1994 Oldsmobile 88 Royale review from North America

- fuel line corrosion.

- alternator replacement.

I am a typical Olds 88 owner: a 65 year-old male with a question:

Why can't Toyota or Honda make a car that drives just like my Olds 88?

I own a 93 Lexus e300 and a 94 Oldsmobile 88. The Lexus has 210 000 Km on it and the Olds 320 000 (200 000 miles). There is no comparison between the two cars. The Olds is much quieter, more powerful, more economical on gas, more spacious, and it nearly rarely breaks down. Its ride is as smooth as silk. Cross winds don't affect it at all. Parts are much less expensive and it is more resistant to corrosion.

On the minus side, it has a trombone-case interior, big ugly dashboard knobs, and I have to slow down in sharp curves because it waddles. (But I would much much rather have the waddling than the kicks in the butt I get in my Lexus every time I run over pavement joints. Who needs to go into expressway ramps at 70 mph anyway?). Sitting inside I look and feel like the 65 year old male that I am.

Before the Lexus I had a Chevrolet Celebrity which I gave to a needy relative when my son's Lexus became available. When I gave it away, the Celebrity had 500 000 km, with its original transmission and engine with no major power train repairs during the 14 years I owned it. The Olds is made out of the same cloth I think.

But now, having said all this, I'll be honest with you. If I had to give up the Olds or the Lexus. Guess which one I would keep? It's the Lexus. Why? For the same reason a person would pay $20 000 for a Rolex rather than $30 for a Timex that does just about exactly the same thing. I can't help it, my ego gets a boost when I drive into a parking lot, or a friend's driveway, or when I answer 'Lexus' when the guy at the counter what kind of car I drive. Crazy, but that's what makes the economic world

go round.

Sitting in my leather-clad Lexus, I still look like a 65 year old male, but I certainly don't feel like it!

If GM ever figures out a way to get around the image problem, they have it made. But until then, how could we convince Honda or Toyota to make Oldsmobiles 88 in disguise and astound every critic with cars that are quieter, more powerful, smoother riding, more spacious, and cheaper on gas?