Barn Finds reader Jerry K was hunting around on craigslist for a daily driver when he spotted this Oldsmobile. It looked nice so he decided to go take a look. He was blown away to find a 36k mile car that was still in the hands of the original owner’s family! It looked wonderful and drove great so he took it home that day. The car passed inspection and he has been driving it ever since. He’s starting to think that it might be a little too nice to use as a commuter though.
The original owner purchased the car from Sewell Oldsmobile in Dallas, Texas and all the paperwork, folder, window sticker and maintenance records are still here to prove it!
The 3.3 liter V6 found under the hood here was a good engine that powered a couple of Buicks, Pontiacs, and even an Olds or two. It provided a nice mix of power and efficiency – perfect for a mid-size luxury car like this.
It’s well equipped inside too with power seats, power windows, power locks, tilt, cruise, key-less remotes, A/C, and AM/FM cassette with power antenna. Everything works except the radio and antenna.
The leather looks supple and the carpet is clean. There used to be a lot of these running around, but when was the last time you saw one this nice?
It may not be the most exciting survivor we have ever seen, but I’m sure someone here will jump on it. The car is located in Frisco, Texas and Jerry is asking $3,600 for it. You can contact him here via email if interested!
Thanks for listing this with us Jerry! If any of you have a survivor car like this that you would like to sell, lease consider listing it here on Barn Finds!
Jerry should hold onto it and use it as a cruiser… if I had the 3600 for it that’s what I would do w it these were nice cars in the day… the Chevy Cruze of the 90s my mom had an 85 oldsmobile cutlass ciera… i had an 87 O.C.Cruiser wagon
What is it, Flipper? Bud fell into the well over at the old Johnson place?
Even if that was Jerry’s intention, I think he is being very fair with his asking price. We have seen other low-mileage cars that weren’t very exciting go for seriously big money recently.
I’d keep it if it was me, I had an 86 two door with the fast back roof and loaded up with leather, it was one of the best cars I ever had.
My mother had an 87 Ciera wagon and really loved that car. She drove it all over the place. When it came time to get a new one, I took her to the Olds dealer and they didn’t have one single car that we were familiar with. They had Auroras and who knows what else but Ciera wagons. We just walked out.
Hey, Auroras are/were good cars. I got one that turned 205K last week. We took it to Mississippi – 1470 mile round trip and got 25.4 mpg with FULLY LOADED. 2 large adults, skinny 16 y/o, drum kit, piano, guitar, and luggage.
It’s a shame that Olds and Pontiac are gone. They made some really nice cars that were excellent daily drivers. The listing is a nice car that will make a great DD for someone.
Great 1980’s rental car…….Some of you may remember the Chevy Celebrity Eurosport version, and the Pontiac 6000 that all the magazines went ga-ga over…These cars were America’s first real push into FWD….NOTHING to be excited about. This example is very clean, but still worthless. I’d give $250 over book for it, book should be about $500
Give me a break HeadMaster1!
Try to find ANY used car that has 36k miles and is in this condition for $750. I have a feeling you will be searching for a long, long time…
At 6 thumbs down as of 9:00 est….I’d admit defeat at this point HeadMaster1.
Question though,if You’ll humor Me….Have you had any experiences with the A-body’s ? I’d hate to think that Your comment was based on hearsay. Just trying to give benefit of doubt. :)
Having worked for GM dealership from 1966 to 1996 ( when they were bought out in buyback program ) I’ve seen plenty of Pontiac A-bodies and really liked them, unlike the supposed GM diesel.
Thanks for the comments…looks like it is gonna be my work car! I worked in car rental in the 1990’s and remember the A body cars as a staple of the rental fleet. They were good cars. Thanks again. Love this site and look forward to the daily email. Jerry
Good call Jerry. Most, if not all you would need is available in quality aftermarket parts as well as quite a bit still available in OEM at GM dealers.
It is a good decision.
This is a very nice example of a car that wasn’t very good to start with. It will likely run forever but the actual coach work was close to early Hyundais for quality. But someone loved this one.
I will say firsthand this no where near as bad as an early Hyundai, my friend bought a brand new Hyundai Excel when they first came out and even the first Cieras were 100 times better than those first Hyundais!
It looks like a well maintained car. I think with closer inspection one can see a tear in the lower portion of lf seat back seam I’d probably use it as a driver.
Looks pretty good to me…
Working at one of Chicagoland’s largest GM dealer’s parts dept. during this time, the 3.3-N code engine was the best of the 60 degree engines. Other than the coolant by-pass hose and fitting needing replaced and coils now and then, it was a very durable power plant out matching the 3.1-M code with it’s constant intake gasket leaks among other issues (I still remember part numbers for most of the 3.1’s issues). GM sold a boatload of the A-body cars for a reason. They were reasonably priced with a fair amount of power and could be had with quite a few amenities. The antenna fix is simply the shaft mounted relay or the drive tape, (they were common issues among most GM vehicles of the period). If I were in the market for a car, I would pony up $3500.00 for a 36k vehicle like this one, with parts readily available….it’s a no-brainer.
It maybe nothing to get excited about but, I would certainly use it as reliable, easy to maintain transportation and take care of it as I do any car or truck….very well.
There were several excellent engines in the 60 deg family – my pick would be the DOHC version aka LQ1 – a late one with SFI.
The 3300 is a variant of the 3800. Both are 90 degree V6s and excellent engines.
GM made so many of these over the years that they really nailed the quality. I drove a stripped down one of these from Madison, WI to Seattle, WA for a new sales guy. He drove it for a couple of years and then got fired. I immediately volunteered to bring it back. I drove it thru Denver and picked up my buddies at the airport to go skiing. It pounded through the snow like a beast. I remember somewhere west of Denver I hit a big snow storm. I saw a trooper by the side of the road – he was closing a gate across the interstate. I was the last car…there was no one behind me. I tossed on the tire chains and ruled the road for quite a while. Ahh, good memories. What a trusty ride that she was.
Moderate, affordable comfort with reasonable power to weight ratio.
That’s exactly what the A-body was designed for. As a Ford guy who worked for GM, I have to admit that GM hit the bulls-eye with “Audience Targeting” with the A-body cars throughout their divisions as a platform offering. The A-bodies were definitely a blue collar, as well as a senior vehicle choice for value and comfort. Jerry made the right call in keeping it for His daily driver for sure. With proper recommended maintenance, that A-body 3.3 will last and last. The American automotive industry relies on human nature to always want the newest and greatest in order to sell units, but….If We are diligent and do Our homework, We can make good, solid decisions about what We drive. And We can drive those decisions for many years to come.
https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/cto/5618559585.html
This is a nice car similar to that. I wanted to put it up as a find, but wasn’t sure how to do it..
JohnW, you can always send it in an email to mail@barnfinds.com :-) Thanks!
I love these A bodies. Very durable cars. I had 96 Buick Century in this same color that I absolutely loved. If I had an extra $3500 I’d be all over this car. I’d like to find a cheap wagon example to have as an extra car.
Beautiful car, beautiful condition, beautiful price!
I think this is a 1992 (or earlier) not a 1993. I drove a 1993 cutlass Ciera S for years and it had a drivers airbag – the 1992 and earlier do not, and this car does not have an airbag. Otherwise, as mentioned this is a very nice example of a car with subpar interior design based on a platform that was well over a decade old – a real laggard in engineering refinement compared to the better competition. But I put 150k miles on it with only a couple of minor repairs so can’t complain much!
Jerry, that is a really nice car. I hope it serves you well and I suspect without question, it will.
When I saw the picture, I thought, “What the heck is this Grandma car doing here?!?” I think the leather really makes the difference. Someone did love this car, and it is a great find, well worth the asking price!
If this were a 1953 vehicle, in ’53, instead of a ’93, this vehicle would be an Oldsmobile 88 Four Door Sedan and would be just below a Cadillac. Times change and so do We but, never forget where We came from. We tend to become pompous about vehicles as We sit back and be keyboard experts, but the reality is….(fill in the blanks).
This is a great car!!!! Very reasonable price, for a near new condition car.
Nice color, near perfect interior, if i needed at car now i would not hasitate to buy this car!!!
Hope you enjoy it for as long as you want Jerry.
Um, yeah – I totaled one just like it back in the day. (Sorry mom).
Jerry great choice! I had a ,90 Ciera 3.3 OD AT. got great mileage. Drove it to 275K wife wanted newer car. Five years ago I picked up a ’92 Century wagon with 108K 1725.00. I had to put shocks/struts and a muffler. Then the exhaust manifold R bank
that was spendy. Otherwise inexpensive, comfortable granny car. I’m an old school guy, practicality trumps looks in daily drivers. Insurance is also cheep and wrecking yards have lots of parts. Enjoy the ride and envision the fat payment books on the really shinny ones!
This is probably one of the most boring cars I’ve ever driven. It was also rock solid to 270k and really, the body gave out before the engine. This one is world’s nicer than mine. Drive the wheels off of it Jerry, it looks comfy.
Holy guacamole. Who would ever guess a nice little 1993 Oldmobile four door sedan would garner so many comments!
just picked up a ’96 Century for my 93 yr old father ( yes, he drives and quite well) here in upstate NY Rochester. It was original owner – 38,000 miles . Perfect . My Dad is please – another one in a long liost of A bodies. The 3.1 engine gave us 29 honest MPG on the Thurway – 75 mph and a/c blasting. Great cars !
And its saving grace other than it’s relatively good condition for what it is, no velour! Praise The Lord of GM