When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I thought I would share my story in what brought me to classic Oldsmobile. I was 23 years old in 1991 and had usually driven my 1965 Chevy 4x4 truck to work in the Summer that I purchased in 1989 at age 21. One day, a coworker said her husbands uncle was bringing his aunt into Madison for a DR appt. the next day and they had an old car she was going to have to sell as her vision would not allow the DMV to renew her license. It turns out she was 95 and had bought the car new. I had no idea what it was, but said sure I would love to take a look.
They met us at work the next day and I took it for a test drive. It was a 1968 Cutlass 4 door sedan with blue on blue with only 16,000 miles on it. It did not drive great with the original bias ply tires in the front, the motor pinged pretty bad and it had an exhaust leak. Overall, a great car though. We worked out a deal which was fair for her as she had it appraised at a dealer before selling. I picked it up that weekend.
The car had lots of dings and some bumper dings as she must have preferred to park by “feel”. It was in a carport those first 23 or so years, but with the exception of some bad patches behind the front wheels it was in great original condition. It was about as scaled down as it could get with radio delete plate, vinyl branch seats, power steering, 350 rocket and jetaway transmission. It came with protector plate, owners manual and other stuff from new, but no window sticker. To be honest at age 23 I never thought to ask back then if she had it.
Of course, at 23 I put a stereo in it and dual exhaust and had been driving it ever sense. I guess I did not do a lot of forum surfing as the car never really needed anything. I just drove it whenever I felt like it and the only other things I bought were some beauty rings that took a couple years of swap meet searching. I did do lots of maintenance with tires, uni lite ignition, carb rebuild, etc. I had recently put new shocks and springs on it with tires as well.
The interior was like the day it drove off the showroom floor and it was a true survivor in so many ways. I had been tempted to get it painted on many occasions, but was glad I did not with the current value seen with patina and originality.
My son recently turned 16 and our new cruise routine was for him to drive the wife’s 1971 Mustang convertible and me to take out the Cutlass. About a month ago we went to do that and I started the Cutlass as usual, but it died after I put it in gear. I will spare the details as it is hard to go through again and again, but the short story is the carb flooded and while attempting to clear it and start the car, the starter stuck and would not shut off. After a backfire, the motor started on fire before I could get to the battery to disconnect it and stop the starter. Old fire extinguisher did not work and it all happened quick. We did what we could to get it out of the shed. We did that, but in the process I ended up in the hospital with 2nd degree burns on my right hand.
So, I bought insurance from Hagerty when I bought the car and had never updated my agreed upon value. It was insured at less than half of its current value, plus they wanted about a third of that for salvage value for me to keep it. After taken such incredible care of it for so long, I just could not let it go to selvage yard or whatever insurance would have done with it. So, I settled up with them and am determined to hopefully try to make some of the money I did not get from the insurance back while helping other Olds enthusiasts along the way. It is a true 2 owner car that had 60,000 miles on it. I would like to see parts go to a good home and I am hoping to recoup some costs. Please understand the car was on fire and put out by the fire department so things may have smoke damage and smoke smell. I am committed to be as honest as possible and am not looking to scam anybody. It did not take me long in browsing this site to see there are a lot of true enthusiasts that are here to enjoy the Olds community and help each other out. That is the type of member I would like to be as well.
This has been a horrible experience for me and even more so for my son. My younger son who is 14 was going to get this car some day and is also suffering. With that said, update your insurance coverage and replace or charge your fire extinguishers! An after dinner ride on a Sunday night turned into one of the worst in my life and it could have been avoided...
Please let me know if there are parts you need, I have some pictures of the whole car in one of my first posts. I am learning there are 1968 only parts. The car still has original drums, 2 speed transmission, 12 bolt single spinner rear end, rims, drive shaft, engine bay stuff with brackets and supports, seats are there, but covers are burned off with foam and stuffing still looking pretty good. I will continue to list parts as I can, tell me a story and make an offer if there is something you really need. It is easy enough to try to verify with the great info on the site and helpful folks to inquire with.
Thanks for for listening and I look forward to hopefully help some folks out while recouping some losses...
Tom
Last edited by tsgutlass; July 23rd, 2019 at 05:26 AM.
Wow, your story brings to mind uncertainty regarding insurance value of classic vehicles. I stated a decent value with my insurance agent when we added my car to my policy but, your story makes me think I need to look into it more.
Its an interesting topic, I mean, am I insuring a 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme convertible? OR am I insuring whatever the insurance company thinks any near-50 year old car is worth? The additional cost to my insurance policy is about the same cost to insure my late-model vehicle of the same approximate value... so I think I'm okay but, might just have to double-check for peace of mind. I've seen Hagerty at Cars and Coffee events lately and know they work with my big insurance company (per my agent) so, maybe they are worth a look.
I live in L.A. 30 years ago I had a '64 Cutlass Convertible, in wasn't in the best shape. It was an east coast rust bucket. I bought it on Long Island (where I am from) for $2300 around 1993. (overpaid at that) After a couple of years the bottom was just about rusted out. I was moving to California, I gave the car to my brother who eventually sold it for around $400
First '64 Cutlass Convertible (1993)
I have always wanted another. I looked a few times but every time I got serious about buying, work would dry up and I would stand down.
Finally early this year I started looking again. In the past these cars were very rare to find for sale If there were any they were usually in the mid-west or Texas..
But there were 2 in my area. But in both instances they were asking way more than I was willing to pay. (Close to double on one of them) I went and drove one, but the guy would not budge from his price.
I had been looking on Craigslist. Finally I decided to check the CL in Phoenix (about 400 miles away) and there it was. They guy wanted a lot but I called and was able to negotiate a starting price. I flew out there checked it out, we made the deal, and I drove it home. New New One (2021)
tscutlass- What a story, sorry to hear it. I do think it was very cool to hear you and your wife let your 16 yo drive the 71 mustang. I've let our kids (21, 24 and 25) take our 69 convertible cutlass, that's what I think this is all about, enjoy the cars share them with your loved ones before its too late. I hope you are able to recoup so off your losses so you may be able to start looking for a new car. Thanks for sharing the story and advise.
July 22nd, 2019, 10:58 AM
