Faults:

The usual with a high mileage car. The alternator, battery, brake pads.

I also replaced the transmission after pulling a boat for two years. If you tow with these vehicles, I highly recommend a transmission cooler first. It was an expensive and, well, dirty and painful lesson.

Right now the car has been sitting in my garage for three years. I think it has a blown head gasket, but I was so sad when it happened that I'm just now looking into repairing it.

The head gasket was also my fault. It was -25F (MN haha) and the heater control valve cracked. I was five miles from home, it was cold out, so I pushed it. The car made it, but after I replaced the heater control it was blowing white smoke.

General Comments:

I LOVE this car, but hate being seen in it if you know what I mean. Station wagons are making a comeback, but they are still viewed as an out of date mommy-mobile (and I'm a guy).

The comfort level is outstanding. The seats are a little worn by now, but still a pleasure. Its roomy as heck, the kids love it, and you cannot beat this car for a road trip. It absolutely glides down the highway.

Power/acceleration/economy is just the right balance with the miserly tuned 5 litre engine. The aerodynamics are good, so 23-26 on the highway is easily obtained with a well tuned engine. In town it drops to 18 or so.

Faults:

Rear brake shoes and a muffler were needed immediately after purchase, another muffler was needed when the bad breaker points caused a huge backfire that split the first new muffler apart at the seams!

One flat tire on the first Wisconsin road trip.

The drivers door electric window motor died.

The heater motor was inoperative at first, due to a bad ground.

General Comments:

Literally bought out of a junkyard in North Dakota for $200 in 1988.

Car had come from Virginia so the body had no rust.

The biggest type of Olds ever made, 455 V8 with 4 barrel carb weighing in at 5260lbs EMPTY.

Eight passenger, but I removed the rear most seats for more covered storage.

Car wasn't used much for about 5 years, stored outside at a friend's farm through -35 degree winters. In 1993, I realized that I didn't have a big car to haul stuff to sell at a car show in Wisc, so I took a battery and fresh gas to the Olds and it fired right up. Did fluid changes and headed for Iola, 14 hours and @650 miles. Went all the way to Chicago and back with nothing worse than a flat. Did this for 3 years, '93-5. Drive it for @2000 miles in 2 weeks, park it for 50.

Got rather upset at the idiots at the car show that wanted to buy it for demo derbying.

Approximately 17mpg highway, city...well...

Bought a trailer hitch at the junkyard for $10 that only added to the usefulness.

7.5 liters trying to breathe through a 2" pipe makes for one LOUD hiss! Dual exhausts and headers are in the future.

Long wheelbase make for a very pleasant highway ride and the 455 makes it seem much more nimble than you'd expect for all it's gargantuan heft.

If you want to carry seven other people, pull a trailer, and not lose momentum on hills, this type of car is for you!