Pffew, she purrs like a kitten...

On the way home from UTI today I saw an almost-mint '87 GNX for sale on the side of the road. Naturally, I U-turned to check it out. It either has 16,387 miles, or 116,387 miles, but either way, it has a reupholstered interior with an Alpine system. And the engine compartment is spotless; it's obvious the owners took good care of it. My only beef are the wheels. They aren't OE wheels - they're a Torq Thrust rip-off. Unfortunately, the guy I bought the car from was the second owner, and he didn't have the OE wheels either.

Anyway, the car was a steal at $22,995. I just got back from the courthouse, for the transfer of title. Needless to say, I made it in good time on the way home.

 

Here's a picture of a GNX:

 

Is it a Grand National or an actual GNX?

 

It's a hardcore, real deal GNX. Says so on the title. I'm stoked!

 

Wow good find! Did u find out what the mileage is?

 

What's the difference between a GNX and Grand National?

Is that really a good deal, Alex, for this model?

 

Robb, ya, it's 116k miles. The guy I bought it from is the second owner, and he's only put about 10k miles himself. We're both 99% positive it's rolled over the 100k mi marker. If not, that would mean the car only had 6kmi when the 2nd owner bought it. The odometer doesn't count to 6 digits.


Charlie, the GNX can be had for about $20k (it's a very rare trim of the Buick Regal; the Grand National comes first, then the all-out GNX), but considering the one I bought has a new paint job, no dings, a new interior, and a badass sound system, it is definitely a steal.

The Grand National was a Buick trim, while the GNX was a special trim from ASC/McLaren Specialty Products. The both had a 3.8 V6 turbo, but the Grand National was rated at 200bhp and 300lb-ft, while the GNX was rated at (an underrated) 275bhp and 360lb-ft. It had an air-to-air intercooler, a Garrett hybrid turbo (i think it used a smaller, faster, ceramic compressor). I think it came with a Turbo Hydramatic 200 4-speed auto, with a locking torque convertor. Also, the bodywork was upgraded with functional vents, 17in wheels (very rare, but i don't have them ), and badging.

They're a low 13sec car stock, but with a boost increase, 12s are a definite.

But the best part, there were only 547 GNXs ever made.

 

I have #453

And lest I forget, it says so on my dash

 

That's definitely very cool, Alex. It's really not my type of car, but I remember the Grand National getting pretty strong raves from the car mags car when it was new. I didn't know about the GNX... SOunds like a monster!

 

Ever since I was a kid (I still am, actually ) I've been in love with this body style (shared with the Monte Carlo and Regal and GN/GNX). My dad has several Monte Carlos ('72 with a blown 454, and an '88 SS and a '99 Z34), and I have an '88 SS as well. I bought an '87 SS a few months ago for a parts car but it turned out there was a lein on the car so it was repo'd. $1800 in the trash.

anyway, i love the looks of these cars.