4th Gen. Caprice?

You're talking about '91 to '96, right?

I always liked the '91 and '92 with the "skirted" rear wheel wells. However, the LT1 cars from '94-'96 are obviously the ones to have as far as power goes.

In my opinion it's a proven platform (the chassis design is similar to the previous generation) and it worked well for cops and taxis. Very comparable, in my limited experience, to the Crown Vic/Grand Marquis...

Clem

we liked ours a lot (93 Roadmonster Wagon). My mom still tells the story of how when she first got it and let her mom drive it, Grandmother said "Oh, Alice, this drives just like it should."

It could tow a boat, look cool (I know, I'm weird), and it was comfy.

better than crown vic.

i'd love to find another 91-92 with an immaculate body and LS1 swap it, i like the skirted wheelwells. i had a 91 for a while that was nice but cleveland winters took their toll and the need for cash to make my work truck run forced me to sell it.

i love the wagons as well, i'm half-assed trying to pick up a wrecked 94 roadmonster since i have a full donor car for any parts it needs.

In urban terms, this style of Caprice is a "bubble".

Which means folks are paying top dollar for these in order to paint them metalflake green and fit 24" rims. Maybe in more rural areas this isn't happening and the prices are reasonable.

Yeah, you see the non-skirted sedans on 20+ rims TOO often in my area.

My favorite Caprices, in this order: 1.) the down-sized late '70s/early '80s...but only the 2 doors and MAYBE the wagons.

2.) the '67s, again only the 2 doors. The styling took a lot of cues from the same year Cadillac Eldorado, but the CORRECT wheels are the drive wheels and you have the very moddable Chevy engines...small and big blocks.

They are pretty durable. A friend of mine, his father used a wood panel Buick Roadmaster for his cleaning business and never had a problem with it. It was very comfortable and cool to ride in to middle school dances in also.!

I drove a roadmaster, I didnt really care for it much. Its something like sitting in a recliner watching tv rather than driving a car.

I had an 89 9C1, Dad had a 91. THe 91 was downright scary. The ass was too light and made wet/snow driving a challenge. The 89 was a solid, stable car even at triple digit speeds.

The plus to the 91: It would coast forever! Achieving fast speeds was easy in it compared to the "shaped like a walmart building" 89.

I wouldn't drive a non-9C1 because of the uber-soft suspension, but would rock a 9C1 in a heartbeat.

great old car. hard to find a decent one for a reasonable number around here. Even beaters with 305's and a little rust bring more than they should.

I'll keep my "inferior" 2002 P71 I payed under $4k for.

All I see of them in my area are rusted beyond beliefe. But i would love a B-O-P wagon with the LT1 stroked to 383, with an LT4 top end and a blower backed up by a T56

I just got a rusty/ugly '83 Chevy truck with a 6.2 liter diesel this weekend. I have crazy thoughts of using the truck as an engine donor for a caprice...

Twisted...yep. It would still be cool. Like a rolling lounge, towing stuff, burning biofuel!

Clem

I had a 77 Impala Wagon with the 350 and it was great, my girlfriend at the time had a 2-Door Caprice with the smaller V8 and it sucked buttholes. Prices for high-mileage Impalla SS are often reasonable if someone used them as a DD and aren't hoping to have some priceless classic on their hands. They will run forever, so who cares if you start with 100,000 miles? Personally, I would for the Roadmaster Wagon with the skylight roof thingy and the thrid row seats or the Hot Rod Caprice Wagon:

YES:

YES:

NO:

I had an 89 9C1. Same underpinnings as the bubbles. Shocks and a front swaybar make it handle decent (for a land barge). Engine is choked from the factory - duals and an air-cleaner are totally worth it (noise and power!). Indestructible cars. An LT1 car would be more fun, but more money. Not sure if civvy Caprices got the LT1 (I think just the SS, some of the wagons, and the 9C1). The Roadmaster civvy wagon had the Lt1 - nice cars - wish they still built them.

I believe all B-bodies from '94-'96 had the LT1 or L99 (baby LT1...smaller displacement). It's not at all uncommon to find LT1s in civilian/pedestrian models, in my experience. Of course, it's also not uncommon to find the L99...buyer beware.

Clem

There used to be some real good info HERE but I haven't been there in a while.

Love em! If they weren't ludicrous expensive or rusted to the ground I would buy one. I'm partial to the 94-96 versions, especially the 96 Impala SS with the floor shift. Also love the Roadie Wagons with the cool roof. The "Double Bubble Tax" up here isn't so bad, but they didn't survive winters so well. I almost jumped on a 96 LT1 9C1 with Impala clone work almost done that really just needed paint, but I already had the P71 and didn't feel like spending money to step back 5 years and 50K miles. Still way cool in my book.

Two of my neigbors owned Caprice variants. One had a white Buick Roadmaster wagon with the faux-wood panels. It was smooth as butter to ride in and absolutely huge. With some coaxing, he could make the rear wheels smoke a little.
Another neighbor breifly owned a black '95 Impala SS. It had big rims (but not blingy dubs) and it was lowered on an airbag suspension. The low stance, the tinted windows, and a badass-sounding exhaust made it a very sinister-looking car. It looked like something the Feds would roll up to your house in before they take you away, never to be heard from again. I can see why the 94-96 Impala SS are my dad's favorite cars.

Here's mine. Soon to get a 383 stroker with a T56 and 4.10 rear with an Eaton 800# posi. The parts are all here, I just have to assemble the engine and magically come up with enough money to buy a spare car for all the downtime.

I have a '93 Roadmaster woodie wagon that I beat the E36 M3 out of and I LOVE it. Toss up between that and my '01 P71. My parts car '91 305 Caprice was uncool (and I think may have been crushed by now), but the 350 wagon... Well, nobody really seems to understand why I love it so much. I just do.

If I end up "resto"ring/modding it, I have a plan. New vinyl wood and replace the Buick dark burgundy with the '05 Mustang Legend Lime color. Adapters and Z06 wheels (probably four fronts all the way 'round), LS2 T56... Yeah, I am dreaming but just thinking of my beater in that kind of shape makes me happy all over.

The thing runs great, no matter what I do to it. But really, no matter how cool it is, how much money should you put into a $350 car??

integraguy wrote: Yeah, you see the non-skirted sedans on 20+ rims TOO often in my area. My favorite Caprices, in this order: 1.) the down-sized late '70s/early '80s...but only the 2 doors and MAYBE the wagons.

The coupes that have that square cut back window are just awesome looking.

As far as the bubble ones, I've never cared for the skirted quarter panels. I like the later ones better.

I've just been offered a 74 Impala coupe for free, but my freakin' trailer isn't big enough to haul it. I'm sure I could sell it to someone that wants to put some 24's on it and paint it candy green.

They're awesome and my taste will change daily on which variation I like the most.

Me, too, Duende. I still love my Roadmaster wagon but I see there is an Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser wagon an hour away. I have been wondering whether to pick it up and sell my Roadmaster.

I really enjoyed my 86. I relocated the passenger door 2 feet closer to the driver, bent the frame in the middle so that it dragged the ground while driving, smashed the front end in and the engine and radiator became one, plus the drive shaft bent and would keep trying to come through the floor. Only reason it stopped running was it ran out of gas in the final round. Not sure why GM ever installed a radiator, 305's work just fine air cooled.

Might get a 4th gen wagon to tow with someday.