Good morning! It’s Friday, and I’m going to chuck the price cap right out the window today and look at a rather cheap Ferrari, and a rather expensive Buick. What’s the connection between the two? If you’ve already guessed, you get a gold star. If not, I’ll tell you in a minute.
I’ve often been curious what it would take to get 100% of you to vote for one car or the other. That wasn’t my goal yesterday, but I think it’s the closest we’ve ever come. The Cimarron’s high price and poor presentation had you running in the opposite direction, and the Catera won in what might be our most lopsided result yet.
Between these two specific cars, it’s a no-brainer win for the Catera. It’s newer, nicer, in better shape, and has much lower mileage. But I have to be honest: I’d much rather have a really nice Cimarron than a really nice Catera. But that is not a really nice Cimarron.
Now then: Any guesses on the musical connection between these two cars?
It’s Thomas Dolby. More specifically, his 1988 album Aliens Ate My Buick, the lead track of which is “The Key To Her Ferrari.” It’s a weird album, even by Dolby’s standards, and the first and last tracks (the last is titled “Budapest By Blimp“) are by far the best. It’s one of those albums that I just have to listen to once in a while, and I think I might be due to give it another spin. So in honor of it, I chose the cheapest viable Ferrari I could find, and just for fun, a Buick that costs more. Let’s check them out.
1985 Ferrari Mondial QV Cabriolet – $39,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.9-liter dual overhead cam V8, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: Astoria, NY
Odometer reading: 65,000 miles
Operational status: “It runs and drives, but should not be considered truly roadworthy without mechanical servicing”
I don’t think there’s a gearhead my age who didn’t dream of owning a Ferrari when they were young. I know I did. Between Magnum P.I., Miami Vice, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and all the countless magazine articles, posters, toys, model kits, and more, we were inundated with the mythos of the prancing horse. On some level, we all knew they were troublesome, a feeling that has since been confirmed by the lucky few who managed to live the dream. But that doesn’t stop the wanting, especially when you see a Mondial like this for less than forty grand.
At the heart of the Mondial is a tiny V8, mounted transversely behind the rear seats. This one is a Quattrovalvole, “four valves” if you couldn’t guess, displacing 2.9 liters. The transmission is a five-speed manual, of course, with a gated shifter and a “dogleg” gear pattern. That shifter alone was the stuff of dreams; I have yet to drive a Ferrari with one, but someday I will guide that slender lever through its gates. Maybe if I go back to England someday, Adrian will let me drive his. This one runs and drives, but the seller says it is due for “service,” probably meaning a timing belt. Expect to drop a few grand more before you get to enjoy it.
There’s a reason that this Ferrari is the price it is: it definitely has some flaws. Scuffs in the leather, missing carpet in the footwell, and lots of other little signs of wear and tear tell the tale of its 65,000 miles. Personally, I think that’s a good thing; this is a car meant to be driven, not stashed away in some climate-controlled bubble.
It has a few flaws outside too, most notably a missing side-marker light lens on the left front, and some scuffs in the bumper. But again, who cares? It’s an almost-affordable Ferrari, and not one highly sought-after by collectors. Fix up the mechanics, keep it clean and tidy, and enjoy it. It’s what Mr. Ferrari would have wanted.
1987 Buick Grand National – $49,995
Engine/drivetrain: Turbocharged 3.8-liter overhead valve V6, four-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Pompano Beach, FL
Odometer reading: 78,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
Speaking of cars that shouldn’t be babied or left to languish in storage, here we have a final-year General Motors G-body coupe. Eighty percent of it is the same as the beat-up Cutlass Supreme that my college friend Bill drove. But paint it black, slap a turbocharger on the 3.8-liter V6, and give it a mean stance, and it becomes a legend.
You could actually order the turbocharged V6 in any ’87 Regal, even the grandma-spec landau roof version. And of course, 1987 was also the year of the ultimate G-body coupe, the astonishing GNX. But you won’t touch one of those for less than Super Bowl Halftime Show money. For the rest of us, Buick built plenty of “ordinary” Grand Nationals. This one has just had an engine overhaul, a new turbo, and a bunch of other mechanical work. The seller says they wouldn’t hesitate to drive it across the country, and personally, I think that would be a fun road trip.
One look at the Grand National’s interior will tell you this is a car of the people. It has a few special bits, like bucket seats, a center console, and a cool three-spoke steering wheel, but the dash is standard-issue Regal, complete with a wide speedometer that only goes to 85. It’s almost as if Buick wanted people to bury that needle on the far side, just to be able to say they did. It’s in nice condition, but not so nice that you can’t (carefully) hit a McDonald’s drive-thru with it. The seller notes that there is a small tear in the rear seat, and the tachometer doesn’t work. You don’t need it with an automatic, anyway.
If you wanted any color other than black, you had to order a Regal T-Type instead of a Grand National. But why would you do that? This car looks so good, so purposeful, that it would look silly in any other color. This one has been repainted, and it looks great. It sounds like the seller isn’t afraid to drive this car, and doesn’t expect anyone else to be, either. It’s a refreshing change from the “keep it perfect forever” mentality that too often goes along with cars like this.
Obviously these are out of reach for most of us, but just imagine you hit it big on a lottery ticket, or inherited some money with the stipulation that you spend it on something just for you. Which one are you going for?
Any vehicle where an “engine out” is considered regular maintenance is a hard pass from me.
Both are priced well beyond what I’d pay for either. As I’m forced to choose, though, I’m taking the very overpriced Buick over the maybe-somewhat-less-overpriced Ferrari. The fact that the seller indicates that the Mondial is not really road-worthy is pretty much all that I need to know. The Buick is more reliable, more fixable, and ultimately more drivable than the Ferrari. And what the hell, it would be fun to bomb around in. Don’t get me wrong – I would LOVE to have a Ferrari. Just not that one.
So for $40k + @$10k in service bills I can get a droptop Ferrari in a paint color thats not red?
Where do I sign?
A broken down Ferrari needing a $10k maintenance job or a turbo charged GN with recent maintenance on all the worrisome bits? Both are too expensive but GN for parts availability
I just can’t ever make sense of why anyone likes those Buicks.
Well by the vote you are in the minority although not a fan of all black it loses the scope of the body curves
Finally, a kindred spirit!!
Having owned a (normal) 86 Buick Regal, I am incapable of liking these cars. I respect them for the bright spot they were in the depth of the malaise era, but they are not and will never be a car I wish to acquire.
Now a Syclone or a Typhoon? Sign me up.
Neither one is a car I’d spend my own money on. Even if I had FU money. But if I had to buy one, it’d be the Buick.
The Grand National is still one of my favorite cars ever. I will own one some day.
When I was 18, I was out with a friend in his mom’s new Mustang GT, and another friend pulled up alongside in his Grand National….
That Grand National had been boosted even higher, and it absolutely stomped that Mustang GT.
I also had a crush on the owner of that GN but that’s beside the point.
This was difficult, but gotta go Mondial. Hey, Adrian has one…it’s got to be good! At least it’s stick and has a V8. I’ve also always loved the Testarossa as my favorite Ferrari.
The V6 in the Buick is still great especially w/ the turbo; and these cars are legendary. Too bad it’s an auto but if I chose it would manual swap. I’ll fix up the Mondial good and have a whole hell of a lot of fun driving it
This is an interesting exercise in contradictions.
A Ferrari made it that many miles? Huh? Really?
A Buick (loosley) ‘assembled’ (probably after a liquid lunch) by people who hated their jobs and lives?
We need a neither vote today.
I had to think about this one, but the prompt “imagine if you won the lottery” cinched it.
I have always liked the Mondial, I have always liked G-bodies. Lets see, lottery, so time on my hands. Lottery, so time to get what you want… So I’m getting the project Ferrari, and then buying a T-type G body, one for something to do, the other because I like G-bodies with paint.
I have never understood the concept of a gated shifter. In the 68 orbits of the sun I’ve been on this planet, I’ve only done a potential money shift once in my life and that was in a Datsun pickup truck. The engine gods were smiling on me as it was raining and coming off the freeway, I accidentally hit 2nd instead of 4th. The rear end sliding out as the engine was starting to race was an immediate clue to stab the clutch pedal.
I’m not anti-Buick. My in-laws had a luxurious Park Avenue that back in the day I equated with a Jaguar XJ. Adequate power from its 3800 V6 and a very competent suspension.
But for $10K less, I’ll take the Ferrari. GNs were never my thing.
I’ve never heard Thomas Dolby before, what a splendid discovery! Thank you, Mark! The lyrics and ambiance of “Budapest by Blimp” are so appropriate.
Now, cars.
Ferrari.
She Blinded Me, With Science! One of Our Submarines. I Love You. Goodbye.
So many good songs. He’s really underrated. If you stream music, just let it run wild with random songs by him. There’s even a reference to a dirty Datsun in the last title cited.
This is really hard. I went to HS in north Jersey in the late ’80s, the Grand Nash was probably the single most desirable car out there. But I’m really not a muscle car guy. But if I had some reason to do a road trip with Rich & Larry, hit Victoria Diner at 3 am…
OTOH, I’ve always been a Porsche guy, not a Ferrari guy, and I never loved the styling of the Mondial. But a 5-speed convertible is me a lot more than a Buick, and I dig the idea of an exotic that you can treat more like a Miata and less like a museum piece.
Screw it, I haven’t heard from Rich & Larry in years, I’ll take the prancing horse.
Maybe I’m a weirdo, but in spite of Magnum’s 308, Crockett’s Daytona and Testarossa, Cameron’s dad’s 250 GT, Agent Goodspeed’s commandeered F355, and the fake priests’ 308, I was never enamored by Ferraris as a kid. All cool cars for sure, but having a Testarossa (or Countach) poster on your wall as an 80s/90s car kid was just too…predictable.
The Mondial styling has always left me cold. Conversely, the Grand National is one of my favorite cars of the 80s, so it gets an easy vote from me.
Ferrari for me, but for all the Kendrick fans:
“All I ever wanted was a black Grand National
F@#k being rational, give ’em what they ask for”
If I HAVE to pick I’m picking the Ferrari.
In reality do you know how many Saabs this amount of money could buy?
Part of me wants to buy the Mondial and swap the engine and trans into a 308GT4. I never have been on board with the Mondial styling. So many weird styling choices. I know that mid-engine 2+2 autos sometimes are tricky to design, but this is a low point for Pininfarina.