1987 Cadillac Brougham Reviews

These are super cars, and in fact virtually all the mechanical parts are from Oldsmobile or other General Motors divisions - very little is specifically Cadillac. Parts are dirt cheap, and they're easy to keep running nearly indefinitely with a little basic care. Interior bits and bobs, and some parts of the body/bumpers and stuff, are not so easy to find or replace though.

That's not bad for a car with 170,000+ miles on it. My grandfather's 85 Fleetwood Brougham went 350,000 miles or so when he sold it to my neighbor who then drove it for another 100000 or so before they moved. These old cars were built to last back then. My grandad had a few problems with it, I don't recall all of them because I was young when he owned it, not thing major I think. All I knew of cars was vroom-vroom!! Ironically I'm an auto Technician for random Korean automaker # 3 (the one with the crooked H logo) now.

Taking the emissions equipment out makes little to no difference. It was done to the 305 in my '87 Caprice and it performs no better.

The 1980-1984 Oldsmobile 307 V8 was a fairly decent performer.

The 1985-1990 Oldsmobile 307 V8 was total garbage as far as performance and acceleration goes. It's too bad Cadillac decided to use this motor under the hood of a 4000 + pound car. Some of the Oldsmobiles had a higher output version that was much better (Cutlass Salon and 442 used them), and I think a few went into some of the big body Cadillacs too.

A little known fact about the 1985 and newer 307 V8 was that they used different cylinder heads than the older models. The newer heads are stamped 7A instead of 5A. They had roller valve lifters that made the engine smoother, but even smaller intake and exhaust ports, making the engine even more anemic. It was nearly as bad as the early 1980's low torque 4100 Cadillac V8 boat anchor.

I had a 1986 Cutlass Supreme with a 307 20 years ago, and one of my neighbors had a 1981 Buick Estate Wagon with a 307. The Buick was nearly 1000 lbs heavier, and would run circles around my Olds.

If you are looking for a big body Rear Drive Cadillac Brougham, De Ville, or Fleetwood, look for a 1977-1979 with the Big Block 425, or a 1990-1992 with the Fuel Injected Chevy 350 or 305. Even the 305 is a world of improvement compared to the 307. Avoid the 6.0 liter 368 (V-8-6-4), the Oldsmobile 307, and the 4100 Cadillac V8 at all costs.