The wife and I agreed that we both want a roadmaster wagon when we replace the truck this summer.
I'd ideally like the 96 for the OBDII feature but I'm not gonna turn my nose up at a good 94 or 95.
I don't care about minor cosmetic defects or interior defects. I'm looking for a good solid rust free specimen.
I've got a while to wait for the right car to show up so I'd prefer to get one with the towing package. As usual, when dealing with cars over 15 years old, it's better for us canadians to look south for a solid example.
I'd appreciate anyone who's got any leads on a car they could check out for me.
There's likely a foum that focuses on these cars. Maybe start lingering there and perhaps you'll find a nice one that has been loved.
registered to one last night. But the problem is, the people who love these cars want full price. The people who have no idea they are a cult following and think it's just a 20 year POS will be much easier to bargain with.
Ahhhh. Just like the ones with the Cadillacs that think they are irreplaceable and want an arm and a leg for one not worth a foot.
There is a GM wagons yahoo group that I used to be a member with.
I have seen some pretty nice wagons sell for reasonable $$$$
If you happen to stumble on a Caprice 1A2, grab it. They are the holy grail of wagons.
GJ
I'll keep my eyes peeled in the Atlanta area. They're all over the place here. Maria's gay neighbors have a white and blue one with fake wood. It's beautiful and like new.
Check Atlanta Craigslist.
What price are you looking for?
Here's a rough one with a new tranny and LT1 for $500 http://atlanta.craigslist.org/eat/cto/4248826153.html
Here's a decent looking one near me for $2200 http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/cto/4283523432.html
Beautiful one for $3800 http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/4263620079.html
I'd buy this one if I were you. http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/4248525824.html
Here's a neat one for $3950 http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/4265556508.html
Quote from: Otto Skorzeny on January 15, 2014, 01:33:33 AM
What price are you looking for?
I'm looking for a good solid daily driver so for the condition I want I'll probably need to spend in the 2-4k range. the better the car, the better the money.
Quote from: Otto Skorzeny on January 15, 2014, 01:33:33 AM
Here's a rough one with a new tranny and LT1 for $500 http://atlanta.craigslist.org/eat/cto/4248826153.html
A little rougher than what I was hopping for.
Quote from: Otto Skorzeny on January 15, 2014, 01:33:33 AM
Here's a decent looking one near me for $2200 http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/cto/4283523432.html
That would could be leading the pack if it's a solid underbody and rust free (can't tell if it's dirt or rust in the tailgate hinge area).
Quote from: Otto Skorzeny on January 15, 2014, 01:33:33 AM
Beautiful one for $3800 http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/4263620079.html
That's the one in Savannah that's being checked out tomorrow
Quote from: Otto Skorzeny on January 15, 2014, 01:33:33 AM
I'd buy this one if I were you. http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/4248525824.html
:drool:
Quote from: Otto Skorzeny on January 15, 2014, 01:33:33 AM
Here's a neat one for $3950 http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/4265556508.html
That one would be tough to sell the wife on.
Quote from: Jon on January 15, 2014, 02:14:58 AM
Quote from: Otto Skorzeny on January 15, 2014, 01:33:33 AM
Here's a decent looking one near me for $2200 http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/cto/4283523432.html
That would could be leading the pack if it's a solid underbody and rust free (can't tell if it's dirt or rust in the tailgate hinge area).
Is this car close enough to you for you to check it out?
Aside from condition, I'm interested in if the rear sticker that states the codes has the G80 code for the Posi or if it has the trailer package (mechanical fan).
The $2200 one is 12 miles from me. In Georgia, that's considered right next door.
In my opinion it looks better than the one in Savannah. Same car less mileage and less money. It's being sold by an average Joe instead of someone who thinks they're collector's items.
What do you mean about the rear sticker? what sticker? Cars of this era are not my specialty.
There should be a sticker somewhere in the back (I was told it would be on the passenger side D-pillar) which has a series of codes. It should look something like the stickers on the driver's door only in the tailgate opening. It will have a whole bunch of codes on it (like paint codes and such) and if one of the codes is G80 than it has the posi rear end.
QuoteLook at the Service Parts IDentification (SPID) sticker inside the right area tailgate opening and look for:
V92 = towing prep package
GU4 = 2.93 rear axle
G80 = posi (this was optional, and some V92/GU4 cars didn't get it)
GW9 = stock 2.56 rear axle. Some cars are dogs with this ratio and some cars drive just fine.
Also look for L03 or L05. I'm wonderin'.
Mike
Quote from: Jon on January 15, 2014, 04:17:28 AM
There should be a sticker somewhere in the back (I was told it would be on the passenger side D-pillar) which has a series of codes. It should look something like the stickers on the driver's door only in the tailgate opening. . . .
Some sort of fuzzy recall tells me that the stickers were located under the spare tire cover, and that the cover can be sort of a pain to remove. Or maybe refit? Or maybe it was the tires that were a pain to remove? :scratchhead: :confused2: :sleepy:
My fuzzy recall tells me they were on the door jamb. The boxies had them on the inside of the spare tire cover.
Mike
Tis the roadmaster wagon specialists all all concur it is on the rear tailgate jamb on the passenger side. But I've seen the internet be wrong before.
I just found a reference that states that some of the early 92 wagons still came with the L03 5.0L.
The first one for $500 appears to have Impala SS wheels on it.
The wheels alone are worth $1000.
The 92 looks to be the better one if it has an L05.
The 96 has a lot of modifications done to it. I would be leery of that one.
If the sticker your referring to (SPI lable) it's on the right side of the tailgate jamb.
GJ
Forrest went out and looked at it for me and I've decided my search has come to a quick end.
He accepted $2k as an offer and I'll be down there next Tuesday to make the purchase and head out Wednesday morning for a 900 mile road test.
Way cool! Congrats.
Congratulations :sunny:
Utterly awesome! Congrats Jon!
Looks like you and Otto will be able to clink a few glasses together too. That makes it even better. A nice mini vacation.
Now we'll get to see a real bonafide rust free southern car.
Mike
Now we'll get to see a real bonafide rust free southern car.
Here's a preview.
You won't find any 22 year old Canadian Buicks with an underbody like this.
Did you guys look at the link to the $500 one? It's already sold but the owner removed all the chrome trim. Jon and I might take a drive up to Lake Lanier to get it from the guy before he heads back to the frozen wasteland.
What I find amazing are the fuel tank straps. All the guys on the Wagon forum told me that the are the first to go. Guaranteed me I wasn't going to find one with clean traps even down south. Bot those look perfect!
Quote from: Otto Skorzeny on January 16, 2014, 03:48:05 PM
Did you guys look at the link to the $500 one? It's already sold but the owner removed all the chrome trim. Jon and I might take a drive up to Lake Lanier to get it from the guy before he heads back to the frozen wasteland.
That might make more sense if we tell the good people here that the lower stainless mouldings on the one I'm getting are dented. Something I didn't really car about, but if I can fix it easily, why not.
Those moldings were a PIA right from the get go. The black rubber fell off very shortly after the cars were new. I remember spending hours cleaning off all the old tape off the stainless and the rubber trim, then reattaching them with newer and improved 2-sided tape. If you can find clean dent free moldings with the rubber still intact, that is a real bonus and goes a long way to good aesthetics on the car.
What size tires are on the car now? They look a bit smallish.
Mike
It calls for 225/75/15, same as what's on Chester. The truck winter tires are 215/75/15. Smaller is better for winter tires.
That's what I thought they called for. But those look a bit smaller.
Mike
The only major hurdle I've come across is what do to about temporary plate tags for the trip back. That is the main reason for why I need to arrive during business hours in Ontario, but that doesn't help me crossing all the states on the way there. Since Georgia doesn't offer them, I thought I couldn't get one. But luckily the car is actually registered in Tennessee. So after a very short, sarcastic, demeaning, rude, and thankfully informative call to the Tennessee Vehicle people which ended with them hanging up on me (and I wasn't even trying to piss them off), I found out I can stop off in Chatanooga on the way back and buy a $10 tag which will let me have all the time I need to get the car safety inspected and emission tested prior to actually registering the car here and I don't have to worry at all about what time I reach the border. The law says I have 45 days from when I cross the border to get it registered. So if anything comes up, I can have a chance to work on it myself.
Government bureaucrats are the same the world over.
The thing about the chrome trim is that the black stuff comes off so easily that you're better off removing it all with a hair dryer or heat gun and just sticking with the chrome/stainless trim. It looks a lot better without the black part anyway.