The first GNX that I had ever seen on the street was at night in the late summer of 1987. At the time I owned an '86 Grand National that I had ordered and bought new from a dealership in Chicago in the summer of 1986.
I had seen the car on the street parked alone near some other cars. At the time, the owner and various other cars were street racing at a site on the southside of Chicago. I parked my GN and walked by the GNX and gave it a once over. I didn't look in the window to see what number it was or anything like that because I didn't want to get hurt. And looking in someone's car was a surefire way TO GET HURT. Having owned a Grand National, I could see the obvious differences in the car such as the fender flares, tires, and fender vents. The car also had a vanity plate on it - "Gas N Oil".
I only spent a little time out there and soon left since no good racing was going on. But I didn't forget about the car...
Because at the time I was interested in all articles related to the turbo Buick, I knew about the GNX but this was the first one I had ever seen. But I later heard a little backstory about that car I had seen. It was owned by a big time drug dealer who regularly street raced it. A popular story at the time involved the car being constantly raced one very hot night on the street and being constantly beaten. The owner didn't have enouigh sense to let the car cool down between runs and the thing was just dying.
Within the next couple of years after that, the drug dealer was killed due to a bad drug deal in Florida. The feds allegedly went after everything that was owned by this guy including the car. The guy's family did a good job of playing hide and seek with it and eventually sold it. To whom I don't know. I also don't know of its present whereabouts or even if its still rolling.
My Grand National was brutally fast but was starting to become common. There were also many T-Types running around also at this time. I began seeing women driving them also. The final blow was when I saw an old lady in a Grand National with vanity plates that had her name on it - "Annie". My male ego couldn't take it anymore and I then decided to get me a GNX. There was only one Buick dealership selling them in Chicago at the time and they wanted way, way too much for it.
I combed the newspaper ads and found a couple of Buick dealerships in the northern suburbs that had some. The first one I went to had one but they also wanted too much for it. I then went to Loren Buick in Glenview, Illinois and they wound up having one also. I talked to the salesman and they liked my car was wanted to give me a good buck for the trade in. I thought about it and eventually came back a few days later. When I returned, I found out that the dealership had just gotten in two more GNXs and they told me to walk around and pick out one. I picked out the newest one - number 531. We made a deal (that I subsequently got shafted on) set it up for the end of the week.
Like I said, my GN was brutally fast so I wondered if I had made a VERY BIG MISTAKE. I pulled over on Lake Shore Drive and wondered about it. I sat there for awhile and finally decided to go for it. I drove to the dealership and turned in my GN and came out with GNX 531. My GN was actually sold before I had even driven the GNX off of the lot. One of the mechanics had bought my car so it never hit the used car lot.
This was in November of 1987 that I bought the GNX. Approximately two years later in '89, the dealership contacted me and told me ther they had another GNX for sale that was a demo and they offered me first crack at it. I went over my finances and thought about it and again decided to go for it!! I bought number 56.
In the late nineties I badly needed money for a building that I wanted since I was renting. I wound up selling my first GNX to a guy in Wisconsin. I still have my second car.
I really miss my first car though since it was much faster than my second. All GNXs (like all Grand Nationals) do not run the same.
Unlike many guys, I buy CARS TO DRIVE, NOT SHOW. I'm inot interested in trailer queens. And I've driven my GNXs all over the country. They are very good road cars.
Many people look at these cars with rose colored glasses but I was THERE FROM THE BEGINNING. And although they were fast, they weren't very well built. My Grand National and my GNXs stayed in the shop. There was always some little thing wrong. The quality control was very bad on GM cars in general in the 80s.
Often I get the urge to sell it but, I don't know....
