I never thought we would see an Oldsmobile Achieva listed on eBay like any other collector car, but here we are. The Achieva wasn’t a bad car but it didn’t exactly make your average car enthusiast’s pulse start racing. But race it did, as the Achieva SCX experienced some decent success on the track, a little-known fact about this otherwise average commuter car. The seller’s example has to be one of the best ones left, and it’s equipped with the powerful Quad 4 engine that has been the heartbeat of some of the more memorable Oldsmobiles made since 1985. Find it here on eBay with a Buy-It-Now of $9,990 and the option to make a best offer.
This is a loaded-up Achieva, equipped with the SC package that gave it a few performance bumps in addition to the Quad 4 powerplant. The seller notes that there were two hi-po models, the SC and the SCX. The SC gained a ram air-style cold air intake system and a “Vortex Valve” in the throttle body. The SCX further benefitted from a set of hotter cams, higher redline, and less restrictive exhaust. The SC may not have been the hottest ticket, but it’s still nothing to sneeze at. If nothing else, it’s downright surprising GM made so many performance options available in an otherwise forgettable model.
Of course, the interior brought you back down to the reality that GM was not killing themselves in the quality control department, and certainly not in the “soft touch” materials lab, either. The interiors of 1990s GM products were pretty abysmal and even if I wanted to own a hotted-up Achieva, the drab cabins would likely scare me away from buying one. The good news is despite the abundance of mouse-gray fuzz everywhere, the seller’s car has clearly been cherished based on how clean it still is inside. It would have been a home run if it was equipped with the rarely seen manual gearbox which would surely liven up that Quad 4 mill even further.
Mileage is comfortably below 45,000 which likely makes this one of the lowest mileage Achievas left on the planet. The familiar red valve cover shows no sign of paint flaking which would seemingly suggest the Olds has been carefully stored by a longtime owner. This has grandma’s car written all over it, assuming grandma like her cars to have some go-go juice under the hood. The market for 90s performance models continues to stay hot, so I wouldn’t be surprised if someone has been looking for one of these for some time – but is an Achieva the kind of enthusiast car you’d pay $10K for?
UGH! Door mounted seat belts, a cheapo GM cop out! Otherwise a nicely kept example. GLWTS!! :-)
Several car companies did that. I remember Hondas with those belts
I remember when the Quad 4 was introduced, touted as the most efficient engine developed to date. Fuel efficiency and power for its displacement was second to none. GM had big plans for this but was a strange time for GM and other manufacturers. Imports were happening high and low end, American builders were scrambling to reinvent their products.
There were very unattractive vehicles. Especially the rear 3/4 view with the tail light treatment. I nicknamed them the under Achieva. As far as the quad OHC I thought they were a good competitive engine in the 90’s. Definitely had a high specific output for its size. I know my boss raced in a series that used this engine. They held up pretty well.
I’m not sure what you’re looking at, but I’ve always found the Achieva to be a very handsome car, especially the coupe.
An auto parts store I worked at had the owner buying a new Olds Toronado every time tge model changed and I saw her driving the huge boat and then the tiny thing it ended as. I got to take the out for oil changes. The 92 Toronado had thus Quad4 in it- it surprised me how torquey it was. Oddly enough the interior was all leather and felt like a fighter cockpit as they put every possible tech gadget and button they could. You couldn’t put your hand down without touching some control. All digital dash, too many features- sure outside temp is nice, but AIRSPEED? I don’t know how they sampled that one. Externally bland, but a potent sleeper.
And there is the Achieva, which was at best a “meh” solid middle ground. A good reliable rental car. Not exciting, not bad just sort of there.
Interesting. Who installed a Quad4 in a Toronado? The only factory choice in ‘92 was a 3800 V6. Any chance it was a Calais instead?
Or a Ciera? (Calais disappeared after’91)
An unusual find, for sure, Jeff! I only drove one Quad4 Olds, about a ’90 Calais automatic, 165 HP as I recall. At a time when anything over 100 HP sounded “sporty,” the Calais was gutsy and peeled the tires easily in 1st gear, and not just from a standstill. It was softly suspended which didn’t help plant the skinny tires, but I found it quite satisfying for driving five people around Boston one weekend. The Achieva is homely in comparison, at least to my eye. I always wanted to try one of the 5-speed 205? HP spec racers but never got the chance. This one’s probably best handed off to another Grandma, but sadly Grandma money on this “classic” tops out around $4000 in my book. Thanks for the memories!
This is *before* they tamed the Quad4 with balance shafts (rebranding as “Twin Cam” in the 95+ Cavalier Z24). Don’t expect any of the refinement you’d get out of a 5SFE Toyota or an H22 Honda. Still, 180hp when the comparable V6 mills were wheezing out 120-130hp…
This car has been for sale for a while. I think it was listed for $12k a couple of months ago. The dealer usually deals in high priced muscle cars. Wait a while, and the price will probably drop.
Actually, it’s been for sale for at least a year. Was originally listed at $11995 as you said.
Quad 4 =Junk
From the experiences I had with my 1989 Grand Am SE with the Quad4, I agree.
Prone to blow head gaskets, especially in cold climates.
Torque steer like crazy.
But good power to weight ratio.
Rw = wRong
Beautiful looking car. I remember when it was intro’d. I found it way better looking than either the Buick Skylark or the Pontiac Grand Am of the same generation.
Cracked heads, $800 [internal] water pump replacements, blown head gaskets, timing chain problems.
A SOHC was was available as well
These developed a ton of problems. https://www.enginebuildermag.com/1999/04/rebuilding-the-gm-quad-4/
Perhaps by ’92 they were sorted but the list of changes every year and the number TSBs was quite large.
Oldsmobile was in charge of the development of this engine.
I always liked the design of the Achieva. I even have the promo packet with the video comparing it to the Honda Accord.
Spoiler alert: The Achievas won.
Purchased a white one used in 92, 2k miles on the clock from a dealership. Oddly it had a stick and appeared to be built as such.
I took it to get inspected (NY) and it had no reverse lites. Never had them or all the components for them. Still wondering about that one.
I owned 2 quad 4 both 5spds. 90 beretta GTZ and the 92. SCX. 180 and 190 Hp. Not bad for 4 non turbo cyclinders Actually had to pay an insurance premium because of the Hp yo weight ratio.
What a well kept and unusual Oldsmobile that “someone” contributed to BF.
The ad is a bit misleading IMO. This automatic SC has the base LD2 160 horsepower Quad 4. I once had an 1991 Grand Am LE with the W32 package and this engine and transmission combo. It was pretty peppy and fun to drive.
However, the one you want is the LGO 180 horse H.O. motor with the 5-speed manual. It was about a second faster in the quarter mile. And it was available on the the SC this year.
The SCX (which carried over the W41 designation from the prior year’s Calais 442) got an engine that was a step up from the regular H.O. Quad 4. It had special cams and exhaust, and a chip. It made 190 HP and could run the quarter in the low 15s, which was great for the time. Only about 1,600 were made in 1992-93.
But I don’t know why they’re mentioning that car here. This car does not have the “characteristic W41 lope” because it’s not an SCX or even an H.O. The lo-po LD2 Quad 4 that this has is milder and was available on many GM cars of the era, and they made tons of them.
Having been an Oldsmobile service manager when these were sold. I say, no thanks!
You are correct Wayne