2JZ Yo: 1984 Buick Regal

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far far away, a really long time ago, there was a parallel universe where bearded Spocks ran amok.  They snatched the inventor of the Buick V6 and forced him to work at 7-11s (which only dispense soylent green from warm slurpee machines...it is a really terrible place) and Buick goes for years without a proper 6-cylinder engine, until the day that Toyota agrees to provide Buick with versions of Beyonce's favorite engine, (Beyonce is not a pop diva in this universe, she is a polydactic classical guitar player who made a fortune in frivolous litigation) the two-Jay-zed.  Errr...2JZ. Anyway, the 2JZ powered Buick Regals sold quite well and were equipped with a faux woodgrain interior and a spare plastic center console installed haphazardly where the passenger seat should be.  Beyonce is lucky this car has 2JZ under the hood because it'll fit none-Jay-Zees in the interior.  Find this 1984 Buick Regal with 2JZ swap offered for $1600 near Dallas, TX via craigslist.

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Thursday Twister: Tax Return Car

For this week's Thursday Twister, it is time to start thinking about taxes -- not paying them, but what are you going to do with that juicy return.  According to some article I read on the world wild web, the average US return for the 2015 tax year was $2,860, so that is your budget.  What do you get?

Kingly Fun For Pauper Price: 1988 Pontiac Fiero 3800SC

The Pontiac Fiero is one of the unsung heroes of the American 80s car scene.  It doesn't get top billing at car shows around the country, but it offers a fun combination of composite body and mid engine handling in a stylish package...but it gets even better when you turn up the power.  Find this 1988 Pontiac Fiero 3800SC offered for $2,000 in Ashley, IN via Craigslist.  Tip from Eric B.

Ready For James May: 1986 Buick Regal

The Grand Tour has been a surprisingly good replacement for the old BBC Top Gear -- the new BBC version with the guy from Friends and the guy with the big glasses (oh wait...goggles guy got the sack) had the same great production value but was lacking in chemistry.  It was as if NASA had been given the job of creating the next generation Mazda MX-5 -- building a wonderful display of technology but completely lacking in soul.  When Hammond, Clarkson, & May left they took all of the character away -- including such seemingly meaningless (to a TV executive) things as May's paisley shirts.  You might not want to wear an ugly shirt like May, but you could drive in the next best thing -- find this 1986 Buick Regal offered for $3,000 near Chiraq, IL. Tip from RockOn.

Stately G-Body: 1981 Buick Regal

Are you a product of the eighties?  Do you nostalgically look upon your old high school photos and long for your prized mullet?  Is old Brylcreem filling your bathroom vanity cabinet?  If so, your in luck!  Dust off those Dayton boots and start kickin' it old skool!  Find this 1981 Buick Regal for sale in Aldergrove, BC Canada for $3,500 CDN via craigslist.

Auction Watch: 1983 Buick Regal Wagon GNX Clone

Find this 1983 Buick Regal Wagon GNX Clone here on eBay bidding for $2,025 reserve-not-met with 1 day to go, located in Olympia, WA.  H/T to Oddimotive. 

Catdog Car: 1991 & 1992 Conjoined Buick Regals

I know what you are thinking. Who wants to read a feature about a crummy 1996 Oldsmobile Aurora? Look closer, however, and you will find that this is actually two crummy Buick Regals that have been sawed in half and welded together.  The question is, what would you do with it? Find this 1991 & 1992 Conjoined Regal(s) for $3,500 via craigslist.

Buick Regal Based: 1979 DiNapoli Coupe

Pacific Coachworks was a California based coach builder that created a pimp-mobile style custom out of a '79 Buick Regal and 42 additional inches of wheelbase.  Information on the DiNapoli Coupe is limited to a few scanned vintage new articles, but it seems to have been led in some fashion by Nicholas DiNapoli and his wife (or daughter?) Meg DiNapoli.  Find this 1979 DiNapoli Coupe offered here on eBay for $15,000 buy-it-now located in Buckhead, GA.

Two Tone Suit: 2004 Buick Regal Joseph Abboud Edition

Words and tip by Andy L:  For some reason, car makers seem to benefit from building vehicles that are emblazoned with a familiar name brand.  Such cross-branding makes perfect sense in some cases.  Take the Lotus-tuned suspension on an Isuzu Impulse or the Maserati tuned Chrysler TC as an example.  Who wouldn't want a daily driver with internals breathed upon by these foreign auto makers with rich racing histories?  In retrospect, me neither.  Find this 2004 Buick Regal Joseph Abboud Edition with only 32k miles on the odo offered for $7,599 in Omaha, NE via craigslist.

1k: Why You Frontin'? 1989 Buick Regal

 Not only does this 1989 Buick Regal (offered for $700 on Denver craigslist) not have a Trans Am front end (as per the seller), it doesn't even have a Grand Am front end -- the custom parts come from a 5th generation Grand Prix.

5k: Seller Submission: 1963 Studebaker Lark Regal

Update 10-Aug-2014: DT regular Andy's Studebaker Lark is back up for sale on ebay with lowered reserve and asking price.  Find his 1963 Studebaker Lark Regal here on ebay, and read the original write-up below.

22-July-2014: The Studebaker Lark was built from 1959 through 1966, assembled at Studebaker's South Bend, Indiana manufacturing plant.  The sales of the first generation in 1959 and 1960 were surpisingly good, because the big three hadn't released their compacts yet, but once the Tempest, Corvair, II/ Nova, Falcon, and Dart/Lancer hit the showrooms in 1960/61, the Studebaker Lark sales cool considerably.  A restyled Lark was launched in 1962 with a nicely restyled design led by Brooks Stevens, who was famous for the Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk, '49 Harley Davidson Hydra-Glide, Jeep Wagoneer, Miller Brewing Logo, Oscar Meyer Wienermobile and those hideous Excalibur Roadsters that look vaguely like a 1930s Mercedes and ride on old Studebaker chassis.  Regardless the Lark remains one of the better deals on a compact classic and would make a decent casual driver.  Find this 1963 Studebaker Lark Regal currently bidding for $2,050 reserve-not-met with a $5,500 buy-it-now on ebay located in Reno, NV.  Seller submission from Andrew.

15k: Vader's Coupe: 1986 Buick Regal Grand National

The Buick Regal  was a G-body coupe from General Motors that introduced the US to turbocharged performance and in 1978 was one of three cars available with a factory turbo; the others were the SAAB 99 and Porsche 911 Turbo.  While the 99 and 911 were available with manual transmissions beset with turbo lag, the Regal Grand National was an automatic transmission equipped cruiser that used a low pressure turbo and big displacement to create virtually instant boost response.  Find this 1986 Buick Regal Grand National for sale in Largo, FL currently bidding for $13,788 reserve-not-met with 4 days to go.

15k: Vader's Buick: 1987 Buick Regal Grand National

The 2nd generation Buick Grand National was the last vehicle from Buick to not be a total snooze fest.  It was rear wheel drive, available with turbocharged V6 engines and styled aggressively.  We normally don't promote show cars on DT, but this time we will make an exception because it looks mean.  Find this 1987 Buick Grand National modified custom currently bidding on ebay for $16,302 with 1 day to go in Los Angeles, CA.