It’s Olds 98 (or in this case, Ninety-Eight) two-door coupe week here on Barn Finds, and here’s another beautiful gem in mind-blowing condition. How many “old” vehicles in outstanding condition can still be out there? They somehow keep showing up, and this 1981 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency Coupe is listed here on eBay in Marysville, Washington. The current bid price is $8,600, and there is no reserve on this one..
An interesting nuance in the naming convention of Oldsmobile’s top luxury sedan was that between 1952 and 1991, the name was spelled Ninety-Eight with a hyphen, but the hyphen would go away for the last generation of cars. This is a ninth-generation Olds Ninety-Eight, and they were made from 1977 through 1984. A somehow even fancier version, the Regency Brougham, would come out for 1982 but only in the four-door sedan body style.
1984 saw some MPG-friendly features being available for the Ninety-Eight, including both a V6 and a four-speed automatic. That’s on top of the ninth-gen cars being almost a half-ton lighter than the previous generation cars. This car looks like it just jumped out of a 1981 Olds brochure; it’s truly in amazing condition. The seller’s description is a bit hard to decipher at times because of some missing punctuation, but it sounds like it’s a one-family-owned car with 73,000 miles.
They go on to say that everything works, including the air-conditioning. We seem to see more velour and other fabric seats in cars like this, but this one has the full leather package and it looks like new inside. What a car, wow! The back seat condition is what a lot of us dream about when we find an old car that we’re interested in. 1981 isn’t “old” to a lot of people, but it’s 44 years ago now, and that’s older than a good percentage of Barn Finds readers.
The engine is knife-and-fork clean (as in you could eat off of it), and this isn’t the V6 or diesel, it’s right in the sweet spot: Oldsmobile’s 307-cu.in. OHV V8 with 145 horsepower and 245 lb-ft of torque. It silently passes through a four-speed automatic to the rear wheels and is said to run so perfectly that you can fly in and drive this car home no matter where you live, at least anywhere in North America, without having to cross an ocean. Are there any fans of 1980s Oldsmobile Ninety-Eights out there or is this car too new for you?
All I can say is Wow!!! I can’t get over the condition of this Ninety Eight. I liked it when they went back to having fender skirts in ’80 through ’84. The interior is immaculate, and I dont remember ever seeing two tone (leather?) Seats. It always seemed to be the pillow crushed velour seats you’d see. It even has the original floor mats. And I certainly remember the maze of hoses under the hood on that 307, welcome to the Malaise era!!! The vinyl top, chrome, everything looks amazing. This may have been the first year for the 2004R. They helped get the highway mpg up for sure. My ’82 Electra ( 2 door 307 like this) could get 25 on a straight highway run if I drove it carefully. This is a gorgeous Olds, great find. I enjoyed this Scotty, brought back lots of memories. Thank you
Yeah, I haven’t seen very many of these with leather or Park Avenues for that matter. I concur, I’ve never seen the two-tone leather & it looks like the door armrests are the darker brown or maybe it’s the lighting. No mention of the two-tone in the sticker either, just the leather option. Funny the wire caps are more expensive than the leather!
This car is exquisite with the color, the full vinyl roof & the wide whites setting off an already stately appearance the new style gave these cars in ’80.
I had friends from my Alaska pipeline days who lived in Marysville. Been there once; it’s near Everett.
I had an ’81 98 4-door. Green with the full vinyl roof. Originally had the diesel, but my buddies dropped a 455 in from a ’73 Toronado before I bought it. Arkansas car which counted for something in Mn.
I added power mirrors & power seat back recliners using the side trim pieces from Cadillac with the vinyl inserts.
Wish it was closer & my garage was longer!
I just remembered seeing a ’83 coupe at a car show that was 2-tone light sable/dark sable color. What a beautiful color combination! The guy only went to this particular show and home, to keep the miles down.
5 years ago the miles were a legit………1,700!!!
Nice clean example. For some reason, reading this article made me think. Imagine if the whole cash for clunkers thing never happened.
I remember the cash for clunkers BS. At the time I was working for a wholesale auto parts co whose primary customers were new car dealers. I made lots of deliveries and saw some very decent cars and trucks in the back lot that were better than some pieces on the used lot. It had two purposes, one to help the auto companies sell more garbage and for the banks to make lots more in FINANCING!
A very, very sad time in automotive history, Bill. As a car nut, I dare not say what I think about that administration.
So sad watching those cars die.
That car looks brand new! Amazing condition!
Cant help but wonder, why would one sell a vehicle like this in this condition? My current vehicle is 32 years old, so I’d have no fear driving this beauty daily. Very nice!
Beautiful Olds. Still as good a looking car as in ’81. I also don’t recall the leather upholstery being two tone but don’t recall seeing anything but cloth. Something I like most is the full vinyl roof. Taking away the band away from the B-pillar gives the car a cleaner appearance. Is there really no coolant in the overflow bottle?
Pick up your buddy and head for the billiards 🎱 parlor 😌
I love these old pimp rides! They are liking driving on a couch! I dont mind leather but I like the velour seats better.I wish they would bring velour back.Of course I wish they would bring back real cars with style and class that work also.
This is one nice vehicle. Unbelievable condition for its age. And as is often the case it’s located on the opposite side of the country from me. I would prefer to have this car as my daily driver rather than any of the new vehicles that are being built these days. And I must commend the seller for his photos and videos. I believe him when he says you can fly in and drive this vehicle home even when home is 3,000 miles away. GLWTS
This one has had an easy life, even with 73K miles on it.
The oversaturated pictures of the interior makes the doors look like they are sporting a German flag.
The 98 Olds was right there with Lincoln, Cadillac and Buick when it comes to style, luxury and It’s amazing how good these Oldsmobile look new and the coupe looked even better. People would mistake my 79 98 Regency for a Cadillac all the time.Man I miss that car. One of the nicest luxury cars I’ve ever owned.
So much nicer than whatever is being turned out by GM, Ford or Salantis. I don’t see anything on the import side to pay the kind of money being asked for this car. If only I could scrape a $$$ together and I would be heading out north on I 5 ASAP
Sweet drivers. Somehow, the Olds and Buick’s always felt much better o the road than the equivalent Chevy or Pontiac. In this era I worked for a fleet & leasing company. Our default’s for fleet deals and in stick vehicles were always Ford trucks and vans, Olds or Buick mid-size and up sedans and Datsun’s for economy cars. Our region VP who’d been in fleet for 30 years at that point said those brands aren’t perfect, but they almost never disappoint the customer.
At least this one was washed prior to photographing it for the big sale.
this an outstanding car near showroom new. i really wish i was in position to buy it. i love it. these 2dr models seldom come up for sale. great color combo w/ leather too boot. i remember the old timer detail at the olds dealer i worked at in the mid 80s had black w/ red interior 2dr 98. man, it was sweet
I still have an 1982 that I bought in 1989. These cars are highway cruisers. I put a SB 400 that I built in mine. If your a big man this is car the for you. I have driven mine from Colorado to Ohio many times and absolutely love the car for that long drive. One time I drove that 1300 mile trip at an average speed of 92 mph. Whoever buys this beauty needs to go on a long road trip to enjoy it to its full potential. P.S that stock 307 is fine on flat surfaces you cannot drive it Colorado mountains it will only go 45 on steep grades..embarrassing ..lol
I forgot to mention in my earlier post about my ’81. Before I bought it from my mechanic, him & his brother had dropped a 455 in it from a ’73 Toronado.
If it had the 350 diesel and RWL tires I would be all over this!
Auction update: this gorgeous Olds sold for $13,600!
WOW I’m surprised you don’t normally see them go for these prices.It is nice but i’m thinking someone with money who really wanted it took it! Usually they will go for under $10,000.But every now and again this happens.