I picked up a 86 Custom Cruiser Wagon today w/69,000 miles today.Grandpas garaged car.Sadly the 91 year old has been put in a nursing home.The car has a folder of thousands of dollars in receipts,some of which I think the car didn't even need,but the man wanted his car in tip top shape and was taken advantage of.The car runs and drives perfect,like a new car.It has newer exhaust,so is very quiet.The interior is immaculate.My dilemma is this;I have people that want to give me close to $1000 for it to Demo it.I hate to see this happen,is there a following for this car or it's parts or just let it happen?The frame is mint,even in the rear,but the bottoms of the doors are rusted and there is a little blistering above the rear tires.Bottom of the tailgate is also nice.Rebuilt 200 4R trans,carb,master cyl,new tires,alt, radiator,brake lines,water pump,brakes.Silver car with red cloth gut,tilt roof rack remote mirrors,AM/FM,pwr rear window.What to do.

 

Don't sell it to have it demo'd. I sold my '79 Impala Wagon to someone that did the same and regret it to this day. The car deserved better than that and I'm sure your Grandfather's is no different.

 

There are quite a few people who still like to maintain Custom Cruisers, and some are members of this forum... The problem really stems from a collectability standpoint... You need to find that right person looking to restore one or at least utilize what can be salvaged to maintain another... Some of the Custom Cruiser parts, the front fenders in particular, only fit the Custom Cruiser (Not the 88's & 98's) and are therefore harder to find for restoration/accident repair purposes... Another item of particular interest would be the tailgate if it is fiberglass and not sheet metal... A $1000 for your vehicle sounds very reasonable, but once you actually sell it, you will most likely have no idea how it will be used unless you luck out and find an Oldsmobile Enthusiast who is looking for one to collect/restore/hoard for future use/preservation... Possibly someone here can help, and quite honestly here is your best shot of finding it a good home...

 

I find your post confusing. At the beginning, you say you "picked up" the car. That makes it sound like it was something you wanted to own. Then later on you talk about how someone is offering you only $1000 for it, and you're asking if that's a fair price. So now it sounds like you don't want to own it. Are you trying to sell the car or not? It sounds to me like a better description of the situation is that the car "fell into your lap," and now you're trying to sell it.

And why do you think that it's worth only what this derby guy is willing to give you? Have you listed the car for sale anywhere? A word description is all well and good, but showing us some photos would help us evaluate it. If the car is in as good a shape as you make it sound, it's worth more like $4,000 or $5,000, and the best way to keep it out of the hands of derbyists is to price it high enough to make it financially unattractive for them to buy it.

Is there a following for these cars? Yes, and it's very small, but it's there. If you're trying to sell the car, list it over at stationwagonforums.com, where those guys live, eat, and breathe station wagons.

 

I agree with Jaunty, $1000 seems like a low asking price. The biggest drawback based on your description is the rust. Post some pics stat!