RARE 1969 BUICK SPORTWAGON 400, ORIGINAL,RUST FREE, 46500 MILES

[dross1958]

My car collection is just too darn large, so I am putting a couple of cars up for sale in order to reduce the size and give myself some more room. Don't bother lowballing or offering trades - I am not interested.  I want it to go to someone who will truly appreciate it or I am fine keeping it and selling off something else.   $ 34,995. or best offer.

This is a super rare 1969 Buick Sportwagon 400. Just over 46,000 original miles, 400 CI v8, 4 bbl carb ( same as the Buick GS 400 muscle cars ), ice cold a/c, automatic transmission, power steering, power brakes, power seat, remote drivers mirror, tilt steering column, speed minder, clock, posi-traction rear end, power tailgate window, dual tailgate option, rear seat sunvisors and there is probably something I am missing. Everything has been cleaned, scrubbed and polished to bring it to the condition it is in, but it is an unrestored, original car. There are some signs of use throughout,  but good luck finding another one like it. As of today, everything with the exception of the clock and the drivers remote mirror works well ( even the a/c is cold ) . Very powerful car that starts right up, runs very strong with no leaks, smoking, weird noises.  You can chirp and spin the rear wheels if you put your foot into it. 

With the exception of maintenance and safety items, everything is as GM made it. I have only changed the tires, brake parts, fluids, tune up parts , belts and hoses. 

I still drive this car a few times a week so the mileage will go up slightly from what is stated. As it is a 50 year old unrestored used car, it is sold as is, where is, with no warranties. If you want more photos or want to see or drive the car, just contact me.

 

Edited December 30, 2018 by dross1958 (see edit history)

[Laughing Coyote]

Cool!  I like.

[Matt Harwood]

As someone who loves wagons, that's WAY cool. The fact that it's a factory 400 car has to make it extremely rare. Someone will have a great Buick that will be a lot of fun to drive and show. Nice find!

[61polara]

It's a very nice car, but I believe it has been repainted in the factory color and the woodgrain eliminated.  The wood grain should be inside the stainless moldings.  The lesser models did not have woodgrain and also did not have the stainless moldings.

[dross1958]

No, not correct sorry.  I have the 1969 Buick Color & Trim book from GM right here on my bookshelf.  The ' lesser models ' were in fact the regular Sportwagons just like you showed in the ad,  NOT the Sportwagon 400.  Additionally, as with any GM wagon, you could always order any wagon without the faux wood decals.  My dad had been doing that every time he bought a wagon and it confirms it in the Buick binder. 

[61polara]

Not wanting to start an argument here, I agree that the wood graining was a delete option, but did Buick still install the trim outlining where the wood graining would have been?  This is a 400 with wood grain delete and no trim, which is how I would expect the delete optioned car to be delivered.  I'm open to change my mind with a little documentation.  Do you have the build card from Buick?  Again, you have a very nice car.

Edited December 31, 2018 by 61polara (see edit history)

[AnniesSS]

It is simply gorgeous as is!  Wish I could take it home as it's something I would love to have.

[dibarlaw]

16 hours ago, 61polara said:

Not wanting to start an argument here, I agree that the wood graining was a delete option, but did Buick still install the trim outlining where the wood gaining would have been?  This is a 400 with wood grain delete and no trim, which is how I would expect the delete optioned car to be delivered.  I'm open to change my mind with a little documentation.  Do you have the build card from Buick?  Again, you have a very nice car.

Dave :

Thanks for asking the question. My opinion was that the green car came with the wood grain as no one would have added all the border trim otherwise. While working for a Buick dealer in the mid 1970s I remember customers of these wood grained wagons getting disgusted replacing the (expensive) decal sheets when they would get nicks and scrapes. The replacement would never match since the originals would fade and stand out on an adjacent panel. Several customers came to ask me to remove the sheets and repaint in the body color.

 I was able to remove most of the woodgrain film using a hair dryer. I was able to clean and polish about 1/2 of the areas without repainting. The damaged areas of course I had to repaint.

[Walt G]

Larry, Have a question about these cars - a friend bought one new and had issues when new, of the glass panels in the roof leaking - the ones over the rear seat. Was this just an issue with his car or was this something that did happen and was later attended to at the dealership under direction /advisement by GM. Just curious, not knocking these cars or that body style in any way. I always thought they were really stunning looking .

Walt G.

[John_Mereness]

37 minutes ago, Walt G said:

Larry, Have a question about these cars - a friend bought one new and had issues when new, of the glass panels in the roof leaking - the ones over the rear seat. Was this just an issue with his car or was this something that did happen and was later attended to at the dealership under direction /advisement by GM. Just curious, not knocking these cars or that body style in any way. I always thought they were really stunning looking .

Walt G.

Walt, spent a lot of time as a kid in Ed Wyle's Vista Cruiser (it leaked, but was still a cool car).

[Lebowski]

On 12/29/2018 at 4:32 PM, Laughing Coyote said:

Cool!  I like.

 

I agree. It's much better looking than the Family Truckster... 

 

 

[Laughing Coyote]

Instead of a wood grain decal you could do a carbon fiber decal.  That would go with the tinted windows and break up the green.  

[dibarlaw]

22 hours ago, Walt G said:

Larry, Have a question about these cars - a friend bought one new and had issues when new, of the glass panels in the roof leaking - the ones over the rear seat. Was this just an issue with his car or was this something that did happen and was later attended to at the dealership under direction /advisement by GM. Just curious, not knocking these cars or that body style in any way. I always thought they were really stunning looking .

Walt G.

 

[dibarlaw]

Walt:

 Yes this was a warranty issue if caught in a time limit of a new or used car. I remember spending a lot of time inside cars with a flash light and headliners removed while water was flowed over the cars looking for leaks. A bit cramped for a 200 pounder like me crawling around in trunks doing the same.

[Walt G]

Thank you for answering this Larry  , I thought there had to be some gasket or seal issue for it to do that when new. Guess the cars in Arizona and in that section of the USA didn't hear to much about the issue.

 

I have a leaky rear window in my Buick - sometimes -  but don't complain as it is well out of warranty , it is a 1940 Roadmaster series 70  conv sedan.  But I still drive it in the rain. The heater in the Roadmaster works really well, sort of  almost to well . It is "off" or "on" and when on it is hot enough to melt your shoelaces ! I love that car 😄. Doug Seybold sorted it out mechanically for me after I bought it. It spent a little time in Doug's shop  when it was on it's way from the West coast ( where I bought it) to East coast a few years ago. Hell's Angels chapter in San Francisco owned it for a while, planned to haul their Harley's around in the back of it with the top down. They never got to that point though.

Thanks again Larry.

Walt

[John_S_in_Penna]

For people to ponder:  Here's a picture of ANOTHER

1969 Buick Sportwagon with the same moldings that

people have been questioning.  Whether the car's sides

were painted from the factory, or whether the woodgrain

was removed, I can't say:

 

 

[dross1958]

After looking at factory literature, factory photos and the 69 Buick Color and Trim book, it seems the Sportwagon 400 came with the trim whether you deleted the fake wood decal or not and the lesser cars did not. 

[61polara]

dross1958, that is great information.  Can you post the documentation you found to help the rest of us clear this up?

[dross1958]

There is too much to scan and attach here.  Anyone can find the same information if they look in the 1969 Buick Color and Trim binder as well as the 1969 Buick Salesman's Guide etc. 

[Guest]

Now, if only we all had a 1969 Buick Color and Trim Binder. 😄