1966 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Convertible review from North America

An alternator bearing went out at about 60,000 miles.

The electric throttle position switch that controls the position of the stator blades in the torque converter went out at about 80,000 miles.

The convertible top needed replacing several times during my ownership. The car was not garaged, so I figure it was normal wear and tear.

The electric throttle position switch that controlled the stator blades in the automatic transmission was a good idea, in my opinion. It was designed to allow the transmission to "slip" when in "drive" with the driver's foot off the accelerator. This feature kept the car from creeping forward at a stop light. I actually could take my foot off the power brake at a red light, and the car would not move. Then, when the accelerator was pressed down even slightly, the stator blades in the converter would change pitch, and the car would take off with such response, it gave the impression that the car was very light, nimble and powerful, almost like a Corvette. Breakaway from standing stop was so responsive, I was forever "chirping" the rear tires effortlessly. One time a friend of mine drove the car and said, "You know, this car has the screaming meanies!"

I enjoyed this convertible for 15 years. During that time I added almost another 120,000 miles to the odometer.

One drawback was that the car usually only got 11 miles per gallon on the highway, even when I drove it conservatively. I remember getting 14 miles per gallon one time, on a long, flat road. But back then, gas was only 30 or 35 cents a gallon, so this wasn't a big deal to me. It had a 26-gallon tank.

With the top down and all shined up, it really turned a lot of heads. I went on a lot of moonlight drives under the clear New Mexico skies with this car.