1983 Oldsmobile 98 Regency from North America - Comments

Note: I had two '83 Olds Ninety Eight's. One is Regency, the other a Regency Brougham. The current 98 that I'm driving has had no problems whatsoever so far. The previous one, the Regency Brougham, has had the following problems:

Blew Transmission at 150,000 miles.

Radio doesn't work.

A/C No longer works.

Water Pump was replaced.

Carburetor needs replacement.

Power Steering Belt snapped.

These cars are fantastic.

The first 98 that drove was my grandmothers and I received it in June of 2002. It was my first car, so I was pretty hard on it. The car was very comfortable to drive, mostly because the car is so big.

The car withstood my abuse for about 2 months, until I was with my friends one night and the "Check Engine" dummy light came one. I opened the hood to discover the dismal stench of a severely overheated engine. Apprently the water pump had a breach in one of its seals. I drove the car until I could afford to repair it, and simply filled the radiator with water on a daily basis. I managed to forget this job a few times and the engine overheated again and again, yet still ran just as good as it did when I first got the car.

Other than these driver-inflicted problems, the car was very reliable, and actually got pretty decent mileage for its size, averaging between 17-25 miles per gallon. Though the car never was a speed demon, it was fast enough that I would be jerked to the back of my seat when I hammered the gas.

Sadly my first Olds was nearly totaled in early August when a 2 ton GM pickup made a left turn right in front of me. I was going 40 and I quickly turned the wheel and did a 180. The rear passenger side of my car from the passenger door back was smashed like tin can, and my bumper was sitting in the intersection when I got out of the car. This guys pickup was smashed in the same spot and the damage was even worse then mine, thanks in part to this cars rock-solid body, and neither I or the other party involved sustained any injuries.

I drove the car for another 3 months smashed up, and it ran perfectly.

The second 98 that I have has been in my possession for about 2 weeks, and has run perfectly. I made some interesting observations about this car, most notably the fact that its equipped with a 305 engine instead of the factory stock 307 (the catalyst confirms this), and this model is equipped with a factory-installed 8-track stereo system. This is by far the best car that I have ever driven.

There are actually quite a few olds with 305's in them instead of the 307. mostly in canada though. having owned both. I would take the 305 any day of the week. seemed to move the car a lot faster. plus they respond better to mods. all though. I did like the 307. buttery smoothness.

I've had quite a lot of 305s and 307s, and strongly prefer the 307.  As you say it is smoother, but it also felt more powerful to me.  It seemed to have more torque, or more at a lower revs, which is most important I think.