1993 Oldsmobile 98 Regency Sedan 3.8

Summary:

The best GM car ever made, and I've owned a lot of them

Faults:

Sensors, water pump, coils, brakes, normal maintenance.

General Comments:

A dream... very reliable... very low cost to repair.

Drives so great, handles very well. If I do rent a new car... getting back in mine, I feel little difference.

Chuck Jordan who designed this car, knew a few things. He worked for GM for 50 years. This was his last design before he retired.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 30th July, 2015

5th Aug 2015, 12:19

I used to drive a 1992 Buick Park Avenue - an extremely similar car. That was one of my favorite cars of all time, despite being front-wheel drive. Economical, reliable, and comfortable, with plenty of torque and high gearing, it had a reasonably rooming interior despite being a quite small car on the outside. GM was the best.

1993 Oldsmobile 98 Regency Elite 3.8

Summary:

One of the best cars I ever owned

Faults:

The sway bar links went bat at 110000; the cost of repair was $50.

Trim around the front windows are covered, and have come unglued and had to be recovered.

Replaced the throttle position sensor at 120000.

General Comments:

The car is one of the best I have ever owned. Low cost for repairs.

This car is quick and surprises a lot of people that a car this big can move so quick.

This is a car you can drive for 300-400 miles on a trip and not feel beat to death when you get to where you are going.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd January, 2010

1993 Oldsmobile 98 3.8

Summary:

The perfect car. Seriously

Faults:

Nothing ridiculous for a sixteen-year old car.

Surprisingly little has gone wrong in the 4.5 years and 35k miles I've had it.

The interior has held up remarkably well overall. A few minor trim pieces have crapped out.

The paint on this model year has chipped and flaked off. That's why I got it super cheap. $600.

General Comments:

Awesome car. Smooth, fast, handles great (especially with Michelins), pretty good fuel economy, huge trunk.

I plan on keeping this one until the drivetrain craps out.

I use Mobil-1, so it may never die.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd December, 2009

1993 Oldsmobile 98 Elite 3.8

Summary:

Mature and refined for a good price

Faults:

-Transmission jerks repeatedly under hard acceleration, causes could be worn clutches, gunk in the valve body, bad control module, After purchasing the car I flushed the trans fluid and replaced the filter as it appeared the previous owner never changed the fluid in the entire time he owned it (140000Km), the flush and filter didn't help, but the transmission works fine when the car is driven nicely except for a slightly rough down shift.

-Drivers side power window motor worn out, was easy to replace.

-Water pump is making some bearing noise, plan to replace it very soon.

-Pulls to the right, just needs a wheel alignment.

-Otherwise the car was well kept and is in near mint condition, regular maintenance was documented in a six page diary except the tranny fluid was ignored by previous owner for some reason.

General Comments:

A nice car that you can drive with confidence.

Has lots of trunk space and spacious interior.

Comfortable relaxing ride.

Lots of room for the kids in the back (I loath minivans).

Fuel economy is excellent for a car of this size and power (27 mpg overall city and highway).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th July, 2007

1993 Oldsmobile 98 touring sedan 3.8 supercharged

Summary:

The supercharger problem is a downer

Faults:

At about 153,000 miles, the supercharger gained a knocking noise, eventually going out completely. A very expensive part.

General Comments:

This car accelerates fast and handles very well. It also is very comfortable and luxurious.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 11th November, 2005

18th Nov 2007, 19:12

The knocking in the supercharger is almost always caused by the bushing between the nose of the charger and the supercharger body.

If you go to ZZperformance.com, they sell a replacement bushing. It is about 2 inches in diameter with six holes. The six holes get wallered out, and allow the pins that go into the holes to start to rattle. The dealers will tell you that the supercharger is a non-serviceable part. I had the same problem on my Olds before ZZ Performance made the part. Luckily I am a machinist and made my own. You can check to see if the bushing is the problem, by removing the belt from the charger pulley, and turn it back and forth, and listen/feel for slop.