1988 Chevrolet Caprice Classic Station Wagon from North America - Comments

The trans went after I bought it, the dealer replaced it FREE OF CHARGE.

I bought it in 1998, it was garage kept, only 28,000 miles on it, perfect exterior, perfect interior (looked like it had never been sat in before) all seat-belts except for the driver's were still in plastic, still had a sort of new car smell.

It had a big 'ol Buick V-8& it was a joy to drive, a joy to ride in& a joy to look at.

By the second week I'd had it I put only 500 miles on it. I was on my was to work when the Service Engine Soon light came on (probably for the first time ever) about a mile later a fellow motorist motions me to pull over because the car was smoking, when I stopped it sounded like a Bar-B-Q being lit that distinctive 'woof' sound. I got out and ran, by the time I was 15 or 20 feet away it exploded.

After the fire was put out, it had left a pothole in the pavement& practicly nothing was left from the firewall forwards. Everything from the firewall back was in great shape.

I really loved this car& hated to see it go. I have never seen another one in as good of shape as this one was in.

My advice to you is that when your Service Engine Soon light comes on pull over& run.

WOW, with miles that low, did you flush all the fluids check all the hoses and gaskets.

That's some story! Did they ever find out what exactly caused the fire?

I thought I smelt fuel that morning so they said maybe a fuel leak.

I didn't think about changing anything, I needed a family car& I got one. I was really glad about having the trans replaced& paid for.

This was back in '98 and still to this day I love it, and I've yet to see one in that good of shape.

Why did you comment that it had a Buick V8 in it? A 305 or 350 (it probably had a 305 in it) is a Chevrolet engine, not a Buick.

Perhaps it was a 307.. the worst engine in the world. It's a 283 with a 327 crank; a "283 stroker". They were placed into these cars. It's the least powerful, hardest on gas, and in my shop manual, the 307 has all of these exceptions to the ~10 other engines the Caprice has been built with. Avoid the 307 like the plague.

Just a minor correction: the comments on the CHEVROLET 307 are fairly correct and deserved. However, the 307 that came as the standard V-8 in this SW is the Oldsmobile 307, hardly the same in any way save the displacement. These engines were very under stressed having devolved to 140 HP and 265 ft/lbs of torque by this date. The mild performance did have a reward because the 200 4-R overdrive power train would turn in MPG in the low 20s though the original owner of my '88 recorded a trip at 26 MPG! I replaced the original engine with a bored, balanced '72 Olds block and retained the computer controlled carb and transmission. One maintenance detail on the body that cannot be over looked is rinsing the molding at the bottom of the large windows of the rear of the car. Failure to do so allows debris to retain moisture and will eventually rust out the body in this area. Oh, and don't forget to pull the panel on the 2-way rear door and lubricate the window and interlock mechanism. If I can get some paint on my '88, she'll see 200,000 easily. Enjoy!

That sounds more like a horrible scam than a bad car.

A 10 year old stationwagon with 28,000km on it doesn't make much sense, that car was probably put to good use.

These cars came with 305's in them not 307s.

I've had a caprice classic wagon for 11 years now since 1994 and it's never even caught fire once let alone exploded on the side of the road.

My 1988 Chevrolet Caprice Classic Station Wagon has been a great car. I bought it from my Dad in June 2003 with 67,000 miles on it. I'm putting it up for sale now with 107,000 miles on it. I don't know why except I've got too many cars. She has received a new alternator, catalytic converter, tires, brakes, oil, air shocks, trailer hitch, light bulbs, air filters, belts, and transmission fluid over the years. A/C is still cold. She still knocks out 15-17 mpg on the highway & 13 mpg in the city. I've had some great cars and she is one of the best...Brian.