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JeffreyLebowski
Lifer
Show me 1 japanese car that could compete with a Buick GNX from the same year.
jlee
Lifer
Ah yes - the Corolla GT-S and MR2 were such abysmal failures...
Define "compete." Price? Fuel economy? Drag race? Road course? Autocross? Comfort? Polish? Style?
I had a friend who had the '86 T-type, which is the same car just a different color. It was a nice enough car, but expensive as hell to fix when it broke. Crank trigger went out, something like $1500.00 to replace. Had a couple of other things, that I can't remember right off the top of my head, but it was the reason he traded it off.
Zenmervolt
Elite member
That is open to debate. 😉
ZV
IcePickFreak
Platinum Member
Well he failed then because that's not the fastest. In the Buick FI world Kenny Duttweiler built cars have been the fastest and the "best" for at least the past decade. 2008 Buick GS Nats
While the 8.5 second run from Chris Chow isn't anything to sneeze at, he'll need to drop another 1.6 seconds or so to get in the running for fastest.
DivideBYZero
Lifer
"AS IS - NO WARRANTY"
Seeya.
Seeya.
MixMasterTang
Diamond Member
How many 23 year old cars come with warranties exactly?
IcePickFreak
Platinum Member
I bought an 86 Honda Civic (AKA REAL 80's car) a year ago and the guy that sold it to me gave me a warranty. GM sucks lulz!! Honestly that was a pretty dumb comment, guess he divided by 0.
And really for people saying 'GM built shit in the 80s!' umm most everything was shit in the 80's compared to today's standards. Everything was vacuum driven with miles of rubber vacuum lines under the hood. Soon as it dry rotted and formed a vacuum leak all the main systems of the car went along with it.
As for most everything being underwhelming slow, you can look to the 70's gas crisis and how the government handled that. The T-type, GN, & GNX definitely don't fit into that category though as they beat most anything on the street at the time - 5.0 mustangs, vettes, ect.
exdeath
Lifer
Yeah because we all pull left turns across the intersection doing 180 mph on the way to the grocery store, right? :roll:
Besides if you are into any car enough you can get after market independent suspension kits with rack and pinion steering and disc brake conversions and all kinds of stuff to make any car you can think of handle in whatever way you desire. It's all about passion vs wallet.
80's was pretty horrible for many cars, but a GN is one of the few that stands out. Nothing like getting spanked by a unassuming granny car.
I'd lose those wheels though, they are pretty ghetto and do nothing for performance.
lxskllr
No Lifer
Well then it's not same same car anymore is it? If you have to go through all that crap to make it drive like it should, you picked the wrong car in the first place. Fast is easy. Any car can be made to go fast. It's the handling that separates the good cars from the garbage. Of course none of that addresses the reliability....
exdeath
Lifer
Do you even know anything about cars or suspension systems at all or do you just regurgitate the "ultimate engineering and handling" lines that you read out of some European auto magazines? The "better handling" most people perceive in most production cars is only the result of adding a swaybar, better bushings, stiffer springs, and lower ride height with better tires. There isn't anything magical or fancy about it.
Some other things have to do with things you can't change easily like track and wheelbase and weight distribution, but then, how boring would cars be if every one was the same cookie cutter dimensions and all did the same thing?
Same goes for everybody buying the same car. Not everybody lives on the Nürburgring and drives it to work every day like you apparently do.
Granted it *is* a 1986 Buick and it will never handle like a Miata or WRX (hint: it's not supposed to), your blanket comments are very knee jerk and stereotypical.
As for your reliability comment, what a joke. Now I know for sure you play Need for Speed and read import mags that bash anything American. The GM 3.8 is one of the most reliable and bulletproof engines in the world. I don't recall TSBs on the GN for things like rod bearing knock and subframe mounts tearing away from the body... (see E46 M3).
Many, if not most, domestic and import cars in the 80s were total shit. That much I will give you. The Grand National however, was on the short list of cars that didn't suck.
lxskllr
No Lifer
I wasn't talking about the motor... The reliability problem is in the fit and finish of all the other parts. Tranny blown at 50k, water pump at 75k, oil pump at 90k, ceiling cloth falling down, knobs falling off, and on, and on, and on....
When you build a fast car, it needs to be able to handle the speed. If it can't stay on the road, it wasn't designed right.
When you build a fast car, it needs to be able to handle the speed. If it can't stay on the road, it wasn't designed right.
exdeath
Lifer
That's funny, one of my coworkers is a BMW enthusiast and has several late 80s 5 series vehicles and has the same exact issues typical of any car from any manufacturer. (I like using BMW for these arguments because they are an accepted benchmark for fit and finish and balanced handling).
The car bogging on acceleration due to bad airflow sensor, the little computer and keypad on the instrument cluster not working, failed fuel pumps, knobs breaking, button labels fading, dash cracking, etc. Shit happens, and when it does, it all smells the same. No manufacturer is immune.
American cars tend to be worse because it's a disposable society that doesn't take care of shit and the majority are short term thinking cheap asses that don't care about quality over cost. In fact many shortcomings of American autos can be traced back to a deliberate design decision based on market need and low cost requirements. My '03 Cobra is a perfect example of bean counters ruining the work of the engineers by forcing them soften the suspension and compromise handling performance for the casual American, requiring an enthusiast to go on a rubber hunt with aftermarket parts.
I doubt there is any car from the 80's that is pristine and perfect that wasn't deliberately pampered and maintained. I bet you couldn't find 10 random Honda Civics from 1980 that have an interior as pristine as this Buick.
Now you can argue aesthetics and personal taste all you want, that is purely subjective.
PS: a factory original water pump lasting to 75k is a pretty good. I can't seem to get more than 40-60k from my Toyota even with genuine AISIN parts (shaft play and leaky seals from just normal wear and tear).
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