Pandemic Project: 1996 Buick Roadmaster Estate Collector’s Edition – SOLD!

April 15, 2021 Update – This wagon has been sold as the seller deleted their Craigslist listing.

March 16, 2021 Update – When we saw the current caretaker deleted their Craigslist ad for their 1996 Buick Roadmaster just before Christmas last year, we assumed they had sold the car. We’re pleased to see the current caretaker continuing where they left off with the same $6,400 asking price.

December 23rd Update – We just confirmed the seller of this “Classifind” deleted their listing, so we’re assuming this one “SOLD!”

December 4th Update – We discovered the private seller of this collector’s edition Roadmaster just lowered his asking price $50o to $6,400 for their highly detailed, LT1-powered station wagon.

As a Concours enthusiast, I enjoy coming across a finely detailed car.  A properly cleaned and detailed automobile can hide years of use.  This 1996 Buick Roadmaster Estate Collector’s Edition originally listed in December 2020 on Craigslist in Chevy Chase, Maryland is a stunning example that appears to be a 20,000-mile survivor, not a highly detailed 203,000 well-used car.  Even if you don’t care for these late model wagons, you need to look at the pictures provided to see the amount of interior and undercarriage detailing the current caretaker put into their Roadmaster.  Offered for $6,900, the Hagerty Insurance Online Valuation Tool confirms this private seller has their Buick priced between the #2 “Excellent” appraisal of $14,500 and the #3 “Good” estimate of $5,500.

1996 was the final year for the GM full-frame classic wagons such as the example presented here.  The Service Identification label pictured confirms this Estate is loaded with options including the very desirable “V92” factory towing package, which means with the Corvette-derived LT1 V8 under the hood this station wagon can tow up to 7,000 pounds by doing the following:  install a weight-distributing hitch, dual sway controls, setting rear tire pressure to 35 PSI, and disabling the Electronic Level Control.  The towing package added 2.93 rear-axle gears and a limited-slip differential, a heavy-duty cooling system including oil and transmission coolers, and a factory-installed self-leveling rear suspension consisting of air shocks, a height sensor between the rear axle and body, and an on-board air compressor.

This eight-minute montage from 1992 talks about the relaunch of the classic Roadmaster brand name:

The fact of how highly detailed and sorted this high-mileage Estate is one of the rare occasions seeing a 200K mile does not give us pause to consider purchasing, especially when the current caretaker performed all of the work ahead of a Cross-Country trek ruined earlier this year by COVID-19.  Good luck with the purchase!

Here’s the seller’s description:

“This is definitely a head-turning eight-seater. The last production year of this iconic body on frame American estate wagon (April ‘96, Collector’s Edition).
I bought the car last December with a plan to make a trip of my life across the USA. In March it become my beloved pandemic car project and unfortunately I had to cancel the trip I was looking forward to. When I bought the car it had 201k miles and was in sound condition with almost no rust but a little bit neglected. Originally the car was blue with fading wood panels which is typical for a car of this age. I’ve changed the color to a brown metallic with nutmeg accents and new light wood grain. The car hasn’t been painted as it would be to difficult for me to achieve the look I was looking for but it has been wrapped with a automotive foil made by Avery Dennison. Please check on the Internet about wrapping.
Other things done since December:
– underbody paint: grey floor, black frame and suspension parts including live axle, driveshaft and arms, blue front and rear coils, red braking parts and sway bar, silver exhaust
– New front and rear (air) shock absorbers (ACDelco)
– New lower and upper ball joints in the front suspension (ACDelco), new coil insulators
– New AC compressor (Valeo), new AC accumulator
– New torque converter
– New front and rear brake hoses
– New spark plugs (ACDelco)
– All fluids changed
– New steering hose
– New battery (production 01/2020)
– New 4 white walls tires installed in September
– New headliner installed in October
– Replaced rear window (I still have the original one)

Everything is in working order (even a light under the hood, power antenna and air suspension compressor). All bulbs are working. No warning light. The car drives effortlessly and smooth. But still it is almost a 25 year old car, so please don’t expect a perfect vehicle (although I would dare to say that the underbody is in nearly perfect condition). This is my third car now and is driven usually on weekends. I’m in no hurry to sell it. The price is negotiable but no low ballers, please. The car has been kept in the garage and I would appreciate if a new owner could keep it this way.
Text me if you have any questions. I am located in Chevy Chase, MD.“

Do you have a Buick Roadmaster story you’d like to share?  Comment below and let us know!