1971 Oldsmobile 98 LS review from North America

My mother drove it without oil and roasted the engine. She was singing away in the car and didn't realize it, she isn't too sharp.

The seats were showing some wear in the front. That is not Oldsmobile's fault though, it is just because of sloppiness on our part. My grandpa always had a carrybeaner with his keys on his belt and those probably cut into the seat.

We had the car repainted because it was parked outdoors usually, until we moved. The Maaco paint really blew and started to chip.

The exhaust was replaced. The car seamed to be pretty hard on exhaust systems.

My mother bought it from her parents in 1973. They bought the car new in 1971. It never let me or anyone else down.

The engine made about 320 horsepower from a 7.4, or was it 7.5? 455 Oldsmobile rocket engine. The car wasn't fast, but it had enough power.

The turning and handling was like any big car from the seventies, very poor, but ultra easy to drive.

The car had an excellent ride, but newer suspensions and technology advances have made newer cars ride better. The suspension on this car, even when new, failed to smooth out some of the road's harshness. It was usually the medium sized potholes and such. Bigger objects and bumps were fine and the car would bounce right over them.

The seats were supportive for an old car, but they would creak because of the springs in them. I always felt like if I sat in the back seat, one of the springs would stab me.

Plenty of legroom at all four corners.

Gas was the only thing this car used a lot of. It isn't the cheapest car to run, but it is safe and fun to look at. It probably got about 7-8 mpg.

This car always did good burnouts. I could leave a 30 foot patch with this car.