1985 doesn’t seem like it was that long ago to those of us who were in our teens or older back then, but to anyone under 40 it probably seems like a prehistoric era. Almost prehistoric itself being the last year for the rear-wheel-drive Olds 88, this 1985 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale is listed here on eBay in Westerville, Ohio. The bid price is $6,050 and there are still six full days left on the auction!
This looks like a really nice car but wow, what is this one going to sell for at the end of this no-reserve auction? It does have a few things going for it. While it’s not rust-free, it’s mostly rust-free and the seller has included a couple of photos showing some minor areas where rust is lurking. It also has only 41,000 miles on it, 6,000 of which were put on by the current owner, the grandchild of the original owner, the seller’s grandmother. That’s cool.
This is the last year of the eighth-generation Oldsmobile 88 and it was the last rear-wheel-drive version. In fact, Oldsmobile buyers loved this configuration so much that more than a few Olds 98 buyers, or former Olds 98 buyers, stepped down a notch to buy these cars as Oldsmobile had recently introduced a front-wheel-drive 98. The luxury difference wasn’t life-changing to go with an 88 Royale, this is still a very nice, quiet, smooth car. In fact, the seller says that it’s the quietest car that they have ever owned.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this generation of Oldsmobile out on the street, in a parking lot, at a car show, or really anywhere – at least in person. We’ve seen a few of them here at Barn Finds and they are nice cars. The interior looks fantastic but you can see that these big, flat-yet-somehow-still-comfy seating surfaces weren’t exactly sculped with bolsters to hold you in on curves as with most modern vehicle seats. The seller mentions that their grandmother didn’t want any power options so this car has manual windows and locks, but it still has a power driver’s seat – which isn’t working – and a power antenna.
The engine is, I believe, an Oldsmobile 307 cubic-inch V8. The seller refers to it as a 5.0L (305). It would have had 140 horsepower and 240 ft-lb of torque. They say that it has recently had a new radiator and a major “tune-up/fix-up” to make sure that it’s ready for the road. Bidders are anxious to snag this one, have any of you owned one?
Had this in same color combination but loaded with options and a 2-door. Mine also had the Olds rallye’s matching color of car. Drove it cross country in 86’. What a dreamboat on the road
My mom’s old car, navy blue w cream interior. Made me sad to see. Having said that, fantastic AC in these, much better than dad’s useless Mercedes 80s AC which was never to America standards. Super duper reliable car.
These were great cars, and I still like the styling, thought NOT the wheel covers and whitewalls. I would cruise this every day, and might be fun to consider an engine swap… I like that it has the manual locks and windows, a big plus for me!
Seriously? The whitewalls with those simple but elegant hubcaps say Olds!!
When I bought mine it didn’t have whitewalls. I went to a tire store and got them.
Try finding comfortable seats like these in a new vehicle, much less in blue velour!
Might be the biggest backup lights ever fitted to a vehicle! …
http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/K6cAAOSwluNg~vGf/s-l1600.jpg
Do you have any idea how much I despise
those hideous steering wheel covers?
Do you?
No way. They say Oldsmobile!!
Does this car have a/c?
Why would I or for that matter anyone know what you despise? Why would anyone care? Do you think you are the centre of the universe and everyone should be aware of your likes or dislikes? If you want to contribute to the conversation, write something intelligible. Your drivel is pathetic.
Nicest one left?….Does it matter?
This did soldier on in the form of the Custom Cruiser until 1990.The FWD models were decent for the time, but these big ones were sorely missed by many.
It’s scary that these POS 80s & early 90s cars are now “classics”.
It baffles me that a rectangle box will be showing up at car shows to be shown off.
Complete with that horrid velore interior
You’re obviously completely clueless and could not possibly have ever owned one. These are very good cars. There is nothing bad about them. The velour interiors in 80s cars are awesome. Super comfortable, super quiet. I’d rather have one of these over any modern car. This is MUCH nicer.
Bro I’m with you 100%!!!!!!!!!
Agree with S. Nice cars. Reliable, quiet, solid, comfortable. Of course the enthusiasts magazines hated them and pounded on the domestic automakers that every car must look and drive like a bmw to the point now where everything made has “cloth” seats that feel like burlap over sandpaper, cramped interiors, rough ride, etc. No more comfortable cruisers made. Just read a long term test in C&D about some bmw something or other that is so poorly engineered that they went through 3 wheel trims in 40000 miles due to potholes. In the 80s GM had standards that everything made had to be able to withstand potholes and curbs of a certain size without sustaining damage. Yet to many people we’ve made progress. I disagree. This 88 and vehicles like it were superior.
Go spend 100k and get a 2021 plastic vehicle with a 12 inch screen in front of you. I would take this Olds over any plastic blow mold!!!
If you are an engineer you like right angles. If I look at the so called new edge design what is commonly used now is off the cars look like they already were in an accident.
I like the car design of the mid seventies and eighties.
I firmly believe that any vehicle that has been lovingly preserved or restored is worthy of display, and when we see a proud owner displaying a car like this at a show, we owe him/her our respect, because this car is important to him/her, like our cars are important to us.
“Diva” doesn’t play well in this crowd.
velour
That’s your opinion!
It’s spelled “Velour” and “S” is absolutely correct. These were Great cars back then.
Wow! The spelling police are out in full force.
You don’t like my personal opi ion or my spelling. Do you really think I care?
I had an 85 Custom Cruiser with a leather interior. Loved it. It was like going down the road on your couch. Lol
To me this is just a normal car. There were so many of these around into even the early 2000s, which doesn’t seem so long ago. So many people I knew owned these. My friend in college had an 83 Delta 88 Royale Brougham with the 307 and 4 speed automatic. It had the velour interior and was super comfortable and quiet. A lot of people loved these back then. Only the Caprice/Impala were more popular. Buick had the LeSabre, popular, but less so. The Pontiacs were probably the least popular in this body style. First Catalina and Bonneville but later they were called the Parisienne. There isn’t anything not to like about these.
Nice looking car and nearly identical to my long departed mother in law’s 1982 Delta 88 Royale Brougham. I’ve already told the story here – she bought it at an auction in Georgia and barely made to home to Florida. 260 V8 that had overheated some time in the past. A really nice looking car (late 1980s), average mileage but the motor was toast. A sad and pathetic story. Her brother in law who helped her buy it is still living and dealing in auction cars too.
Had a 83 Ninety Eight . over 200,000 Miles – Didn’t burn a drop of oil – I religiously change 10/40 oil every 2500 – 3000 miles.
Excellent reliability except they had a re-call C – Converters would clog up – mine clog at approx 67K .
otherwise I love these R/Whl Drive GM era cars .
What brand of 10W40 oil do you use? Is it high zinc or do you use a zinc additive or just regular SN oil by itself? I miss the old Quaker State hi mileage syn blend(btw) DEFY high zinc SL oil in the red plastic containers that i got ON SALE at KAY-mart. The oil & stores are gone. Darn.
ATTENTION!
Anybody notice that the good Supertech dino & HIGH mileage dino oils have recently been replaced with “ALL mileage” syn blend oil? I’ve seen “ALL mileage” on another brand too – hope it’s not a trend because a 1 star review below disturbs me! & i quote …
“May 6, 2021
I put this in a older dodge 318 magnum and lost about 30lbs oil pressure and lifters started to rattle . Drained it out and put in traveler 10w40 and oil pressure went back up and noise went away. I have use the older supertech conventinal and did not have a problem . This oil is not for older engines.”
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Super-Tech-All-Mileage-SAE-10W-40-Motor-Oil-5-Quarts/963918654
I believe SP oil is the 1st rating not tested in old motors. Hmmh,
Joe,
I’m no expert – but try using the old school reg 10/40
New Oil these days are for modern cars w/ much Tighter Tolerances on Eng components / parts so is Thinner.
Syn oil might flow too easily on older eng not design / meant for syn .
I had all Pre 86 – 3 olds 98 / cutlass / pontiac ran 10/40 never had a oil issue – just oil change . good luck
Dad had a 1984 Delta 88 Royale in burgundy with many, many yards of red velour covering the interior. The 403 under the hood was an adequate mover for the malaise era, and it turned out to be virtually bulletproof. He had over 250,000 miles on it when he gave it to my younger brother. Other than the surface rust that winters on Padre Island, TX contributed to, it was a solid car. The ride while cruising in a straight line was sleep inducing, which fit the demographic for these cars. I would never want one, but very few car companies can prosper by appealing to a single group of customers. GM snagged quite a few with these land barges, as did Ford with their Crown Victorias and Mercury Grand Marquis’.
Nice example of this car, and somewhere there is an ass for that plush front seat.
My parents had the 88 Royale Brougham version of this car. My mom was sad when Dad decided to sell it. Last of the cars she truly enjoyed. Now she putts around in a CRV and still misses the Olds. Although I was grown and moved on by then I enjoyed driving it whenever I came to visit.
I owned both an 83 & 85 Delta 88 Royal Brougham coupe. They were nice, big, comfortable cars. My mother had a 77 Bonneville Brougham coupe, and my best friend had a 82 Custom Cruiser. None of them were problem-prone, and except for being somewhat underpowered (what cars weren’t then?), there isn’t one negative comment I can make about any of them. This sedan is a nice survivor, altho’ a little down on options for me. Someone will get a nice driving, family-sized car, something available today only in SUVs. There’s not a CAR built today with the room of this Olds. Even getting in and out of one of today’s LOW, sleek ‘jellybeans’ can prove problematic for many folks, including me!
Joe ?
Back then there was no Syn / or syn blend .
I mainly use 90 % Quaker State 10 W 40 in 80’s they came in a round plastic instead of square like now. because I use to buy by the case cheapest from the wholesaler in NYC around $ 15.00 . remember that’s 1983 – 1986
& Purolater Oil & air filters from Back then Rickles’s home center – before Home depot came . Paramus N.J. good old day’s
I am ignorant when it comes to oils. Maybe some one can enlighten me, I would apppreciate it.
1) What is the difference between automotive oil and 2-stroke oil?
2) Why 10 – 40 weight and not 10 – 50 weight?
3) What about recycled oil?
4) What about oil additives?
Thanx a lot for any info,
Thanks for the info!
Well, 2 stroke oil has the capability to be mixed with fuel and stays dispensed.
the 10-W40 or 10-W50 says that the base oil is an SAE 10 and when it gets hot it will have the properties of a SAE40 respectively SAE50. The W means that it can be used in winter. To achieve these properties the oil has additives that thickens it when it gets warmer. In the old days you just changed oils for winter or summer. So you used an SAE 10 when it was cold and an SAE 30 in summer.
I think recycled oil is just cleaned from all the dirt and can be reused. I never tried it though.
There are few nice examples still out there and can be found on the Facebook Oldsmobile owners page. Hopefully someone will buy this and take care of it. My grandmother didn’t like options either for the string of Buick LeSabres she owned. She refused power windows because she worried one of her grandchildren might be injured if not careful. She did give into power door locks for her very last LeSabre.
Sweet ride…airbags,Dayton’s,sub-woofer …seat all the way back
I had one of these. Nice comfortable reliable car. I happened to like the blue interior. My only problem was if someone opened the auto rear window in the cold it didn’t always go back up. That small V8 was pretty slow but I didn’t mind. It saved on gas. Didn’t rust too much either.
Great comfy cars. The comment about the motoring Communist American car hating magazines is the truth. They ALL slammed American cars in the 80a and stupid Americans wanting to look liked a Big shot fell for it and started buying imports. Well, I work in a busy repair shop. We will never lack work with all the BMW’s we get in and rack up $5,000 repair bills. I have owned 5 Oldsmobiles in my life. 250,000 miles out of all of them with no major repairs. Today, GM A total joke.
I agree 100%. I will always drive a good old American car. I’m currently driving a 92 Lincoln Town Car with only 51k miles, and would never trade it for some plastic molds they sell today.
I drive a Delta 88 Diesel since 2007. Of course the Diesel had it’s problem with the head bolts but after replacing them with the high tension ARP bolts the diesel is bullet proof. I love the car and it’s very comfortable. I bought it on ebay, picked it up in Kansas City and shipped it to Munich Germany where I live.
I use 15W40 mineral oil. Not synthetic.
Had this same car but with the diesel motor. Awesome ride, and everything was heavy duty because of the diesel…suspension, electrical system, soundproofing, etc. Also back in the 80’s we owned full size Caddy’s and also Old Cierras with the V6 version. Only those that didn’t understand maintenance requirements would poo-poo diesels.
I do agree about the Diesel. You can avoid a lot of trouble if you do the maintenance correctly. But you can’t help when it blows the head gasket when one of the head bolts snaps. That’s what happened to mine in 2013. I replaced all the head bolts with the ARP bolts and now the engine is safe. It’s amazing to drive a car larger than an S-Class Mercedes getting 28mpg. Especially if you are in Europe and you pay $6 for a gallon.
Diva plays a lot better than a lot of you judging from past comments.
I guess in this forum we are not allowed to express our own opinions, likes and dislikes.
I understand that this car and any 80s/90s cars are someone’s pride and joy. Good for them. I was merely expressing my own opinion on those two decades of what I consider horrible designs. From the comments I gather anyone who owned one compares them to be the Cadillacs of the 80s. These are nice cars, compared to what they turned into. Tiny rectangle boxes.
I think I’m allowed to say that as I owned a ’92 Eldorado whish I hated because it was so small.
I like land barges, CCFISHER, and my opinion is just as valid as yours. So, I’m going to agree to disagree, Mr. Fisher
Their must be an 80’s Olds Revival…This is the second 1980’s Oldsmobile Royale, I’ve seen ad ertised this week, and both gorgeous, almost identical, with extremely low mileage.
The other Olds Royale, which I believe was also a 1985, has 16,000 miles, with every available option, and is mint…again sadly, it is also a 307 CI V-8,
but a very tempting purchase also, at a broker, in Naples, Florida.
I owned a 1984 Olds 98 Regency Brougham, with every option, except leather, and loved that automobile…a great car, of that era.
Me too! Me too! I had me one too! Mine was a 1983 Delta 88 Royal Brougham in Dark Briar Brown Iridescent, a padded top and brown velour bench seat interior. I needed a car to replace the very clean, reliable and economical Plymouth Horizon I was driving that was totaled in a 20 car pile-up due to a sudden downpour and and oil on the road.
The Olds suddenly became available and I bought it after a quick look and test drive. I had never entertained the idea of owning one but the quality and comfort were a welcome surprise compared to what I usually drove. I knew it had a broken motor mount when I bought it. I discovered the other mount was also broken when I was repairing the first one. I decided that replacing the transmission mount at the same time was a good idea. Strangely enough it ran fine with the broken mounts even though the engine was trying to twist itself out of the chassis.
It was such a pleasure to drive anywhere in it and the Delco AM/FM cassette player sounded just fine. I was perfectly happy with it but my mother hated it for some reason. I was in my early 40s at the time with a family of my own. She had just bought a new Honda Accord and still had her 1988 Jeep Cherokee that she had not traded in. She offered to give me her Cherokee if I would get rid of the Olds. I didn’t want to but she eventually wore me down. Also the idea of owning a Jeep Cherokee began to grow on me so I made the trade. It was quite a change but I immediately began to appreciate what a very good vehicle the Cherokee was. I would have preferred to keep the Olds too but I kept my word to my Mom and sold it. One thing I learned was the Jeep required more maintenance and repair than the Olds. The Olds was low maintenance, not much to go wrong and once something was fixed it stayed fixed. The Jeep, as they say, “lots of parts.” I remember replacing the throttle position sensor several times in a short period of time. Also coolant system overflow tanks and lids many times. You can criticize the Olds styling all you want, it is the “box on a bigger box” school. No matter, it delivers a good comfortable ride. The Olds 307 isn’t going to win a drag race in this car but like all of the big Olds motors that came before it, it has plenty of torque to get you moving. You would not this car with the 260 engine.
WTF is your problem, what with pleasing your mother by selling a car you loved? What kind of a control freak was she? and why didn´t you tell her to mind her own business? Grow a set.
You would not WANT this car with the 260. Is what I meant. I once drove a Cutlass with the 260 and was convinced that there was something wrong with it. It was so slow and sluggish that I was determined to trouble-shoot the motor to find the thing or combination of things that was strangling the performance. I finally consulted with a mechanic that I knew who laughed at me. ” You are just wasting your time now. There is no more performance to be found. That’s how they came from the factory.”
I have to laugh when I remember my Mom’s visceral reaction to my Royal Brougham. She did not like it at all. The worst thing about it was the faded paint on the hood typical of paint from that time. The padded top was beginning to show its age. No dents or damage. It had a nice set of matching tires and wire wheel covers. The problem was it was big, brown and old and sometimes parked in her driveway. I doubt she had ever heard to word “Hoopty” but she instinctively knew one when she saw one. It wasn’t, really, but it had the potential. That was for the next owner to determine. I sold it around 2004 when it was considered just an old car. It was another 5-6 years before folks began to look at these with fresh eyes. Consequently I didn’t get much action when I put it up for sale. The story of the actual sale is pretty funny too. For brevity sake I’ll just say that I didn’t get anywhere near what the car was worth or even the give away price I was asking. I was paid in cash; a wrinkled wad of soiled and damp $1, $5, $10 and $20 dollar bills. I filed the appropriate paperwork with the DMV. A few months later I got a call from a tow yard in Richmond or Oakland wanting to know what I wanted to do about “my” Oldsmobile that they had towed in. No surprise, the guy never completed the registration. I explained that I had sold the car and that satisfied the person calling from the impound. I did not want to know anything more. That was enough. I felt bad enough about it and more information would have just made my brain churn and my heart sad.
Ah yes,1985,to be 16 again, and yet not dumb and impulsive, we had Michael j.Fox,as a young star,Tom Cruise, the IROC z,which were ugly dogs,compared to 1st or 2nd generation camaros, and then the last of the rear drive oldsmobile boats,I had an 84 Buick lesabre with the anemic 307 olds,nice car,slow,and guzzled gas though.
I thought the 3rd gen Camaros looked lot better than those that followed it.
Imagine how much gas the prev gen Olds 88 drank, espec with 455! lol
The weight reduction & increase in leg room in ’77 from the prev gen was impressive …
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldsmobile_88#Eighth_generation_(1977–1985)
Imagine how slow they would be tho with the 231 or 260 motor.
The 403 & 350 would certainly be faster & the latter might even get better mpg – think of power to weight ratio, especially with the overdrive trans – the 200-4R vers offered improvements …
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbo-Hydramatic#THM200-4R
I have to laugh when I remember my Mom’s visceral reaction to my Royal Brougham. She did not like it at all. The worst thing about it was the faded paint on the hood typical of paint from that time. The padded top was beginning to show its age. No dents or damage. It had a nice set of matching tires and wire wheel covers. The problem was it was big, brown and old and sometimes parked in her driveway. I doubt she had ever heard to word “Hoopty” but she instinctively knew one when she saw one. It wasn’t, really, but it had the potential. That was for the next owner to determine. I sold it around 2004 when it was considered just an old car. It was another 5-6 years before folks began to look at these with fresh eyes. Consequently I didn’t get much action when I put it up for sale. The story of the actual sale is pretty funny too. For brevity sake I’ll just say that I didn’t get anywhere near what the car was worth or even the give away price I was asking. I was paid in cash; a wrinkled wad of soiled and damp $1, $5, $10 and $20 dollar bills. I filed the appropriate paperwork with the DMV. A few months later I got a call from a tow yard in Richmond or Oakland wanting to know what I wanted to do about “my” Oldsmobile that they had towed in. No surprise, the guy never completed the registration. I explained that I had sold the car and that satisfied the person calling from the impound. I did not want to know anything more. That was enough. I felt bad enough about it already.
Hello Paolo, How much did you finally get for it? I am happy to say that my mother has absolutely no influence about what car I drive and my dad supported everything I did in that concern. Unfortunately he passed 20 years ago. But he would approve my Delta 88.
I am sorry to admit that after dropping the price to $600. my buyer was only able to pull $545. from all of his pockets. It was 2004 and it was too soon for most people to appreciate these. I ran a Craigslist ad and got almost no response so as soon as knew I had a live one on the phone I made sure that he not escape without that car.
I hate having to sell a car like that but I had no where to store it and I really wanted to do something nice for my Mom.
My folks didn’t get my car craziness. I am unlike the rest of the family. I always bought my own cars from the time I was 16 and learned how to work on them. My brothers both asked our folks to help them buy cars. My folks didn’t care what I drove as long as it was safe and I was responsible. So, I was surprised by her revulsion to this one. You would have to know her. She was a remarkable person. Among her many attributes she was modest, not materialistic and uninterested in displays of wealth. Qualities that you would expect to find in a woman who grew up in Iowa during the Great Depression and experienced some difficult times. I have to think that the first sight of this car triggered some memories of tough economic circumstances, that someone driving a big brown sled like this was well on the road to an impoverished life. She didn’t say anything harsh but I could see that this actually caused her some kind of pain. I would have done anything to shield her from pain. Her genius was to offer me her Jeep. How could I refuse? And that’s how she got what she wanted and because she was a kind and fair person there was something in it for me. It took a while to get used to the Jeep, I had never owned one before. I soon learned what a great machine the Jeep XJ Cherokees are. It was a win-win kind of thing.
Sorry that your Dad isn’t still alive. That’s a tough one. I lost mine 30 years ago. I am always thinking of things I would like to talk about with him.
What year is your Olds? I didn’t realize that there are folks who solved the problems with the diesels. I had personally crossed them off my list when I learned about the initial failures and never gave them much thought after that. Very cool. Live and learn.
Oops! Sorry for the double post. For some reason it didn’t show up the first time. Allow me to make a post apologizing for the extra post. We certainly don’t want to be clogging up the works here with unnecessary postings and brain-droppings. Glad I could help here.
Hello Paolo, when I bought the diesel I was aware of it’s bad reputation. Mine is a 1978 Oldsmobile Delta 88. When I had to replace the hydrolifters in 2013 I found out that my engine was not the original one but a later one they called the DX block that came out in 1980 I think. In this engine they already solved most of the flaws. But the problem with the under engineered head bolts was still there and that caught up with me in February 2014. I fixed it in the summer of the same year with the ARP bolts when it was warm enough to work in my garage. If Oldsmobile spent a little more time on that engine it would have been a big success. The problem with the water in the diesel fuel was never an issue here in Germany because here diesel cars are very common and the fuel quality was always good. I just love the sound of the engine which is very close to a marine diesel and no other car has that sound. And you easily get 700 miles out of one tank. I drove with my wife from Munich to Nice and then some before I had to refuel. On the highway at 65mph you get 28mpg. The later versions with overdrive were even better.
I bought an 85 Delta 2-door back in 94 for a grand. White with burgundy interior. The one I bought was an 88 “Brougham” which had the standard plush velour seats. Extremely popular model for Olds from 80 to 85 both in coupe or sedan. Then GM shocked the world with their introduction of the somewhat unattractive “downsized” models. Great running cars with the early 80’s models, reliable, extremely roomy and if you couldn’t afford a Ninety Eight you could always go for an Eighty Eight saving a few thousand dollars less. From observing the photos, this Eighty Eight has the appearance of the base model “Royale” however, the seats appear to be the upgraded Eighty Eight standard plush velour option in the “Brougham” edition. I’m not sure if this car is actually a Delta 88 Royale Brougham or just a Royale.
Hello Paolo, I do understand the point of view of your mom. There were times when these cars were an expression of wealth. But now you can pick these cars up for little money and for those who know how to work on them it’s the best way to own a vehicle. I would never get a new car. Actually that is only affordable for the rich. I’m not only drawn to American cars. My daily driver is a Mercedes 260E from 1988 and these cars are remarkably easy to work on. I also have a Mercedes Diesel from 1970 that used to be my grandfathers and I used it for my daily driver until 2001. And then I have a Jaguar XJ from 1979 that I bought in 1997. Currently I have to restore a 1947 Willys Jeep from my wife that sat in her back yard in Illinois for 20 years. We brought it to Germany and completely stripped it. I hope I can get it back on the road next year.
Jesus, the spelling police are back on their high horses.
Auction update: this Olds sold for $7,950.
Prices go up. And this one is in very good condition.
ordered a 85 royal brougham for my wife! She loved the car.. 27 miles to the gallon on the highway at 65 with a/c and 4 kids!!!