Here’s one you don’t see every day, a 1987 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale in two-door form. And this 42 K-mile example is in like-new condition! It caught my attention because I can’t recall the last time I saw this version, so let’s check it out and see what makes it tick. We can thank Zen for this Dix Hills, New York discovery, and it’s available here on craigslist for $9,750.
Oldsmobile’s 88 designation was used for 50 years, from 1949 until 1999. This 1987 example is a member of the ninth generation, having been introduced for model year 1986. It’s also the first of the front-wheel drivers and was built on GM’s H platform. Body styles for ’87 included two and four-door sedans with trim levels consisting of Delta 88 Royale (our subject) and Royale Brougham. Our Royale coupe is one of only 4,500 assembled thirty-nine years ago, and the total two-door count amounted to only 8% of total production. The listing text for this car is extremely light, stating, “Original owner, like a new car…all original paint and miles.” Yup, looks like new and has clearly been carefully used and isolated from New York winters. This one just oozes ’80s GM with its velour upholstery, wire wheelcovers, and padded landau top. It has the look that was apparently popular as Oldsmobile sold 157K 88’s in 1987. Try as I might, I can’t find any exterior detractions.
Inside, as referenced earlier, we find that GM staple known as velour upholstery, and in this case, it’s decked out with pillow-top cushions. Comfort? Yes! Support? Unlikely. Regardless, it’s all in very clean nick with no sign of wear. Even the carpet has escaped the ravages of slew-footed clunkers and boots that lodge all sorts of unclassified dreck upon auto carpet – and most obvious with shades such as light blue. The instrument panel, in its most minimalist form, is clear and clean, if not very informative. Note the shoulder harnesses; they attach to the doors – I was never certain how effective they would be in a collision that does an “open sesame!” on the doors.
The powerplant isn’t identified, but research indicates that it’s a 150 net HP, 3.8-liter Buick V6 engine engaged to a four-speed O/D automatic transaxle. The engine compartment is exceedingly tidy, and the seller exclaims, “drives great!”
So, absence makes the heart grow fonder? Well, in 1987, I wouldn’t have given this car a second look; “Yeah, it’s my father’s Oldsmobile, big deal!” But today, in an automotive world choked with massive SUVs, CUVs, ridiculous brobdingnagian-sized pickups, and no Oldsmobile at all, this Delta 88 Royale looks better all the time. That’s my thought, what’s yours?
Jim, I agree with your closing sentiments. I finished my bachelor’s degree in 87 and would have been happy to receive this as a gift but would have never independently looked at it.
Today it does stand out in a good way. I’m not driving up to NY to get it so I guess it wont ever happen. My parents didn’t give such gifts anyways.
You’re welcome. This is a beautiful car, and only a half hour away from me, I wish I could buy it. It has the nice Brougham interior, velour pillow-top seats. I hope it finds a good home.
My in-laws bought the 1986 model like this. It was maroon in color with a matching velour interior and the 3800 motor.
We all took a family trip from Illinois to Idaho and was getting 30-31 mpg on that trip. Four adults, one child and a bun in the oven.
A friend of ours bought a new 2D ‘87 Royale in non-descript tan with tan vinyl interior. Wasn’t setting the color scheme on fire but it had an amazing ride. It rode like one of its larger predecessors. This attractive blue beauty is the top of the Delta 88 line being the Royale Brougham (you can see a partial of the Royale Brougham script on the driver door pic and the RB embroidery on the center panel between the rear seat pillows). Those button-tufted “pillows” on the Brougham seats looked more inviting than they were. A relative of mine had a 1973 98 Regency with the same style velour seats and they felt lumpy to me. But nonetheless, a great looking car that I would not run out of my driveway. Hope it finds a great home.
I know I used up a few of these 88/98 generation in my day .
This is a grandma car in every sense of the word.
Not spending $9k plus on it . Dont see it happening .
Could buy something better for that coin .
The half roof is going to assure of that , just not a car for everyone , has to be for a certain person .
As it was then. H-body coupes were always rare to the point of “why did they bother?” The dwindling but still-solid number of Buick-Olds coupe buyers were either satisfied with the less expensive but just as comfy up front, evergreen G-bodies or their budgets could stretch to a Toro or Riv.
You are right, no matter how nice, the pool of potential buyers that would be willing to dig into their wallet for nearly $10,000 who actually see this ad is going to be tiny. There are a lot of really nice 1970’s through 1990’s cars that pop up for sale at a fraction of this cars price. Only someone that considers this their dream car will be willing to paying the premium attached to this particular car.
Steve R
Honestly, I am not sure that there is something better for $9k. These were really good cars, and anyone who buys it could easily and happily rely upon this as a daily driver, or as a collector’s piece. It’s almost 40 years old; damn I’m old…
I always thought these would look cool with widebody fenders, maybe a kinda NASCAR stance to them.
Vinyl Roof spoils the sporty look. $3K car at best.
Last era of a vinyl roof Mikey… embrace it 🫂 Beautiful and comfortable classy coupe from the good Dr Olds
Ordered without Cruise Control and trip odometer, plus the power seat mounted on the seat instead of the door. That was reserved for the 98. Little nuances that remind me of our extended family get togethers and all of the LeSabres vs. Electras/Park Avenues in the driveway and me checking all of them out…with permission, of course. I remember a ten year old me showing an uncle where the fuses were located in his LeSabre Limited. The dark blue one with matching interior and *red* pinstripe! Confimed by the window sticker.
I don’t recall ever seeing a C or H body of this vintage without cruise control. I can see it’s missing on the wiper stalk since you pointed it out. Any idea what those two added buttons hanging below the dash are for?
Upon closer inspection, I think it is an alarm system plus a hood lock, activated/unlocked with a pair of barrel keys. Someone here may know more.
This is for sale on Long Island, but maybe bought in one of the Five Burroughs, where an alarm system is needed and cruise control, not so much…
Class_room is correct on the alarm system. Like other commenters, I never gave these a second look, but 40 years on, it’s a decent looking package, well worth the asking price. I think that the dashboard/instruments design and layout is very nice. Not sure how many cars on here are better/more desirable for an equivalent amount. I DO see a lot of junk at 2 or 3 times the price.
If it has a barrel key lock, it could be for a Chapman alarm which used those type of keys back then. Chapman also had a hood lock.
Nice write up Jim! I have always liked the two-door version of the Delta 88’s of this era. With the 3800 it should offer many years of service.
My aunt became a nun and when she went into the convent, I got her car. It was this exact car. I was in high school. That thing handled like a school bus, but that 3.8 liter six was fast. I did front wheel drive burnouts all the time in it. The amount of understeer was comical in how bad it was. Obviously, I drove it like it was not meant to be driven. It was an ideal car if you were in FL: Quick off the line, comfy straight line car. Not good for much else.
I, too, had a pillowy-soft riding 4-door LeSabre with the base suspension. New struts/shocks all around, strut tower brace, heavier springs and sway bars out of a junkyard Bonneville SSE turned it into a respectable-handling car. Problem these days is finding a car to scavenge parts off of. All the thousands that were in the yards a decade or so ago have been scrapped by now. The power window lifts on these could be problematic too.
That vinyl top! Gag. However, this a great model and a very reliable car.
A set of FE3 wheels and a vinyl top removal would be sound improvements.
Good find!
The problem that I see in a lot of the comments are that “it isn’t worth 9k” or “I can find better cars from that era for less”. Maybe you could – I have seen several cars here that have sold on BF for less, but they are mostly “problem children” that once you get into it for the repairs, you are already over the price of this car. It’s NOT a “$3k car” – this happens to be in very decent condition, save for a few nicks here and there. This era of the full-size Oldsmobile (and Buick) were very nice-looking cars. Are they hot rods? No, but that wasn’t the intent. Personally, I couldn’t care whether it had a vinyl roof or not – I’m not taking it to car shows (maybe a “Cars and Coffee” event), but this was the era where Oldsmobile was at their peak. This is a lovely car in its presentation. There is the art of bartering – I’m sure you could lop off a grand or two (or maybe three) from the price, and you would have a fine car to cruise in that is not a Cadillac or Lincoln that will also be a bit easier on fuel than those two. The engine is pretty much bulletproof, and parts seem to be plentiful, so you will have a car that lasts rather than something you can find for less that you will spend a fortune on and not even drive it enough to justify the cost.
Not a fan of that top but I could live with it.
I don’t see any cruise control, so if not deduct for that.
Nice car but only worth 1/2 the asking price (if that much)!
I would buy this in a heartbeat, IF IT HAD FOUR DOORS!!! Those two doors are the single feature which holds me back from taking the plunge on this one. But these wear like iron, and they are not an uncommon sight around our rust-prone roads up here, even about 40 years after they first appeared. They might not have turned young men’s heads in 1987, but I was not a young man in 1987 — I was older and more sedate. These Delta 88s (cousins to the Cutlass Supreme?) were exceptionally popular cars, because they had enough room to be practical, enough comfort to be luxurious, small enough to be economical, they ran on cheap regular gas, and they lived a trouble-free trip for hundreds of thousands of miles. They seem to hold back the tin-worm rather well, also. What’s not to love, here, as a great daily driver? — THOSE TWO DOORS!
These 2-doors are so rare that that IS the appeal of this car. Lots of clean 4-doors out there if you look, but do yourself a favor and get a next generation C/H body from ’91-’97 (depending on make and model). Those are ALL 4-doors and have a bit more refinement than these earlier ones.
that is not a factory top. in a dr either was a full top or none. these are famous for the armrests coming off in your hand trying to close the doors. it’s nice and will rum another 150k miles but 10k is too much. 4500.00 would be fair. not a big market for these.
I guess enough people have pointed out that this is a Royale Brougham so that can be rested.
It’s odd there’s no cruise with a Brougham, but in those days you could still personalize a car without having to order a package to get one option.
The 1st 2 years of fwd had the 3.8 litre that ran a little rough by design. This was addressed with the 3800.
But, if I needed a daily driver, I’d take a good look & worry about the cruise later.
Insure it for 100 bucks a year for a grocery getter under 5k miles a year. ( Collector car 25 plus years old).
It’s the most reliable passenger car drive trane ever. The old lady blue is fantastic. What other practical Olds is on the road?