Comments: 1-15, 16-19
Water under distributer cap.
Exhaust leaks.
Valve cover leaks.
Power will not turn off after turning off the ignition, and the motor dies.
Suspended head liner is falling.
Seats are wearing rapidly.
Window seals and trunk seals are bad.
Odometer rolled over; went to 99999.
Even with all the problems I have had with this car, I would not trade it for the world.
The car has a powerful motor with a two barrel carb, and it is the smoothest ride I have ever had in a car, and this car is really easy to fix with a few simple tools.
This car is real fun to do high speed maneuvering on windy roads, and even more fun on windy smooth gravel roads; this car just hugs the road.
Yes, it sounds like a real gem.
Don't you mean winding roads? Not windy roads as this indicates wind blowing.
I too loved these nimble gas-sippers...
Well well, more comments trashing a car simply because it is "big" and "old".
These really were nice cars. We owned a similar year Delta Eighty-Eight, and it was an extremely smooth-riding boat.
People who love Hondas make fun of them for some reason, but no small, modern car rides as smoothly as one of these old Oldsmobiles or Chryslers.
Nor is the gas mileage necessarily all that terrible. No, it's not 38 mpg, but they got in the high teens, which isn't any worse than many new full-size cars.
You should learn something about what you think you hate before speaking.
High teens - wow that's really something to write home about.
Especially in these days of $3. plus per gallon fuel prices.
There's a reason why people have moved to more efficient vehicles. But I'm probably wasting my breath, I doubt that you'll be driving a Fit or a Prius anytime soon.
The comments are based on the fact that the reviewer claims that the car is "fun" to maneuver on "windy" (presumably meant "winding") roads. Anybody who has driven one of these heavy old American cars from the 60's-70's knows that this is ridiculous. Yeah, they are "smooth-riding" and "hug the road"-- as long as you are traveling in a straight line.
High unsprung weight = smoother ride but less impressive cornering and braking. Anybody with even a rudimentary knowledge of car design would know that.
The Oldsmobile is something a Fit or Prius will never be: A real car. Having driven a Prius on a test drive and sat in a Fit, I would never own one of those plastic pieces of junk. How many old American cars do you see still on the road versus foreign? When was the last time you saw a 1971 Toyota on the road? Not too recently. Let the guy enjoy his car!
"There's a reason why people have moved to more efficient vehicles. But I'm probably wasting my breath."
My brother in law came back down to earth when I pulled his junk 2005 Toyota Tundra home after it died on I-35 in Northern Missouri during an ice storm. And I pulled it home with a 1986 Ford F-250 4 x 4, a tough truck that actually deserves to be called a truck.
"I doubt that you'll be driving a Fit or a Prius anytime soon."
You hit the nail right on the head with that statement. I would rather die than stoop to that level. I would hate to get into an accident with anything bigger than a Honda Civic while driving one of those things. What would you do if a 5000 lb SUV clobbered you and your "5-star crumple zones" ran out of plastic to crumple?
I will drive a fuel efficient car when one is designed that isn't hideous like the Prius, Fit, or Insight.
If there really were a fuel shortage, our national speed limit would be back down to 55MPH (like it was 20 years ago) and fuel would be rationed.
Keep on believing the crap that Al Gore and the lunatic environmentalists are spewing about global warming. Global warming is the biggest scam in the history of the world, followed closely by the fiction that Hondas and Toyotas are reliable cars. I say if there is a fuel shortage, let's drive the biggest gas hogs we can find; then our government has no choice but to switch to alternative fuels.
I'm the guy who chops the catalytic converters off old 70's and 80's V8 cars and replaces them with flowmasters, glasspacks, or straight pipes. It feels so good to pollute, especially knowing my exhaust will sound better than the fart cans on any Toyota, Honda, or Nissan.
"21st Mar 2008, 11:32.
High teens - wow that's really something to write home about."
Who said it was? It is simply no worse than many new cars, including those with V-6 engines.
"I doubt that you'll be driving a Fit or a Prius anytime soon"
This is at least one thing that you're correct about. I wouldn't be caught within 50 feet of the lame-looking Fit. It's marketed for teenagers: "Preferred by Werewolves, Fit is Go!" Come on! Nobody over 18 would be caught dead in one of these things.
As for the Prius, what's so great about it? There are non-hybrid vehicles that get better mileage, and cost $10,000 less. And neither of your paragons of Japanese engineering will ride as well, or as smoothly, as this 1971 Oldsmobile, because in the end, they are simply little tin cans that aspire to a "big car ride" but will never achieve it because there is no substitute.
So you get a thrill out of going around a corner fast? Who cares? There is more to driving enjoyment than that. I guess that's something that reading Car & Driver doesn't tell you.
Amen to your comments. I drive my 1972 Olds 98 on a daily basis... and have for 15 years. Nothing is put together like this car... I just rolled over 400K miles and the engine and transmission have never been rebuilt. Sure, there may be a Toyota out there that can say it has traveled 400K, but I bet it can't be driven around the clock at 90+mph with out strain. Sure, the 455 and almost 5K lbs of weight is not the best on gas mileage, but my 1972 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight Regency exhibits so much class, high style and drama that it is worth it. What the pro rice burner chap does not realize, is the fact that the cars of today are designed by the government and computers, not designers. I also own a 1952 cadillac, and it never ceases to amaze me when people don't look at it when I drive it around. They must not have a soul... either that or little sense of proportion, balance, and detail... I am rambling and the fast and furious guy will come up with a non sensical rebuttal I am sure.
I have owned both a Fit and a Prius and had nothing but problems. I wish I had the reviewers' Oldsmobile!
More noise from the "older is better" crowd, ho hum.
I could handle a Olds 442 Convertible big block 4 speed any day of the week. Who cares what gas costs if you love what you are driving and have passion for it?
I recently bought a low mileage 350 V8 GM G20 immaculate Conversion Van with the tow package, then added a overhead flat screen and new DVD for my family to take on weekends. My parents and kids love going out in it all together. Great buy because of fuel expense; a few shudder over the 10 mpg. My annual insurance for another vehicle with collision only $300 a year But why spend a ton of money for an overworked overtaxed mini subcompact that very likely will in time cost a lot mechanically to keep running? I would be bored out of mind having to run around in one, and I am not following the herd of people into the gas pricing scare.
"1st Apr 2008, 17:30.
More noise from the "older is better" crowd, ho hum."
More noise from the "old cars suck because they are old" kid. I guess he found out that there were more people around to defend these old cars than he counted on.
Hi.
Yeah. Its good that you can afford it. Here in Canada its 4 to 5 bucks a gallon. So you get 20 mpg? I drive half an hour to and from school, then another hour to swimming. I make minimum wage. I pay up my ensurance on both my cars (a caprice and a honda). It's a 75 caprice, an 89 civic. So saying that you don't see any older japanese cars out there isn't correct. Should I add that your obviously a Millionaire and can afford anything? Its good that you can afford these things; good that you can lay back and say global warming doesn't exist. Good that you can put newer hondas and yotas to shame because you have classic cars. And don't get me wrong. I love those cars and if I were you, would drive them daily. But when moneys an issue? Its sort of harder to take old faithful out for a rip. When I have a little extra cash, I'll take the chev out on the highway, its really a sweet ride.
But good god, the way you just sorta smashed his comments like that? I disagree on some things; maybe the guy does drive a honda. Or maybe not. Its all personal taste. Personally, I love the caprice and, if I ever get a million bucks, I'll put that petal right to the floorboards and say, screw the price... I can afford it!
But until then, I'll keep my honda as my daily driver. Its all stock, as all four bangers should be. I hate seeing the hondas with there straight pipes and all that. Those belong on v8s. Maybe I'll even grab one for my caprice.
Just my $2. Hope this doesn't turn into a flame war, I just think the other side should get to comment.
PS: I've always wanted a 69 Mustang, Impala, or Fury, but that's a ways in the future. And I know I'm sorta looking like a hipicrit, I'm just trying to figure out each side as I see it.