I just got a 1964 Jet Star 88 convertible from my father in law that he bought new here in Bowling Green, Ky. It has been garage kept it's whole life. Paint and interior are original. !00,000 miles.
I am told they only made 3,000 that year.
I would post pictures, I have them on my computer, but can't figure out how.
also can't seem to find out much about the car. It seems that since they made so few not much information in available.
I do know that when i went to pay taxes on the car I was amazed at what the NADA book said is was worth. Did get them to come down some. Dennis

 

Welcome to CO, Dennis! A Jetfire! Wow! I bet you were surprised at the tax office! So glad you are keeping it in the Family. What a story. Once again, Welcome!
(Sorry, Jaunty!).

 

Welcome to our site! I had a beautiful 63 parked beside me at a cruise in last night. I've seen it before, and it's a gorgeous car. The guy bought it new, so he's owned it all these years! See if I can find a pic of it..... Yep!

streetsboro005.jpg

 

Welcome aboard

Glad you joined us.

 

Can someone tell me how down load pictures. Dennis

 

Aron, it's a Jetstar 88!

 

When you reply make sure you are in “Advanced” If it says post a “Quick reply” hit “Advanced”

Scroll down below the box you type in and hit “Manage Attachments” A new box will pop up.

Hit “Browse”

The hit “Upload” and wait a few secs for the pics to up load. Then close this box.
Next you can hit “Preview Post” and your pictures should be there.

There is a size limit on pics

 

Pretty close. Actual production was 3,903.


I once owned a '64 Jetstar 88. What do you want to know?

Some information that might be of interest was that the Jetstar 88 was made for only three model years, 1964, '65, and '66. It was a new entry by Oldsmobile in attempt capture more business in the "low-priced field" at the time, so it was the lowest-priced full-size Olds. To keep the price down, even though it's a full-size Olds and shares body panels, bumpers, etc. with other full-sized Olds's of that year (Dynamic 88, Super 88, Starfire), the engine, drivetrain, and brakes are the same as what was offered in the Cutlass line. Your car has the 330 V8 while the other full-size cars came standard with the 394. Your transmission, assuming it's an automatic, is the 2-speed Jetaway, while the other 88s came with the three-speed Hydramatic. Parts can sometimes be hard to find because of that part-Cutlass, part full-size nature. Many of the suspension parts are unique to the '64 model.

A "sister" vehicle, the Jetstar I, was also made (for '65 as well, but not '66). It was a sportier version, available only as a 2-door, and typical descriptions I've seen of it call it a toned-down, less expensive, less chrome-laden version of the Starfire.

The Old Cars Price Guide lists the average value of a '64 Jetstar 88 convertible in #3 condition ("car show" condition but not showroom condition) at about $12,000. By contrast, the 2-door hardtop is valued at about 2/3 that, or about $8,000, while the four-door sedan is barely half that at about $6,500. Convertibles always command a premium.

It sounds like you have very nice car there with a nice history and a family legacy.

 

hope this works. Dennis

 

If I'm not mistaken, this is a photo of a '63 Olds 88, not a '64. The Jetstar was not made in '63, so this can't possibly be one!

 

Sure did! Beautiful car! Wish I had a father-in-law like that!

 

What a great car! It's great that you kept it in the family! Have fun with it.

 

Here's a question. When bringing up the top it stops about 2/3 and then you have to use your hands to completely bring it down. It will go all the way down on it's own. Dennis

 

I think you have an issue there. When putting it up, it should come all the way up and pretty much rest on the top of the windshield or be close to that. You may have to move it a bit left or right and maybe pull it down an inch or two to get the latches to line up, but that's it.

I've never adjusted a convertible top, and I hope I never have to. When I needed a new one on a car I once owned, I let a convertible top shop do everything as far as installation and adjustment, and I never had trouble with it. The convertible top on the '67 Delta I have now works well, and I keep my fingers crossed that it always will.

If you're not up to trying to adjust it yourself and don't want to live with it the way it is, you might take it to a local shop that installs convertible tops and see if they can adjust it for you.

 

I'm with Jaunty

Trying to adjust a convertible top is like trying to push a rope. People who know what they are doing will save you alot of headaches. Everytime you adjust one thing it automatically adjust 3 more things that you didn't want ajusted.

 

So it's just a adjustment not something that is wrong? Dennis

 

Well, as far as we can tell based on your description. Again, the thing to do is take it to a shop, have them look at it, and find out for sure.

 

Maybe, Mine 69 drop top has done that for 40 years and I just grab it and buckle it down.

 

Sorry Jaunty! Like Aron, I was thinking Starfire, lol!!! That's a pic of a 63 Starfire I posted. Brain fart or something this morning!

 

First, nice car. It took me years to appreciate the J88 for what they were meant to be- I had trouble with the light-duty underpinnings, but anymore a J88 of any year would be welcome in my yard.

Bothers me when a tax-hungry local government uses these arbitrary values, or worse auction results, to establish tax value on an old car. Bothers me even more when they automatically use a #1 grade example to set the tax value.

I guess it was around 1990, tax value on one of mine increased 1700% from one year to the next and no one in the local revenue office could explain it other than "we got the NADA to set the values for us and they said that was the value". I finally raised enough hell that they dropped it to be more in line with the car's actual value at that time.

That was the same year they set tax value on a friend's 68 Camaro at the value of a #1 car. It was one step up from a parts car.

My take is that these cars aren't putting much wear and tear on the infrastructure or government services, so why should I pay a locality for the privilege of owning one? Or in my case, five.

 

Well they first started at $38,000. Then they went to $22000 and we finished at $15,000. The nice thing about Ky. is they give you a special plate that you don't have to replace every year. the down side is every police officer will run the plate when they see it. For a while until they found out how to do it right we were stopped because it was showing up from a different city. Made three trips to the police station to get it straightened out and one time to jail for having a stolen plate from a another car. Walked out in one hour. Good thing I knew what Lt. to call and say HELP.
Now that they have fixed the computer no more problems, but they told me they run the classic plates to make sure it isn't reported stolen. dennis

 

Wherever you live the revenue office has lost their damn mind if they think any 64 full-size Oldsmobile is worth $38000. Even Starfire convertibles don't tread in those waters.

They run those classic plates to make sure taxes on the car are paid up more than to make sure it hasn't been stolen.

 

Welcome. I've got a 64 J88 convertible. Be aware that the 1964 cars have some one-year-only features. For example, the frame, motor mounts, front spindles, and (I think) the rear axle housing are unique to the 1964 J88. Nothing interchanges. The frame is different from those on other 1963-64 Olds 88s because the 330 motor in the J88 is mounted differently from the 394 in the other cars and these frame brackets are a welded-on part of the frame. The motor mounts look like those on the 65-70 full size cars, but they are different (the threaded stud is centered instead of being offset like on the later cars). The spindles are designed to match up with the control arms from the full size cars, but accept the smaller F-85 brakes. The rear axle is the same design as was used in the F-85s, but has a unique width and control arm bracket locations. It's completely different from the axle used in the other 63-64 full size cars.

On the other hand, most sheet metal and interior parts are common to those on other 1964 full size Oldsmobiles.

 

Rocket, you may be right but I sure got tired of being told my plates belonged to another car in a different city because the on board computer said so. Dennis

 

If you have a current registration card that shows the plate is registered to you and/or your car, and it's been properly processed thru DMV, then they have neither probable cause nor case. None, and they know it. Your registration card and DMV computer record should have a notation on it somewhere to effect of permanent, exempt, vintage/antique, or something to indicate it is not a regular issue plate.

Sorry for rant. I've been thru too much of this same crap with ignorant (usually young) cops who wouldn't even read the copy of the statutes I keep in the car all the time.

 

Really nice car! Welcome to CO.

 

Both my wife and I have been really thinking things over. We don't have the garage space and my son needs a good car to go to school with. We think the best thing to do is sell the car to someone that can really show it off at events.
Now the question is how? Dennis

 

Post an ad here in the Cars for Sale forum. Include pics. I suggest including an asking price. Craigslist, maybe ebay also come to mind. There are other online sites as well. It probably won't sell overnight unless you happen to hit the right person or price it very low.

If you want my completely unsolicited advice as to an asking price, the Old Cars Price Guid lists the average value of a '64 Jetstar 88 convertible in "car show" condition (#3), which is just below "showroom" condition and which I think your car meets the definition of, at just over $12,000. Others will certainly have opinions as well, but I would think it would be worth in the low to mid teens, depending on the car's particular pluses and minuses. At 100,000 miles, it's not a cream puff. We also haven't seen anything about the condition of the top other than your comment about how it doesn't close correctly. So, as I say, the actual value of the car will be hard to pinpoint, and in the end it will depend on how motivated a seller you are, how motivated a buyer you find, and the condition of this particular car. But the OCPG value gives some sort of starting point.

 

Thanks Jaunty for the advice. There is a small tear at the zipper at the rear window to the top. The zipper works fine and we plan on fixing that.
we did have to replace the balancer and at the same time replaced the gears and timing chain and water pump. Also the original belts were still on the car so we replaced them as well.
The car is so quit when it runs it sounds new. It is hard to find someone to work on these cars. Several places just wanted to replace the engine.
I'm going to get pictures of the car with the top up. It's still white and the rear plastic window is still clear.
thanks again. Dennis