sszewczuk

Does it make sense?

69HO43

Doesn't make sense in the least. WTF are you talking about?

sszewczuk

Im talking about driving a 1987 442 as a daily 50 miles a day year round.

69HO43

If it's your car, use it as you see fit. Personally I don't see anything wrong with it. But if you want to have it worth something one day, I'd consider NOT driving it every day. 5 days/week is 250 miles/week. That's 13K per year. In 4 years, that's close to 50K miles. Just a thought.

starfire

Well, it also depends on where you live. If you live in a northern area, not so much. Also with gas prices at $4+/gal, the 17 mpg highway isn't going to thrill you. I bought mine 9 years ago with 12,000 miles on it. I now have 58,000 miles on it. I don't drive it once the salt comes out and get it back on the road after the spring rains have washed the salt away. I drive it a lot for 6 months out of the year.

(58,000 - 12,000)/(9 x 180) = 28 miles per day.

I love driving my 442. These cars were built for driving, not sitting around so I try to drive it as often as I can, but preserve it for as long as I can by not letting it get salty.

sszewczuk

I thought the city was 17 and highway 25?

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm

starfire

Oldsmobile actually rated the VIN 9 with AMT 4 at 18 city and 25 highway, but we all know those numbers were bogus, and we all know that "your actual mileage may vary", and by the time you get done putting your foot into it (in as far as your foot can be put into a VIN 9 307) you probably won't get much more than 17. You might be able to coax 25 out of it if you drive it like grandma and/or put it in neutral going down hills...

I have gotten 22 mpg out of mine but that was a total highway trip in good weather with the cruise control set. That doesn't happen very often.

sszewczuk

so Alan, with your experience with the mpg and the 442, would you buy a Hyundai instead and get 30MPG?

Rickman48

Although a Hyundia is just a 'Jap Coffin' to me, 30mpg is VERY tempting!

starfire

I wouldn't take a free Hyundai.

If you're looking for good gas mileage, good reliability and tons of parts availability, I would always recommend a '90s Cutlass Ciera. They are great cars for what they are, basic transportation with an Oldsmobile feel.

If you're looking for something a little newer but econoboxy, maybe a Chevy Cobalt.

If you're looking to love driving your car everytime you get in it, and don't worry too much about gas prices, go with the '87 442.

sszewczuk

Thanks Alan

One more question-- how many miles per tank do you get? 260?

starfire

IDK, I've never checked. It's an 18 gallon tank. I tend to never let it get below 1/4 tank (a few weeks after I got my first car, I ran out of gas with it. I vowed to never let that happen again).

BlackGold

I, like Alan, use an '87 442 as a summer daily driver, and I agree with everything he said.

Mileage-wise, I typically get 15 mpg city. I've never taken a highway trip long enough to get a good highway reading, but it seems to be about 18 - 20 mpg.

I usually fill the tank when it reaches the warning stripe just above E. It takes about 14 - 15 gallons to fill it at that point, so at 15 mpg that's just over 200 miles per tank. You can stretch it further if you like to live on the edge.

jensenracing77

i am always mixed on this subject. i always want to preserve oldsmobiles. i also think that new cars are way to much money for most peoples budget. i had a 91 Quad 442 W-41. only 204 made. this car was in perfect condition in 2008 when i sold it. i got $9000 for it. you could never buy new car for that price. if you get a cheap new car it will cost at least $20,000 by the time it is over and even have higher plates and insurance. after 10 years the car will be worth nothing.
i have seen G body 442s with low miles go for around $12,000. insurance and plates will be cheaper and in 10 years if you take good care of it while you drive it all the time, it will be worth more than the newer car that you could have got. for economic reasons it makes great sense. for the preservation of Oldsmobiles, maybe not.

GoodOldsGuyDougie

I drove my 79 Hurst/Olds everyday for 3 years until a tractor trailer smashed me head on. That's the only real danger of driving daily.Some jack *** smacking into you.

jpc647

What Hyundai are you looking at? I bought a Genesis Coupe and love it.

69HO43

We got a Hyundai Sonata (I think it was, anyway) for a rental in Phoenix a couple years ago. While it wasn't horrible, it rode like a brick. The gas mileage was decent, but the car just didn't feel comfy. I hear they're doing better, but still don't want to run out and buy one.

droptopron

I think my wife's Acadia is rated 18 mpg around town. Good luck with all that.

aliensatemybuick

MInt condition, huh? Not for long, if you drive it that much. Drive an older, well-kept example much and you will watch its condition catch up with its age VERY quickly. Kinda like the end of the Picture of Dorian Gray (sp?) story.

starfire

Yeah, I'd agree with that number. My bad weather car (which around here seems to be everyday now) is an Acadia. It is sure a fantastic vehicle. Fast, strong, versatle, handles great, quiet, and even the base level is nicely appointed (that's what mine is). I bought it new, but plan on keeping it a long time. That's how satisfied I am with it.

starfire

The only problem I have with mine is the upper black paint is fading/crazing. When I bought it it was already starting to craze, so it was going to need a new upper paint job eventually anyway. The way I look at it, driving it keeps the rubber components, air conditioning systems, etc. From drying out (like the A/C was on mine when I bought it after having only 12,000 miles put on it in 15 years).

Dan K

X2. If you are willing to let the car suffer the wear of being a DD (which if it is fun on a daily basis, then you should), then go for it.

As far as the math of fuel economy, be sure to include the math of depreciation (and loan interest?) on an alternate daily driver.

Personally, the stress of how the weather is, where I can park, theft, etc. leave my to drive my classic only on special occasions (and not worry about trashing the DD), but at the end of a day it's a personal assessment!

GoodOldsGuy

Why not a new Chevy Cruze ECO ? Up to 42mpg. Smart looking too.

GOG

sszewczuk

That applies to any car new or used. There is no difference. The difference is the way you care for your car.

sszewczuk

Because GM can suck it as far as I am concerned. They killed the unions, moved plants and hired non US ermployees to build their cars. On top of all that cost cutting and saving for GM- they raise their prices on their cars.

No thanks--- I want nothing to do with Government Motors.

junqueboi

I'm with you there. It's so disappointing because I used to be one of GM's biggest fans.
I swore I'd never drive an imported car but then I woke up & discovered what a stupid PRIDE mentality that is. GM can stamp GM/America/Chevy/Buick/Cadillac all over their current lineup of bubblemobiles but the bottom line is that they are too expensive, bland, & ugly for my tastes.

I bought a rough '88 CRX at an impound auction for $51 close to ten years ago & have probably put 100K on it since then -- yeah, I've probably got a little over $500 in it now counting tires/timing belt/etc, but 40 MPG(!) sure beats shiny paint, car payments & the ability to say "I'll never buy/drive a foreign car". As far as I can tell, the only money Honda ever got from my ride may have been a portion of the $8 the dealer charged me for cutting an ignition key the day I towed it home.

If I ever did get dropped on my head again & considered buying a new car, it probably would be a Kia or Hyundai though. They've really dug themselves out of the hole they were in.

junqueboi

Agreed again.

I'm not sure if you planned on licensing more than one vehicle at a time so I'm going upon the assumption that you are. I would drive that mint 442 every day it wasn't raining & there was no trace of road salt. You can keep that car very nice...maybe not showroom...but very nice.

None of us are guaranteed tomorrow. I friend of mine that I had lost contact with in Alabama had a '70 SX convertible -- it was so nice after he restored it that he never put the top down because it would wrinkle. He has since passed away due to cancer.

The guy across the steet from me has a mint '55 Chevy (snore) & mint '66 SS396 Chevelle (snore). He's in his 60's, has some health issues, & drives his Chevelle prize into his enclosed trailer, takes it to a show, gets another trophy, & hauls it home. I keep telling him he needs to take the car out early Sunday morning, pull out in front of his house & just lay into it but it will probably never happen. His kids are deadbeats & as far as I can know, he's not saving it for anyone. Such a waste.

I would think enjoying a cool car would be worth a few stone chips, wear and tear, etc. When your number's up you can't take it with you anyway. Most of my stuff is garbage, with the exception of maybe a couple P*nt**cs & a Ch*vr*l*t...but the nice stuff gets used/enjoyed just like the rest of "the family".

FYI, I met Rocketraider live in person only because he chose to drive his Ninety-Eight to Biscuitville one morning & I had to check his car out. Pretty cool.

455man

I say drive it. I used to put 20k a year on my 72 Cutlass Supreme with a 455 in it back in the 90's. I plan on putting 10k/yr on my Cutlass with the 350 or 455. I'll build it as efficiently as I can and drive it. I love driving these old cars.

sszewczuk

good advice

everyone said its crazy because of the gas prices to drive an 1987 442-- what's the alternative?

B964

It’s a double edged sword. To daily drive or not to daily drive. The question will never be answered in a way that makes everyone happy.
It’s your car and it should be driven how you enjoy it. I would be more likely to slit my wrist than DD my 63 Olds.
One solution I am pursuing is to find a low mileage, clean Olds that has no real collector value but is fun to drive and gets good mileage. Something like a 86-92 Toronado. You can find them with 50-80 thousand miles, no rust and all the bells for 4-7 thousand and get 26 mpg. Beats a Cobalt or a Hyundai.

Allan R

Nice. My son wants one too. Did you get the 2.0 Turbo? If I could afford the Genesis Sedan (69,000.00) I would take one in a heartbeat. Contrary to what many folks out there think, Hyundai is rapidly becoming a serious contender to even Toyota and Honda. They have also rethought their design philosophy and come out with styles that are ahead of everyone else. If I bought a new one today it would be a 2011 Elantra Limited. Full luxury with 49 mpg rating.

Hmmm, My names Allan too so: Yes, I would, and did. It's an low mileage (45,000) 07 Sonata Limited with all the whistles and bells + 3.3 Lambda 237 horse V6. I've had it over a year now. It goes like stink, extremely comfortable to drive, and easy on gas. 24 city/35 highway. The new ones are supposed to be even better, but have a lower roofline in the back. These cars have tons of room inside and are comparative to anything the market wants to throw their way.

Your call. I would.

The only drawback to a 90's Cutlass Ciera IMO is 1. I don't like them and 2. They aren't all that reliable.
The 87 442 is a very nice car, rides well and goes ok for a 307. I agree with you about just driving it and not worrying about gas. The insurance shouldn't be all that high on a 25 year old car but will likely require an inspection.

OldsManNJ

I drive my 71 Cutlass S daily - yup even in the snow and rain. It is my only car right now, and I love to drive it. Would I drive something else in the winter if I could? I don't know - Where I am we don't get alot of snow in the winter - they do salt the roads though. I just power wash it a lot. I get about 12MPG, drive 12 miles each way to work, so cost isn't horrible, but when I had my Tiburon - I got around 40 mpg - and it was a fun little car to drive. When I bought the Tib - I was thinking "OMG I can not believe I am considering buying a Hyundai" - but I loved that little go cart. I had to sell it when I blew the clutch as I didn't have the money to fix it at the time, and I had another car at the time. Now I drive my Cutlass every day with a big smile on my face.

Why park it in the garage and let it just sit there - Drive it - Life's too short to not enjoy what you are driving.

I am currently shopping for a Convertible Olds in a little better shape than a DD - that I will not drive in the rain or snow, but I won't need to - I plan on my 71 being my DD for a long time to come.

Allan R

That's only for us old farts who put their car up on stands for months on end while we rebuild. I'm so glad to hear you enjoy driving your car; I remember when mine was a DD too. Think of it this way, until you buy a new car the money you spend on gas is nothing but fun!

ChefDeadpool

IMO, people are spending a lot more money on not spending money on gas than they should.

Drive your car, keep your foot out of it and be careful when you drive, and your car won't wear out so fast. The only thing that you absolutely must deal with up north in a car that's in good shape is rust protection and prevention. You need to constantly clear out those drain holes and make sure the weatherstrip is in good shape too, so that water doesn't go where it isn't designed to. Leaves, ugh, those are horrid to a car also. Coating the underbody with Ziebart or a similar product annually really does help. Paint chips need to be fixed immediately. It's not easy, but you can do it.

jpc647

I ended up with a 3.8l Track Version. I don't believe the Genesis Sedan is $69,000, I think that is the Equus Sedan. I chose the 3.8 because stock it's got enough power for most people, has the right look(exotic), and if fun to drive. It came with brembo brakes, a LSD rear end, 316 hp on premium fuel, nav, heated seats, and HID headlights. Everything I wanted, pretty much. The car has enough power to put you back in the seat, still great great mileage, (I average 24-26 driving spiritedly). But it not fast enough to where I feel it's a race car and make me want to believe it is one(if that makes sense). I didn't buy the car to "save money", so I can deal with 26 mpg and having a car that seems to "take flight" in first gear. On a side note, I got a parking ticket where it was written as a "Jaguar Genesis". Made me chuckle. Overall, the car is certainly no worse than anything american I could have bought. The Camaro's are breaking rear ends, the mustangs have problems with "My-Key" (personal experience), I'm content.

Agreed. My Hyundai has been pretty good to me. Mine is a "sports car" that you don't see everyday. I see a hell of a lot of Camaro's and Mustangs, both v6's and v8's. I could have financed a Corvette, but being 21 years old, insurance and driving a vette in the winter would suck, plus buying the Hyundai and not having a car payment, certainly a plus. A corvette or an Audi S5 were about the top of what I could afford, comfortably, still being in school. The S5 was nice, but the maintenance would have been a killer.


I'm going to have to go into defense mode here. First, Hyundai is Korean, not Japan. Entirely different countries. Secondly, they are no worse than anything comparable made by GM or Ford. A lot of Hyundia's are build down in Alabama. The Camaro, built in Canada. Most of the Mustang, build in mexico, assembled Detriot. Hmm, whats more "American". You tell me.


I agree with this. The 87 442 is not an ultra rare once and a lifetime seen car, so drive the thing. It'll make you feel better everyday you get into it and start it up. The 307 isn't very powerful, but who cares, take it easy and you'll get decent mileage. When I drive my 72 Cutlass, It may get 15mpg, I don't care. I would have taken to commuting in it, if I had to. It would need a little work to do that, but my car only has 44,000 original miles on it, IDC, it's a Cutlass. It's not a w-30, it's not worth "huge money" i'm going to drive it.

If I wasn't in New England with winter to worry about, I would probably drive my Cutlass a heck of a lot more. It'd probably have a ram air setup on it with hood, and a few other goodies. But I don't get to drive it a lot, so having a lot of that is a waste. Get out and drive your car, otherwise, like me, you'll probably start loosing interest in it. My Cutlass isn't fast, it looks like every other 72 cutlass, but I worked hard in High School to afford it, and all in all, I'm proud of it.

My opinion.

Allan R

My bad, yes that's the Equus. The Genesis is much less but still very good value IMO. Considering the intial depreciation Hyundai seems to be plagued by (my advantage) I would seriously consider a 2-3 year old Genesis sedan but they don't seem to come on the market all that often. I have seen several very low mileage Azeras (forerunner to the Equus) at very reasonable prices, but for now I'm very happy with my Sonata.

Mine looks exactly like this:

starfire

Hmm, we'll have to agree to disagree on this one. I stand by my call. One of many drawbacks to any Hyundai is 1. I don't like them and 2. I really don't like them (they are preferable to any Scion however...).

I've had 3 Ciera's over the years and they were perfectly reliable.

We do agree on the 87 442

Allan R

There was never any doubt about the 442

rustyroger

Your '87 Toronado isn't a collectable yet, but old enough to start making parts, particularly sheet metal and trim, hard to find, I have trouble finding parts for my '87 Olds. If you enjoy driving it and don't mind the gas bill I say go ahead and enjoy using your car.
Several valid points have been raised about the cost of buying another dd, preserving your car will have costs too, you can't just park it in your garage and expect it not to deteriorate. I suspect a lot of the mint condition fins'n'chrome and muscle cars have had much more spent on them over their life than their actual worth if you factor in the cost of keeping them that way for 50+ years. I dont mean the rare finds that have been sitting in a dry farmers barn for years but the majority that have huge amounts of time invested in them by the collectors that have owned them. If I charged the time I have spent working on old cars for the love of it I could retire by now.

If you want to help a fellow American keep a job find out where the car you are thinking about is made. A hyundai made in Alabama beats a Mustang made in Mexico or Camaro made in Canada.

If we want a fellow Englishman to keep his car assmbly job we look to the offerings from Nissan, Honda and Toyota, all three have assembly plants over here.
And the cars match the quality of the Japanese factories, Nissans plant in north east England was the most efficient one in Europe for a while, possibly it still is.
Yet the british reputation for quality was a bad joke (Why does a Rover have a heated rear windshield? - to keep your hands warm while you push it). I wonder how that got turned around?.
Interstingly none of them set up in the traditional car making areas, Nissan chose a place associated with shipbuilding and mining, Toyota and Honda set up in areas associated with the railroad industry.
Am I right in thinking the foreign makers that set up plants in America are avoiding Detroit and setting up where there is a pool of skilled labor, but not a heritage of making cars?.

Roger.

BlackGold

Regardless of a skilled labor pool or heritage, they are building plants where there are no strong labor unions -- which rules out Detroit and vicinity.