1987 Buick Grand National

Terry's Grand National Story:

I sat in my first Grand National at a dealership in Georgia in 1987. I was deciding on whether to get a GN or an Oldsmobile 442 at the time. I eventually bought the 442 and have regretted the decision ever since. The 442 was nice, but I liked the Grand Nationals much better. I told myself that if I ever had the chance to buy a nice Grand National I would.
My opportunity came when I moved to New England in 1996. The GN was purchased from a private owner in New Hampshire. The guy I bought the car from had a friend who owned a Chevy dealership in his hometown. He was on the showroom floor of the dealership talking to his friend when a gentlemen walked in and stated that he wanted to trade his 1987 Grand National in so he could buy a Harley Davidson. The car had 15,400 miles on it at this time. The guy I bought the car from had previously owned three other Grand Nationals so he went outside to look at it. When he saw the condition of the car (immaculate) he immediately told the gentlemen that he wanted to buy it from him rather than have him trade it in. Right place, right time. He kept the car for roughly 8 months. He only put 400 miles on it during this time. The only problem was he also owned a Cadillac El Dorado and had a wife who wasn't going to let him keep both. She gave him a choice to keep the Cadillac or the Grand National.

Grand National Articles
I think we know the ending to this story. He put the car up for sale in the Auto Hunter. The car had been sitting on the showroom floor of his friends dealership. When he didn't sell it he put it up for the winter in his garage. I came across an old copy of the Auto Hunter and decided to give him a call. This was after dealing with many dealerships who were not userfriendly when selling their Grand Nationals to say the least. I went up to New Hampshire and drove the car. At the time I still had my 442 and there was no comparison. The Buick blew it away as far as I am concerned.
I put a deposit down on the car for him to hold it. I picked the car up in October of 1996. The car now has 28,500 miles on it and is stored in a garage during the winter. I am now stationed in KTown Germany and I enjoy taking my GN out on the Autobahn!!
My friend Dave (a.k.a. "Taco") has a 95 Impala SS which is the other car featured on this page. Both cars have their advantages. His car can definitely haul a lot more groceries than mine can. You can read more about Dave's 95 Impala SS story by clicking on the SS GIF.

Interior Pictures
The GN is mostly stock. Below are some of the modifications that I have done to the car. I recently took the car to the track to run the 1/4 mile. To see how it performed click on Engine and Performance Data at the top of the page.
Modifications and Options:
- Modern Muscle Car Street Plus 11 Chip
- FlowMaster Exhaust
- Magnecor 8.5mm EMI Suppressed Spark Plug Wires
- ScanMaster Scan Tool
- K&N 9 Inch Open Air Filter with MAF Pipe
- 160 Degree Thermostat
- Walbro High Performance Fuel Pump with Hotwire Kit

Here is a picture of me with Alex Rodriguez in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He is now the shortstop for the Texas Rangers. He was visiting the base with Jose Canseco to boost the morale of the Cuban refugees. I was deployed there when I was a Security Policeman in the Air Force to guard the Cubans in the camps. Guantanomo bay is a Naval base where camps were setup to hold all the Cubans who were trying to come into the States in boats.

EMail: BLKQWK6@attbi.com
FAVORITE TURBO REGAL LINKS:
ModernMuscleCar
Turbo Regal Website
Kirban Performance
Jays GN Parts & Repair