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Hi, I'm joining the forum because I am looking for my family's old 1968 Delta 88 coupe. It was purchased by my grandma in the Seattle, WA area around 1970, and she held onto it through the mid 90s. We have a lot of good memories of the car and are wondering if it still exists. I'm also open to finding another '67 or '68 coupe.
Here's the only photo we have. It was silver with a black top and white interior:
If she kept the car into the 1990s, it was kept past the usual scrappage time and is probably serving as a collector car somewhere. However, with only that one photo to go by, which shows almost nothing of the car itself, the chances of finding it are pretty much zero. You have a better chance of finding the young lady sitting IN the car than you do of the car itself.
If she kept the car into the 1990s, it was kept past the usual scrappage time and is probably serving as a collector car somewhere. However, with only that one photo to go by, which shows almost nothing of the car itself, the chances of finding it are pretty much zero. You have a better chance of finding the young lady sitting IN the car than you do of the car itself.
I get that the odds aren’t great, but I figure the chances aren’t that bad! If I speculate with available info, I can break it down like this:
-Ballpark 1968 Delta 88 coupe production: ~15,000
-Guestimate of survival rate (10-15%): 1,500 to 2,250 still around
-Washington’s share (2.3% of U.S. population): ~35 to 52 in the state
-Silver cars (estimated 10% of production): ~3 to 5 silver Delta 88 coupes in Washington
Given how few are left, if a silver ‘68 Delta 88 coupe is still out there in Washington, the odds that it’s the one I’m looking for are actually pretty reasonable.
Thanks for the replies, gentlemen—I’ll keep the optimism alive! (And if I can’t find it I’ll restore another one!)
1968 Delta 88 Holiday Coupe production was 18,501. There was also a Delta 88 Custom available as a two-door with production of 9,540. Assuming you had the former, the average survival rate of any particular model's production after 25 years levels out at about 1%, not 10%. That means that one can expect there to be about 200 1968 Delta 88 Holiday Coupes still on the road.
You're making a HUGE assumption that the car is still in Washington. Using your math, with Washington having 2.3% of the U.S. population, that means about 4 of the 1968 Delta 88s of all colors are in Washington.
Cars move all over the country, especially collector cars. As just one example, I live in Michigan, and my three old cars were originally sold in Missouri, Florida, and New York. The Missouri car spent time in Minnesota, Kentucky, and New Mexico before Michigan. The New York car spent the most recent half of its life in Pennsylvania before I acquired it. The Florida car was in New Mexico, too, before coming to Michigan.
You would likely need FAR more information, such as the car's VIN and perhaps the name of the person who acquired it after your grandmother had it. You could try to find that person, and if they're still alive, ask them what became of the car. If you have any luck, go forward from there to the next owner and so forth up to the present day.
One other question. You know only the car's color scheme. Even if you found one that matches, how could you ever confirm that it actually IS the car your family owned? Are there any unique marks on it somewhere? Did you leave a wad of bubble gum stuck up under the rear seat on one side?
Yes, keep up the optimism for sure, but having not seen the car in 30 years means anything could have happened to it, including ending up as part of a support beam on a bridge. If you do find it, please let us know, and also buy a lottery ticket!
1968 Delta 88 Holiday Coupe production was 18,501. There was also a Delta 88 Custom available as a two-door with production of 9,540. Assuming you had the former, the average survival rate of any particular model's production after 25 years levels out at about 1%, not 10%. That means that one can expect there to be about 200 1968 Delta 88 Holiday Coupes still on the road.
You're making a HUGE assumption that the car is still in Washington. Using your math, with Washington having 2.3% of the U.S. population, that means about 4 of the 1968 Delta 88s of all colors are in Washington.
Cars move all over the country, especially collector cars. As just one example, I live in Michigan, and my three old cars were originally sold in Missouri, Florida, and New York. The Missouri car spent time in Minnesota, Kentucky, and New Mexico before Michigan. The New York car spent the most recent half of its life in Pennsylvania before I acquired it. The Florida car was in New Mexico, too, before coming to Michigan.
You would likely need FAR more information, such as the car's VIN and perhaps the name of the person who acquired it after your grandmother had it. You could try to find that person, and if they're still alive, ask them what became of the car. If you have any luck, go forward from there to the next owner and so forth up to the present day.
One other question. You know only the car's color scheme. Even if you found one that matches, how could you ever confirm that it actually IS the car your family owned? Are there any unique marks on it somewhere? Did you leave a wad of bubble gum stuck up under the rear seat on one side?
Yes, keep up the optimism for sure, but having not seen the car in 30 years means anything could have happened to it, including ending up as part of a support beam on a bridge. If you do find it, please let us know, and also buy a lottery ticket!
It's just reality. There have been many people coming on this site over the years looking for a car they once owned, most of them armed with far more information than you have. They almost always have at least the VIN and a full photo of the car. I have yet to see any of them come back and report success in finding the car.
It's just reality. There have been many people coming on this site over the years looking for a car they once owned, most of them armed with far more information than you have. They almost always have at least the VIN and a full photo of the car. I have yet to see any of them come back and report success in finding the car.
Fair enough! If I don’t find it, no harm done. I’m open to picking up another ‘68 anyway. Appreciate the insight.
I'm waiting for the day when someone comes on to this site and says
"Hello. I owned an Oldsmobile many years ago. I don't remember what year model it was, and I don't have a photo or anything, but I remember it was blue. Can you help me find it?"
As we've said from the top, good luck! We hope you're the first to meet with success.
Thanks! It’s a long shot but I would purchase it if it’s still around!
I'm also open to other '68 or '67 coupes if I can't find our old one.
As was pointed out, chances of finding it are slim. If you want to find a similar car, open a thread in the cars wanted section with what options you're looking for in a car. Again, welcome to the site from eastern Oklahoma.
It's possible a friend of mine found his Nova he had at 16 years old. Fixed it up sold it then found it about 30 years later. It's a basket case and needs a total restoration but he found it.
