By the time this 1992 Oldsmobile Cutlass station wagon was born, wagons were on their way out and the SUV was on its way in. And if you’re like me, you miss the former, as most wagons sat low to the ground like their sedan counterparts. But sales don’t lie, and even though these Cutlass wagons were produced for a few years longer, the SUV eventually got to be king while most wagons went the way of the dinosaur. If you’re feeling nostalgic and have been thinking about buying a good old-fashioned American wagon, this 1992 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera Cruiser may be worth a look. Located in Huntington Valley, Pennsylvania, it can be spotted here on eBay with an asking price of $4,999.
The Olds being offered for sale here is light blue in color and is said to have no major dents, dings, or scratches. No word on whether or not it’s had a respray in the past, but if that is the original paint it still presents pretty nicely for a 30-year-old vehicle. There’s also a roof rack, so if the cabin is full of passengers you can tie the cargo on top. The wire wheel cover on the driver’s side front is missing its centerpiece, but the other 3 are present and the tires look like they still have some useable tread on them.
Like many station wagons from the days of yore, this Cutlass Ciera Cruiser has a third seat that faces the rear of the car. These seats were often narrow, so if you really liked the person you were riding beside and didn’t mind your legs sticking straight out, watching your life go by wasn’t all that bad. Plus when I was a kid I always enjoyed annoying the car behind us by incessantly waving at the driver. Fun times and good memories!
The car is described to be in fair condition both inside and out, and the seller includes several photos of the interior. The carpet could stand a good cleaning or maybe a set of aftermarket floor mats on top, and while not perfect the dash, upholstery, and door panels don’t really look that bad. The odometer is showing 99,530 miles and from what we can see the overall condition seems to be in line with a 100k mile vehicle.
The Cruiser is equipped with a 3.3 liter 204 cubic inch V6 engine, which in 1992 produced 160 horsepower, and there’s also an automatic transmission. The seller says that the engine runs strong and the transmission shifts smoothly, but there’s no mention of whether or not either has ever had a rebuild. A couple of pluses to note about this car are a clean Carfax report and a 72-hour unconditional money-back guarantee, which the seller offers to help ease the apprehension of buying a vehicle online. There is also an option to make an offer, so you may be able to buy the car for less than the asking price. What are your thoughts on this 1992 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera Cruiser?
I had a red 1995 Ciera wagon for a while. My friends Grandma bought it new, she was taking groceries into her house from the car, slipped on ice & fell. She froze to death in her back yard. Terrible accident.
The car had about 40,000 on it when I bought it from her estate. My nephew in Arizona was just getting his license & the idea was my sister was going to use the car when she vacationed in Wisconsin that summer, then take the car back to Arizona for the kid. They liked the car, but not enough airbags lol. I ended up driving it for a few months & sold it. Nice cars! Economical, reliable 3.1 liter engine, just boring (even in red).
I guess that Tru-Coat stuff actually works!
The thing that stands out about a car like this, especially a wagon, in today’s context is how low they are. 54.5″ (sedans are 54.1″) according to the ’92 Olds brochure. Most modern sedans are well over 55″ and few cars under 60″ (5 feet even) are in favor at all.
This is the first fwd A-wagon I’ve seen with a cloth 3rd-row seat. Usually even if the front and second row are cloth the 3rd row is all-vinyl.
Agreed – I’ve never seen a 3rd row cloth seat in one of these.
Buick and Chevrolet had the vinyl 3rd row seats. Olds stood out that they did cloth. GM was very confusing back then lol
Roomy economical vehicles that were everywhere in the mid 80s- mid 90s.
I remember it more like station wagon,minivan,then SUV🚙🚐🚘
I had an 86 Chevy version with the Iron Duke 4. This was in 1991-1992. It was slow, to be sure. But more than functional. But I also remember it had some kind of a gremlin at the end that led us to sell it. Upon retrospect, it was probably a bad starter/connection.
At the end, I really didn’t like the car, but I must be getting sentimental, because I was thinking “Gee, this would be kind of a fun car to have…”
I bought my first wagon, an ’85 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser, in the late ’80s. It was silver with a gray interior. It was well-optioned and an excellent daily driver. I liked the convenience a wagon provided for hauling piles of stuff and the fairly spacious rear area was perfect for my two large German Shepherds whenever we travelled. Since then I’ve owned an ’88 and a ’99 Taurus wagon, an ’04 Sable wagon and an ’07 Dodge Magnum wagon which I still have. Wagons are awesome rides and handy as heck. There aren’t any American-made wagons being built anymore though you can buy high-end European wagons. I guess that means I’ll keep my Magnum.
We had two A-body sedans, ’90 and ’92 vintage, both with the 3.3 engine, and they were both wonderfully utilitarian, reliable, durable vehicles which only stopped serving us well when they succumbed to New England rust-out. My uncle had a late ’80’s Ciera wagon, which I absolutely loved. I miss the era of these relatively simple, but highly functional vehicles. I would have another one in a minute if one presented itself nearby, but sadly such vehicles are almost extinct in the Northeast.
At 100,000 miles, those v-6’s usually self destructed (rod bearings, head gaskets) around then, no matter how well they were maintained. Nice looking car though.
No, not these V6s. The 3.3 is a Buick V6, based on the 3.8 L V6. Really no problems with these engines at all.
I never used to see these with bad drivetrains. The underbody would disintegrate long before the engine or transmission would fail.
I owned 2 used car lots for many years ending in 2009, and sold a bunch of these. I loved buying them at the auctions to resell because people would never complain about them. A happy customer will tell all of their friends about the great used car they bought, and where they bought it.
Had one and loved it. Rust eventually condemned it to the scrap yard. Oil changes every 3500 miles. It had 326000 miles on it when it was scrapped. Still ran like a quiet clock and used NO oil.
Man I would LOVE to get this car for my wife. We have 4 children and she has to drive them to school every day in an old pickup that breaks down a lot. I’m permanently disabled, so we don’t have the money to buy it. Bless the person who buys it 🙏🏻
I have always thought these wagons were near ideal. Not too big, not too small. With the V6 it should have plenty of power (amazingly they put 4 cylinder engines in some of these wagons!) Should be decent on gas. My 92 the 4 speed automatics in these had any problems worked out. I figured if I ever wanted a wagon, I’d get one of these.
I have a ’93 Cutlass Cruiser wagon. Bought it off an Olds dealers lot in June, ’03. Original owner bought it new in June ’93 and traded at the same dealer for a new Cadillac in June ’03. I bought it three days later. It had 33,490 miles when I bought it, has 99,500 now. It is a three seater with all three seats being cloth. It is an original survivor, dark blue. Other than routine maintenance, the only thing required was a transmission rebuild when a bearing went bad. Love this car, my kids can sell it when I die.
Buick and Chevrolet had the vinyl 3rd row seats. Olds stood out that they did cloth. GM was very confusing back then lol