1988 Oldsmobile Delta 88 3.8 from North America

Summary:

I would definitely recommend you finding one and holding on to it

Faults:

I replaced the left and right front axles.

The car needed a new camshaft sensor.

The car needed a new coil pack and ignition modular.

It needed a new right rear brake caliber.

General Comments:

I love this car. I am an Oldsmobile nut to the core.

This car is the best car I have ever owned. Its stylish, fast, and comfortable.

I am lucky to have one of the rare two door coupe models, there were only 13,000 made in 1988.

It's still in excellent shape and still runs like a champ.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th November, 2004

1988 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale Brougham 3.8L from North America

Summary:

A great first car, especially if you need to move more than 2 people around!

Faults:

The engine stalls periodically on the road, especially during stops at traffic lights where the car is idle.

The odometer has never worked since I got this car. It has been at 97642 and I've definitely put 5000-6000 km on the car going to and from school and work most days. The trip meter suffers from the same syndrome (the reset button does not work and the distance on that is 160.2 km since I've owned the car.

The parking brake rusted through and broke off.

The A/C and heat have never worked, although on a car this old it is understandable.

The right rear window does not go down on either window control and the door does not open with the power door feature.

The car has begun to rust and fade paint (acceptable due to car's age).

The driver's side rear view mirror controls do not work, and the mirrors shake during any type of wind whatsoever.

General Comments:

You might think that I might be terribly unhappy after reading through those, but I am not. This was my first car, given to me by a friend, and I would definitely fix it up if I had the time and the money to do so.

Mechanically, this car has never given me any problems (aside from the stalling and the parking brake).

The car has plenty of power for something it's size, and it's size makes me feel rather safe driving it.

The seats are extremely comfortable, I love the old-style full front row, and can seat 6 (great for the carpool I used for school).

The serious lack of power for the power windows and locks means that in cold weather those systems do not work.

Its almost a monthly requirement to replace windshield wipers on this car.

The most annoying thing about the car is that I could easily chop my hand off while putting gas in the car. The fuel intake is behind the rear license plate, requiring me to hold down the plate to refill it, and once I'm done it slams shut extremely quickly and the screws from the license plate can cut deep into your finger if you are not quick enough getting your hand out of there.

This car would easily perform and look like a newer car if I had the time and money to replace the dash, rebuild the engine, paint it, and work on the electrical system.

I would highly recommend this type of car to a first-time owner who runs a bit of a carpool because of its roomy interior which seats 6 comfortably, and the relatively good gas mileage for a car its size and age.

This was my first car and I don't regret having it as such.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th August, 2004

16th Nov 2004, 12:32

I'm not trying to flame here, but you need to check what year your Delta is. The '88 Delta 88's gas door is on the drivers side not behind the license plate. For that matter, after '87 none of the filler necks were located behind the license plate on any GM cars.

16th Nov 2004, 17:39

No GM car after '87 had the filler neck behind the license plate?

Oh dear.

And all this time I have been putting gas in my '96 Chevrolet Caprice in that tube behind the license plate.

The one with the gas cap attached to it.

18th Nov 2004, 11:57

Although wrong on the "no GM cars" part I believe they were correct on the Oldsmobile models after '87. (last year of the rear wheel drive)

And to the Caprice owner: You'd better check your trunk as it might be filling up with gas since you are pumping gas into a hole behind the license plate! =)

18th Nov 2004, 13:35

Hey genius, there were rear wheel drive Oldsmobiles after 1987. The Custom Cruiser had rwd and was built through 1991 and (technically) the Bravada had rwd (4WD) as well.

And the Caprice owner does not need to look in his trunk. The Caprice as well as the other B-body sedans all had their gas filler behind the license plate.

Maybe you should check your head, sounds like it might need more air!

18th Nov 2004, 15:26

The Custom Cruiser was made through 1992.

And I checked my head, it has perfect 32 psi of air, so there!

29th Nov 2004, 23:50

All this squabbling and the fact reamins; The '88 Delta 88s do not have there gas filler behind the liscense plate!

8th Dec 2004, 14:52

Hello, I need some help finding the gas filler on my Delta 88. I pried up the license plate, but there was nothing under there. Does anyone know where it is?

Please help, my car is stuck on the side of the road after I ran out of gas.

21st Jul 2006, 22:26

I owned an 89 caprice for five years, the gas hole is behind the plate.

I have a delta 88, the gas hole is on the side of the car.