Is a Turbo Buick a good starter/project car for a teenager?

[Willizm]

To give some quick background my Son's absolute favorite car has always been grand nationals and TTypes since he was 6. He has been around my project car quite a bit and likes mechanical things and wants to have a project car to work on. I figure it would be something fun for the both of us and if he is responsible once he gets his drivers license it could be his car. Now my thing is not to get a turbo buick and start throwing on performance mods and such although that's the first thing I'd want to do, but more to get one that is in decent shape and restore it to factory/showroom condition over the course of some years. He's currently 10. I guess given that I am in no rush to get one what are some things I should look for in this sort of project. It doesn't have to be perfect and show car worthy. Just something reasonably cheap that would be a fun project. Are prices on these cars fluctuating where i'd be better off waiting or not?


BTW, 80's turbo buicks are one of my favorites too.

 

[Williams3982]

Prices are great at the moment. Great cars are selling cheap i'd say prices are soon to rise again since Summer is approaching.

 

[Willizm]

I may try to scoop one up in a couple months. Deals in the for sale section here are killer.

 

[Bescurred]

I started around his age...

I also ended up in a ditch once b/c I was a stupid 16 year old kid with a GN lol

 

[larrym]

good thing about a TR is the 25 year old technology was state of the art at the time it is now common place.
Fuel injected, computer operated, it would make him understand modern cars also so a DD would be easier to diagnose.

 

[Willizm]

I started around his age...

I also ended up in a ditch once b/c I was a stupid 16 year old kid with a GN lol

I here ya. I didn't have the same opportunity growing up, but I'm able to offer this sort of bonding project to him. I only hope he'll be smart enough not to do dumb stuff like I did :lol:

good thing about a TR is the 25 year old technology was state of the art at the time it is now common place.
Fuel injected, computer operated, it would make him understand modern cars also so a DD would be easier to diagnose.

How are the pcm's in terms of tuning? i'm familiar with HPTuners in the LSx world, but it always seemed as though guys get chips or piggybacks when tuning TR's.

Also, are things like 9" rear end and 4l80e swaps prevalent with this platform? I've had buddies with GN's that always seemed to have transmission issues. Not sure the nature of it, but it sounded like a common weak link.

 

[Project TNX]

Too much car for a 16 year old with the Jeckyll/Hyde nature of when and how the boost comes on, IMO. But I like your thinking, my son is 9, I told him when he's 14 we're going to get him a car and we'll work on it together so it's mint by the time he's 16. At this point in time I am thinking about a stock powered 5.0 Mustang GT for him.

 

[notacarlo]

I'm getting an MG or Fiat for mine....just not going to tell him were restoring it for mom. He can have the SVO.

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[SS/GN]

I think the prices are good right now and you will usually get all your money back if you sell. I would keep it simple as stated these cars can get a young guy in lots of trouble real fast. My daughters race mine and love them

 

[Pronto]

Some of the downsides are because of the age, parts have been discontinued. Others are rather expensive especially compaied to the LS. Todaye chips are excellent. They are adjustable and the newest one is like a mini xfi. The 200r if built right it can survive 9s. The 4l80 swap is costly. The 8.5 rear is good for 10s or better with parts.

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[Willizm]

Good to know guys. Thanks. I plan on keeping it at stock power levels anyway so I don't think it will be too much for him to handle off the bat although if push comes to shove i'll figure out a means to bleed off boost. Kid does like turbo charged cars

 

[deathraider6996]

My dad has owned these cars since 99 so in turn I grew up around them. I've got to say its really a great experience learning about these cars. I have my dads old one and he has another one. It has been a really good bonding experience and keeps us close even with a lot of distance. We could take about these cars for hours. Personally learning about these cars was great because now I can work on my other autos. I say go for it now and start on it now. I remember being a kid under the car with my dad holding the flashlight as he was putting in a tranny. got boost?

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[Chuck Leeper]

Some of the downsides are because of the age, parts have been discontinued. Others are rather expensive especially compaied to the LS. Todaye chips are excellent. They are adjustable and the newest one is like a mini xfi. The 200r if built right it can survive 9s. The 4l80 swap is costly. The 8.5 rear is good for 10s or better with parts.

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Btt he gets old enuf to even drive it, those prices will be thru the roof....If the parts are even available.

 

[1fastcobra]

Wait !!!!!!!!
Its tax season price's are high
( tis the season to gouge )
In a few months prices will come down the sales will begin on new cars. And buicks will be cheep
Oh plenty! !!

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[novaderrik]

it would be as good as any other car for a first car... keep him involved with all the work that is done with it so he understands and respects not only the power it has, but the personal value as well.
if he isn't already, get him into some sort of motorsports- motocross or karting is a good and relatively cheap place for a 10 year old. this will make him understand and respect what driving is all about so he probably won't be the kid that's got his car upside down in the ditch a week after getting his license..

regarding the cars themselves: like any other car, they have their quirks... but they are just a car and they operate on the same laws of physics as every other car does..

 

[John Larkin]

It's a mistake buying a teen a fast car for their first one. As a teen I was typical - I wanted to hot rod it, be faster and cooler than everyone else, show off, do donuts with my friends, drive dangerously fast because I felt nothing could ever happen to me, etc. A cool car should be a future goal, something to work for and appreciate due to the hard work it took to earn it.

First cars can be nice and reliable and even stylish but don't fool yourself - your kid is still a kid and once he is out of your sight, he is going to do what all kids do. Don't gamble his safety. Get him a tank of a car and let him tear that one up first. You can buy it but he can fix it. Then the lessons are quickly learned. And he'll be alive to laugh about it years later.

 

[turbobitt]

It's a great car for a teenager. It will drain his wallet so bad that there will be no funds for drinking or drugs or whatever bad things they do these days.
In all seriousness, I would hope my son gets into these cars when he's old enough.
AG

 

[we4Mateo]

I drove slow cars and fast cars too fast when I was young. I'm of the "teach 'em how to drive" camp and hope for the best.

 

[forcefed3.8's]

I got mine when I was 17. By the time I was 19, I had the T, an 86 GN, and a 96 Impala SS. I have been in 1 accident in my life, in my wife's old Daewoo.

 

[MonstrNrgy]

My first car was a black 96 Impala ss when I was 16. Let's just say it was the car I learned what a posi in the rain does. I totalled it when I was 18 and bought my TType with the insurance Money. I've had it since (21 now) i would say get him a car to learn to drive on for now and in a couple of years get him one.

Edit: the Impala was also the car I learned how to do burnouts in, the first car I took down the drag strip and modded. Plenty fast to get in trouble with.

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