55 alive or stored

[aholiday]

New kid with "55 Olds 88 Holiday. Already learning bunches from the forums and I am glad to now be a part of it.

I have a question to get folks thinking...I have the above mentioned car, all original and in great shape, no reproduced or restored parts but all period correct original parts with just 50,000 miles on the title.
I want to have it as a daily driver...should I?

Should I change some parts to make the daily driving a little easier, keep it original style, or keep it in the garage? I would love to hear advice from new and old collectors and drivers of all types. Thanks

[rocketraider]

People drove them daily back in the day.

Once you accept that it is not a "modern car" per se and can deal with its thirst, braking and handling, and limited creature comforts there's no reason you can't drive it as often as you like. Just be aware that other drivers won't see it the same way you do and it will often seem as if they aim for it.

I'll admit to blowing the doors off some of these arrogant-ass imports with my Starfires if they push me. They can't believe that old car just walked away from them in a hurry.

Me, I wouldn't press a 50,000 mile original example into such service because that IS low miles for its age, and daily use puts a lot of wear and tear on it. I'd use it as a nice-weather fun driver when you want to go somewhere and treat it like a special occasion.

[56oldsnub]

I'm with rocketraider....not daily, but often....

[Oldsguy]

I agree, it should be available for fun times. I have always thought that a car was originally built for transportation and thus should be driven, at least some. I hate seeing trailored cars that have 50 miles on a restoration and still have the nubs on the tires. Welcome to CO.

[Olds64]

Sounds like a cool car. We look forward to seeing pics. I agree with the others. Don't use it as a daily driver, just use it as a weekend warrior.

[wolfman98]

If it was mine I would definitely keep it as original as possible. You need to make sure that everything is working properly and you may have to do some upkeep but the more "original" the car is the more it is worth to a collector down the road should you decide to sell it. There are a lot of things you can do to ensure your driving is safe without changing the car's authenticity. Good luck and happy motoring

[aholiday]

Thanks for advising a nube like myself. I really appreciate the advice but I plan to drive this baby and keep the old original parts in the garage. I think, ok, I know the car will remain a sweet ride. So far I have had a few gasps but many seem happy that I enjoy the car, all else be damned.
Just like anything in my life I got the 88 on a whim but now I analyze everything about it like Socrates.

[weasel]

I would recommend you drive it, daily, everywhere. Upgrade to make it safer, more comfortable. You will meet a lot of folks when you go to the Safeway, movies, gas station, wherever. Enjoy your car...it wants to be driven!

[redoldsman]

Driving an old car like that in todays traffic is a challenge. I have driven my friends 54 Super 88 convertible a good bit. Things to think about on these old cars is they don't even have ball joint suspension. They have king pins and bushings and knee action shocks. Even with power breaks, they are a challenge to stop. You will be driving in traffic where most people around you have rack & pinion steering and 4 wheel antilock brakes. The turning ratio on these old cars is very slow. A lot depends on where you live and how far you drive each day. There is no way I would drive one of these old cars through the Dallas traffic I drive in everyday. It is your car but I am just trying to point out some of the things you will face. Now is you put a clip under the front end, that is another story.

[weasel]

Redoldsman makes a good point. Modifications to improve driving safety are a must for many older cars. I plan to retrofit my 442 with front disk brakes soon. The drum brakes work fine but are not nearly as effective as I would like in heavy traffic.

[citcapp]

Nice sounding car, all original and low milage to boot, sweet deal. I would not use it as a daily driver because of the high risk of damage. Most people don't care about your old car and will back into it, door ding it and not care about the damage done.
In todays traffic panic stops are common place and the stopping distance is greatly reduced in heavy traffic. I know this because of the owning my 57 for going on 10 years and up until last year it was all stock with drum brakes (non numbers matching. Had it been all original I would have left it alone and just used it on sunny days and weekends and found another car to modify for everyday use.

My 57 now sports a 455, turbo 400, and disc breaks all the way around and I drive it everywere. In the end its you car do what make you happy and most of all enjoy your Olds

[aholiday]

Just a few quick shots of my holiday.

[citcapp]

Very nice

[weasel]

One issue you might face is air conditioning. If Florida is as hot as Texas, then it's not much fun driving without A/C from about May to October. Not sure what after-market systems are available, but I think there are some. I recall my dad's 55 Buick had A/C with a huge box in the trunk and big clear plastic vents that came up out of the rear package shelf.

Nice looking wheels! You should draw a crowd wherever you go.

[citcapp]

You can always use 90 mile an hour ac. All windows down drive 90mph

[redoldsman]

Very nice car and I believe the first year for the 4-door hardtop

[wolfman98]

Probably the 269 air would be safer 2 windows 60mph
After seeing it i would not want to put a whole lot of miles on her , she is a nice looking car.

[csstrux]

Its your car...do what makes you happy. That said, I personally feel the car is an AWFULLY nice piece of classic Americana and deserves better than the daily grind. I would love to see it used as a weekend driver as it WAS built to be driven. This is just MHO though so back to first statement.

[aholiday]

Thanks for the kudos from all. It has been warm, but likewas mentioned ealier, for more "A/C" i just ride a bit quicker. At 45 and above it feels fine, but sitting in traffic is a bear...a really hot bear

[hialeah56]

awsome olds, It all comes down to how you feel about it. I don't see my car as an investment but as my toy. I know I wouldn't enjoy my car if it was all stock, always worrying about millage and wear on OG parts. I'm upgrading everything from suspension , engine, fuel system, brakes ,a/c you name it. But then again I want to be able to drive off state ( I want to make it to the mississippi cruize one day) Hope to see you at a show some day and welcome to CO
Erit

[wolfman98]

This is your car and what you want to do with it is your decision.We only offer our own opinions but it is not our car so they are only ideas for you to consider. Any car without A/C in hot climates can be unbearable so if you decide to add it that is understandable. You may want to also make some upgrades to the suspension and brakes so that you can enjoy the roadtrips more knowing that the car will not comprimise your safety.THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT ANY OF THESE CARS IS THAT YOU ENJOY THEM , PERIOD.

[flatoz]

The decision really is what you want to get out of the car? is it a toy as stated earlier or is it something you want to enjoy very often. Problem with very often is that they become like another car to you after a period of time. My 55 I bought as a daily driver , that was the plan and that is what it does. Its not my special car, you can see that below in the photo, but that doesn't mean I don't like it. And at the end of the day it gets out and driven far more than my roadster.

Ultimately to me my roadster is my passion, the 55 is transport, but they both do special things for me that a modern car doesn't.

I don't have disc brakes, I don't have AC or Power steer and I park in a multistory carpark in the city. I just drive accordingly. And don't forget I'm sitting on the wrong side of the car too, so I have to take that into consideration.

[wolfman98]

Your not on the wrong side of the car your on the wrong side of the road