I am looking at one this afternoon. White with fawn Landau top and fawn interior. Power windows, door locks, tempmatic A/C, 350/350 drivetrain, SSIII wheels w/BFG radials. The car is in very good to excellent condition and only has 36,000 miles. The owner wants $5,000, if it drives well I am thinking about buying it. No rust, I checked closely in all the regular spots. The drawback is that it is a '77 and probably has all the smog equipment on it. Anyway, give me some feedback on what else I should be on the lookout for. Never owned a Cutlass of that year model before but did own a '78 Delta for a while. As I recall, I didn't have much trouble with it. I am sort of excited, wasn't looking for another car but this just showed up out of nowehre.

 

They are nice cars, with a very good ride. Not performance machines by any stretch of the imagination, though. Good that it has the 350. Color combination does not sound too bad.

This is one of the Cutlasses that is pretty unremarkable. Not a high demand car. Not a low demand car. Not a great performer. Not a total slouch. It is kinda stuck in the middle.

As for things to look for, make sure the rear bumper is still firmly attached. While not as problematic as the lously bumpers on the 78 and up cars, the 77s had their weaknesses. If the bumper is loose, start looking at the rear frame rails.

Even with the low miles, the ponderous doors will likely sag. Dont get real hung up over this, as hinge rebuild kits are readilly available.

Buying a car with low miles can be a headache. There is a good chance that the valve seals will leak, resulting in blowby when first started. Chances are pretty good that the trans and rear differential fluid have never been changed. While the miles are low, these fluids are still pretty likely to be thirty years old. Same story with all of the rubber parts like brake hoses, fuel lines, etc. A higher mile car tends to keep these parts lubricated through normal usage. A low mile car might look prettier, but is going to be subject to the aforementioned issues.

Aftermarket support is not as high as either the previous or the next generations. There are likely some parts that you are going to have to be pretty patient as you search for them. Mechanical parts, however, should be as close as your nearest parts store.

Five grand sounds a little high for an unremarkable car (notice I did not say undesirable or not valuable). Perhaps a 442 of the same vintage might provide a bit more fun for similar money. While the 442 is still not a performance car in those years, they come with a bit more eye candy and promise a bit better return.

All of the above is just my opinion. I have owned a 68, a 73, a 77, a 78, and an 85 Cutlass, so I think I have a pretty good grasp of the comparisons I have made.

 

Those are my favorite Olds'
Next to the 80-85 Delta and the 68 cutlass post cars of course.
I've been looking for a decent one for a year or 2 now, but I only find 75 0r 76 with the ugly fender bubbles.
Next year I hope to make a trip out to Oregon and pick up the one that 2blu442(John) has on the board.

 

Actually, it was 73-75 that had the "fender bubbles". 76-77 were (IMHO) the best looking of the 73-77 cars, especially if you got the slope-nose 442s.

 

I just looked at it. And thanks all for the comments. Tcleamont, your comments are right on, I am familiar with the segment it is in and agree, I also agree about the bumpers (these are good, no frame problems or rust and the junction points). I also agree with all three of you that the '76 and '77 are some of the nicest looking cars, Handsome is how I would describe them, as for the '68 or '69 year models, I would call them "muscular" or "tuff". The doors do sag, I can fix the hinges. I am also aware of the parts problem, fortunately the body is in VERY GOOD, maybe almost FINE condition. The hood emblem is missing, the landau vinyl roof is in excellent condition, paint is very good still has good shine to it and all original. The rock gaurds in front of the rear wheel wells are intact and perfect. Head liner intact and perfect, seat surfaces in very good condition, door panels in very good condition. The plastic piece in front of the rear window that trims between the door jamb edge and the rear interior panel is a little sun faded but only the one on the driver's side. Engine is in good to very good condition, brakes excellent with new pads and shoes, new lines. New tires, A/C blows cold (unbelievable) must have been serviced recently. Well, anyway what am I doing trying to convince myself. I haven't fallen in love with it so that my heart races when I look at it or talk about it but I realize how nice the body is and how nice the interior is, those are two big plus items. Well, thanks for the feedback. Now the deliberation time comes.

 

I agree. Think of what you could do to the 46 with 5 grand. Also, driving anything with a Quadrajet on a regular basis is bad news with gasoline at close to $5.00 / gallon.

If you are intent on getting another Oldsmobile check this one out. It is close enough to Lawton that you and mom could come down for the holiday if the guy is willing to show it. And, this car is alot better priced.

http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/car/735918893.html

 

Too late, I gave him some money down. I took a good freind to look at it. When I asked him on the phone to help me out he was pretty negative, when he saw it the first thing he said was "it's a beatiful car", when I dropped him off afterwards he said "By Dan, it's a beautiful car". It must be a beautiful car,

Pictures coming soon.

 

Good luck with it Dan.

My commentary on the price has a lot to do with the current economy. I truly believe we are at a point where the creme of the crop cars (of any make or model) are going to hold steady, and the rest of the cars are going to have trouble maintaining value. We are also still a couple years from the time period where the 77 models become 'nostaligic', but their time wil come.

For that reason, five grand should probably buy you a super nice specimen, which it sounds like you are getting.

I think I still have a 77 Olds dealership binder with all the paint samples as well as the interior fabric samples. If you bring the car home I will give you dibs on it.

 

Yes Joe you're right. It is the 75 I was thinking of.
AND
I whole heartedly agree with your taste in 76-77 Cutlass noses. I don't like the grilles that bend up over the header panel at all.

For our enjoyment, here's a cool pic of the collonade nose.

 

My uncle had a 74 or a 75 (with the round headlights) and I liked that car.

He sold back to his brother (my other uncle) and it stayed in the fam for years.

This Unlce help me drop in the new dis

 

tc, I appreciate the offer, I'll let you know when I have it. The condition of the car is what REALLY sold me, I just couldn't pass it up. You guys will see what I mean when I get some pictures posted. J, it is interesting that we all have a little bit different taste because I am reversed on the front grille issue, I prefer the "waterfall" grille of the Supreme over the slanted one of the Colonade. Redog, I sort of lean to the opinion J holds about the fender bulges on the '74 and '75 but interestingly enough I did see one very nice specimen last year in a black 442 model that just exuded the attitude "You want a piece of me?". I must admit, for some reason I liked the fenders on that one, maybe it was the wheel/tire treatment and the suspension that made everything sit just right. dunno.....

 

We can't wait to see pics. Make sure you take a pic right when you but it and then take a pic after you have cleaned it.

BTW, I have an order of dead rat on a 77 Cutlass Supreme Brougham hood for a man with a red beard! Is there a man with a red beard here?

 

HaHa!

guys, that's an inside joke. "The guy with the red beard" is from our local Olds Club years ago, he was very critical of everyone else's car and a very hard guy to get along with. So we joke each other about if it would be acceptable to that guy about different things. On the phone yesterday I told Jesse about how nice the Cutlass was and he asked if "the guy with the red beard" would like it, or would he not even eat an egg cooked on it's hood or something like that. I replied "he would eat a dead rat off it" Well, anyway Jesse thought is was funny, I guess I have to be your dad