Faults:
My first mishap was the intake manifold gasket at 35,000 miles. It was replaced under warranty. I did not incur any expensive problems until after 100,000 miles. I replaced the transmission, alternator, water pump, and the power window lifts. The original engine lasted well over 200,000 miles. I had it replaced with a similar re-manufactured engine which now has exceeded 100,000 miles. I replaced the transmission again at 250,000 miles. I replaced the starter and the radiator after its 21st birthday. I had to replace the aluminum intake manifold at 330,000 miles.
General Comments:
I really love this car. I has been very dependable and the repairs are cheap. The gas mileage is good. The ride is comfortable. It can cruise at higher speeds with no problem with the small V8. The only major damage my car has sustained is a hit by a street sweeper. The rear quarter was dented and the rear tire was flattened. I am very sorry that Oldsmobile is going out of business. I think GM is making a big mistake. GM should have put forth more effort into building a modern high performance Cutlass with rear drive like the upcoming Pontiac (GTO), and used some of that technology in the higher and lower end vehicles. The Aurora and Intrigues are good cars, but don't quite hit the mark. The Aurora went down with the demise of the Riviera twin.
7th Sep 2006, 07:03
The 1980 Oldsmobile Cutlass is certainly way, way, too small to be considered a land yacht, and it is not even big enough to be considered large by todays standards now that they are making cars larger again. It is a handsome car and back in 1987, I was only seventeen at the time and had the opportunity to buy one. I was seven years old and the transmission indicator no longer worked, looking back it looked a bit grubby, but still handsome and I wish I had purchased it. However, I eventually purchased a 1983 Oldsmobile Cutlass which was wine-colored it was so beautiful and I miss my baby. I had to move to England and even though I could have taken it over, I did not and I do regret it.
This type of car is a good car to have because it is big enough to look stylish, but is certainly not a large car, I would say it is medium sized instead of large to medium or large.
Anyway it is interesting to see how the Cutlasses were downsized progressively over the years. The pre-1978 Cutlasses were much larger than these with their 112 inch wheelbase, whereas these had a 108 inch wheelbase.