GN/T-Turbo - Practical as a daily Driver?

[novaderrik]

i drive mine pretty much anywhere from about late April until sometime in October. i've never had any problems with it getting noticed- well, nothing much beyond the "what year is that Monte?" comments.
i might just take the T type and "3.8 SFI turbocharged" badges off it so it just looks like a regular Regal with junkyard Trans Am wheels on it and a bumpy hood.
the paint is nice and faded, and 2 of the wheels are kind of crusty looking, so it kind of blends in wherever i go..

 

[psycho6cyl]

I drive mine rain snow whatever..... The only advice I can give is make sure the car is good mechanically... Ohhh by the way upgrading is hard not to do but you got the 87 for that so you should be good..

 

[87GNSteve]

Fair Lawns proximity to Paterson and Passaic would be enough, thieves dont care if it looks bad if they want the rear, engine or trans.
The cars being very popular with the performance crowd and the donk crowd has bestowed "double jeopardy"; that added to the NJ soccer mom's SUV during the winter
But, if you have to, you have to.....

On nice days I would drive my car to my P/T job, and only park it within view of the front glass. I hardly do it now because so many shady undesireable types have its image burned into thier brains and still ask about it months later it makes me very nervous.
Thank Jesus they dont know where I live, even though its in a garage.
That was one advantage of the 3rd gen F body, I couldnt give that car away!

 

[SavageATL]

Dd?

I live in Atlanta- really BAD neighbourhood, everyone asks me how I keep my car. Steering column collar, Ravelco device, alarm, and prayer. It is not garaged. Where I am in school there's a garage and I feel like it's more secure in the garage than in the parking lot? But there are places that I do not drive the car. I suggest looking for a beater as a backup. There are days when your Buick will act up. Guys become increasingly unreliable after reaching drinking age and so does your car. Something will break every so often, but overall with FI and electronic ignition they are very reliable, I have used mine as a DD since I bought it almost 2 years ago. Go for it, cars deteriorate faster sitting still than actually running/being used.

 

[LBNJWE4]

I use my 86 GN as a DD. Never a hint of a problem. And it's going on 275K miles. I'm not scared of it getting stolen either. It's parked on the lot with a lot of eyes watching it. While I think you should be vigiliant in keeping it secure, I also think your paranoid if you keep that from letting you enjoy your car. I've said in a few threads. Some of you guys are stuck on yourselves. You think a 20YO Regal is the shidz? I can think of a 100 other different cars I'd steal before a TR. I'd be really scared if it was a 10YO Honda Civic if you get my drift.

It's not that they are the most expensive car around, I personally think they are the greatest car around, (combination of looks, performance, and price), If you are going to buy a faster or nicer looking car, you are going to pay a hell of alot more! But anyway, my concern is the sentamental value for me personally. I have owned it for almost 18 years, It was sort of a gift from my grandmother when I couldn't keep my clunker running at the end of high school. She gave me my will money early so I can buy a reliable car. It is one of the last material possessions I have from her. I get your point, the car was in storage for 10 years to keep the milage down and out of the weather. I didn't have a garage at the time. But now I brought it out because that was 10 years I didn't get to enjoy it. But to lose it, for me I will never get that paticular one back, sure I can buy another one with the insurance money, but I can gaurentee it won't have the same feel to it. I owned 2 others and rode in a couple of others and none of them felt or rode the same. I'm not stuck on myself or think it's the shidz, it's just a personal thing. I also have a 1965 Pontiac Catalina convt. that my mother is the original owner, she sold it in 1978 to a family friend and I bought it back in 1989. I hope to pull that out of storage as soon as the Buick is done. That one needs a frame off resto though. I would be just as upset if that one waas stolen or totaled as the Buick!

 

[GNBeswick]

It's not that they are the most expensive car around, I personally think they are the greatest car around, (combination of looks, performance, and price), If you are going to buy a faster or nicer looking car, you are going to pay a hell of alot more! But anyway, my concern is the sentamental value for me personally. I have owned it for almost 18 years, It was sort of a gift from my grandmother when I couldn't keep my clunker running at the end of high school. She gave me my will money early so I can buy a reliable car. It is one of the last material possessions I have from her. I get your point, the car was in storage for 10 years to keep the milage down and out of the weather. I didn't have a garage at the time. But now I brought it out because that was 10 years I didn't get to enjoy it. But to lose it, for me I will never get that paticular one back, sure I can buy another one with the insurance money, but I can gaurentee it won't have the same feel to it. I owned 2 others and rode in a couple of others and none of them felt or rode the same. I'm not stuck on myself or think it's the shidz, it's just a personal thing. I also have a 1965 Pontiac Catalina convt. that my mother is the original owner, she sold it in 1978 to a family friend and I bought it back in 1989. I hope to pull that out of storage as soon as the Buick is done. That one needs a frame off resto though. I would be just as upset if that one waas stolen or totaled as the Buick!

I feel the same way....my car has sentimental value. I had 2 GNs at one time.....and the other 87 that I had.....it just wasnt the same as my 85.

 

[shasta]

I drove my GN as DD from 97-05. It got me through school and work (lots of traveling) through those years. Previous owner abused it, so I spent many weekends doing routine maintenance and repairs. Paints faded and body is a little rough so it doesn't get noticed and stands out much. I don't really worry about it getting stolen. I was more worried with the price of gas going nowhere but up, so a couple years ago I decided to get a lil Cheby 4-banger and drive the GN on the weekends.

I think its a good DD, just make sure its mechanically sound and enjoy. Good luck.

 

[Brer Rabbit]

Too easy to steal...

Its like driving a Honda Accord. If it has not been stolen yet, it will be shortly. My car does not sit on the street unless Im watching it with my Sig Sauer on my hip. From a reliability aspect, my car has rarely let me down...I did have a battery issue but it was old, and the other was when I ignored the water loss issue for two months and still took the car to the track finishing off the headgasket on the first pass. . Driver stupidity I admit.

 

[LBNJWE4]

I drove mine daily, except for bad weather from 90-95, never had a problem, engine, trans, and rear were never removed. I had a second one driven daily in 97, it wasn't even too bad in the snow! the only problem I had with that was power steering, went through 3 pumps in a month. I read after I got rid of the car that it was a problem on certain pumps or steeriing boxes I can't remember. I haven't read anything about it since I joined the forum. The reason I am overly cautious about theft is, I belong to MAGNA and at least 3 turbo Buicks were stolen from the NJ tri-state area in the last month. I will drive my car, but to take the risk everyday is not worth it to me. If I came across a cheap hot air or beat up IC car I would love to DD in one again.

 

[John Wilde]

I drive my Blue Junk every day.
I have a really short commute though.

 

[87LtdT]

Reliability wise yes...it is good for DD.

13 years ago when I took my newly purchased 26k mile Limited to a mall in Indy as soon as I pulled into the parking lot I was faced with am unexpected dilemna. Park among the other cars to "blend in" and risk door dings, or park out by myself and risk theft. I parked in the boonies and hated every minute in the mall!! I feel even more that way today.

DD capable...yes, DD in actuality...no. Bob

 

[2badgn]

I hate that feeling and I know it all too well.

I have 3 cars- 1. 48,000 mile GN that is mechanically sound and looks pretty too that sits in the garage 2. 83 rabbit gti -dd 3. 2007 monte carlo ss- backup dd and weekend car.

i always think about selling the gn bc i dont drive it enough & i wont park it anywhere unless it's in the driveway of a relative's/friend's house. but i know that i would regret it so it sits. this spring/summer i will have to cruise more with t-tops off!

It's almost a chore to take out the GN bc i have to take the cover off, move the other cars, dust the paint and then when i come home reverse the process.

I wish we were back in the late 80s when u could park the damn car and not have to worry so much about it gettting stolen.

I mean I am 34 and I dont crusie like when i was 17. I will have to join a car club so at least I have some where to go with the car!

Usually, I am going somewhere like the store, mall, club, etc and not just driving.

It's a shame how we can become slaves to the car!
Who has a soultion?
I might put in GPS but then u have to worry about the collector car insurance coverage.

 

[murphster]

I daily drive my 87 regal. The key thing is that it was once a GN clone, but now it looks just like a regal with chrome bumpers and wheel well moldings, except for the turbo hood and rear spoiler. I think its less likely to be stolen since it doesn't look like much. There's not any badges on the car except for the hood (lots of people say i should put a flat hood on it). Looks pretty homely with the 14" wheels and wire hubcaps too.

That being said, some people still notice the hood so its not totally under the radar. Sometimes I unplug certain connectors to prevent it from being stolen easily when I'm parked in bad areas.

I have a truck for when it snows.

 

[Turbo6Smackdown]

Dont do it. You'll regret it. Sure, it's all fun, till it gets hit, or stolen.