1972 was anything but a pinnacle year for muscle cars in general, with high-priced insurance and increasing emission standards creating a dual whammy that was really starting to take its toll on the decline of performance-oriented vehicles by this point. Still, the Oldsmobile 4-4-2 soldiered on, although for ’72 it went back to just being an option for some of the Cutlass offerings instead of a stand-alone model. In 1973, the body would get a complete redesign, so if you’re more old-school and have been in the market for a final year third-generation example, this 1972 Cutlass 442 here on eBay may be worth considering. This one’s located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, just an hour or so from Chicago up the western shores of Lake Michigan, with bidding currently up to $8,300.
In spite of 1972 perhaps not being the most desirable year for the 442 option, some good news here is the seller claiming that his car is a genuine factory U-Code, meaning it came with a 455 V8 instead of the standard 350. I can’t verify this, but the owner mentions that only 7% of the 442 package cars had the big block, so if that’s accurate it’s kind of a rare one. He also says the prior owner told him it’s still equipped with the original numbers-matching engine, but in the 26 paragraphs the seller wrote about the car the only additional information I could find about the engine’s current state is that the grandson of the original owner he bought the car from said it did run, but hasn’t been started for 20 years. The missing fan belts come with the sale, but I’m guessing it’s gonna take more than installing these to get this one back on the road.
The Saddle Bronze paint is stated to be the original finish, and the owner does seem to be realistic in realizing the exterior’s condition when he says the entire body will need to be restored and freshened up, but I’m not quite as convinced as he is that that quarter panel dent can be knocked out on the passenger side. Maybe if you’ve got the skills it will be possible, and on a more positive note the rest of the body actually looks fairly decent overall, although there does appear to be at least minimal rust on the driver’s side in the lower front fender and rear part of the quarter panel, but hopefully nothing too extreme that it can’t be easily fixed.
Though the seller isn’t sure, he thinks the interior is all original, with the floors stated to be in the nicest solid condition he has seen in one of these cars in more than 20 years. The car hasn’t been up on a lift since his acquisition, but the places that have been inspected from the ground level appear to be in good solid shape. While this one may not exactly be my dream 4-4-2, it does seem like a pretty good project, and this is a no-reserve auction so the high bidder will be the new owner. What’s a reasonable price to pay for what you’re seeing here?
I love those seats – the buttons just make them look snazzy.
My all-time favorite car my dad was always a Mopar fan I am too but I’ve always loved the olds this one looks ba just needs to snorkel Hood
Love the Oldsmobiles. Seller says motor is same as w30 models..same displacement yes, but I always thought the w30 put out a bit more juice. Its not really of consequence, plenty of torque to comfortably cruise around.
Be a real nice car for somebody.
If I’m not mistaken, GM dropped all compression ratio’s in 71, so I’m thinking this is at only about 8.5, that’s a huge drop in performance, not even counting the tricks that the W-30 had in it.
W-30 code is ‘X’ not ‘U’.
I would get it purring like a kitten, detail the crap out of it, install the ac and enjoy it as-is..wouldn’t have to worry about stone chips or where I parked it every 5 seconds..glwta
Nice car.I coulda bought one back in late 2019 that was a factory 455 4 speed with the build sheet from AZ, for 27k.Car was 45 min.from me.Viking blue with a white vinyl top blue interior sport coupe like this but didn ‘t have the scratch at the time. Saw it again on flea bay at some dealer who was out of state same car about 6 mos.later .Sold for 46k.Smh.Oh well wasn’t meant to be.
Big value in comparison to a Chevelle SS, heck this will probably sell cheaper than a 350 Malibu. Yet is just as, if not better looking. And would outrun most 1972 comparable muscle cars.
Id get this running and not change a thing.
Let’s evaluate this car. Currently does not run. Has some surface rust and hasnt been up on a lift to verify since George W’s administration. A detuned 455 V8. Compression was lowered in 1971 to run on unleaded gas. Pollution controls and high insurance as stated were other nails in the performance coffin. The engine is powerful enough for cruises, shows and a weekend drive. I personally like the style of the 442 as well as any Chevelle but it does affect the value based on demand. So if someone had deep pockets to fix the engine, carberutor, fuel line and the air conditioning system and repair surface rust after buying the car, it makes an attractive fixer-upper.
When the seller says “The NADA numbers don’t lie”, that’s a sure sign that someone has no concept as to where those numbers come from. Current price is reasonable, but expect this one to pull stupid money.
Based on this seller’s 92% Ebay rating and the fact that in the last year he has several very disappointed buyers (including some 442’s) that claim he lied and misrepresented the cars in his ads, I would say that the phrase “Bidder Beware” strongly applies here.