djcrook73

whats up y'all? i have been looking for a decent 73-76 98 regency and was looking to trade my 77 t top grand prix for one but i finally sold the pontiac and found this 98 on craigslist wisconsin from a gentleman who had two cars and due to moving,had to sell one. i flew to wisconsin from ri with my ten year old daughter who also loves cars and we road tripped it home back to ri together over the course of april 1 thru 2nd. 1,350 miles was alot of driving and could have had her shipped for less but when i buy keepers, i like to look at them in person and the owner was a super nice retiree. the interior is in excellent shape and i feel the definition of american luxury.. 127,000 miles and ran like a top all the way home with the cruise control set at 80. did not even break a sweat at that pace. body is fair but needing a drivers door and some rust repair and a new top.. it matches the brocure car to a t and ill redo her that way. plans also include 17" tru-spoke 50 spoke wire wheels with vouge tyres to make this once majestic auto into the ultimate family vacation cruiser ala griswold family truckster!

citcapp

Those seats are sure right out of the 70's looks like my living room from that time period. Very comfy for long trips. It's neat that your daughter is already a car guy. Enjoy your ride.

cutlassgal

Very beautiful!!! Don't ya love that plush interior, lol?? Nothing like that ride...... glad to hear she ran well for you!

Bluevista

Very cool but I was expecting to see a green wagon with woodgrain.
No big deal, I guess a truckster could be a certified Land Yacht combined with a large truck's weight.
A least you didn't call it a grocery getter.
I wonder how many mouse pelts they had to dye red to make the covers for those seats?

How many minutes could you do 80 before you had to stop and fill the tank again?
They do make large external auxiliary fuel tanks for those that you can jettison after they're empty.
A manned truck is stationed every few miles on the interstates and is always on the ready to pick them up for recycling, much like the Bat-Chute retrieval service.

svnt442

Shipped for less? What did the plane tickets cost and how much did you spend driving home? I figure the shipping would be close to $1000 on an open carrier with the price of fuel the way it is.

Allan R

That is one nice car!! Of the 70's 98, my 2 favorites are the 73 4 dr and the 76 4 dr. That color is just stunning on the yacht. I'm curious; if you don't mind me asking, what kind of coin did you have to shell out for it?

greenslade

1350 miles right out of the box!Great start,nice car!

jpaulwhite

Nice story! I did the same but I bought a limo, drove from Chicago (SWEET city. I'm going back in the summer to hit the beach and I really don't know a soul there lol) to DC. 12 hours. You must have been in the top part of Wisconsin, you probably ran down to Chicago then took I80 across to PA then up to RI. I took 76 to 70 then on down to VA. Gas pedal got stuck to the floor coming down some mountain while I was on 76 but I kept it cool and got her pulled over. No damage to anything but my nerves.

I have a 70 98 LS but she not ready just yet. Need to fix the gas tank and check the timing before I start driving her. Got a 69 455 in there that runs good as hell! Just won't idle lol...

djcrook73

thanks for the love on the 98 all! ill reply to all- i paid $2300 for her and picked it up in eau claire,wis.and did take i 80 back.. plane tickets $500 for two and between tolls hotel and gas,probably about another $800 or so. i just had the gp i sold shipped to louisiana 3 weeks ago about the same distance for i believe $775 open carrier.. the car was great on gas on the highway at steady speed, but i already see the difference in city driving mpg but knew that would be the case. but hey, its a family trip car, not a daily driver so ill pay extra to ride in style as opposed to the bland stuff of today that a blue collar guy can actually afford.. and i would guess about one mouse pelt for every mile driven back or 1,350 lol. i am an auto body tech and decent mechanic by trade and enjoy bringing some of the more special unloved cars back to glory,so im sure you will see more in the future as income taxes were generous this year..

djcrook73

hey allan i paid $2300 for it but after further inspection,im looking for another one and found one with 58k on it one state over that im going to look at sat. sanded and buffed this one out sat and it looks great but the paint is hiding alot..

76 Regency

Hey DJ....welcome to the forum and I love your 98!! It looks like a nice original, which is getting harder and harder to find. I have 2 '76 Regency Coupes and I am always thrilled to see new owners like yourself that are really into these fantastic cars. The one in the avatar pic is my frame-off that I am just about finished putting back together. The other is actually the same color as yours with the white vinyl interior and it's my "driver". I have owned 10 Ninety Eights (mostly '76) over the years and I can definitely help you with your new ride. I'm right in Connecticut so we're not terribly far apart. I have a post on here for a full set of '76 98 sedan doors that I have for sale. They are in great shape and I really need the room so please check em out and let me know if you're interested. Also, I noticed your taillights are pushed in. Let me know if your support brackets are beyond repair because I believe I have a pair I can spare.

Here's the link for the doors:
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...dan-doors.html

PS. We took my burgundy 98 from Connecticut to North Carolina 2 years ago and I can't agree more how great these cars are on the open road! I started a post about long trips in Oldsmobiles....check that one out too:

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...ldsmobile.html

djcrook73

hi john,thanks for the welcome..not sure if this is the proper way to reply so please set me straight on it if not correct.. i love the car but unfortunately, after really looking it over i have decided to locate a more solid foundation with which to start on. i started another thread with the car water sanded and buffed as i was not sure if i could add to the first thread and it looks awesome, but pretty much every panel has had amatuer rust repair on the bottoms including the inside and outside of doors.. it seems like ill be opening the proverbial can of worms and even though i am an auto body tech by trade, i do not have a garage at home to do the metal work required and can do weekend stuff at my shop, but the car would have to come apart and stay there which is not an option. i found a 76 with 58k on it in your state which im going to look at and probably buy sunday as its in its faded original paint silver with black leather interior and has no secrets that way.. so the first one might be sold or parted out which i would hate to do but might happen as i also have two nice pontiacs that i support.(76 gp golden anniversary and 77 t top). the doors you have might interest me as the price is great but probably not right away as im still figuring this plan out.. i think its great that you kept your fathers car and restored it. would love to see some pics of it. thanks again,dave

75regency

Nice find. Good save. I love these generation ninety eights. I have a 75 regency sedan and I love to take it on road trips. Agree with nothing rides nicer..

djcrook73

thanks brother,but it might be too bad to save. i started another thread with it all buffed out but looking at another 76 this weekend..

76 Regency

Hey Dave, it would be a shame if the 98 you bought turned into another parts car but whatever you decide, please let me know. I will try to help in whatever ways I can since I've had these cars for so long and am quite familiar with them. Where in Connecticut is the silver 98 that you mentioned? I have been looking for a really nice black steering wheel for my car for quite some time so please keep your eyes open for me. I am also in need of good quarter extensions and have even started a post to try to rally up a bunch of 98 owners in hopes of getting a manufacturer to produce quality sets. Please check it out and post to it regardless of the condition of yours..these parts are near impossible to find. I tried attaching a couple of pics of my black 98 but there seems to be something wrong with the upload process. She's coming along nicely and I even took the next 2 days off just to work on her. Let's keep in touch. Here's the post about the quarter fillers:

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...ety-eight.html

djcrook73

hey john,i would much rather sell it to someone who wants to do the work before parting it out as in the right environment, this car could be somthing ultra special. i have been looking for one of these specifically for about a year and thought i found the right car to fit my budget, but lacking a home garage, i had to rethink this car when i realized it needed a body resto as opposed to a few small patches and paint& top. either way ill keep you posted brother. it does run spectacular down the interstate and thats where these cars really shine! i forget the town name in ct but will let you know..

76 Regency

Hey Dave,

Thank you for adding the post about the fillers. I'm really hoping to make an impression and get somewhere with my quest. I'm way too into these cars not to pursue this so my hope is to come with a good solution for all of us. I can't believe how many '75 and '76 Ninety Eight owners I've come to know since I joined this forum. I now know of a bunch around the US and even one in South American and just today, I learned of another in Norway...and he has the moonroof like my car! Amazing!

Definitely keep me posted on the CT car. I'm very curious about this now

djcrook73

yes the moonroof is the rare and must-have option for these cars.. my plans called for having one installed if it can be done properly. i started on this site last year hoping to find a good 98 to buy but instead get to meet alot of good car lovers which is cool. my first car was a 1978 delta royale 4 door silver with silver top with red velour and i had some serious good times in it! ill tell you more about the ct car as i find out.. hes sending me pics tomorrow and seems like a fanatic which is a good thing when it comes to cars. what i know so far is that his good friends father bought it new,drove it and when he passed it went into a garage for 20 years. this man bought it with the intention of painting it but has too many other projects to do it right so he just wants to sell it to someone who will enjoy it not just ebay flip it. he has all service and repair docs and his friend the owners son will also back up the mileage as original. if i can post pics when i get them i will.