instead but I just would have it.Theres somethin a Buick,its like nobody can ever guess what kind of car it is.

 

My first car was a Camaro. I was preparing to go to college, and noticed the rear springs were threatening to break through the frame. So my dad and I started looking - at old muscle cars. The first quarter of my freshman year I'd go home on weekends and we'd look for a car.

I had wanted an old hearse with a BB whatever, but my dad didn't like that idea. We saw a nice 70 convertible Cutlass, but the frame was bent, had too much mud, etc., so we passed.

I still wanted a hearse. Then one afternoon my dad called me at school (waking me up) to tell me my uncle found a really clean 70 Skylark convertible - said it was similar to the Cutlass, and that Buicks weren't for "old" people - they just had more style and class. So I agreed on the phone, and they picked it up for me. My dad believes everyone should own a convertible at some point in their life.

I picked it up on a Holiday weekend. It was 40 degrees. My dad told me to put down the top, roll up the windows, crank the heater, and go for a ride with my brother. The car was great. I toyed with it, and it moved well. The handling (while not "great") was better than I expected from such a car. (After about a year I did upgrade the 4-wheel standard drum brakes to power front-disc.)

Before owning one, I never really took notice of Buicks. I'm very attached to the car, and realized that there is something different about it... though I still want an old hearse.

 

i have been a student of muscle cars for most of my life. either listening to older kids talking about what was cool and fast when i was growing up, building models of cars, or riding around in my mom and dads cars [they always had something cool to drive when i was a kid]. so at a point in the mid 80's i was going through a life change [divorced, fell into a bunch of money, was getting tired of being shown up by my buddys], i did some research and decided that the best choice of car to get for my 'bang for the buck' was a buick. light, torquey motor, stylish body, lots of parts [at the time, not so much now ] and most of all a buick would be different from the hoards of mopars, chevys, and fords that everyone else had. it was a pretty much purely logical choice, as far as i was concerned. so i bought a 68 skylark two door with a worn-out 350, built up the engine, new paint, wheels, tires, interior. at the time i ended up spending about $2500 [a fortune for me] and made a beautiful, unique ride that made me really happy. the car ended up getting rear-ended one night while parked on the side of the road by a drunk driver in a 280Z [picture that one, if you can] and totaled out, but i was hooked on buicks from that car on.

 

Fall of 69 , I was eight years old and would ride my Schwinn past our local Buick dealership on a regular basis without much ado until one day something cought my eye and dragged it 50 feet.
In the middle of the showroom was a yellow GSX :eek2:
Talk about obsessed, everyday after that I made a point of riding by just to press my face against the big window and stare at it, the sales guys finally invited me in one day to give it the once over. It sat there for about three weeks and was gone.
There were many other GS's there I saw after that, but the yellow X is responsable for my love of the trishield.

D.

Beth I'm sure would tell you that before she met me she was a chevy girl,
and in fact we were this close to picking up a 69 rs for her when the wagon went up for sale. I showed it to her (after allready telling Kurt I'd buy it) and she thankfully jumped ship and the rest is history.
A benefit of carrying the Buick flag is the people, we have met and become good freinds with some of the nicest folks on the planet who have perhaps but one thing in common.......Our Love Of Buicks :TU:

 

My Dad was a mechanic all his life and worked for Buick dealers for most of it.
and drove almost all buicks. My older brother also had a bunch of Buicks.
And my sister. Just a big Buick family. Dad was so excited the day he came home and told me that a 68GS400 4spd, just came in on trade and i should buy it.
I did and thats what really hooked me on Buick performance.

 

Well it was the spring of 81 i wads 15 going on 16. I had $300 saved up to buy my first car. My dad and i had looked at a few cars but nothing that great. Then one day he came home from work and asked me if i wanted to buy Carolann's Buick. [she was a friend of my sister and my dad worked with her father] He said he heard her father was checking around to see what he could get for it for junk. He said i could have the car for $25. About a week later he drove it down to our house. The only thing i had to do to the car was fix the drivers door.It wouldn't open from the outside door handle. And clean out the engine. The oil wouldn't drain back out of the heads.Other than that it ran fine. That how i got hooked on Buicks. And this was a 70 GS 350 by the way. At the time i had never even heard of a GS.

 

My dad has always has a thing for cars and has owned a variety of all makes. He owned a '50 Ford when in high school. He ordered a '62 Buick with the aluminum engine while he was in the Marine Corps. Unfortunately he did not like the car (lemon) and traded for an Austin-Healey(sp?). While in the Marine Corps, he and a buddy of his drag raced a 442. When I was about 9 my parents bought a '70 Olds F-85 with the 350. That Olds later became mine when I was a senior in high school when they went to a VW Scirroco. Dad then owned a Skylark T-Type (what a fast and good handling little 4 door with a 2.8 V-6) followed by a Ford turbo coupe (after we both test drove a GN). He now has a Lincoln Mark VII.

I loved the Olds and it retired with a pile of miles on it when I got my first Buick. It is the reason I am in love with the early 70's muscle cars. My maternal grandfather restored a lot of antique cars and had an eye for the rare ones - 1909 Overland, 1929 Franklin (in-line air cooled), 1915 brass Model T with right hand drive (made in Canada when they drove on the opposite side of the road), and many others. While at an antique car show with my grandparents, my father saw my 71 convertible for sale in the parking lot. He thought it was an Olds. I had already checked it out and knew it was a Buick. The seller gave us a great test ride and my father was hooked - he told me he would help me buy the car. My grandfather had a sense it was rare and helped seal the deal with mom. I was a sophomore in college at the time ('82). I still own it and have since added a 70 Chevelle 4 door as my present daily driver, and a 70 Estate Wagon (I hope to be a future tow car). After taking the whole family to Buick's 100th anniversary in the Estate Wagon, my 16 year old son became very interested and we are now working on a 72 Skylark 350 for his first car. My 12 year old son and the 16 year old also traveled with me to the BPG Nationals in the convertible. We had a blast so I expect the Buick tradition to continue in this family!

 

At age 18 I was looking for a muscle car or a classic car. I went to look at a 64 Chevy II SS that a guy had for sale. When I got there I also notced he had a 64 Skylark for sale. The 64 Chevy II had a straight six engine, the 64 had a 250 hp 300. I drove both, I bought the Buick. This was back in 1985.

I have been into Buicks ever since.

 

Sound sleeper

In 71, at age 18, I sold my 62 fuelie vette, (sans injection) for $500.00 to travel cross country. Upon returning, I decided I wanted a Monte, or a Gran Prix to drive, and a big block Chevelle. Tripped across a Monte cheap. The owner thought the engine was bad. (didn't tell me though). A new water pump cured that. ($18.00 from the Chevy dealer I worked at). Still have that Monte with about 270,000 on it and a 454 that has gone 11.80 @ 114.12.
I then aquired a 427 L88 for $600.00. (bread was a nickle, cars were a quarter, sigh) In my search for a Chevelle, I came across a 67 4sp GS 400 with a blown engine, for $500.00, and guess what? Talk about a sleeper. The engine had a ZL1 valvetrain and sounded viscious, but being a Buick, nobody thought it could be quick. Back then Buicks generally were not known as quick cars. I actually had, more than once, guys say, "man that sounds brutal", only to have their buddies poke them and say, condesendingly, "dude, its a Buick". I shamed a lot of people with that car.
Three days before the car was on the street, I got my draft notice, so I only got to run the thing for about a month. I sold it to a friend, and he kept it for over 27 years, but hardly ever drove it, and then sold it to my best friend for $5000.00. He is tickled pink to have the car, and people still come up to him and ask, "Isn't this "THE BUICK""? Such is the car's reputation. It was always referred to as "THE BUICK", (in capitals, underlined), and everybody knew what car you were talking about.
In November 04, I went back to NJ, ad we took it to the track, (Atco), and with all those 32 year old parts and no real tuning or prep, it went 11.65 @ 116.5, on MT streets. The car has never been dialed in, and I believe there is at least another .3 in there.
I never quite got over that car, though I have had many hot cars since then. A couple of months ago, I came across a 67 GS 400 convertible, and here we go again. It has a 455 and a switch pitch 400. Now that Buicks have become both fast, and durable, who knows where this will end?

 

Grandpa had the coolest car......

Washing my Grampa Burton's 1964 Wildcat 4 door Hdtp. with Bucket seats on saturday afternoons for $10(lotta $ for a ten year old back then) p
After that we would go to the barber shop(he'd get a flat-top and me a pineapple(who knows what that is?)) then stop at A&W and get some hotdogs on the way home(usually with all the power windows down and WLS blaring from the radio) :grin: That's what hooked me.....
My grampa having the COOLEST CAR of all the grampa's .........
and it was a Buick WILDCAT.
I ain't been the same since.........

Peace WildBill

 

To chime in:
My Grandfather always had a Buick. And by always I mean as long as I remember. Before me though, my Grandfather had always wanted a Buick. To him that was the sign that you had "made it" not to be massively rich, but to afford what you wanted and be comfortable. I didn't (or at least I don't think) I got my love of Buicks from him, but it didn't hurt. Fast forward to about 1995. TV show called Due South. First time I saw a 1971 Riviera, one of the main characters had one. That was it. That was the car I wanted. 6 years later I bought one. The car is 9 years older than I am. I think a lot of people are surprised that I own it. When I'm out with my Dad people come up and talk to him. He usually tells them, "Hey don't talk to me, it's his car." I've developed a love for almost every Buick since then.

 

DEAR LITTLE BROTHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Our Mom Traded in her 64 Bonneville Convertible, and got a 65 Skylark.
Enjoyed the car, and kept it in the family for a number of years.
Was stolen twice , & returned.
Numerous engines Transmissions, etc. due to "Youthful" drivers.
Bill Started taking it to the Strip (Quaker, Sunset & Meander) and moved into his 66 Skylark, etc. while I "played the Field" with NUMEROUS cars.
(Ohio, Owner keeps plates, and I averaged 4 cars per set yearly)
In 73, Bill had a 67 GS, that I "borrowed" for a week while moving from from South Carolina back home. NICE CAR, but still a normal Buick. :sleep:
(& he is STILL PO'd that I left him a NEW VW for his Last week of High School!)
Within 6 months I had a 67 GTO,& my 65 Sunbeam Tiger, He still had the GS.
The Tiger was for Nice Days, the GTO, daily driver.
In the Typical Manner, of "Skylark Willy" he ended up cleaning the clock on the GTO every chance he could. (aka every time we ran)
GTO was replaced with others, as was the 67 GS, I varied through about everything, He stayed with Buicks.
Through the years, the Buicks were Faster, more reliable, and the People were more interesting & Fun to be around.
Bought the 1 72 I have now in 87, and have had it since.
Picked up the 70 convertible in 98, after 1st trying to buy in in 82.
Been Buick Brain Damaged since.
Just wish I had kept the Tiger as well. Even IT was easier to live with than my 1st Wife! :Smarty:
JR

 

When I was growing up, my mother bought a 1972 Buick Electra, didn't think much of the car at the time, was too busy with toys and such. When I got into high school, she had purchased a Chevy Malibu, and told me I could have the Electra. As I looked at the car to see what I would have to do to fix some of the problems it had, I raised the hood and after all those years realized, 'Wow thats a big engine (455)'. I 'attempted' to do some of the body work myself, I'm glad there are no pictures around of that. To sum this up, in my junior year, I purchased a 'muscle car' softcover book off of a clearance rack because it had a GTO on the cover which is what my brother had. As I read through the book, I turned the page and there it was. A red and white 1972 Buick GS 455 (the pic is actually on the gmphotostore.com website), it was all over after seeing that car, I was hooked.


Harry

 

Married into it & still in the family

23 years ago I married into it. My father inlaw liked the looks of a 71 GS, and needed torque to haul a small camping trailer. A few years later he passed the car down to my wife for her to use while she was in college.
In 81 when we got married I gave up my 3 year old Corvette for a regular type daily driver and went out to transform the family handme down to Big Block stage I, 12 bolt 3.73, Code BB TH 400 converted to switch pitch, black interior, a clean rust free body and custom paint. 4 engines, transmissions & two diffs later I'm still at it, cruising it, and street /strip racing it. 88 k orig miles.
Bought my wife a 67 special as a relacement driver for her, but never got the big block into it, before selling it . Now that my son is 17 son, i am helping him with a 70 Skylark he bought from a college grad who needed to pay the bills. I told him he can can use all my handme down parts to transform this one into a BBB x clone....... All in the family.

 

I got into Buicks because I wrecked a Ford

 

Actually, I was a Chevy fan for many years. Had a 69 Nova in high school, with a small block 283 in it. I always wanted a big block, but never had the chance to get 1. I got out of the muscle, classic cars for many years because of money issues( got married had 2 kids etc.). When I decided to get back into them, I found the 68 GS400 Convertible just a few miles down the road from me. My brother told me not to bother with it, he said Buick's are too hard to get parts for not as desirable as the Chevy, Olds and Pontiac counterparts when done. But, I bought it anyway and I love it. It's then big block I always wanted with the comforts of the newer cars( power steering, brakes, windows and AC!!!) Hopefully this is just the start of many to come.
Dan :3gears:

 

I hate to admit it, but I was looking for almost a year for a 1967 SS427 Impala. After little success, I started looking around at alternatives.

I was brand new to the internet then, and happened upon my car somewhere. The rest is history and I love my car, but I do find myself still poking around now and again for that Impala.

 

64-then 65 GS

Flashback to 1964(15years old) My dad liked the 64 gto , Mom wouldn't let him buy a GTO,So he buys a real nice new 64 skylark,He wasn't satisfied(wasn't fast enough) less than a year later they come out with the 65s,takes my Mom down to LOOK at the new skylarks They have a "demo" 65 GS post car(astro blue top-white bottom)My dad loved his cars! I inherited it from him and my grandfather! flash ahead three yrs, and I buy the car from my dad! And the rest is history. That car was fast for its day! ford guys,chevy guys all couldn't believe it wasn't a big block chevy!! so I would open the hood, they would walk away shaking there heads "a buick??" :laugh: Moz

 

Phillip,

Thought your reply was interesting on a personal note. My older brother has a 1967 Impala SS427, Yellow with the D69 eyebrow stripes on the fenders and rear quarters. He's looking at a marina blue convertible SS427 now. Rare beasts .....

Harry