1988 Oldsmobile Calais review from North America
"Low budget students dream"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The alternator went at about 194k. Also had to change the front rocker seal as well as the alternator and power steering belts (the car sat for about 2 years in a garage before I bought it). Some accessories have since gone inside the car like the cassette player on the stereo and very miniscule details such as the plastic cover on the female end of the seatbelt on driver side, brake pedal cover and short metal line keeping the glove compartment door from swinging out too far.. all were relatively cheap to replace (I'm kind of picky with that stuff) except for radio.. I have to have my tape deck.. the tough ontario weather has taken a toll on the car throughout its lifetime.. few rust spots, hardened brake callipers etc. but it has stood the test of time admirably in my opinion. The engine sounds like a diesel, but its done that ever since I got it and apparently since long before (and I've put decent mileage on it without problems). The last thing I've done was changed the Fuel filter which ended up being rather pricy since the old one was rusted right together with the fuel line ($90cdn with fuel line recap). It doesn't burn oil in the least nor does it have leak issues other than a small rad crack which I soft patched myself.
General comments?
I bought the car for $900cnd and since haven't put more than $500 into it all toghether. So far this car has been a dream for me maintenance wise and only really caused issues with expected things. I'm sure I've been lucky with the way this car has been behaving, but I have no complaints.
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![]() ![]() | For being such a peice of sh*t it can take a beating, but not like a K car. |
![]() ![]() | 1987 - Calais 4-door base model 2.5 4-Tech 3-sp Decent, economic, small-sized car, with great performance |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.5 4 cylinder Automatic |
| Performance marks | 6/10 |
| Reliability marks | 9/10 |
| Comfort marks | 10/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 4/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 163231 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 197781 kilometres |
| Date of Entry | 14th August, 2002 |

