1996 Oldsmobile 88 LS from North America - Comments

Lower rear gasket needed replacing due to metal used in it rusting $30.

Thermostat.

Plastic water jacket, spark plugs.

Most economical smooth and powerful car I have owned

gets 31-33 mpg on the highway 17-23 city extremley quick starting, little rough at idle because of the balencing of the engine (normal) I do not however like the 8 suspension grease fittings 4 in front 4 in back. the 3800 is in my opinion one of the best engines ever built almost every car in the junk yard with this engine has around 200,000 miles on them and I have a freind with over 300,000 miles on his.

Awsome acceleration I love flooring it while going 65 on the highway and passing the guy on the on ramp getting up to 80 like nothing. great road trip car that I recommend to all who are not obsessed with crappy ricers.

I am considering one with 115k on it for 2500.00.

May I ask you what you paid for yours??

I paid $230 for mine.

I paid $3500 for a 1996 88LS in awesome condition, in 2005, with 55K miles on it. Awesome car, I'm very happy with it.

I have a 96 88 Oldsmobile, and I have had it for a while. It runs great, but all of a sudden in the past 2 days, it has been shuddering, and when I'm at a halt, it acts as if it wants to shut off, or as if something is misfiring. I wish I knew how to fix this myself, instead of wasting so much money on a diagnostic test. Can someone help me?

I got mine around 2004; paid $5000 it had about 75,000-100,000? miles on it, but get this, the lil ol' man who owned it before, had all maintenance records, oil changes, everything noted & in the glove box. THOUGHT I had myself a real gem.

WRONG. Rods started knocking on my 26th day of driving... barely made it home, had to be towed back to the dealer. He put a new (refurbished) motor in FREE! (I only had to agree to rent a car from him while he located & installed my new motor ----- (2 WEEKS...$650) --- I coulda bot a new motor myself). SO drove for a year then 1 dark winter night on a wind-y, twisting, back-road in the country just me & my child, there came a sound from under the hood like a heavy-metal-grinding-party & that was all she wrote. Managed to locate a motor in a junk yard for about $450. Good as new again.

No matter how my son thinks it's a junker, I LOVE this car! Comfy, great acceleration, smooth ride. Little things have gone wrong: Cig lighter, Window controls are iffy, Carpet came loose, Leaks pretty bad in the rain, Headliner's hanging, "Check Engine" light's been on for 4 years (even the dealership can't get it off), oh, and Cruise control is gone--went with the original motor, went with the 2nd motor & now is gone with the 3rd motor. Guess I'll ride it til one of us dies.