newer owner of a 96 rmw

bought a 96 rmw and absolutly love it!!,it has 137,000 miles on it and from what i see on here is it has some life left in it if i properly maintain it. it has the lt1 350 its a collectors addition(but i think all 96 were)? its not a limited but is optioned nicely,i really love the gran touring suspension! since this is my first rmw i was curious as to what i should look for as far as things that might need replaced concerning the miles? so glad i found this site ill add pics as soon as i can figure out how to post them,lol

i also wanted to know is full synthetic oil,that much better than a synthetic blend?

Welcome...Plenty of life left in your ride,many members have 200k plus mileage.

thanks,,,,yeah ive been reading on here and these wagons are built to last!

Welcome to the forum I run Mobil1 10w30 with 163K on the RMW. Jeff

Welcome and only synthetic in all my cars. Run a good filter. I change it at 6k and I am sure I have a lot of overhead on that number.

Welcome! These cars are tanks in many ways. I don't have mine yet but I have no problem with a nice high mileage car.

As far as it being a collector's item, you are preaching to the choir here. To us, they are ALL collector's items.

Welcome to our little corner of the world.

Dave

thanks dave,i took my rmw to a local car show today,and the amount of positive feed back was awesome,my roady has typical ohio rust issues,a few dents and dings,and a cpl trim problems,although it has these issues it was a crowd pleaser.people loved the lt1 350,the vista roof,,and the overall size of the beast! i didn't win a trophy but the folks i talked too was what its all about,once i get it running like i want,i intend to "try" to make it to wf 2015!im not one to replace a good working part in order to ensure it won't go out during the trip i.e. water pump or alternator,i tend to tempt fate and wing it!so if I'm good money wise i just might make it!

I think the Roadmaster Wagons are usually more optioned than the other wagons since they are Buick's answer to the Cadillac. All the wagons are attention getters. It's something we all get used to pretty quick. Glad you're here. Paul

yeah paul,i think your right all the wagons are head turners and thanks for everyone wecolming me in!

I love my '96 Roady. Here's a list off the top of my head:

- Never slam the doors, as the 94-96 door panels were a "quickie" redesign and are fragile. Cracks in front of the front arm rest pads are common, and in some cases cracks can happen all over the lower panels. Also the wood strips on the panels is prone to coming off. Again, close the doors easy, no slamming.

- Window rollers/sliders breaking are a common issue, causing windows to appear off-track and open or close wrong. Not a difficult repair, lots of info on how to fix it, and fix it for good, on this forum.

- Wood outline trim peels, and can be either painted or polished. Again, info here.

- Fuel gauges can be in-accurate. Mine works right, but others complain, especially after replacing fuel pumps.

- Tune-ups on the LT1 are a pain do to the Optispark distributor on the front of the engine, and the way the plug wires are run.

- Transmissions on these cars die as early as 100K miles, often with no warning. But some folks have over 300K on the original trans, so you never know.

- Water leaks are common. Check your spare tire well and carpet for dampness after the next rain. Thankfully lots of fixes are listed on this forum.

- Changing the oil in your rear axle would be a good idea at your mileage. Make sure to add Limited Slip additive.

Just things off the top of my head! Post pics when you can!

-Mike

Interior

Trying to post pictures

Do all the wagons have limited slip?

Nope, many did but I think most were peg-leggers, if you have a limited slip tag and/or if you have the G80 code on you SPID tag is the limited slip code.

I believe that I have a peg leg, lol

Welcome aboard! At work so can't see any pics....

If you have dual electric fans, I'd wager you do not have a posi unit. A mechanical fan = factory tow-pack car, however, not all tow packs got a posi unit. I've never seen a factory posi in a non tow pack car.

GW9 = 2.93 rear (tow pack rear). Forget what the 2.56 is but they were the only two options for wagons in LT1 years.

Also if you have a tag hanging off a bolt on the rear, it's posi (but may have been removed).

It has dual electric fans so I'm sure it's not posi thank you for that info, as a new owner I disn't know that!