I grew up in dirt and grease. My grandpa has been building old cars with duct tape and baling twine since he was 16, and I wanted to be just like him when I was young. It turns out he's an evil bastard, but I still picked up the love of old cars, speed, and wrench turning from him. As well as the love of welding, construction/home remodeling, gunsmithing, hunting, and self-sufficiency. In fact, most everybody in my family says I take after my grandpa in just about everything Which is surprising, because Ive only known him about 5 years out of my 17. A lot of people say I'm as mean as my grandpa too, but I'm really not. I'm a nice guy. Anyway, I dont know why I like Buicks. I guess it's because they are different, they are cheap(to buy, not to work on), and they have great torque. Even the small Buick engines are torque monsters. I don't know much about the whole luxury and comfort part of the Buick name, but I know they knew how to build an engine.:3gears: Oh, and mechanically, they are built well. Or maybe it's just out of defiance of being just like my grandpa, who is a mopar guy. p
Well I allways loved Buicks, my 1st car was a 1968 Chevy Chevelle that I killed very shortly after buying it. I then bought a 1968 GS Califorinia and have had a few Buicks GS's since then. I got out of cars for awhile and I was into JEEPING. When I couldn't do that anylonger I told the wife I wanted to buy a Buick again and now here I am full circle back in a Buick and loving it !!! :TU: :beers2:
my second car was a 70 skylark custom convert....my second car was a car i traded the skylark and some cash from my father a 1975 le sabre convt [see pictures].....latter i sold the le sabre back to him and in the late 1990's did a full frame off restoration on the car.....while looking for another skylark convt. i came across this suncoupe which is almost a convt. and am now in the process off rebuilding it [restomod]
oh, man it was hard to pick the number 1 reason I own my buick. Part of me has always liked old things, even as a little kid I had a respect for things like that. Something about older cars from the 60s and 70s just makes them apealing, i feel modern cars are so blah looking. Watch the commercials, most of them focus on features and not how it looks. I enjoy tinkering and working on things, got that from both my grandfathers, if it was broke they fixed it themselves, if it wasn't broke they took it apart and made it work better. The sense of accomplishment I get from fixing a problem. and I'm not going to lie, my Buick was cheap! Needs alot of work, but i got for less than you can pick up a beater honda now a days! (and cheaper than a mid 90's Skylark too!) I've always wanted an old car, and now I could finally afford one that drove and wasn't in pieces! My dad drove some pretty cool cars when he was growing up, '57 4-dr Belair, '70 Duster 318, and a '74 Dodge Van. I also enjoy the simplicity of an older car. Especially when working on it, the fact that i can pull the spark plugs with out having to remove a plastic cover, or tilt the engine foward (like some transverse mounted engines.) Even my beat up 4-dr Buick turns heads when I drive it. :TU:
I have kept the cars in the family since they were bought. Like others have said, it gives a good feeling when driving a car that aren't seen very often. Fun and easy to work on, too. Modern vehicles are like laptops on wheels - the engines are buried under layers of electronic hardware. I am an IT guy so computers are very familiar to me, but they really are tough to accept under the hood. Am looking forward to Spring this year! Have alot of work to do on a couple of the oldies to get them moving around again.
I grew up with my Dad buying mostly Buick or Olds. I had a 72 Cutlass Supreme for 10 years, sold it and bought my GS 6 years ago and haven't looked back.
Bob: I have a very similar family experience with my grandmother. I was 19 at the time (1969) when I purchased a Hot Rod magazine ($.55)cent. In that November '69 issue is a lengthy article title "MISTER MUSCLE OF 1970" By Steve Kelly was when Buick announced to the world the arrival of the new body style & updated engine configuration of the GS 455 Stage 1. I just knew I had to have one & on December 16, 1969 my whole world changed when my loving grandmother purchased then (her) 1970 GS 455. The only thing different with the magazine article vehicle is that my car has TH400 floor mounted full console & the vehicle's automatic was on the column. The engine package (Stage1), her car is the GS455 (350 hp) version. Everything else-options are the same-ac/ps/pb/tilt steering everything. There was 7.3 actual miles on the odometer when vehicle was purchased from Howell Buick, Rocky Mount, NC. Paint Code 58 -F vinyl top-burnish saddle interior-tinted windows-instrument gauges-am radio with 8-track dash mount later installed-Buick Chrome wheels-Firestone wide oval tires-rally ride suspension. I still have the car-original magazine-GS455 bill of sale. By the way, still original lacquer paint. I could not purchase any speed / performance items for the car except tune-up parts & people were tripping on the 5/8 diameter spark plugs. The first thing available was thru Kenne-Bell I purchased was a B4B-Edelbrock manifold. I am very happy that TA Performance has taken up all the slack and more offering exceptionally manufactured / tuned / tested parts for Buicks. You just don't know what problems I had to go through to get somethings to work as stated. Beginning this summer, I will start to fulfill my promise I made to my late grandmother to restore my GS to its original form & finish. I will do just that. Sport1
I've had her since she was almost new. Now we've had too many years together to ever part. Of course, that doesn't stop me from dreaming about trades. Come to think about it, I got the same problem with the wife.
I own this one because my dad bought it new. Lord knows if it was one I had just picked up it would be in the scrap heap by now!!!! ou: My one wish is that my dad wouldn't have waited so long to give it to me! It was in pretty rough shape bit is coming along. :beers2:
My family had mostly Buick and Fords when I was growing up. I learned to drive in dad's 55 Century, and took the drivers test in mom's 49 Super sedanette. When I got married in 1965 we used dad's 64 Riviera for transport from the wedding to the reception. 11 years later, I bought a 63 Riviera because I thought it was new enough to be completely reliable, and would have future collectible value if I held onto it and restored it. The one I found was a repo'd car with a half-@ss repaint, but it ran strong and the price was right. I've had many other Buicks, both as everyday drivers and as hobby cars, but still have my 1st Riv. Like my dad, I've had Buicks and Fords as everyday drivers. IMO Buicks are under-appreciated, and much better value than other equivalent GM models. Current d/d is a Ford Escort, but I'm on the lookout for on of the last of the LeSabres (2005) to replace it. John
It's a tough vote here. I certainly have deep respect for a classic and enjoy the time I spend in and under my Buick. Not only is it fun to work on but it's also a way to decompress and relax after a long day or week on the job. Even after the blood, sweat, tears and cursing there is a strong sense of accomplishment knowing you've done one more thing to preserve a little piece of history.
It takes me back to a time when life was stable and familiar. family was still together, no divorce, I had school, playing with friends, trips to the valley, a simple life of a 6-9 year old boy. It was a car that I could sit on the floorboard in the back and play with my hot wheels on the back rear bench seat...and NO SEAT BELT. I had chance to buy one in high school for $75...just needed a tranny. Now I got it for $4000, and it still needs a tranny! LOL ou:
i own a buick becuase they are not common in australia and i like cars that stand out/and because buicks are cool as fonzy said hey
I'm a long-time Stephen King fan, and when he did: "The Dark Half," as Richard Bachmann with the alter-ego driving the Olds Toronado...I wanted a RWD version of that vehicle.
That's how I got mine. My Dad left it to me. I did learn to drive in the Roadmaster. But I took my test in a Century.
Was always into cars from an early age. Worked part time jobs also at an early age...mainly on farms. Still dreaming of owning my own car to drive when I would get my license. So when I turned 14, I landed a part time job at the local auto parts store and the hunt was on. First car my dad and I looked at was a '68 Dodge Charger with a 383 magnum...almost bought it, but it just didn't seem right since my parents had owned all Pontiacs growing up, so I passed on it. Then looking at the car ads a 1970 Buick Skylark pops up for 350 bucks. Went to go look at it and with the Cragar wheels on the car I fell in love with the looks. Took her home for 300 bucks. Worked on the car with a goal to have it running and looking half way nice for when I would get my license. With the 350 cammed, headered and a homemade nitrous kit on hand (being the late '70s it was somewhat new and exotic) I am proud to say I had the fasted car all through High School! It went through many tranformations through it's life, and am also proud to say I still own it. Current state:
I always drove Chevys, My Father owned C&S Motors a Chev - Buick dealership in La Farge Wi. One day after school I was at the shop & saw a promo sheet for the GSX ... thats all it took. I got the chance to drive this older ladys Electra 225 & one foot to the floor & I was hooked . In a word TORQUE ,for me it's never been about all the bells & Whistles , just preformance. All of my cars have been drivers in the 14 sec - 12 sec range & the latter comes easy with the Buick torque. The best part of owning a Buick in a small town is seeing the reaction when they find out they have been beat by a Buick ....priceless. ick
My father gave me my first car in high school(1980 buick limited). I had no clue what i had and traded it for another car. I got my 1972 Buick Lesabre 3yrs ago by browsing for convertibles to buy. I was locked on getting a chevy but the minute i saw the picture i fell in love with the design and i didn't know it was a buick yet. A younger guy had it, he must've been 22 yrs old and clueless of cars. I was 30 at the time and a country boy in the city. He wanted $1900 and i talked him down to $1000. It was ok but not in the best condition. Now i'm restoring it. I'll be done before Spring '13. I need a scissor top frame now, so help if you can. This car or should i say that these cars(Buicks) are slept on major! They put so much quality and detail into their design that it is unmatched by any of the others. My disappointment is that places like Year One and such don't have any aftermarket stuff for the Buick B-body and it can be sooooo tough to find, even frustrating but i don't care. No matter what, as long as i live i will never sell this car. Though i don't have kids, i hope to have one to leave it to one day, if not one of my nephews will be such a happy fellow. Buicks are in a class of their own. Cars are cars. Buicks are phenomenal and rarely seen.
