1970 Oldsmobile Toronado review from North America
"A giant front-wheel-drive car that thinks it's a small car."
What things have gone wrong with the car?
A gasket on the transmission decided to leak small amounts of fluid.
The three layers of paint became zero layers on the passenger side door and rear fender. It just chipped off because it was too thick and was out in the sun for a few weeks.
The heater flap is stuck on cold. This is a petty problem I will fix soon.
Leaky valve cover gaskets and vacuum pump gasket.
There is some rust showing through, and also some bondo and fiberglass.
General comments?
I am amazed at how well this vehicle has held up in 34 years of service. Every factory-installed system on the car works flawlessly, mainly due to the fact that this model was built on a slow-moving assembly line.
The vinyl bench seating for six is comfortable, but a bit cold in the winter.
The dashboard has a simple layout and looks great after time. The speedometer is the star of the dashboard; it is a barrel-style one.
The 455 puts out 370+ horsepower and 510lb/ft torque, and it can move the 4500lb behemoth with quite some speed.
The 3 speed automatic shifts very smoothly and always knows which gear to choose. If I accelerate slowly it can shift to top gear at 19mph, if floored at 75-80mph.
Front wheel drive gives it great handling and traction. It also makes for spectacular peel-outs!
The car can supposedly achieve 135+mph, but I am not that insane.
It does 0-60 in about 8 seconds, which is not bad considering the age and weight. Unlike today's cars, the acceleration does not stop at 60...
The big engine guzzles plenty of premium gas, averaging 13-15mpg.
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| Luxury performance car with panache! |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1970 |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | (7.5L) 455 V8 4bbl Automatic |
| Performance marks | 9 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 130000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 134763 miles |
| Date of Entry | 17th December, 2003 |