While it may look tired, this 1974 Oldsmobile Cutlass does appear to be a solid car with little in the way of obvious rust. The Cutlass continues to be a popular car that has a dedicated following, and this one is located in Fort Wayne, Indiana If it is a car that sparks your interest, you will find it listed for sale here on eBay.
While there are no obvious rust problems on the Cutlass, the cracking of the vinyl top is a worry, as this is a great moisture trap, and would need to be replaced fairly quickly to avoid grief down the track. As I said, it is a tired looking car, with the paint looking quite crazed and faded, and while a lot of the trim looks pretty reasonable, the trim around the rear window and vinyl top is peeling and also showing signs of surface corrosion.
Under the hood of the Cutlass are a 350ci V8 and an automatic transmission. The car is also fitted with power steering, power brakes, and air conditioning. The owner claims that the car has covered a genuine 46,000 miles, but as is my usual mantra, I hope that the owner has some form of evidence to verify this. The car has recently been fitted with new head gaskets, and the carburetor has also been rebuilt. He also claims that the engine has been resealed and freshly painted, but it looks like he chose the worst angle to display this fresh paint.
The interior of the Cutlass is a bit of a surprise. Sure, there are some plastic trim pieces that look a bit tired and warped, there is a split in the center of the front seat, and it also looks like the car has been fitted with an aftermarket stereo, but the rest of the interior looks like it has survived quite well. One thing that I will say is that when this Cutlass was new, the combination of the white top and white interior with the original Zodiac Blue Metallic paint must have looked really classy.
If this Cutlass is as solid as it initially appears, and if the owner can verify the mileage claim, then it really appears that what the car needs more than anything is cosmetic refreshing. A fresh coat of paint and a new vinyl top and it would once again be an attractive car. Nice, low mileage examples continue to attract some pretty respectable prices, but rough examples just don’t do that well. This one has me a bit torn. The owner has set the price at $7,500, with the option to make an offer. If the claims do stack up, then it is probably worth that sort of money, but if they don’t, then the owner may struggle on this one.
Those of us that are mid 50’s+ can recall when the Cutlass was the best selling car in America for several years in a row, then came the Honda Accord and then people went crazy for the pick up, I still don’t get that one. If it had buckets and a console it would be a better deal, it will take someone special to buy this and make it right, hope they are out there.
I could be out of touch, but that price looks awful high.
I could be out of touch, but the engine has been freshly painted? In what decade? Someone has obviously been sniffing too much paint if they expect anyone to believe that!
The Ford Taurus preceded the Accord as the best selling car in the USA. The Accord assumed that position in ‘ 97.
Why would a 47,000 mile car need the head gaskets replaced? The price seems high to me but finding a relatively rust free mid 70’s Cutlass Supreme is difficult. I hope it gets a refreshing.
Short and sweet description! Anyway if it’s a two barrel version, and it’s as much of a dog as the Buick version was, then it will be very slow. But that’s probably nothing that an aluminum intake, a four-barrel, a cam, and true duals couldn’t fix
MY dads 74 Supreme was like this one but Navy Blue and with bucket seats. One of the few good looking cars of the early 70s.
Priced way too high. I can get these all day long in North Carolina and Florida for half the price and in better shape.
7,500 🤔sheesh