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Im bringing my 85 olds out of retirement after 5 yrs due to my 90 Tbird being hit by a careless driver.I have had a non-op on it since 11-04 & it still runs good.It does idle a bit high but overall its a good car.It does need a new vinyle top & paint job.The interior is great except the headliner saggs on the drivers side & the sun visor wont stay up.The passenger side window has had a crack in it since 1998.
I had alot of front end work done yet the mechanic misaligned the front end twice.Ill go to another shop & have the front end aligned correctly & rotate the tires.The tires have alot of tread left.I put alot of money into the car prior to 2004 such as new brakes (front & rear),Front shocks & rear air shocks,new radiator,hoses,belts,vacume hoses,egr valve,muffler,exhaust pipe & complete tune up.I have started the car up time to time over the past 5 yrs & driven it around the park.
I did though not touch the car for about a year.Luckily its been under my carport & the weather here in so.ca is mild.I will change the spark plugs & oil prior to getting it smogged & hopefully i pass.I need to get it out of fast idle though & tighten smog pump belt.The ac needs recharged but i might leave that alone till summer of 2010.
Its a VERY comfortable car & gas milage is the same as my 6 cyl Tbird.I plan to drive my 90 Tbird till the tags exp on 8-8-09 & then get a non op on it ($18.00 for a non-op now).Ill start driving the olds when i get the registration notice the 1st week of sept.So....what do you all think of the 85 olds delta 88 ? Heres a picture of my car. http://community.webtv.net/rpp64/olds
I think those are great cars. I've known of two similar cars a mid 80s Pontiac Parisienne and Cheverolet Caprice Classic that both went over 300 thousand miles without any major repairs and I don't think any newer cars could do that.
I had an 81 Olds Delta 88 Royale Brougham Diesel. Great car. The ride was fantastic, it was comfortable and quiet, and (because it was a diesel) always got about 30 mpg on the highway. We ended up putting about 185,000 miles on the car before the tranny went out.
Get a copy of the specific alignment specs/tolerances for your car, bring it it to the alignment shop and give it to them... when they are done make sure you get a print out from their machine and compare it with yours. If they say they can't do it... f*ck em and go somewhere else.
Get a copy of the specific alignment specs/tolerances for your car, bring it it to the alignment shop and give it to them... when they are done make sure you get a print out from their machine and compare it with yours. If they say they can't do it... f*ck em and go somewhere else.
The front tires are worn on the ends & thats a sign of out of alignment.They were new tires & it was a computerized front end alignment.The alignment was $50.00 plus the front tires were $45.00 ea incl mount/balance.Ill rotate tires & extend the life of them.Ill take your advice.This guy really pissed me off & i told him he misaligned the car.He said i most likely went into a pothole.He has a lil shop in yucaipa,ca on outer highway 10.Thanks for your advice.
Brings back memories. I used to have a Delta 88 like yours, except mine was a 1981 model (same body style, subtle changes in the grille and tail lamps) and mine was a 2 door. Had the same 307 V8 and 4 speed auto.
Car was gutless and didn't have much power (actually got beaten by a 1996 Cavalier in an interstate race ) but it was a good car, rode good, had 175k on it but the engine and trans still ran good. I don't think it even burned or leaked any oil. Also didn't have much rust being an Indiana car.
And that trunk...my goodness that trunk was BIG. I recall I think I could stuff 5 grown men easily in the trunk. Of course MY trunk became the home of some pretty high end car audio equipment in the form of 12 inch subs and amps.
Dad sold it when I left for boot camp. I sort of wished I still had it today. Wasn't my favorite car but like I said it was a good car. Big as a Caddy and rode like one too. If I still had it today I'd redo the front suspension and drop in a worked over 455 Olds engine with headers and dual exhaust and give the 200-4R a make over.
Brings back memories. I used to have a Delta 88 like yours, except mine was a 1981 model (same body style, subtle changes in the grille and tail lamps) and mine was a 2 door. Had the same 307 V8 and 4 speed auto.
Car was gutless and didn't have much power (actually got beaten by a 1996 Cavalier in an interstate race ) but it was a good car, rode good, had 175k on it but the engine and trans still ran good. I don't think it even burned or leaked any oil. Also didn't have much rust being an Indiana car.
And that trunk...my goodness that trunk was BIG. I recall I think I could stuff 5 grown men easily in the trunk. Of course MY trunk became the home of some pretty high end car audio equipment in the form of 12 inch subs and amps.
Dad sold it when I left for boot camp. I sort of wished I still had it today. Wasn't my favorite car but like I said it was a good car. Big as a Caddy and rode like one too. If I still had it today I'd redo the front suspension and drop in a worked over 455 Olds engine with headers and dual exhaust and give the 200-4R a make over.
Do you remember what your mpg city/highway was ? You're right about the trunk.I like all the trunk room & the car is roomy.My 90 Tbird is not comfortable compared to the olds.I do though need to replace one tire.I bought the tires 6k miles ago & they are cheap BIG O tires (you get what you pay for).Luckily i have a full size spare tire (no rim) & will pay a shop $10.00 to remove,mount & balance on the rim.Ill rotate the tires myself & save $25.00.I have all summer to work on car.She will be on the surface streets & freeway in early sept.I just hope the front end gets aligned right this time.Oh...the govt has a $1.00 tax fee on ea.new tire.Im surprised the greedy state of ca doesnt have a tire tax as well..ugh!
No actually I never really knew how much MPG I was getting. Back then gas was like a $1.09 so I never really paid much attention to the MPG, I'd just fill up as needed.
Unfortunately those days are long gone all due to greedy oil companies & OPEC.I paid $2.16 gallon today & the station owner told me gas will continue to rise & it bottomed out about 10 days ago.I never paid attention to my mpg until about 4 yrs ago.Im glad i at least have overdrive trans. BTW....the jerk who misaligned my front end twice & is going to cost me money to realign front end & replace 2 tires is Alan Grubel @ Alan Grubels automotive,31285 outer hwy 10.south,Redlands,ca (909)794-0112.
The problem with letting the car sit so long is that the tires will flatten and become out-of-round with flat spots. If that happens you need to replace them. If you drove on them that way perhaps that's why it needed several allignments. Seals start to dry out and rust too, so there may be issues with transmission, brakes, gaskets etc. If you started it up and drove it at least once a week it might be alright.
Those are comfortable and quiet cars, and nice on long rides. I had family members who had the same model and the 1985 Buick Park Avenue. Nice cars. One of the better products put out by GM.
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) but it was a good car, rode good, had 175k on it but the engine and trans still ran good. I don't think it even burned or leaked any oil. Also didn't have much rust being an Indiana car. 
