I am in the market of buying a 86-87 GN in nice cond. I am asking for tips on what to look for and all the bad spots or things that come with them, and how you can tell a real one and a clone, I want a real one with under 75,000 miles with options any help would be great, will be looking for one at the BPG in August, any leads :Brow: there is one on Ebay now from Doylestown Ohio that I have my eye on with GNX wheels any one know of this car ? Give me some help Don't want to make a mistake with this kinda money thanks Dan.
Dan, check out the Sunday paper, under antique/classic cars. 1987 Buick Grand National,51k,orig.mileage,orig.paint. small modifications, $8995.00 216.513.6853 Bruce
Look for the option label on the trunk lid. WE2 is a GN and LC2 is the turbo motor. Here's a good link to get you started: http://www.gnttype.org/general/buyguide.html
GN Gregg thats a great link its really got alot of information, now I need to look at the rest thanks guys have a good one Dan. :TU:
Another suggestion for you: having owned a couple turbo cars too since '86, I'd recommend taking a TR enthusiast with you when you look at one and also taking along a scan tool such as Scanmaster 2.1 or Turbolink to check the diagnostics. The other links supplied are excellent from this thread. Study up on all that getting educated and informed to your best ability. Good luck in your search!
GN Evans thanks I,m gonna need it this is all new to me, I can handle the older ones but newer o No: its like starting all over again.
You'll love it! I spent only 2 yrs without a turbo Buick between 1986-2000 when I bought the current one I own. They can be great daily drivers too. Feel free to email or PM me with any questions. I'll even give you a phone # if needed if I can help you out in this process. Good luck!
? Out of all the GN,s I have looked at why are some Grand National trunk emblems on the right and some on the left, and are they suppose to have what no# they are on the dash or is that just GNX, Dumb question but I gotta know thanks Dan.o No:
thats just for the gnx's. As for the trunk emblem, ive only ever seen them on the drivers sideo No: Also, try and find one as close to stock as possible, the more mods, the more damage that can be done to the motor. Unless you know exactly what was put into it and you buy it from a reputable guy so you know its in good tune.
no luck yet Bruce checked out the one in the local news paper it was kinda raggy needed paint, all rubber, broken grill, dents, rust, silicone everywere, more like 151,000 miles so the search is still on, any of you GN guys takeing your car to Salem or know of anyone that is that would be FOR SALE ? let me know before then so we can talk, thanks for all the help I have received on this it has bin very helpfull but I will have one have made up my mind. :TU: GSXPRESS@SBCGLOBAL.NET
Dan, IMO, You really should consider Mark Lob's T-type in this thread That is a lot of car for under $6k, and they make nice sleeper's too. Plus, Black is a B*tch to keep up!
Words spoken so true! Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. T-Types, Turbo-T's, and Turbo Limiteds are the way to go with the sleeper route. Now, if you really want to accentuate the sleeper aspect, find one with lots of chrome brightwork AND a half vinyl roof. These really fly well below the radar screen and do not attract the wrong type of attention. There's a FL thread right now on one of the Turbo Buick boards of car theft which seems to be more with the GN's and T-Types with the blackout package.
NO ME WANT GN I have bin told that by many but my mind is made up I gotta have a GN Plus my wife likes the all blacked out look better and we gotta make them alittle happy too, its like a skylark compared to a GS but thats just my opinion, still looking till I hit paydirt thanks Dan. :TU:
The only problem is you have to explain to everyone you meet exactly what it is. I've had a couple T's and it gets tiring after awhile. You have to answer every question about the car like this: "It's the same as a GN except........"
Once you drive a healthy one you'll be hooked, but you have to keep on top of them as far as maintenance and tuning. They can be temperamental at times. Go fast goodies are plentiful, but not cheap, and alot of things are difficult to get to. You'll scrape your knuckles often. I get alot more looks and comments than I did in my GS. My GN, I believe, is faster than my 455 was, but it's a different kind of power. Not brutal off the line, but smoothly pulls you back into the seat as the turbo spools up. Just wait til you mash the gas to pass somebody at highway speed.............wheeeeeeeeeeeee!:grin: :grin: :grin:
I will second all of what Keith said! The fast turbo cars are more streetable than fast GS' as well. It is pretty common to come across very sedate looking turbo cars that will run low 12's and high 11's on pure street tires, and 10's on drag radials, with working A/C, etc., etc. on pump gas. I wouldn't say the difference between a T-Type and GN is like the difference between the Skylark and the GS. More like the difference between the GS and the GSX, as the performance of the two cars is the same (actually the GN is a little slower in many cases due to weight), the differences are in the "appearance" packages. If you drive the car much, you will quickly get tired of the black paint. Try to find one that has been repainted, as the factory paint was crap on most of the GN's.
