So, a few weeks ago I bought an 81 Delta 88 Royale coupe with 75k miles. Needs some detail work, but overall is a solid and very rust-free ride. The problem is there is now an '82 Regency coupe, Diesel, with just over 100k for sale. Good shape as well...what to do? Try to sell the 88 quick to get the Regency, or is it better to avoid the diesel all together and stick with the 88?

 

Just buy the diesel and keep the '81. Fun with cars goes up exponentially with the number you own. One is fun, two is four times as fun, three is eight times as fun, and so forth!

 

...just like women.....

 

And cars can't talk!!

 

I wouldn't buy the deisel. I had one and it was a piece of junk.

 

We had an '82 98 diesel in the family for many years. I've often thought it would be cool to find another one. The diesel engines weren't Oldsmobile's finest, but they have an important part in Olds history. IMO, if you have an opportunity to save one, do it!

 

I say buy the diesel and put a 350 Olds gas engine in it.

Gene

 

X 2, my dad had a early diesel and couldn't get out of town with it...Tedd

 

But you raise an important point here. Not all Olds diesels were created equally. Olds offered a diesel from 1978 through 1985. I agree that the earlier ones were dogs. My father had a '79 Toronado with a diesel engine that worked until the car got to about 25,000 miles, and then it went to hell. He was ultimately part of a class-action lawsuit against GM in regard to this and did recover some money. It didn't stop him from buying Oldsmobiles, though, as he replaced the car with an '81 Toro with a gasoline engine.

Anyway, Olds seemed to learn from its mistakes with the early diesels as, in my experience, the later ones were better. I had a friend back in the mid-'80s who had an '81 Cutlass with a diesel, and that engine never gave him any trouble. I think he got the car to well over 100,000 miles before finally getting rid of it. I have heard other stories of later-generation diesels that also had happy endings.

The car in question here, being an '82, has one of those later-generation diesels. I wouldn't hold the fact that this car has a diesel engine in it against it.