El Camino Regale: 1986 Buick Regal

This next car was built by one man, never to be repeated, and impossible to categorize; this is less a car and more a statement piece. The standard G-body coupe stopped being a personal luxury car and turned into a one-off interpretation of what an El Camino might look like if Buick had built it in a garage with ambition and an old rafter square. Find this 1986 Buick Regal El Camino offered for $9000 in Washington, DC via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

From the seller:

1986 Buick Regal
condition: excellent
cylinders: 6 cylinders
drive: rwd
fuel: gas
odometer: 92,925
title status: clean
transmission: automatic
type: coupe
Price is very OBO. Please make an offer. This might be worth 1500 or 10k to you, it’s a one-off weird and interesting thing.

Clean title, was tagged and on the road with Hagerty until spring of last year when the previous owner passed away (RIP Mr. Snyder, the visionary who made this beast with his own two hands, you will be missed sir) Drove an hour from westminster to rockville without issues.

Has a 4 barrel intake and the carb from a ’78 Chevy. Just a cherry bomb muffler, complete emissions delete. Very rumbly and of course the old 3.8 firing order makes it sound kinda like a v8.

Runs and drives extremely well, shifts nicely. Floats on the road like a b body, steering is very light and smooth. Definitely needs rear shocks as it floats on the road like a b-body. Probably needs a thermostat, upper radiator hose gets warm quick when it’s hot outside but it has never overheated. New alternator, good battery. Obviously the front sway bushings are not so raven but they are like $.86 on rockauto. I’ve been driving it up and down the private backroad 5-6 times a month to keep fluids moving around and tires from getting flat spots. Tires are fine but I’d replace em within a year or two, fortunately a set of four 235/60-14s are still well under 500 bucks, I’d buy a set before WWIII expands to southeast asia later this summer (according to my astrologer gf…and before you scoff by golly she nailed the EXACT start date of the current conflict LAST SUMMER so idk man, something about Uranus), they make all the nice cheap tires. Also tires are made of oil, dontchaknow.

Includes 5 quarts of new oil and a filter. Oil drain plug was tight and I went to get my impact and a six point socket then decided to sell the car instead.

Brakes are good. When it’s cold it takes awhile to start but it loves warm weather.

Two rust spots on the car: The drivers side floor pan (~80-100 dollar patch panel) and that sill right past the top of the trunk lid before the rear window. Easy fixes. I know everyone says that about literally all rust on the cars they are trying to sell but in this case it’s true. Rest of it is remarkably rust free, frame is excellent.

What was the rear seat is now an extension of the trunk, meaning it’s the biggest trunk you’ll ever see. You could fit like ten people in that thing. Under that ~80lb sheet of traction-improving steel between rear window and trunk is an opening, ideal for a turret or perhaps a parade. I would just get some sheet steel or aluminum that fits over the entire area. Not a big fan of giant spoilers but can’t help but feel these lines would like a giant obnoxious wing.

Truck lights on the roof and the foglights both work on a single switch. Radio works. Great candidate for a ls swap or pretty much any engine with crossmembers available for a g-body.

I didn’t wash it, those little black spots are bits of shingle from the roof being done. Of course this bad machine has been garage kept since I bought it.

Hood pins work great and the second stage of the hood latch also works fine so if the pins ever fail the hood won’t blow back on you. Gas lift on the hood is new. Mmm fancy.

Yeah that new rear window area is constructed of 100% bondo. I’ve never seen this much bondo, it’s probably a world record. Mr Snyder was a sculptor par excellànce.
I am aware that ten years ago this was a 1k car. Now it’s not. Don’t blame me, blame cash for clunkers and terrible new car emissions design driving up the old car market as new engines fail off the lot. It’s virtually impossible to find a low rust gbody regal that hasn’t already had a laggy turbo six a new camry will wipe the floor with stuck into it to make life harder for the 7.5. I’m not some loaded boomer trying to extract money from you, I’m pretty young, need groceries and someone out there wants a cool project their rich friends can’t buy a better version of.

Carb means it will still run if an emp hits and set up right it should get pretty great mileage (weighs about as much as a c5 ‘vette, aero isn’t bad and the 4 barrel with gentle throttle to keep her on the primaries should do better than the original carb), so this could be your mad max machine. 780cfm carb on a 140hp v6, amazing she runs so well. Fill ‘er up with jerry cans when the missiles start falling and make for the mountains my son.

It’s weird, it’s cool, it might be your summer project. Feel free to lowball me, you can’t hurt my feelings I don’t have any. Just kidding I have tremendous love in my heart but serious about the lowballs. Saying that makes internet people less angry. Sorry, chatgpt and le redditórs cannot define the market value of the Bondo Beast, she shatters preconceptions and lays waste to naive assumptions. Technically more rare than a ferrari gto as Mr. Snyder only built one, and Buick won’t sue you if you paint it. Also the welds are better. Checkmate Italians.

I’ll take best offer in a month or two. Would trade full or partially for a 2007-2008 rx350 as I need an suv for the fam. Would also trade for an ls430 as I am perfectly capable of fasting for a month/eating roadkill and I’ve always liked those cars. Heck, show me what ya got and maybe we can work something out.

See a better way to drive something that floats like a butterfly and stinks like a b? tips@dailyturismo.com