1984 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale review from North America
"Reliable, powerful, and fun!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Two of the valve lifters were not getting oil properly and they tapped very loudly. A little bit of oil additive helped this.
After the vehicle had been warmed up, the torque converter clutch would engage too soon, causing the car to lurch. To fix that I would just downshift to 2nd until I got above 40 MPH.
The seats were worn out and the headliner was falling down when I got the car. I made seat covers and a new headliner.
The cruise control didn't work above 62 MPH.
The intermittent wipers didn't work.
The left-rear power window only went down about 3 inches.
The power antenna didn't work.
The left-rear inside door handle was missing when I bought the car.
Junkyard air conditioning compressor that was on the car when I bought it seized after about 10 minutes of use. I just disconnected the wiring and rolled the windows down.
General comments?
Despite a lot of minor problems, the car was very reliable. Even on very cold mornings it would start right up.
The ride of the car was nice. Except for the noisy valve lifters the car was very quiet.
At speeds above about 55 MPH the car liked to weave a little from side to side. It did feel a lot like a boat.
I wish the car had had overdrive--with the three speed automatic I only managed around 11 miles per gallon. With a 25-gallon gas tank, though, the car would still go a long way between fill-ups.
All in all, at a purchase price of $200, this car was a great deal. It's a testament to American ingenuity that it still ran at all at that mileage.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Year of manufacture | 1984 |
| First year of ownership | 1999 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2000 |
| Engine and transmission | 5.0L 307cid V8 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 210000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 215000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 2nd May, 2002 |