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I'm very new to Oldsmobile and have always been a diehard Toyota/Honda fan for their low maintenance/issues.
With this particular year, what should I be looking for? Testing? I'm very mechanically inclined and have all tools to do any tests... I just don't know where to start since I've never looked at a car like this.
Wanting to use it for a daily driver. Anyone know much about this particular one? Looks like the V6 Cutlass Supreme model... I know nothing about the engines in these vehicles, reliability, etc.
Any help would be appreciated! I am going to take a look on site today.
Welcome to the site. While the car certainly is inexpensive to buy, if the gentleman is selling due to him needing cash for hearing aides for the wife, I'd be willing to bet it needs more than just an a/c repair. As far as being a collectable, this car ranks just under a Yugo for desirability. It would make a good DD if its in as good a shape as he says. Apparently there is a third party selling it for them.
So, my car, I call her the "Old Girl" is the only thing I have to sell to get hearing aids for my wife, "the young girl," even though I have loved this car and really, it has had two previous owners, an old man and an older woman, who kept it in excellent condition, and I am the third owner, just another old man. And I too have kept the Old Girl in excellent condition, she has been serviced regularly by all three owners. She has 105,400 original miles on her, radio, automatic, the only thing I can think of that doesn't work is the air conditioning, and there is a little bit of rust on the bumper, which you can see in one of my pictures. It's a V6 and still good tread on the tires, 1982 Olds Cutlass Supreme. Kinda brown in color. As I said, I have loved her generously, but my dear wife needs hearing aids, so selling the Old Girl will make that happen. I have a friend dealing with this for us, and hope whomever buys her, treats her with as much love as I have. She does have collector vehicle plates on her, and is very drive-able.Clean inside...no dents ...She was a real beauty in her day...
So do you mean that these cars have a lot of inherent problems and reliability issues? I had to look up what a yugo was and it's ranked pretty poorly.
You must be quite young. I was talking about the collectibility of the car, not the reliability. Like most cars, they are very reliable for the first 15 years. After that you are at the mercy of the preventive maintenance habits of previous owners. If you are not sure of the mechanical aspects of this car, take someone with you who is. If it turns out it does have issues, you will still be making monthly car payments in the form of repairs to keep it on the road.
Do cars with collector or historic plates get inspected like other newer cars? If not it may have been a while since checked. Get it inspected and talk your way into the bay while it's on the lift so you can look for rust holes/ frame issues, etc. It's not likely to ever be a collector type auto but looks decent for a grocery getter.
I think it would make a very good daily driver if the rear frame is in good shape. Also look at the floor under the catalytic converter etc.
It will never be a collector piece but will make for a nice driver. The Buick V6 engines were decent as well.
The story behind the car is what it is, heard the same story many times when it comes to older cars.
Maybe this story is legit, the car will tell its own story once you have it inspected.
I think it would make a very good daily driver if the rear frame is in good shape. Also look at the floor under the catalytic converter etc.
It will never be a collector piece but will make for a nice driver. The Buick V6 engines were decent as well.
The story behind the car is what it is, heard the same story many times when it comes to older cars.
Maybe this story is legit, the car will tell its own story once you have it inspected.
Eric
I'm well aware that this vehicle is over 30 years old. My primary driver right now is an 85 Toyota pickup truck that I have been maintaining since I was 16 years old. I know that a 30+ year old vehicle is not going to run like a brand new one... I'm simply wanting to know anyone out there who has expertise with this car, what common things that go wrong with them. Whether that be from neglect or just time. That way when I go to inspect it, I can look specifically in those areas.
The rear frame arch over the wheels was a popular place to rust out like 76 said. Other than that every bushing an ballpoint, shocks springs etc check for water leaks smelly carper rusted floors etc.
The rear frame arch over the wheels was a popular place to rust out like 76 said. Other than that every bushing an ballpoint, shocks springs etc check for water leaks smelly carper rusted floors etc.
Is the motor v6 model and auto 3 speed transmission pretty solid for this year?
I don't know anything about the Buick v6, if it does prove problematic there are several v8 options for replacement w established reliability. the trans assuming it's a th350, 400 variant is a well established and understood unit that was produced since the late 60s and should be near its pinnacle of reliability.
That seems like a pretty nice car for the price. The Buick V6 shouldn't give you any problems. Remember that the Buick V6 was turbocharged in the 80s and put in the Buick Grand National.
That seems like a pretty nice car for the price. The Buick V6 shouldn't give you any problems. Remember that the Buick V6 was turbocharged in the 80s and put in the Buick Grand National.
Well I went and saw it today. The only two flaws I could see was that the cruise control didn't work, and that the AC also was discharged (old style). I don't imagine it's easy to retrofit an older AC system with the new refrigerant? I know that the entire cruise control module is there and intact, I'm guessing maybe a vacuum leak is stopping it. It also could use an alignment which isn't a big deal.
Two drive ability things - it gets 20 mpg city, 15 hwy according to the owner. I kinda assumed that's about right for the V6? Also it's pretty damn slow on the up-take. 0-60 takes a good while, but once it's rolling it feels like you're driving a battering ram... which I kinda like. Tires in good shape, windshield is brand new. Engine bay is immaculate as well as the interior - no tears in the fabric, even the seat cushions aren't caved in.
Shop had it in for service a few months ago - they replaced the heater core, oil change, and did their 55-point inspection or whatever. It came back with a clean bill of health. The current owner kept pretty detailed service records... he's also a Jehovah witness. They're supposed to be honest, right? :P
What do you guys think?
Last edited by notaloafer; Oct 20, 2016 at 10:13 PM.
Retrofitting the AC isn't too hard. It depends on how involved you want to get. I retrofitted the AC on a 1990 Buick Estate Wagon years ago and all I did was put new hoses on it, replaced the orifice tube and recharged the system. I've heard your supposed to put an oversized evaporator and condenser in your system because R134a doesn't cool as well as R12. FWIW, the AC on my Buick was ok, but could have been colder. The hard part is going to be pulling a vacuum on the system once you put new hoses on it. You can buy a vacuum pump at HarborFreight now for $150 or something (but that is pretty steep for a one time use tool). I think you can rent a set of R134a gauges from your local auto parts store.
