1986 Oldsmobile Ciera SL Convertible review from North America

Sometimes, it will have trouble firing up.

Rear quarter windows squeak and rattle when the top is up.

It will stall when the wheel is turned all the way in one direction, only at very slow speeds.

It goes through gas rather quickly.

Replaced the oxygen sensor at 76,000 miles, which I thought would cure the fuel consumption issue. Miles per gallon is a little bit better, but it still seems to guzzle gas a bit.

All in all, it's a great car.

I bought it from the original owner at the end of May 2004.

He took fabulous care of it and it looks great.

I'm not crazy about the v-belt configuration on the first generation 2.8 fuel injected V6.

I would rather it had a serpentine belt setup, but regardless, it's a gutsy little motor.

It's very fast and fun to drive, and handles great, due to the F41 suspension setup, which was also found on Eurosport Celebrity's.

For anybody who doesn't know, Celebrity Eurosports were highly regarded for there handling capabilities.

The Ciera convertibles, as well as the other 3 GM A-body convertibles, are very rare.

If your lucky enough to find one in good shape, hang onto it, as they are sure to be very collectible.

My Ciera convertible is one of only 54 built for the 1986 model year.

None of the A-body convertibles left the factory that way.

They were all sent to an out of factory conversion company to be done over.

They all originally started life as two door hardtops.

For the 1984 and 1985 model years, they were converted by the Hess & Eisenhardt company.

For 1986, which is what my car is, they were done over by the Car Craft Company, of Lima, Ohio.