1970 Chevelle SS 396 vs Buick GS Stage 1 455

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Curious as to opinions which car, the 1970 Chevelle SS 396 or the 1970 Buick GS 455 Stage 1 has the most appeal and what their values might be for a mint car. Chevelles seem to get the most attention and cost the most but the Buicks are nice. They just don't seem to sell for the same amount.
 
I would think the Buicks would be more rare and therefore more expensive. In my youth, I got to drive a SS 396, GTO, Corvette 454, and later a Buick Gran National turbo. The GTO and GN were the fastest. The Vette was a Dog because they had just started with the detuned pollution controls. I think that 454 had maybe 200hp.
 
If you're talking stock power, the 455 has more torque, over 500 ft. lbs. (in 1970, the year of my brother's GS 455 convertible), but the BB Chevy is a LOT cheaper to build and find performance parts for. A good example is the weak oil pump/front cover design on the Buick engines-if you groove the aluminum timing cover where the oil pump gears are, it is fairly tough & expensive to fix ($250 aftermarket front cover, $75 set of pump gears, IF the front cover works). Performance heads are another issue, there's a lot more available for the BB Chevy.
 
I raced muscle cars In the late 1970's and drove a 1970 Dodge Coronet R/T to high school with a factory 440 6pack.
The buick was hard to beat but the Chevelle wasn't even in the same league until you got the 454 in one, this was in stock form of course
 
Originally Posted by Geeorge
I raced muscle cars In the late 1970's and drove a 1970 Dodge Coronet R/T to high school with a factory 440 6pack.
The buick was hard to beat but the Chevelle wasn't even in the same league until you got the 454 in one, this was in stock form of course


Likewise here, with a 454 4speed/3.73 gears here. Never ran better than a low 13 even with minor mods. More of a "fast" car than a "quick one, for sure...
 
having another cookie cuter ride like with hardleys is not interesting for sure, different is nice but more costly + today there are FEW older muscle cars on the road. as usual your pockets $$$ + what you want it for will determine what to buy. a plain jane older classic can be a fun low cost ride. bought a like new 72 cutlass 350 hardtop with a duce on it with a slush box, add a cam + a 4 barrel + shift kit you got a fun economical ride, in fact i see it regularly as i sold it locally + the new owner keeps it nice + enjoys it as i did without breaking the bank!! do you want a driver or something to look at + do car shows!!
 
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The Buick mainly because I believe it to be more valuable with the same color exterior, interior, and the identical options. The Buick cost more new and that is why the production numbers are lower. I know a guy that bought one brand new, kept it nice with low miles, and still owns it.
 
I'm partial to the GS, just because it was a bit different. I had a 442 and most of my friends had various Chevelles, except for one, who found a GS. By the time we got them, there were more rust holes than intact sheet metal, but we had a blast racing and wrenching. I'm sure none survived, but around here a mint, numbers-matching example of any of them would fetch far more than most new cars.
 
There are less Buick collectors around but that is tempered by less Buicks vs Chevys. But the GS is the better car imo since it's far scarcer than the Chevelle SS. In the end it comes down to condition. Consider rust free orig sheet metal or replaced body panels or patched areas. That's a big swing . Original stamped VIN on engine and Trans are big pluses as are original data plates, factory paperwork, build sheets, etc. Color and options play a strong role too. The right color, the right docs, matching #'s, orig sheet metal, 1-3 previous owners are all things that drive the value. 2 seemingly "identical" cars could be 2X difference in price because of all "the extras."

Buick GS stage 1 is pretty good bang for the buck. Probably one of the best underrated muscle cars out there. Everyone knows Chevelle SS, Boss Mustang, GTO's, Hemi Cuda's and Charger 6 packs, Not so many are familiar with Olds 442 and Buick GS. The GS is even less widely known than the 442. And the GS455 over the GS400 is a nice step UP. My grandma owned a 1964 Buick Wildcat 4 door with the 400 ci engine. That was a pretty fast car for what it was. Had fun driving that in the early to mid 70's.
 
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kstanf150 said:
Buick 455 will eat that Chevy 396 everyday all day !![/quote
A more fair comparison would be the Buick 455 GSX vs the Chevy 454 LS6. The 1970 396 and the LS5 454's were slugs.
IIRC the 1970 GSX was one of the fastest muscle cars ever. Right up there with the Hemi in 1970.
 
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