19 feet of elegance and luxury, this 1972 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Hardtop Coupe appears to be a gem in what I believe is Nordic Blue. The last of the big Olds Ninety-Eights, this ’72 model is around five inches shorter than the 1976 model. The seller has this example posted here on craigslist north of Poughkeepsie, in Kingston, New York, and they’re asking $14,500. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Tony P. for the tip!
We saw a 1972 Buick Electra 225 Limited sedan last week here on Barn Finds, and I don’t know if there are many readers who wouldn’t rather have this Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Hardtop Coupe over the Buick sedan, but there might be. If you’re a Buick guy or gal, or you like four-door sedans better, or just like the color or design better. This Olds 98, or during this era, Ninety-Eight, would be in our driveway (because it wouldn’t fit in the garage) over the Buick.
The seller provided a range of good photos, so first things first: thanks to them for that. It’s so rare these days to have good photos for an online listing, especially on craigslist or Facebook, that it’s always worthy of a mention. Although using my turn signal 100% of the time doesn’t seem to be doing much in the “teachable moment” realm, so I’m not sure if praising sellers for providing good photos will cause others to take the time (a whole 48 seconds) to provide good photos. It’s worth a shot, and even if it doesn’t help, it’s always nice to recognize people for doing a good job at whatever they do. The ninth-generation Ninety-Eight was made for model years 1971 through 1976.
I don’t remember the trunk compartment on my dad’s 1970 Olds 98 (Ninety-Eight), but I’d have to believe it was about as big as this one appears to be. And this one is filled with presumably things that go with the sale, but we don’t know for sure. My dad’s trunk would have been filled with fishing and camping gear. He used that car, which was close to a decade old when he got it for $1,500, for driving to work and then fishing and camping on the weekends at remote lakes and streams. It was pretty beat after a few years, and he made a 2×4 “boat rack” for the roof to haul an aluminum canoe. I can’t imagine this gorgeous hardtop coupe being used like that. Pages 9-12 of this brochure show the 1972 Olds Ninety-Eight models.
We don’t get to see the overall driver’s view of the dash from the driver’s seat, but the seller does show the gauges, and as expected, they look basically like new. The edge of the beautiful fabric on the driver’s seat may be the only thing showing a little use on this 49,700-mile car. The back seat looks like new and is filled with, presumably, more things that go with the sale. Are those 8-track tapes included? We don’t know for sure, but I hope so. There wasn’t a convertible version in this generation, but I wonder what one may have looked like…
The engine is Oldsmobile’s famous 455-cu.in. OHV V8, which by 1972 was “down” to 225 horsepower and 360 lb-ft of torque when new. It’s backed by a Turbo-Hydramatic 400 automatic, and the seller says this car works as it should. It’s reportedly a one-owner, garage-kept vehicle that has never been driven in the rain or snow, which is no small feat in upstate New York. With the low miles and visual condition, I believe it. Would you rather have this ’72 Olds Ninety-Eight Hardtop Coupe, or the 1972 Buick Electra 225 Limited Hardtop Sedan?
A thousand times YES!!!!
Just everything right (and arguably wrong) with cars of that era. But I think what was “wrong” with that car (size, fuel economy) wasn’t even all that “wrong”. After all, size was kind of the point, and fuel economy was part of the penalty of size and power. But to be honest, we have a Chrysler 300, with a 6, and it averages about 19 MPG, so the 11 that this thing got, all things considered, probably isn’t too terrible by comparison.