If you are going to drive an old car from the 1940s, it better be something with a straight 8. Don’t you dare swap in an 80s vintage carburetor fed small block Chevy V8, no matter how much more efficient, reliable, powerful, and better it is. Keep it straight. Straight-8. Find this 1948 Buick Roadmaster […]
In 1994 the Buick Roadmaster got a massive powerplant upgrade when it ditched the old L03/L05 V8 and replaced it with an LT1 V8 that had more horsepower, more torque, and better fuel economy. It shared the LT1 with the Corvette, but you couldn’t fit 6 people into a Corvette. Find this 1995 Buick Roadmaster […]
You know what they say: If one huge optimistically priced GM station wagon is good, then two must be better! But this next wagon is no ordinary thing built from the GM parts bin because it is built on the 1942-1948 Roadmaster chassis and features a 320 cubic inch Fireball straight-8 under that ginormous hood. It won’t be fast, but you’ll get there in style. Find this 1948 Buick Roadmaster Ambulance offered for $17,000 in Hacienda Heights, CA via craigslist.
Everyone knows about the legendary GM body-on-frame wagons equipped with a version of the Vette LT1 V8 known as the Buick Roadmaster/Chevy Caprice-Impala/Olds CustomCruiser built from 1994-1996…but did you know that GM made an LT1 powered wagon version available known as the 1A2 package? Of the 846 versions of these “special police package wagons” built in the few years of production, I doubt many survive. Survive this one has, and since this is a 94, that is a Camaro steering wheel and digital speedo in front of that heavy duty cop seat with locking center console. The only thing this car needs to to get its rear fender skirts welded back in the panels. Find this 1994 Chevrolet Caprice Wagon 1A2 offered for $6,999 in West Allis, WI via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!
The price tag on this next piece of American iron is sky high…because 12 grand is a colossal pile of cash to spend on a 94-96s Buick Roadmaster that isn’t the sweet sweet 8 passenger wagon version. But the sedan does comfortably seat 6 humans and this is about the nicest LT1 powered Roadmaster you’ll find in your local retirement community parking garage. Find this 1994 Buick Roadmaster offered for $12,000 in Philadelphia, PA via craigslist. Tip from Cory.
In 1994 the Buick Roadmaster got a massive powerplant upgrade when it ditched the old L03/L05 V8 and replaced it with an LT1 V8 that had more horsepower, more torque, and better fuel economy. It shared the LT1 with the Corvette, which was always available with some kind of T-top or removable roof option, so this next car makes some kinda sense, in a twisted chassis kinda way. Find this 1996 Buick Roadmaster offered for $3850 in Chicopee, MA via craigslist. Tip from Cory.
The fourth generation Chevrolet Caprice (which was the final generation of the wagon version) was also sold as the Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, Buick Roadmaster, and Cadillac Fleetwood. There were various trim differences between the different stalls of the GM stable, but Cadillac did not get a wagon version. Somebody saw that as an insult to the brand that bares the name of the founder of Detroit (Antoine de la Mothe, sieur du Cadillac 1658-1730) and they fixed it with what can only be described as a pretty good example of a Fleetwagon (and way better than the Leepu & Pitbul Caprice of the Craprice from the other day). Find this 1993 Chevrolet Caprice Classic Wagon offered for $8700 in Sacramento, CA via craigslist.
The is one of the few times that I’m going to feature a car and rave about it, but advise you not to buy it. Because this car represents a discontinuity in the automotive landscape and not because it is massive enough to start forming a black hole…but because it is so close to being perfect. Let’s start with the good — it is a B-Body Buick Roadmaster that were sold from 1991 to 1996 and it has a gorgeous wood paneling — actually, some people find the wood paneling to be tacky, but this example has “wood” in nice nick. It is also low miles and the ONLY thing holding it back is that it was born one year too early. In 1993 the Roadmaster was powered Chevy L05 V8…which is a slovenly hunk of pig iron, good for something like 180 horsepower, and if it it had been born one year later, it would have gotten a 260 horsepower LT1 V8 which takes it from zero to hero. So, in conclusion, nice car, great shape, wrong engine, don’t buy it. You’ll be better off waiting for a 1994-1996 Roadmaster. Find this 1993 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon offered for $6,999 in Easton, PA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!
This next car is quite something else. It starts with a normal looking Chevrolet Caprice Classic (not an Impala…) and then continues to have another Caprice that was shortened to puffer fish proportions and turned into a trailer. With the available 8 seats (3+3+2) in the Caprice and then the final 5 in the trailer (3+2) you get a total seating for 13 in a vehicle that might not technically be legal to have people in the back, but I think the only reason a cop would pull you over would be to tell you how awesome it looked. Find this 1993 Chevrolet Caprice Classic Plus Trailer offered for $12,500 in Hoquiam, WA via craigslist. Tip from JB1025.
The fourth generation Chevrolet Caprice was sold from 1991 to 1996 as the last hurrah for the Caprice name launched in 1964 (until the Caprice name was brought back for fleet use in 2011). The Caprice Wagon shares most of its parts with the Buick Roadmaster Wagon but it lacks the faux wood sides, which […]