Buying my 1st GN is becoming very difficult!

[Mightymike]

Hello all,
So ive always loved cars , formally owning many modded mustangs and currently own a SC corvette. I been in the market for a 86-87 GN for past month and its been a real pain.
Like most people buying a car im looking for a good deal . Well there aren't many of these cars so been putting in a lot of time searching ,making calls and even looking at a couple. I have to tell you my latest story. I'm in Ohio , found a car in Michigan about 200 miles from me that seemed priced right . I called the guy, asked him the normal questions . He seemed pleasant . Told me he would except $10k cash. I told him I had to do a few things and would text him within a few hours. I texted and said would you except 9500 if i drove out today?He text back saying he needed 10500 for car. I said what? You just said 10k.
I decided I would just take a risk and drive out there hoping when I put cash in his face he might be more willing to negotiate . I called and text him saying when is good for me to come see car? No response! So this morning I text him again basically saying do you want to sell your car or what? He text back 3 hours later. text said that he doesn't want to sell car to a out of state buyer for simplicity . That's absolutely crazy , I'm 3 hours away and he new from the beginning i was from Ohio. only thing i can think of is car wasnt what he said it was or he is just plain insane. . I have never had such a hard time finding a car! Luckily im a very determined person and will for sure find the one I want at a price I'm willing to pay. Anyway thanks for reading.........................Mike

 

[Dialtone76]

Mike, I totally understand what you are saying. I am carefully doing my research and monitoring the market before making a decision. I see plenty of TR's out there, but finding the quality ones at a reasonable price is indeed a challenge. While I cannot speak from experience (yet) I am sure other members will attest that rushing into buy will lead to a money-pit and a broken heart while finding the perfect one will lead to a dream realized.

From my research, many owners selling their cars are bombarded with 'Low Ball' offers, Tire Kickers, and dreamers hoping for a steal of a deal. Many I find are annoyed and wary to haggle over text/email, and even some over the phone, until AFTER you had live interaction with them and they deem you a serious buyer. If you want to be taken serious, you have to show you are seriously interested in 'their' vehicle, and worth 'their' time in answering your questions.

I honestly would be wary of someone selling me a car that was willing to talk price or take payment from me when I haven't even seen the car. A typical seller wants a chance to prove their car is worth the price they are asking, just as you want a chance to get it cheaper.

Be patient, be thorough, and good luck! Let us know how your search goes!

 

[Mightymike]

I forgot to add last week I called on a GN that was for sale or trade. I'm selling a Harley Davidson so I asked if he be interested. He said no that was looking to trade car for medical marijuana. Lol.... Another car i looked a few weeks ago I offered 12k and guy said 12500 was his bottom line. It was the first one I had looked at so needed time to think. I called him 2 days later and said ok I would do 12500. He says that he needs 12750 now. I'm actually glad he did ,wasn't a good deal. Really people I COUlD NOT MAKE THIS STUFF UP!! It's crazy

 

[Mightymike]

Thanks man.. Yeah I usually would not talk price before seeing car . Being it was 3 hours away I was just throwing out feelers before I committed to the drive. Looking back that may have been the case

 

[ttaowner]

I have tried to sell turbo buicks before and I can tell you from experience it's frustrating and 1/2 the reason I chop some of them up. I have 7 turbo buicks here that aren't on the chopping block and because I have parts ads up all over the place people try to buy whole cars that are in the ads that usually tell them clearly that its being parted out. So them I tell them I have some other complete running cars then they tell me they want rollers then I tell them I'm not parting out my good cars for them they have to buy those cars whole. Then I tell them to make a 2 hour ride I have several cars to choose from then they want pic of all kinds of stuff at this point I start really getting pissed because the next question is how cheap they can get this or that and remember these cars aren't actually being listed for sale. Then they start telling me they want a running driving car for $6000 and I'm like why would I sell you one for that when I can easily get $4000 out of the engine tranny and rear . So usually about this time I get pretty pissed and hang up on then. Or if I do have a car ad up I clearly put that I don't want to trade for anything and then you get offered 20 year old trucks, fox bodies, boats, motorcycles etc..... So I can tell you from my experience I hate selling cars especially since everybody forgets they are pushing 30 years old these days . I also live in the rusty northeast and my cars are all pretty solid or they wouldn't still exist.

Sorry for the rant

 

[Chuck Leeper]

Pursuing a TR in the "low $ area", is going to draw you towards the goof balls, jerkoffs, scammers, etc.
The sellers with really nice cars, are on the other end of the deal, and get the BS that James is describing.
I try to work on the premise: "If it sounds too good to be true, it's likely not".
A GN for <$10K is likely not a really NICE car. Of course, if you want a "fix'r upper", that's a different deal altogether. Then, you can buy it, and spend another 12K to "fix it up", and still end up w/ 15-20K in it..

Back under my rock...

 

[Mightymike]

Yeah I understand selling them is most likely worse then buying. I like to haggle on price a little but I know there are alot of low ballers out there that throw out unreasonable offers. Some of them dont even have the $ if you agreed on there price. Everyone wants the deal of a life time. I will update when I finally find my GN with a story and pics. Thanks everyone

 

[TexasT]

Keep after it, you will find one to suit you. Pretty much every time I drive mine I get someone wanting to buy it. Mine is beat. I won't sell it as my children have expressed interest. Just funny how people think they are the only one who knows what it is.

Finding a bargain involves the right place, right time and the right seller AMD buyer. Hard to line it all up but worth it when you pull it off.

Posted from the TurboBuick.Com mobile app

 

[fast86gn]

It's a buyers market but the sellers don't want to let it go for 10K-12K on a decent GN when it would be closer to 15K-17K in a good market. If I'm paying 15K for GN I want a pretty nice one at least with good paint and interior.

I paid $8500.00 17 years ago which was a decent price at the time so you can see how soft the market is. Now days $8500.00 is closer to a fixer upper I think. my .02

 

[ThebigbadWolF]

I went thought 6 GN's befor I got mine, and got it from friend of a friend of a friend. and still got burned some, the turbo failed a week later and I discovered the electrical system is all messed up.

but there are of good also so it evens out, keep looking!

 

[OhioC5]

My friend has one with 20k miles for sale. All original, a little more than 10k but it looks like it rolled off of the showroom floor. If you decide to double your budget I'll hook you two up. He can get you bank financing on the balance too. Best part, it's in Ohio.

 

[FastB]

I bought my first GN a couple years ago for $14K...it had all the mods already (see sig) and great interior with a roll bar...but the paint/body is a 20 footer. Doesn't look bad and has zero rust, but has a few dings and scuffs....runs like a beast tho (mid 11's). I've fixed a lot of little things along the way also.
I get lots of offers from ppl...and really my drive train (engine rebuilt and built trans with supporting mods) would be 5K+, brakes $1500, simmons wheels 3K, gauges and Powerlogger 1K...so I actually got the car for $3500...so I think I got a pretty good deal.
I didn't want something I had to rebuilt mechanically.
So, there are good cars out there that u can get in and have fun and work on as u go...I talked to several ppl before I settled on this one.

 

[626gn]

One of the better words of advice I got when I was in the market for one is to 'take your time' and wait for the one that "feels" right to you. For most, this is easy to say but hard to do. We've all been there. By being patient (uncharacteristic for me) I made a purchase that to this day I am still very, very happy with.

If a seller starts getting squirrelly on you, walk away. Naturally you want to buy from someone who is honest so you can obtain accurate info on what you're actually buying (no surprises) and honest sellers generally won't get squirrelly on you. Buy from someone who acted shady from the beginning and you're likely to have bought more headaches than the car is worth. This is especially true in the price range you're looking in. This board is one of the better places to look as opposed to places like craigslist.

Good luck on your search. The hunt is half the fun!

 

[we4Mateo]

It's a buyers market but the sellers don't want to let it go for 10K-12K on a decent GN when it would be closer to 15K-17K in a good market. If I'm paying 15K for GN I want a pretty nice one at least with good paint and interior.

I paid $8500.00 17 years ago which was a decent price at the time so you can see how soft the market is. Now days $8500.00 is closer to a fixer upper I think. my .02

Even inflated at only 3%, that's a little over $14k today and that'd still be a good deal for a nice GN. With time value of money, these cars haven't gone up very much in value. That's why they should be driven. Except the guy or gal keeping my next one nice and low mile for me!

 

[6gunn]

I hear ya. I'm looking for one too, and not having much luck so far. I made a 250 mile drive one way to look at one, and found a lot of things the seller didn't mention. It wasn't a complete waste of time because it was better to be out gas money than to be out 14G's. This website has been a godsend, so take their advice. As was said, patience is key.

 

[Mightymike]

Yeah I'm not going to make the mistake of choosing one I really don't want just to save a buck, at the same time I am on a budget and realize its gonna come with bumps and bruises. I'm really looking for one with some bolt-ons but nothing internal. Thanks for the feed back everyone!

 

[we4Mateo]

Yeah I'm not going to make the mistake of choosing one I really don't want just to save a buck, at the same time I am on a budget and realize its gonna come with bumps and bruises. I'm really looking for one with some bolt-ons but nothing internal. Thanks for the feed back everyone!

Plenty out there. Have cash and jump on a good deal when you do come across it. Cash at the right time gets more good deals than just looking for a good deal and then arranging funds. My buddy got a great deal on a '69 Dodge Super Bee 440, lift off hood, etc, just b/c he had a bag of cash. The seller wouldn't even agree to the price on the phone but cash persuaded him when he showed up to look at the car.

 

[1fastcobra]

If you can work on them 86-87
And you are mechanicly inclined
You can get them pretty cheep.
4-6 grand as a good driver

And less for the 84-85.



Posted from the TurboBuick.Com mobile app

 

[horndog]

Be patient as it is key! There is some VERY nice cars to be had as it is a buyers market.
I just bought one 3 weeks ago, and I started with a budget like yours, but I had to stretch it.

My perception of this ca maybe slightly different..

I loved these cars since turning 18 20 years ago.
These car hold value if not increase value
I did not want to buy a 10k car and spend 10k on paint as I would not get my return on investment.
I wanted a car near or at completion
I wanted a car that I can drive or want to drive
I wanted a car that if needed I can turn around and sell it for what I bought it for or more
I wanted a car that if it needed it, I could do minimal changes and get more for the car.

It was extremely helpful that bought the car from someone local who has been exceptionally helpful with the car WELL after the sale.
I only know of these cars from friends and articles, not from getting my hands dirty under the hood or know the little nuances of these vehicles.
This is why it is important to buy a car from the community.

There is a VERY nice 1986 GN for sale in Indiana with 41k miles on it, but he wants $18k it is posted in the for sale forums.
Just be EXTREMELY careful of cars on craigslist or E-Bay as you may get what you pay for or for over paid junk.

 

[dartguy340]

I have tried to sell turbo buicks before and I can tell you from experience it's frustrating and 1/2 the reason I chop some of them up. I have 7 turbo buicks here that aren't on the chopping block and because I have parts ads up all over the place people try to buy whole cars that are in the ads that usually tell them clearly that its being parted out. So them I tell them I have some other complete running cars then they tell me they want rollers then I tell them I'm not parting out my good cars for them they have to buy those cars whole. Then I tell them to make a 2 hour ride I have several cars to choose from then they want pic of all kinds of stuff at this point I start really getting pissed because the next question is how cheap they can get this or that and remember these cars aren't actually being listed for sale. Then they start telling me they want a running driving car for $6000 and I'm like why would I sell you one for that when I can easily get $4000 out of the engine tranny and rear . So usually about this time I get pretty pissed and hang up on then. Or if I do have a car ad up I clearly put that I don't want to trade for anything and then you get offered 20 year old trucks, fox bodies, boats, motorcycles etc..... So I can tell you from my experience I hate selling cars especially since everybody forgets they are pushing 30 years old these days . I also live in the rusty northeast and my cars are all pretty solid or they wouldn't still exist.

Sorry for the rant

James, I've found that to be true also....It's easier selling off the parts than trying to get a whole
car sold! Buyers ask me what is my rock bottom selling price, I tell them, and then they still ask
me if I will take a lower price! J...C... people, get a life!