My Fusion is fast approaching 250k and is getting a little long in the tooth. Several months ago I began looking for a replacement car via Facebook, craigslist, etc. It has to meet the following criteria:

1. Buick or Oldsmobile (highway cruisers!)
2. 1985-1993 (new enough to not be too stodgy and old enough to not be a Series II 3800)
3. Must have a V6 (highway cruisers!)
4. Must be in good enough condition to show off a little (Malaise Daze shows or the like)
5. Must be under 100k
6. Coupe prefered, but sedan if necessary
7. No leather allowed (hot in summer, cold in winter)
8. No landau roofs allowed (looks tacky and a lichen magnet)

I'm surprised by how difficult it has been to find a car that meets these criteria (at least at my sub-$4k price point). Plenty of 1980s GM products have survived, but most have been run into the ground.
Here are a few finds that didn't work out...

1989 Oldsmobile Toronado Trofeo


The Good

• Gorgeous color.
  
• Interior in decent shape.
  
• Priced right.

The Bad

• Had unrepaired fender-bender damage on the passenger side.
  
• Dealer had some shady-ass reviews online.
  
• Odd trim/paint damage (notice missing passenger side headlight trim and paint damage on front bumper).
  
• Scary 1980s GM electronics.
  
• Drive time to seller (Columbus, OH): 1hr 48min

The Verdict: Pass!

1989 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale Brougham


The Good

• Apparently grandparent-owned
  
• Excellent condition body-wise
  
• Top trim level for the year
  
• Being sold by a mechanic

The Bad

• Higher mileage (around 131k)
  
• Pretty much top dollar for one of these in this area
  
• Seller did not respond to messages
  
• Drive time to seller (Lancaster, OH): 2hr 14min

The Verdict: Pass!

1992 Oldsmobile Achieva SC


The Good

• Sharp-looking little car (those alloys though).
  
• Rare to find an Achieva coupe with a V6.
  
• Rear end was completely rebuilt by seller after rust issues.
  
• Decent price for a rare car.

The Bad

• Interior apparently had dog hair issues with the carpet
  
• Power steering pump apparently quit the day before I inquired about it
  
• Seller said he'd call me back...then vanished. No texts were received nor were calls responded to.
  
• Drive time to seller (Muncie, IN): 2hr 21min

The Verdict: Pass...apparently, unless the seller magically reappears.

1986 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale Coupe


The Good

• It's a coupe!!
  
• Good-looking interior and interior
  
• Low mileage
  
• Reasonable price
  
• It's a coupe!!

The Bad

• Seller bought it at an estate auction and had no mechanical records
  
• Had apparently been sitting in a garage for God knows how long
  
• Seller did not know how to mark an item as "sold" as it apparently sold within 48 hours of being listed, and is still up on Marketplace as I type this.
  
• Drive time to seller (Ashland, KY): 2hr 13min

The Verdict: Missed out. Long gone now.

And the most recent contestant...

1986 Buick Electra 380



The Good

• Gorgeous exterior with only a few paint defects/scratches
  
• Comfortable and well-maintained interior
  
• All normally-unreliable electronic gadgets work
  
• Heat and A/C work
  
• Steering and suspension were properly aligned
  
• Very little rust (super rare for this part of Ohio)
  
• "New" tires (more on that later)
  
• All original documentation included
  
• Excellent price for an overall lovely car
  
• Sold by a mechanic
  
• Only 80k miles

The Bad

• Halfway through the test drive (30mph cruise through downtown)...a knocking sound starts coming from the engine bay
  
• "Never happened before" according to seller (yeah, sure)
  
• Is it a harmonic balancer gone wrong? Or a rod knock? Don't know!
  
• "New" tires were actually "unused" old stock tires from 2004. Questions about interstate-speed blowouts were met with "well, at least it's cold out, so it won't do much damage"
  
• Drive time to seller (Lima, OH): 2hr 10min

The Verdict: The seller said he would try replacing the harmonic balancer and would let me know if that fixed the knocking. If not, time for an engine overhaul or replacement. Add on $500 or so for four new white-walls. Would it be worth it...? Still figuring out that part.


That's all I have for now. Still looking every day and hoping to not miss out on anything more than I already have.

you're a malaisian???
i, too, am a malaisian.

Posted by Samurai you're a malaisian??? i, too, am a malaisian.

Guilty as charged! Going to try to find the closest show once spring rolls in (if car shows are a thing this year).

Posted by Harvestman Guilty as charged! Going to try to find the closest show once spring rolls in (if car shows are a thing this year).

nice!

Every time I see an Achieva, the back of my head starts to throb from that stupid hood design. Clipped my noggin on those more than a few times.

That Trofeo is cool, I forgot those cars existed until I saw a really well kept one last year.

so which one did you buy?

Posted by Samurai so which one did you buy?

I know you already saw.

Turns out that Delta 88 coupe wasn't sold after all...the seller was just really bad at responding to messages. Went over to Ashland this afternoon and made it mine. Apparently well over 30 people asked about it.
First stop was the tire shop down the road to replace the ancient-ass tires (old enough that I didn't see a date code on them). Next will be the courthouse to settle title-related issues and another mechanic to give it a quick tune-up, as it is idling pretty poorly right now.
The 59k figure is accurate, but it's been sitting for most of the last decade or two. Seller already installed new gas lines and tank as well as a new battery. I'll delve deeper into the smaller issues once it runs smoothly enough to make the journey home.

Posted by Harvestman I know you already saw.

lol... it's funny when you see someone from one forum on another... that's all.
your purchase has my jealousy.

I spy a WV plate!

Posted by jeepdave I spy a WV plate!

Yep! Originally from Hurricane.