I have a chance to get a local 79 cutlass it runs good interior no rip. Desperate need of tires like literally to drive he says. And registration is 300. He will trade me for my ps3 and a 32 lcd tv I have that I spent 289.99 brand new on . Should I make the trade I think I mite

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For 300? Take it! At least in 1979 Olds had gone back to their own engines. I had one of these (1978 Cutlass Calais) new from the showroom $7300.00 back then; silver body with burgandy opera roof, red interior, buckets, rallye gauges etc. It is a really nice riding car, but prone to wind noise on the highway. Mileage in the city sucked, and highway was about 22 mpg. Very comfortable car to ride in, good visibility.

You should do an inspection of the car before you decide to go all in though. It looks like a nice car.

 

If you physically have the room to mess with it, for $300 bucks, what the heck. The interior looks a little faded, but spray dye should take care of it, long as the material isn't baked to a crisp. The metal looks nice, so should be easy to part out, if deciding on that.

 

Electronics start dropping in value the INSTANT they are on the market. Think about it this way. If you keep the car for 5 years, or the PS3/TV, which will have value at that point?

That's the steal of the century. Take the trade and RUN!

-Jeff

 

You can always buy another television. How many times can you buy a '79 Cutlass?

 

I've gotta tell you, I hate theses cars - hated them when they were new - but for a PlayStation and a 32" TV, how could you turn it down?

If it runs, you could sell it for more than you spent on the Chinese electronics any time you want, anyway.

- Eric

 

Sounds and looks like a good deal to me from the pics. If you go for it, order one of these to go with it...
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...0-shipped.html

 

Yea he states it runs body straight and interior good. He said it really needs tires, he told me if i want to drive it home I need to bring a tire for one rim its that bad. And registration is due 300 dollars so that should be a good 700-800 for just tires. Bt I got a big backyard I can park there cover up. And little by little redo her up. If it runs good with need if tires and backpay reg. How much you think I can get for it? And in 79 were they throwing Chevy engines in these cars?

 

Not sure what you're saying here.

If you fix it up, I'd just use it for a driver. Its only worth what someone will pay. Biggest mistake most sellers make is they expect to get every penny they put into the car back out of it. There are some things a car MUST have just to run, so the valuation of some repairs drops significantly when that is factored in. So if you put new rubber, new brakes, new suspension, rebuild the tranny or engine etc, it will cost you more to fix than to sell. The only strategy that makes sense is to drive it long enough to get your value back. Or, flip it right now while you don't have any expenses into it. By the sounds of it, you're buying it sight unseen and undriven - just based on the sellers say so. That would scare the heck out of me. This seller obviously doesn't want to spend money on the car, so it leads me to question what kind of mechanical/electrical condition its really in. Do you know a mechanic who could do an on site inspection??

Far as I know, 78 was the only year Olds was throwing Chebby engines in their cars. It was due to low engine production. It was quite a scandal at the time. You could get a Chevmobile or an Oldsmochev. That's what I had in 78. A Chev 305 4bbl in my Cutlass Calais. It ran just fine and had enough power, but IMO it always wasn't a 'true' Oldsmobile. Sold it in 81 and bought a brand new 81 4 door Omega Brougham.

 

I had a 79 Cutlass Calais back in the day with a 305 chevy in it. I loved that car and got all kinds of good comments about it. I say if you like that style, go for it!

 

Okay so I went and checked out the car today. It looks pretty nice. The guy has a bunch of old schools he has a el camino a impala and a really bueatifull Corvette in a different garage. The cutlass looked nice some dings here and there some surface rust that looks really minor just ugly. I see what he mean by tires it was litterally shredding off the rims. We started car up ran fine took for a little test drive that he insisted. Ran fine, it was missing the smog pump it was there but jot phisically working. Bad dent in passanger door and back bumper bent a little( how much to repair a bent bumper). It looks good to get paint and depot a 350 in?

 

As long as it has clear title, you can probably resell it, as it its now, for a heck of alot more than the value of a used video game console and TV. I'd jump on that in a second.

 

Actually, the bent bumpers probably going to be the biggest thing, as most better rechrome places do the repairs before plating and not cheap. If the metals dinged up, but all there, shouldnt be to bad. A friend has a similar 78' Buick Regal nicely painted he dropped a built 400 Chevy SB into, and good running car.

 

if you have a pic of the bumper, I can suggest the easiest fixes.

you can probably straighten it into better shape yourself if you're a little creative. I have multiple times with those cars.

 

Sometimes deals that sound too good, are quite often a scam.
Deal so great people don't exercise cautious judgement.....so be careful.

So where did you see this advertisement ??
Is it a local ad and the guy is local or is this something you saw on
the internet with just a phone # and vague description ??

#1. Get the VIN # and verify it.
#2. Make sure he has the title in hand and keys.
You never know these days, could be a setup to rob ya.
#3. Make sure your state doesn't have vehicle title liens.
That means he could have gotten a loan out against his title and if he
doesn't pay it off, then you own the debt with the car.
#4. Back registration ?? Shouldn't have to pay, just call the DMV and
inform them the car was out of commission. Some states are real dicks
about this like Jersey IIRC.

IF it's a legit deal, it all depends on what is wrong with the car.
Someone doesn't give a car away for $600 unless it's got problems.
You just have to verify how much those problems are going to cost you to repair them.
1979 ....it won't have the overdrive transmission either.

 

Starting in 78 through 80, the base engine was a Buick V6, you could also order the Chevrolet 305 V8. I would check the rear frame rails.

Also get the VIN and check out this web site to determine if the engine is original:

http://v8cars.hu/oldsvin/decode.php

 

or lack thereof, not to many left that aren't rotted away.

 

Yes I would check the frame and 1/4's around the bottom of the trunk.

I love that body style on Cutlass. 80 is good too, but I love the 78-79 nose the best