This 1986 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser is the seller’s former daily driver, and said to remain in solid condition with good cosmetics and known mechanical history. The Olds is the lesser seen twin to the Chevy and Buick estate wagons of the same generation, and this example presents well with wire hubcaps, wood trim, and the rare factory gauge package. Find it here on craigslist for $7K.
The asking price isn’t exactly cheap, but the Oldsmobile is a rare bird. Even the later editions of the Buick Roadmaster and Chevy Caprice wagons resulted in the Oldsmobile sibling being produced in far smaller quantities. The wood paneling still looks quite sharp and the chrome bumpers present nicely. The seller notes the Olds has 123,000 miles, so it’s still in good nick with that many numbers on the odometer.
The interior is quite handsome and in seemingly nice shape. The front bench looks way better than one would expect to find in the family truckster, so those must have been some careful kiddos that climbed all over the cabin. The A/C works and the seller notes that the Oldsmobile comes with a new headliner and the rarely seen exterior driver’s door mounted thermometer.
Unlike many other estate wagons of this generation, there is no third row seat in the Oldsmobile. This could be a turn-off for some buyers, as many enthusiasts want the top-shelf models, most of which would have come with the third row seat. No matter if you don’t need the extra seating, as the missing rear-most bench frees up a ton of additional storage space. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Pat L. for the find.
Very nice, at less than the cost of some rims for a German car. Hard to believe this was the “downsized” second generation. They downsized the engine too. The 307 was the last engine with a carb from Olds. A whopping 140 horse. It isn’t a bad thing, these are not meant for street racing. When I was a kid, the old man took me fishing and we were very happy camping out of his 59 Chev wagon. Our expectations were lower and we were happy with less, compared to today. Still a great road trip vehicle.
Somebody forgot to tell me these wagons weren’t supposed to be used for racing haha. Mine runs 11.70 at 112 in the 1/4 mile and pulls the tires. Generates a lot of interest only because it’s different and people enjoy that. I’ve got several runs posted on YouTube, it’s a all white 1987 Custom Cruiser. I was determined to save one of these from the Derby guys and ultimately from the crusher!
Very well taken care of wagon. Love the colors and as DirtyHarry said it wasn’t meant for drag racing. Good buy.
50 Shades of Beige.
I got 1987 and is in perfect shape
Only summer time used
Long distances to Florida Las Vegas
Richmond Va,
Comfort and ……… no recalls
Very nice wagon. I feel it is over priced, but for half the price it would be fair. Equipped very odd. Woodgrain, wires, thermometer on the mirror, power locks and even the gauge package, but crank windows and only 2 rows. With Oldsmobile being “high line”, I would expect power windows & a third row. Every Olds wagon I ever seen had all options. None the less, I like it.
Why does it seem like 9 out of 10 times that a station wagon shows up here, either the writer or someone in the comments section just has to say “family truckster”? It always seems to happen no matter what year or model of station wagon it is. It was a STUPID movie! There, I’m finished with my rant. I love wagons and this seems to be a nice one. Not having the extra seat doesn’t bother me at all. The 307 Olds wasn’t a great engine, but, it’s more than capable of doing the job that this car was built for.