Repair-It

It's clean enough that I think I could even accept white.

Color comparison

White (classic) Black (also classic) Correction: this may be Adriatic Blue Light driftwood (I think this is also a Fleetwood color) - it has more silver/gray in it than beige. Nice color. I think all these colors look good, actually. I like them all for different reasons. So there's at least four colors that are acceptable.

I also think I prefer no vinyl roof. C-pillar/rear roof treatment I think was a factory option. I don't think a full roof covering was factory. And no covering was also factory. I don't mind it on the Fleetwood Brougham, because it doesn't look aftermarket.

Also, the more I look at these Roadmaster sedans, the more I want one. Perfect blend between Caprice and Fleetwood.

It would be nice to find one with heated seats that actually work but I don't know how realistic that is. Not sure what interior colors were available but I haven't seen that nasty blue my FWB had (or very infrequently).

V08/V92 gets me the 2.93 but also mechanical fan. I don't know if the sedan V92s had FE2 or not. But maybe the point is, it doesn't matter. I think I'd ditch the mechanical fan, and change the rear anyway (and suspension). Then again, there could be a working theory that V08 helps the 4L60-E live longer. However, the limited data I have on this does not support (or disprove) this theory. The fan temps for non-V08 cars are a bit high though, so engine and trans temps should be much lower on average and more consistent over the life for V08 cars, particularly in low speed/high temp conditions. If that were actually true, it would matter, since I think I would plan on running the LT1 powertrain for a while.

V92 may have also included a bump to FE2 suspension. Between that and the 2.93, I'd imagine the driving difference between that and a base car with FE1 and 2.56 is actually quite noticeable. But again, how much I care depends upon how much of my Caprice I want to part out into the RMS (and when). Picking a car that drives more like what I like from the get-go seems smart, unless that was somehow unavailable. But it seems to be somewhat common.

I don't know what the Limited trim vs regular is yet.

I did find this for a 96. The left price is invoice and the right is retail.

Base Package 1SA

Package includes standard equipment
N/C N/C

Cooling Package
$172 $200

Gran Touring/Trailer Towing Package
$323 $375

Luxury Package
$605 $703

Prestige Package
$1,152 $1,340

Engine, 5.7L 8 Cylinder 260 hp Gas
Std Std

Transmission, 4 Speed Electronically Controlled Automatic OD
Std Std

Brakes, Power Disc/Drum with 4 Wheel ABS
Std Std

A/C Refrigerant, CFC-Free
Std Std

Air Conditioning
Std Std

Cruise/Speed Control
Std Std

Cup Holders
Std Std

Steering Wheel, Tilt
Std Std

Windows, Power
Std Std

Drive, 2 Wheel Rear
Std Std

Differential, Limited Slip

Not available with Base Package 1SA except with Gran Touring/Trailer Towing Package
$86 $100

Air Bag, Driver Side
Std Std

Air Bag, Passenger Side
Std Std

Bumpers, 5 MPH
Std Std

Defroster, Rear
Std Std

Locks, Child Safety
Std Std

Seatbelts, Front Shoulder
Std Std

Seatbelts, Rear Shoulder
Std Std

Seat, Power Driver
Pkg Pkg

Seats, Leather
$667 $775

Radio, AM/FM with Cassette
Std Std

Radio, AM/FM with CD

Includes Automatic Tone Control
$172 $200

Steering, Power
Std Std

Suspension, DynaRide¿ Strut/Coil Spring
Std Std

Tire, Full Spare
$151 $175

Tires, P235/70R15 All-Season SBR WSW
Std Std

Wheels, Custom
$280 $325

Also found these:
http://www.intellichoice.com/1-12-1996- ... kages.html
http://www.intellichoice.com/1-12-1996- ... kages.html

On the base car, a summary:
All have 1SA, which probably defines a bunch of fairly normal stuff but may include standard twilight sentinel and auto climate control and those kinds of 90s luxuries.
V08 cooling was $200
V92 was $375 (and I think they are required together)
Luxury package was $703 and I don't know what this is. Maybe includes heated seats?
Prestige package was $1,340 and I don't know what this is, either.
G80 diff was $100 and probably commonly included with V92 and not on non-V92 cars
Full size spare was optional...
Different wheels (as opposed to those hubcaps)
All the other typical stuff is standard as you'd expect, like A/C, cruise, tilt, power windows, dual airbags, defroster
Power seats were part of a package, probably 1SA which I'd imagine just about all of them have
Leather was $775
CD was $200 extra

Base MSRP was $26,150 plus the options I listed, so the base 96 RMS loaded up was about $30k, or about $45,500 today.

96 RMS Limited:
V08 was $200
V92 was $375
Prestige upgrade was $945 and again, no idea what this was
G80 $100
Full size spare $175
Different wheels $325
Power seats now standard
Leather was $775
CD still $200

Base Limited was $28,080. With all options, it was $31,175 or $47,250 today.

So I will say that finding a nicely optioned RMS in good condition is going to be easier than finding a nice B4U Caprice, especially when you factor in price.

No mention of prestige here (that I could see anyway).

http://oldcarbrochures.org/NA/Buick/199 ... r-Brochure

Wow, orthopedic seats. They do look comfortable.

Things that are standard on Limited but optional on the base:
Keyless entry
Steering damper (also standard on the wagon)
Programmable door locks w/ memory? I don't even know what that means
6-way head restraints? Not available on base or wagon. No idea what this is, either. Up, down, tilt back and forth and...what is the third axis?
Auto dimming rearview w/ map lights
Lit vanity mirrors
Power seat recline, standard and only available on Limited (ahh, I thought this was Fleetwood-only)
Dual power seats
Front and rear arm rests w/ storage
Side note, Solar-Ray windshield was standard on the wagon, and optional on the sedans
Heated power mirrors
Power antenna (also standard on wagon - actually an option on base sedan!)

In the options it says there is a Luxury Package (SD) and a Prestige Package (SE). Like I summarized in a previous post, you could get Prestige on the base sedan but it is standard on the Limited. Prestige was also available on the wagons. The wagon was also available as a Limited (sheesh). The differences are:
Cornering lamps (yay)
Memory, heated seats
Keyless entry
Trunk pull down (I thought all sedans had this, guess not)
CD player
Leather-wrapped only on Limited wagon??? WTF?

Anyway, Limited seems to basically guarantee all the toys.

Nice find.

Exterior colors

Huh, no DGGM. Yet, DCM! Most of these colors are pretty nice.

Interior colors for leather

Adriatic blue, medium gray, medium beige, dark ruby red

I think my FWB was Adriatic blue interior. And similarly to the FWB, white RMSs seem to have that color on their interior commonly.

SaabKyle's 95 RMS Limited review and test drive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZmTeIKb9x0

This is from 4 years ago.

Whadayaknow...he had a 2.56 car (electric fans).