Oldsmobile and Hurst Performance had an on-again, off-again partnership spread out over 16 years. Beginning in 1968 and ending in 1984, they offered a muscle car based on the Cutlass on nine occasions. The last version was the 1983-84 Hurst/Olds which would be the best-selling of the lot. These cars had the nifty (or quirky, depending on who you ask) Lighting Rods shifter, like the seller’s ’83 edition. This one looks like a mostly solid driver-quality car, but it has title issues and a transplanted interior. Located in Port St. Lucie, Florida, is offered here on eBay for $12,000, perhaps a bargain price considering what these autos can go for.
The Hurst/Olds would go on hiatus after 1979 and not return until 1983. In celebration of its 15th anniversary, all 3,001 of the 1983 Hurst/Olds were painted black with silver trim, chrome wheels, rear spoiler, had a raised hood, and those Lightning Rod shifters supplied by Hurst (see here for a rundown on how they worked). The 307 cubic inch V8 available in the Cutlass was gussied up slightly with stiffer gearing. For 1984, the color scheme of the cars was reversed and 3,500 were produced, after which the Hurst/Olds would disappear altogether.
This Hurst/Olds is not a show car, which the seller admits, with its share of scratches and dings. But at 10 to 20 feet, it looks great. There is a bit of rust hiding on the insides of the doors. One oddity is that at least part of the interior has been replaced witness the 442 insignia, which the seller suggests could relate to it having been stolen. That may be the problem with the title that the AutoCheck report reveals, so you’ll have to accept a Bill of Sale only if you want to take this Oldsmobile home.
With this issue in mind – and your ability to get a new title in your name – this might be a nice Cars & Coffee ride. The seller says it runs and drives great though the odometer reads 124,000 miles. It’s priced at about half of what it might otherwise go for, so you could either be getting the bargain of the year or the headache of the week. What’s your take?
NICB.ORG-
VIN: 1G3AK4790DM436565
has been identified as a vehicle listed in the VINCheck® Salvage Records.
Date of loss 2015-04-28
Cause of loss Fire
Get you a SMOKIN’ deal here!!!
Nevada, your last comment is funny which points to what a joke of a deal this is.
No title? No deal, at least for me.
Well if it looks to good to be true it probably is! A big ole pass from me!
Whoever buys this from Florida…once a car has a salvage loss in Florida you can’t get a title for it.
if your keeping for yourself, the title isn’t a issue for me but the mileage bothers me. with saying that, i would have to pass.
So- this thing was HOT… at least twice?
Check all the body and drive train and motor and rear for factory parts tags and numbers before buying because IT may be stolen parts off other vehicles just like It! Especially in FL.they had a lot of them stolen when I was down there around then friends of mine got stolen and stripped two days after getting to FL only had IT for a week Jacksonville Beach apartments !!!
He obviously didn’t check on the title status at all. He states that the car MAY HAVE been stolen and that’s why the title status. I’m guessing an interior fire and that’s why the 442 interior and the fire salvage notification. If you just want one and want to go through the hassle of getting the title straightened out then it’s definitely worth the money but I’d definitely check the history through your local DMV to make sure buying it is legal and it’s not truly stolen. I have done the title thing twice in S.L.C. Ut. and while kind of a P.I.T.A. (pain in the ….) It’s worth it for the right vehicle. Hope this one gets saved.
How do the shifters work?
Blackbird: Here is a 30 second video showing the shifters doing what they do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6hLyWO2noo
I want it!
As a daily driver this car might have 25,000 to 75,000 miles left on it — making it worth $1,250 to $3,750. Sorry, Charlie, but I would want to see photos of the damage before I even considered the $1,250 number.
Considering all of its issues and the fact that the asking price is equal to the new MSRP,I will pass.
Without a doubt this deal is HOT!
Whether it was stolen or had a fire!lol
Darn it! They can’t use the popular “non-smoker” blurb in the ads.
The missing title is not that big an issue. In CA, I bought two old dirt bikes with no titles. Took them to a CHP inspection point to get the paperwork verified and then a small fee later, had two brand new titles in hand. It was a surprisingly easy process. In California at least.
More worried about the extent of the fire damage than the title issue.
Long story short. a friend bought a used Honda civic around 1992 from a used car dealer in NYC. dealer will Reg + Title. Title never arrived / dealer closed.
went DMV told can’t registered – veh stolen – need to go Connecticut DMV to fix. drove to DMV conn to explain – DMV + Conn State Police confiscated veh.
got screw by dealer – so no car / no money back.
Buyer beware ! This is a good deal 442 !
You’ll spend more time and money trying to get a title, if you can, than that things worth. Some states it’s literally impossible to get one no matter what proof you have. Vermont closed the loophole for titles so that’s out as well.
No title=no sale.
A friend of mine had an 83 just like this and advertised it for sale. A guy came by to check it out and after walking around looking it all over asked to start it up. My friend handed the keys to him only to see him drive away headed towards Detroit never to see it again.
No title, no deal … simple really.
Shame Olds didn’t just keep the 350ci or go back to the 330ci in the 80s especially since they were using the engines in Cadillac until 1990. The 307 and 305 are such a dud, that’s why I never bought a G-body back in the late 90s early 2000s when they were cheap, readily available and clean still. I ended up buying a ’92 Crown Vic LX with a 4.6L 2V for $1800 with 87k as my first car as a 19yr old kid who wanted a V8 RWD car I could afford to buy and insure myself with a meager job. I wanted an F or B body with a 350, a V8 Mustang/T-bird/Cougar…and I improvised. The 4.6 was quicker, got better mileage and had modern EFI over the older 305/307/302 cars from the 80s-early90s. Had 6 Panthers through the years until I finally moved up to 3 Mustang GTs, Caprice PPV, SS sedan and a GTO.
Gotta love East Tennessee. No title, no smog, no problem. One year’s registration will set you back about $100.
To say a car needs a title is inaccurate. There are plenty of states that do not require a title, based on age.
Here in NH, if a car is 1999 or older, it does not need a title to be registered. All that is needed is a bill of sale.
It is up to the buyer to do the research.
Here in Utah if you don’t have a title then you can’t register a car. It’s as simple as that. It doesn’t matter how old it is. Shame to. I’ve had to pass on some nice stuff for that reason alone.
A few air fresheners present. That burnt fabric smell comes at no extra cost
I had a 1985 Cutlass Supreme back in the day. I bought it back in 1997 for $200. It had a V-6 with a rod knock, and the trans had no reverse. But, the body and velour interior were very nearly perfect!!!
I went to the local U-Pull-It yard and got a 350 w/Tuned-Port Injection and a 700R4 out of a IROC Camaro and put that in. Very fun car to drive!!!
I wanted to do something with the rear axle and swap out the column shift for a floor console shifter, but never got the chance. I sold it to pay off a debt.
A lot of money for a parts car.