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Memories of My 1992 Buick Roadmaster
Back when I was 24, money was always tight as I worked seasonally. That’s when I came across a great deal on a 1992 Buick Roadmaster. A friend sold it to me for a steal because their grandfather had passed away, and they just wanted the car gone.
Driving the Buick into the shop where I worked, my boss couldn’t help but compliment it. He had a 68 Toro, a well-kept luxury car that he missed dearly. He would often brag about it and take us for drives on nice days when work was slow.
The Unexpected Trade
One day, while we were working on a job site, my boss surprised me by suggesting a trade – my Buick for his Toro. I thought he was joking, but he was serious. A week later, we signed the titles over to each other, and the trade was done.
While the Toro was a fun car to own, it was expensive to maintain. The 455 “400-HP Force-Air” HO engine was thirsty, getting only about 9 miles to the gallon. As a young person on a tight budget, I could barely afford to keep it fueled.
Moving On
After a year, my girlfriend and I split up, and I needed to move out of our shared apartment. With no savings to rely on, I had to sell the Toro to cover the costs of a new place. Surprisingly, I made a significant profit over what I initially paid for the Buick.
Even now, more than 20 years later, I still fondly remember the Toro. Its unique design, hidden lights, and roller style speedometer set it apart. I used to get looks at stoplights because people recognized it as a muscle car but couldn’t identify the model.
Unforgettable Features
The Toro came equipped with a factory 8-Track player and a case of tapes in the trunk, ranging from the Beach Boys to Gordon Lightfoot. One amusing anecdote from the time I had it up for sale involved a specialty dealer who only dealt with high-performance classic cars.
I called them up and mentioned my 68 Old Toro with the 455 Force Air big block, all original. The response I got was, “Nope, we only buy high-performance classic cars. Sorry, not interested.” It seemed that 400HP and 500 lb-ft of torque straight from the factory weren’t impressive enough for them!
While I made a profit from selling the Toro, parting ways with such a unique and beloved car was bittersweet. The Toronado remains, in my opinion, one of the best-looking vehicles of all time.
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