So, I posted this poll on the Ford truck site I frequent but it pertains to Oldsmobile too. This morning I dropped my 5 yr. old daughter at daycare. Whenever she gets a ride from dad she always wants to go in the truck (the older one likes the Olds better). Of course, dad had to buy donuts and juice for breakfast.

When we were leaving the donut store a gent asked me about my truck. He said he wanted to find one from the same generation. I spoke briefly with him and he was friendly and inquisitive.

What's the public's reaction to your Olds? Have you been approached by friendly folks that are interested in your classic? Did a Honda Civic (with a wing of course) driver make fun of you because your Olds doesn't have NOS? Did an older woman driving a Prius shame you for driving a car that pollutes so much?

Of course, I've been complimented many times when driving the 71 and even the 1st time I drove the 96 (I knew it was meant to be). Vote and let us know!

 

Over the years is has mostly been folks offering to buy it, whether sitting at a traffic light, in a parking lot, etc.

The most interesting reaction I got was several years ago while driving by a group of 12 year old (?) boys one hollered "Yo dawg! Pimp that ride!"

 

I have owned my 56 Olds Super 88 for only a short time , Because of the color combination it sticks out like a sore thumb, its hard to miss !!
every encounter has been positive, even gets thumbs up from the ricers when they pull up next to it. I don't live in a retirement community but I live close to one and a lot of the retirees shop around here so when I drive it to the store I have herd a few times already "hey I used to have one of them" I'm always happy and proud to drive the old girl !!!!

 

my '72 Cutlass ragtop gets a lot of compliments and " I had one when..." comments but the memory which stands out for me involved my '68 Charger R/T clone (triple black with red bumble bee stripes in back). The day I was selling it I had picked the buyer up at the airport and on the way to the bank a gorgeous girl in a Jeep stopped next to us at a light looked over and said that was the hottest car she'd ever seen. Made me think about dropping the buyer back at the airport

 

My 72 Supreme Convertible also gets a lot of compliments and thumbs up. Many want to talk about a Cutlass they or someone in their family owned. Sometimes attention is not all good. Last weekend we went to a local winery and when we came out to leave, a very inebriated bachelorette party was taking pictures with my car...problem was, several of them were sitting on and in the car! Thank goodness they didn't cause any damage.

 

As with most classic owners, both of my cars get attention. Whether it be at the often frequented fuel pumps, at a show or even just in a retail parking lot. Not to mention the "Thumbs-up" at red lights and even driving down the road. Both cars get the...my-mother's-best friend's-uncle's-girlfriend's-brother-in-law had one.

The '76 Cutlass attracts much of the same era crowd as my '78 Trans Am did...albeit slightly older. These cars seem to attract those that had experience with them back in the day. My '70 Nova SS seems to attract more classic car enthusiasts. The Queen has finally accepted the fact whenever I, or we, go out on a ride....a car conversation will often ensure...with someone. While she is, somewhat, amused with this phenomena, the beginning of a conversation usually generates a roll of the eyes from her. As in "Here we go again. Blah blah blah"

I tell her it is better than hanging out at the bars and/or staring at hoochie, coochie girls. LOL!

Of course, it ain't the roll of the eyes I get from her then... (The woman has a hell of a heart punch)

 

At car shows people either know what is or because it has no side markings, the clueless walk clear around to the back looking for what model it is. Outside of a few purists I get mostly compliments and thumbs up everywhere I go. We don't have many green, tree hugging, prius drivers around here to contend with.
The funniest question I ever got was while at a high school show supporting mechanics shop, a pointy haired, pimply faced yute asked what year Mustang it was.

 

For the most part, I get thumbs up appreciative comments. I suppose one of the reasons I have had the car as long as I have is because of the “I had one of those, wish I never sold it” discussions.

Occasionally, I get smart *** comments from the “fast and furious” crowd. I’m thankful it’s not nearly as common as it was a few years ago. I have seen the first movie all the way thru, bits and pieces of the others. They make me want to puke. The first few seconds of the movie condemns street racing and irresponsible driving, and the next 2 hours glorifying it.



One piece of legislation I would love to see!!

Happens almost every time I take the car out, usually followed with the question “why didn’t you finish the strips on the trunk”?

Or does it have a 3/4 cam? Double hump heads? NOSS?

 

For the most part, I get thumbs up appreciative comments. I suppose one of the reasons I have had the car as long as I have is because of the “I had one of those, wish I never sold it” discussions.

Occasionally, I get smart *** comments from the “fast and furious” crowd. I’m thankful it’s not nearly as common as it was a few years ago. I have seen the first movie all the way thru, bits and pieces of the others. They make me want to puke. The first few seconds of the movie condemns street racing and irresponsible driving, and the next 2 hours glorifying it.



One piece of legislation I would love to see!!

Happens almost every time I take the car out, usually followed with the question “why didn’t you finish the strips on the trunk”?

Or does it have a 3/4 cam? Double hump heads? NOSS?

 

Sometimes this is what happens at my burger stand :

 

My 442 gets hoodlums to ask me if I'm trying to sell it since it looks like ***. The H/O gets complimented/commented on its brightness. Driving billboard, someone here said.

 

When people ask if my cars are for sale I always tell them "No...but they can be bought".

 

That would have been in reference to the MTV show called, "Pimp My Ride," hosted by Xzibit. Was a fun show that really did outlandish stuff to people's cars, usually involving tv's, stereo, and wheels.

I had that happen one time where a drunken dumbass was sitting on my car. He was very apologetic because he saw how mad I was, and how close to eating teeth he was.

This one bothers me (only a little), because I know it's almost always BS. However, I did have a guy claim that he owned one back in the day, and then confirmed, "It's a Starfire, right?"

When I had first bought the car back in '98, I actually heard some jackass say, "Oh, he's in daddy's car!" Kind of an odd thing to say to a guy that's in his late 20's. I certainly didn't look like a teenager.

 

What I get.

Is that the a new model??? (about 10 years ago).

Nice Monti Carlo (Boy! that one gets me going!). It a beauty! ,F**kin beautiful! For sale? What under the hood?

Flying down the road, Heads turn so fast as I pass. Not sure how they do not break their necks.

I hear your car go past my house on the highway and I know its you. Thumb up from corvette drivers on the highway.as I blow their door off. And catch up to me in traffic.

Car shows. Nice Monti Carlo again AHHHHHHH!!!. Some Oldsmobile guys see the Lighting Rods, I did not know there was a 1987 Hurst/Olds??

Young guys. Please come see my early 70's cutlass. All are so proud of their Old's.

I know it a much younger Oldsmobile. And I love all the 60's & 70's car I grew up with! Just not a fan of the brick wall front ends.

 

Well, you certainly have yours looking good...kudos.

 

People either pretty much ignore it or want to know if it has a 442 in it.

 

Mostly when asked I get the put me on the list if you ever want to sell it, or when I tell them it's spoken for in my trust I get the I'm up for adoption remark.

As my once son in law said" from babies to bumbs it puts a smile on everyone's face"...Tedd

 

Of course there is always the thumbs up and " thats a beauty" and " what year is that?" and many have had one just like it apparently, but the best was one day last summer I was first at the stop lights here on Bloor St in Toronto and a women who must have been 80-90 yrs old was crossing the street in front of me. She stopped, gazed down the hood of my car, shifted her cane to face me, raised her eyebrows and gave me this wonderful nod of approval, she turned and continued on her way. She must of had one just like it.

 

My Cutlass convertible usually doesn't get too many comments although I do sometimes catch people taking a second look at it as I drive by but then, sometimes things happen like today. I took it to get a state inspection so I could renew the registration and while I was waiting in line, a car pulled up behind me and the driver stuck his head out of his window and said I had a "beautiful, beautiful car" and that his very first car, twenty-five years ago had been one just like it. I was glad I could bring back some memories.

A year or so ago, I was having my oil changed and they got through, the girl who was working topside, called the the guy in the pit to come up and see my car. He gushed over it for a minute or two and at some point confessed that from underneath, he had guessed it was a Grand Prix. He was in his early-mid 20s and to his mind, cars from the '80s and '90s are "survivors".

Once, quite a few years ago when I had my '98 Aurora, this guy in a parking lot was admiring my car and asked if it was "some kind of Saturn". I just laughed and gave him a quick explanation of what an Oldsmobile Aurora was.

 

At our largest weekly cruise in it stands out because of the lack of Oldsmobiles I guess. 200 to 400 hundred cars pending weather. The fast and furious crowd egnore it. Older women 55 years plus love it. Typically once some people see the 4-speed they think its a 442 and oh yes some "four forty twos". Thats when I explain it's a Cutlass and not a 442. Most of the time most people that stop to talk enjoy asking questions about the Cutlass and commenting on it's condition. I am out going so I enjoy the questions and the compliments.

Thanks

Wayne

 

I posted this once a few months ago but in the vein of this thread I thought it was worth repeating


So,
I get up early this morning move the Olds out of the garage to remove some camping gear from the attic , as long as its out and its still kinda cool (91) outside I decide to take it to the store to pick up some soda/pop (my addiction) when I come out there is a guy and a kid taking cell phone pics of the car, the kid was about 5, we chatted for a minute and the kid was mesmerized by the wide whites, he said Grandpa how come those tires aren't black like ours ? the Grandpa explained those are called white walls, the Grandson looked puzzled then looked back up at his Grandpa and said if they are walls how come there not square !! laughed and said thanks son you just made my day !! I should have snapped a pic of Granddad and Grand son !! but I didn't think fast enough.

 

My Custom 55 Olds really got a lot of stares, questions, puzzled looks, even from "car guys". I've got a funny story, but in today's climate, would probably seem "racist'. But on the road one day, a trucker was calling out to his buddies (yes, in the 80's) to ask what kind of car mine was. One of the responses was "Must be one of those 'three car put-togethers'!"
At a big car show, a young kid (maybe 8-10) was looking at the car and noticed it had no door handles. He said out loud "How do you get in the car?". One of my wise guy buddies told him, see the lady inside? (My GF was sleeping in the back seat) She opens the door whenever we want to get in!" So the kid says "how does she eat?" Reply: "we go to the drive-through!"

 

Of all the cars I've owned, by far my H/O gets the most attention from people walking down the street and other drivers on the road. Some may not know what it is, but they understand it's something unique from a bygone era. I've actually had people yell "awesome car" as I drive by. At car shows the reactions are varied...the older car guys remember these from when they were younger and enjoy spending time talking about the car (my favorite pass time!) Younger guys stop and look, but don't really have the passion we do for these cars. Some ask questions, others start talking about the last BMW they raced.

 

I have owned several classic cars that I have worked to restore over my life, but my 69 convertible is the first one I have actually been able to drive and enjoy. The interior doesn't match and the 80s respray is flaking off. Yet surprisingly to me, I still get lots of compliments. They say "nice car" and I am like, yeah someday it will be. I haven't been able to find a car show this year yet, but the people who know cars really enjoy seeing it and taking to me about. On a side note, I have been an olds owner for 2 years now, and I am already tired of being asked if the engine is a rocket.

 

When I get gas I always get a Beautiful Car, Love the colors takes me twice as long to fill up, not saying what the wife has to say when I get back in to go.........WHY SO LONG JUST TO FILL UP??
I used to have one,... wish I had it back
And the ones that don't have a clue of the difference between Hugger Orange and Flame Orange and is that a stock color?
I get a lot of thumbs up

 

On vacation with the Olds and stopped at a vista point to admire Crater Lake Oregon ,Just a little walk to the Crater edge and what a beautiful sight! Upon returning to the parking area what do I see but about 20 people surrounding my car. My first thoughts were that maybe someone had hit it or something but they were all there just admiring it. After about 30 minutes of conversion and pictures I begged off and were about to leave I mentioned that Harvey Earl designed this car but God did a remarkable job on that lake over there you ought to give it a look before you leave..... Tedd

 

I have never had anybody that didn't like my car. It is interesting that women really like the car. I think part of that is the color combination. I get lots of thumbs up and comments at stop lights. Most folks don't know what it is. One of the things I get at car shows is comments like "my daddy had one just like it except it was a green 56 four door". I just smile and say they were very good cars. A good many of folks guess it is a Buick. And Tedd, you are correct about Harley Earl overseeing these cars. One thing that is outstanding on your car and mine is the dash. Lots of chrome. There are lots of pictures taken of the dash.

 

Driving a 1983 B body, I'm the opposite of the poster above I dont believe a woman has ever complimented the car or even given it a second look . I'm 36, I've found that people over 60 or so also have very little interest in the car.

It really seems to be the crowd ages 50-60 who may have driven them as teenagers/young adults that gets excited seeing it. I was very surprised how excited 2 of my uncles were to see it when I first bought it. Perhaps more surprisingly to some here, I also get a ton of compliments from guys younger than me (say under 25 years old). By the time these guys were old enough to drive the boxy cars of the 80s were starting to disappear from the road so I think to the young guys it's unique. They like the size/style , dont mind the lack of performance, and also care little about 4 doors versus 2.