Lack of power-note mileage-needs rebuild.
Interior trim falling apart.
Radio not working.
Paint is shot.
Rear main and both transmission seals gone, leaks bad.
Steering wheel cracked.
Last owner charged AC, new headliner and kept her in good shape, but age is taking a toll.
Surprisingly vinyl roof still intact.
Feels like driving your couch around.
Most people stay away from you on the road with this tank. No tailgaters or people hogging parking spaces.
Most parts are still easy to find.
Sounds like you'll be throwing good money after bad.
With a vehicle this old, it seems everytime you fix something, something else goes bad.
Take my advice, don't throw your money away - you'll never come out ahead with an old clunker.
I tend to disagree with the "old clunker" assessment. I think it depends on what you mean by "come out ahead." If you just want something to get from A to B, doing some catch-up maintenance and repairs on an old car is far more economical than making a new car payment, or even buying a late-model used car. Consider that if you get an old beater for $500 and it moves under its own power, you have just saved $5,500 even if it pukes in a year. If it costs $50 a month to fix something, you still save $4,900. Cash in the bank!
On the other hand, it's important to maintain a little perspective. In that sense, the other guy has a point that if you plan to "cherry out" an '83 Olds with a tired-out engine, shot transmission, and peeled-off paint, you kind of have to ask "why?" There will be better cars that come along after this one is finished serving its purpose of basic transportation.
Well the opening statement:
"Can't wait for her to be a daily driver with all new parts"
Leads me to believe that the owner wants to make it "new" again, and to me spending that kind of cash on that particular vehicle would be a waste of time and money.
I've owned 3 of these automobiles. 2 '85 Delta 88 and 1 '86 Caprice classic. These cars are all basically the same with diff names built on the Caprice chassis from 1978-1985. These cars are built like tanks and from my experience have been extremely reliable. It is getting harder to find one of these cars in decent shape these days, a lot of people use them in demolition derby's. If you enjoy your car as much as I enjoyed mine then it is well worth the expense and TLC to fix whatever's wrong! And you will have a well-built comfortable vehicle that you don't see see at every stoplight (unlike the Honda Accord I drive now lol)
My alternator won't charge, and I changed the plug and put a new alternator on it. Other than that, it's a great car, all original and 43000 miles. Great paint, love it.
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