The world's last retail Oldsmobile
#1
The world's last retail Oldsmobile
Apparently this is the last Oldsmobile that was for retail sale...
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...2245294820422/
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...2245294820422/
#2
Just an Olds Guy
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
Nice car for someone who 'must have' it. Selling for same as new back in 2004. I'm surprised they didn't clean it up for presentation on that FB site. It doesn't look pristine with all that crap on the paint.
#4
^^^THIS. It's sort of a memorial as to why Oldsmobile went under. Plus, unless you also plan to store it in a dry nitrogen-filled bubble, what are you going to do with it? Clearly it hasn't appreciated. $24K in 2004 is over $33K today, just with inflation.
#8
That's one of the things people don't get about collector cars. Some appreciate, some don't; and the ones that don't, it doesn't matter how nice they are, they won't be worth much. Plus, that car would have to go into a museum or have lots of things done to get it running right. I'd rather have one with 20k miles and little old lady every Sunday use for 5k.
#10
Just an Olds Guy
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
#13
I had a loaded 2003. At 80,000 miles the trans started to shudder. The seat upholstery ripped. It was fun to drive and got very good mileage. The paint did not hold up. (black)
I thought 2005 was the last year for Olds not 2004 anyway.
I thought 2005 was the last year for Olds not 2004 anyway.
#15
Just an Olds Guy
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
#16
You should limit your search for Oldsmobiles to a max year of 2004. This gets rid of alot of SPAM advertisements when using search engines. Dealers include Oldsmobile as a catch phrase when posting their junk cars for sale on CL.
#18
GM already has the LAST one built. This is the second-to-last built and the last one delivered to the public, thus the "last RETAIL Oldsmobile".
#20
You are correct. Apparently it was on loan to the REO Museum for a while. Thanks for the correction.
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/201...dealer-auction
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/201...dealer-auction
#21
If anyone is interested, here is the last Olds built as shown in Setting the Pace - The Last Chapter. The text that goes with it is much longer than what is shown in the first photo.
#22
Nothing like the classic Oldsmobiles from the 60's and early 70's.
#24
"Setting the Pace" gives specific dates for last-one-made for several models.
Last Cutlass, 7/2/99
Last Intrigue, 6/14/02
Last Aurora, 3/13/03
Last Bravada, 1/16/04
Last Silhouette, 3/26/04
Last Alero, 4/29/04
Last 88, the book notes that the last one was made in 1999 but that the specific date is not known. The last 98 is not shown at all other than, as your chart notes, 1996 was the last year for it. But in 1996, no one knew that Olds would be gone eight years later. Remember that GM didn't announce the end of Olds until December 2000. There was no real reason to note the "last" production date (other than year) of any model names that ended prior to that (Toronado, Custom Cruiser, 88, etc.) because model names come and go and always have, and no one knew that Olds itself would soon be gone. The fact that the date of the last Cutlass is known is interesting, I think, because that was also before the demise of Oldsmobile was announced. I'm guessing that this was because the Cutlass name is so revered in Olds history that someone was going to note and record the date no matter what the circumstances.
1997 was the last year that "Delta" was used in the 88 name. It was first used in 1965. For 1998 and 1999, it was just "88" or spelled out as "Eighty-Eight" on the fender.
Total Oldsmobile production, 1897-2004 was 35,229,208. Of that number, 14,458,756 (41%) were made in Lansing
Last Cutlass, 7/2/99
Last Intrigue, 6/14/02
Last Aurora, 3/13/03
Last Bravada, 1/16/04
Last Silhouette, 3/26/04
Last Alero, 4/29/04
Last 88, the book notes that the last one was made in 1999 but that the specific date is not known. The last 98 is not shown at all other than, as your chart notes, 1996 was the last year for it. But in 1996, no one knew that Olds would be gone eight years later. Remember that GM didn't announce the end of Olds until December 2000. There was no real reason to note the "last" production date (other than year) of any model names that ended prior to that (Toronado, Custom Cruiser, 88, etc.) because model names come and go and always have, and no one knew that Olds itself would soon be gone. The fact that the date of the last Cutlass is known is interesting, I think, because that was also before the demise of Oldsmobile was announced. I'm guessing that this was because the Cutlass name is so revered in Olds history that someone was going to note and record the date no matter what the circumstances.
1997 was the last year that "Delta" was used in the 88 name. It was first used in 1965. For 1998 and 1999, it was just "88" or spelled out as "Eighty-Eight" on the fender.
Total Oldsmobile production, 1897-2004 was 35,229,208. Of that number, 14,458,756 (41%) were made in Lansing
Last edited by jaunty75; June 22nd, 2020 at 07:23 AM.
#26
But think about any of the other recently-deceased legacy brands like Mercury, Pontiac, and Plymouth. Were the last-ones-built for any of those makes something memorable? Not that I've heard. You can go further back. The last Saturn? Even the last Packard? By the time the Packard name ceased to exist, its cars were rebadged Studebakers, and there was nothing memorable about them. Car companies don't go out of business at the height of their popularity and styling. They go out of business at the end of a long, steady decline when their glory years and the cars that made them famous are nothing but a distant memory.
#29
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