Oldsmobile Eighty Eight

Price Paid:  $21000.00

Year / Model Reviewed:
1999 /Oldsmobile 88

Strengths:
Engine, handling.

Weaknesses:
Interior fit and finish. The breaks aren't good either.

Summary:
After about 4 months, the dashboard had a large separation appear. The seats lack lateral support. The radio antenna will not retract. There is no way to regulate the amount of wiper fluid despensed (so much comes out that it leaves streaks on the front windows).

The engine is one of the best there is. It is absolutely bullet-proof. The car has great acceleration. After a minor adjustment around 45,000 miles, the transmission performed well until just after 100k. It now needs to be replaced. The trunk is great also.

Similar Products Used:
Buick LeSabre - Same basic vehicle, but the buick is more refined, using higher quality materials on the interior.

Year / Model Reviewed:
1999 Eightyeight LS

Strengths:
Conservative yet still styish
Roomy
Nice ride
Very comfortable
Nice sound system
Safe
Nice powertrain
Superior visibility

Weaknesses:
A little soft in terms of handling
Power antenna is not 100 percent reliable in retracting

Summary:
A very nce family car with some style to it that won't look old in 5 years. Has excellent powertrain and reports show a good reliability factor as well as being safe. Easy in and out either in the front or back seats. With the LS there are some nice little amenitites like theater lighting (interior lights dim slowly after the doors are closed making for a smoother light/dark optical transition). Standard running lights, ABS and anit-lock brakes make this a very easy car to drive with excellent pick-up. I do wish the car were a bit more firm in the handling. I get what I consider to be good gas mileage and the range is about 400 miles per tank. Adjustable power seat, keyless entry and incredible road visibilty make this a very pleasurable car to drive. I purchased used from a dealer friend and paid $14,995 - condition was excellent, new tires, extra set of keys and approximately 22,000 miles. My family now owns 3 of these cars.

Price Paid:  $27000.00

Year / Model Reviewed:
1999 Olds 88

Strengths:
Handling, comfort, power. Good body lines.

Weaknesses:
Sometimes the windsheild wipers won't activate until you put them on high.

Summary:
I am a detective with a local department, and sometimes use it in my day to day operations. The car handles as well as any Crown Vic or Caprice I have ever driven, I have had it well over 100mph and it was nothing but smooth. I did have one of the 2 computers short out, but with Oldsmobiles excellent service, even that wasn't a horrible deal.

Similar Products Used:
Crown Viv, Caprice

Price Paid:  $12500.00

Year / Model Reviewed:
1999 Eighty Eight LS

Strengths:
3.8 liter V6 is very dependable. Have the same engine in our 1990 Trofeo which has had no engine repairs.

Weaknesses:
Uncharacteristic repairs for such a new car, such as lower stabilizer arm bushings and driver''s side electric window. Ash tray in front doesn''t fit right and slides open constantly while accelerating. Also don''t care for the notched volume control on the cassette/radio. Big difference in volume between notches making sound either too loud or too soft.

Summary:
The strongest feature of this car is the 3.8 liter V-6. It''s a very roomy car. The trunk is particularly deceiving as it is much larger than it seems from the outside. Gas mileage is good for this size 20-22 mpg for combined suburban and expressway rush hour traffic. A great value except for some unexpected repairs in the last few months that are not typical of a 3 year old car. See below Glad I only paid $12,500 for the car a year and a half ago.

Similar Products Used:
1990 Trofeo

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Gift from Grandparre

Year / Model Reviewed:
1999 Oldsmobile 88

Strengths:
Nice squishy ride. Makes bumps feel like riding a roller coaster.
Trunk space is amazing though I wish it where flat.
6 seat belts
More power than a Jap Econo box.
Stands out from other cars. Interesting styling.
Awesome fuel millage. I get 24mpg avg.

Weaknesses:
Horrific handling.
Not very much interior room for the size of the car.
Windshield wipers scratched my windshield.
Worlds softest and vague steering.

Summary:
This is an extremely reliable car. Has a wonderful but very squishy ride. Has some power but it is certainly not fast.

I got it with 44,000 miles on it and it is still in nearly brand new condition. It is the base model so there are not any parts on it to break. Though it does have a block heater which surprised me a lot.

The handling is absolutely awful.

The stereo is very good, much better than the one in my parents BMW 740il. It is the only Olds 88 I have every seen with a CD player from the factory.

The car is built very well but the pannel gaps are massive! There are many places where pannels and covers are to short. I can fit my whole hand between the front door and the dash on both sides!

I really don't know why every body thinks this car has a lot of room. It has the least room of any car my family has owned since I was born. The leg room in the back is awful. The seats don't move back far enough either for even a 6ft tall person.

I would highly recommend this car to any College student or any one who needs and inexpensive car to operate.
Not recommended for any one who cares about how a car drives.

Similar Products Used:
1998 BMW 740iL
2001 BMW 740iL
1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. The Jeep drives very much like the 88 but with less power.