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I considered waiting a week or two to post this in my YouTube/build thread. I scrapped my 96 98 today.
If you saw my previous YouTube videos or thread you know that the 4T60E was toast. I found glitter in the pan. Yesterday, I moved it to the garage from my shop in the backyard to loot parts off of the carcass.
When I had it in the garage I tilted the steering wheel down to remove the Kenwood head unit in the dash. Tilting the steering wheel caused the ignition cylinder wires to the VATS module to break. I had considered installing resistors in series with the VATS module in the past. Unfortunately, the resistor pellets in both of my keys were OPEN, it wouldn't have been an easy task to fake out the VATS module with a variable resistor. I would have just ended up hobbling it to the salvage yard anyways.
I did get good parts. I have 7 or 8 Oldsmobile rocket hubcaps I plan on using for the 71. It was a sad day. 😪
If its any comfort the average lifespan for a car is 8 years and 150,000 miles (Consumer Reports). Not sure of the 98s mileage but I'm leaning your car gave its moneys worth...
Yeah, he has had it for maybe six or seven years. When we spoke today about it before he posted I told him the same, you got your money's worth out of it as nice daily driver for the time he had it.
If I have a car for a length of time I feel of it as a friend- silly i know but I do. I hated that key system (vats??) It was the biggest repeating problem on my 300.000 mile 02 Impala. My friends mom had a middle 90's 98 like that. It rusted out so bad the garage said the engine might fall out- they junked that one with low miles. Rust is what kills cars here. What ya gonna replace it with, Jesse?
I don't know if I'm going to replace it right away. In a year or so Momma and I are going to have to buy a car for our oldest daughter. I joke around and say as long as it's the same price or less than my first car at $750!
The late 80s to early 2000s H & C bodies (Buick LeSabres, 88s, 98s, etc.) had front subframe bushings that would rot pretty bad. I had considered replacing the ones in my 98 if I dropped the subframe to remove the transaxle for a rebuild. Not an easy task without a lift. 😮
Several years ago I had a 99 Expedition that was totaled when my daughter was driving it. A guy ran a red light and tee boned the right rear wheel. Fortunately she and my grandson were okay. They towed the vehicle to the impound yard. I bought it new and it had 168,000 miles on it. It will looked and ran great. When we went over to get out stuff out of it, it was like saying goodbye to an old friend.
When these kind of events have happened to me they were hard at the time but in retrospect I can see that it gives me a balanced view of what value really is. As much as I like my classic Oldsmobile cars and hate to see them go, loosing friends and/or family has a much greatere impact.
