Calling all history guru's

TTA308

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Since Buick knew in 1987 that the RWD Regal was done and the GN was their flagship car .. that said it seems like they piled every option they could on the GN, after all it's just a trim package... So my question is what is the lowest option 87 GN you have ever seen or heard of ?
 
Since Buick knew in 1987 that the RWD Regal was done
GM planned on exiting the G-body rear drive platform in 1987 back in 1983 . I saw the paperwork for the end of model year back then .
 
I saw one with hand crank windows at the dealer I bought my hand crank window we4.
 
I was lucky enough to order my GN.
I ordered it through a small town Iowa independent dealer, GMC, Chrysler and Buick.
We saw the same salesman my dad bought a new 2wd Ford F-250 from in ‘69 (different dealership).
We told him we wanted to price out a Grand National, he said “a what”. We dealt with the general manager the whole time.
My car has absolutely no power options, no power seats, no power door locks, no power windows, no power trunk release, no power antenna and no T-tops or sunroof/ moonroof.
It does have a tilt wheel, digital dash, top of the line (UX1) radio and concert sound speakers, carpet floor mats, halogen headlamps, rear window defroster and G80 posi.
It seems tinted windows was an option too.
Of course, being from north Iowa I also ordered a block heater which has never been used, unwrapped or untied.
With aluminum bumper supports from the factory, larger sway bars and aluminum wheels the car weighed 3300 lbs.
I feel most GNs were ordered by the dealership, but that’s just my feeling.
 
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I was lucky enough to order my GN.
I ordered it through a small town Iowa independent dealer, GMC, Chrysler and Buick.
We saw the same salesman my dad bought a new 2wd Ford F-250 from in ‘69 (different dealership).
We told him we wanted to price out a Grand National, he said “a what”. We dealt with the general manager the whole time.
My car has absolutely no power options, no power seats, no power door locks, no power windows, no power trunk release, no power antenna and no T-tops or sunroof/ moonroof.
It does have a tilt wheel, digital dash, top of the line (UX1) radio and concert sound speakers, carpet floor mats, halogen headlamps, rear window defroster and G80 posi.
It seems tinted windows was an option too.
Of course, being from north Iowa I also ordered a block heater which has never been used, unwrapped or untied.
With aluminum bumper supports from the factory, larger sway bars and aluminum wheels the car weighed 3300 lbs.
I feel most GNs were ordered by the dealership, but that’s just my feeling.
Good info in regards to the weight of the car, sounds like your GN is optioned out very close to my WE4 except I have Power locks/windows, but do not have concert sound, rear defrost, or a block heater (FL car originally). The car feels light but haven't had it on a scale yet, but your info gives me a pretty good idea of what it should weigh.:cool:
 
My 87 has no t-tops, moonroof, pw windows, seats, door locks, antenna, trunk release, rear def, cassette, not even a rt hand remote mirror..
MFR date was 3/87, which might explain it since i believe that was before they decided to make another 10k of them.
 
For you guys with no power door locks. I always heard that cruise and PDL's were part of the same package. If you had one, you had both. Can you dispute that? You have no pdl's but do either one of you have cruise? My WE4 has crank windows but I do have cruise and pdl's. How about intermittent wipers?
 
Not a GN, but still a Turbo Regal, Dennis Kirban says she's a real stripper...... :)

Weighs 3555 with my fat ass in it.

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For you guys with no power door locks. I always heard that cruise and PDL's were part of the same package. If you had one, you had both. Can you dispute that? You have no pdl's but do either one of you have cruise? My WE4 has crank windows but I do have cruise and pdl's. How about intermittent wipers?
I believe cruise control was a standard feature, whereas power door locks was an option.
I have cruise control and intermittent wipers, but no PDL’s.
It seems intermittent wipers was a separate option too, but I don’t recall.
My SPID label is glued under a Kirban trunk carpet kit. I may have to pry some of it loose to take photo of it.
 
Mine has no pdl but does have cruise and rear defrost and tilt wheel. Also has the remote pass side mirror and lighted vanity pass side visor.
 
It seems intermittent wipers was a separate option too, but I don’t recall.
CD4 on the SPID label indicates intermittent wipers which was a different cover on the same motor housing . The PMDP stood for Permanent Magnet Depressed Park wiper which replaced the wound field motor used previously in many models . I worked on the wiper build line at Delco Products before getting into the trades .
Looks like TurboTGuy doesn't have intermittent wipers on his car according to the SPID label .
 
Lowest option GN I've seen was my owned by a friend of mine for a few years. It was a hard top, had crank windows and an open rear diff.
 
Mine has no pdl but does have cruise and rear defrost and tilt wheel. Also has the remote pass side mirror and lighted vanity pass side visor.

I ordered mine with no tilt wheel, so I know that was an option, however I also ordered the anti theft system. The anti theft system was only available if you got PDLs, so to make as much money on the deal as they could the dealer added the tilt wheel option to make up for the deduction of the ani theft system.
 
In November of 85 I ordered my 86 GN . I went down the option list and checked off almost every option available , moon roof , digital dash , touch climate control , you name it . Except the damn power antenna , we made it at Delco and I new it was junk . $14990 loaded with employee discount !!
 
For you guys with no power door locks. I always heard that cruise and PDL's were part of the same package. If you had one, you had both. Can you dispute that? You have no pdl's but do either one of you have cruise? My WE4 has crank windows but I do have cruise and pdl's. How about intermittent wipers?

Back then, there were no packages like the EX, SL, DX and what not.
I think you had a Regal that came with certain stuff and a Regal T-type which came with more stuff. I believe anything above the T-type package was an individual option including the Grand National package that was just a $635 or $645 (I think) color scheme package with different wheels.
 
Back then, there were no packages like the EX, SL, DX and what not.
I think you had a Regal that came with certain stuff and a Regal T-type which came with more stuff. I believe anything above the T-type package was an individual option including the Grand National package that was just a $635 or $645 (I think) color scheme package with different wheels.
I believe you are correct . I remember I had to order the T-Type to get the turbo motor then add the GN package , at least for the 86 GN .
 
CD4 on the SPID label indicates intermittent wipers which was a different cover on the same motor housing . The PMDP stood for Permanent Magnet Depressed Park wiper which replaced the wound field motor used previously in many models . I worked on the wiper build line at Delco Products before getting into the trades .
Looks like TurboTGuy doesn't have intermittent wipers on his car according to the SPID label .
Dynoman, did you work at Delco Products on Lyell Ave in Rochester? I think that was the only plant they made them in. I worked there in the summer of 85 in the maintenance department as a summer student/maintenance foreman. We were making the PMDP wiper motors then and I was told that if that line went down, I needed to get guys on it ASAP. That and the ACME screw machines. I worked in all three zones of the plant as a vacation fill in for the full time guys. I was also a foreman in the tool and die shop. I learned a lot that summer.
 
In November of 85 I ordered my 86 GN . I went down the option list and checked off almost every option available , moon roof , digital dash , touch climate control , you name it . Except the damn power antenna , we made it at Delco and I new it was junk . $14990 loaded with employee discount !!
I agree that the power antenna was junk. Mine is currently at full staff. Has been for years.
 
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