I was 13 in 1987 and my dad decided to go out and buy a Dodge Daytona turbo. I thought that was the coolest car in the world. It was the quickest car we had ever owned, and I loved the turbo sound and the boost gauge in the dash.
Then one evening my dad took me for a ride in his friends new Grand National. We went to the nearest highway where my dad stopped on the entrance ramp. He launched the car and I watched the digital dash light up like the 1/100th second hand on a stop watch! From that moment on I was hooked. I was already a car fanatic and I always liked the G bodies (at least the SS). When my Car and Driver subscription came and talked about the GN, it sealed the deal for me. I vowed I would own one someday.
My dad being the wise man (and policeman), he wouldn't let me buy anything fast when I got my license. I had to wait until I graduated from college and starting working before I could afford to buy a GN. My first GN was bought in 1999 with 5300 miles for $15,300. I thought the car was cool, but I was living in an apartment and I was parking the car in my parents driveway a few miles away. The arrangement wasn't doing it for me and I hated leaving the car outside (even with a good cover). In 2004 I bought my current GN with 4600 miles for $19,700. The car was perfect, but the headliner started to fall shortly after I got home (just the liner on the astroroof fell). I put a new headliner in the car, recharged the A/C, and spent a few hundred on getting it tuned properly (ended up buying a Scanmaster 2). Now I have a perfect like new GN that sits in my garage 95% of the time.
Once again, I am rethinking my decision to own a GN. I love showing off my car on REALLY nice weekends, but I wish I'd bought a higher mileage GN with upgrades. These cars have gone up to much in value to let a really good one get beaten up by the weather and rotten people in crowded parking lots.
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