Faults:
Well, let's start. This car was the product of an insurance pay-off, and I figured that I would go out and buy a substantially larger car than a 2002 VW Jetta, because let's face it, I'm a Cadillac man. Anyways -
When I bought the car from its second owner, it had been sitting parked in an alley way for six months, and I could tell the old girl had seen better days. There were small rust spots peppering the car, but she was a glorious looking thing. But for 1200 dollars, how could I say no? Well, always remember buyer beware:
* When backing it up out of the alleyway, its rusted out muffler had become embedded within the ice and stayed locked in place when the rest of the car moved away. New muffler, and replacement exhaust pipe $360.
* I noticed that the steering was sloppy, and I mean insanely sloppy, which made it difficult when it came to a narrow bridge on the drive home.
* On the white knuckled trip home, I was able to take some time to look more closely at the interior. The vinyl paneling and faux wood accents had begun to crack.
* Within a day, the motor that allowed the couch - no - seat to adjust back and forth blew out, but hey it's a Cadi, and there was still a lot of leg room.
* The gas gauge wasn't accurate, and at about a half tank it got stuck in place, making the actual amount of my fuel reserve a guessing game.
* Parking my car over a patch of snow revealed a steadily growing puddle of antifreeze.
* Finally I took the car to my local mechanic and he informed me that the rear wheel bearings were rusted to the core and needed to be replaced. Then he informed me that there may in fact be a crack in the motor, and that in his educated opinion, I should just cut my losses and put the car out to pasture.
General Comments:
Although, yes, a lovely car in its day, by the time it reached me in its 20th year of life, it had become nothing more than an average beater boat.
To me, its 5.0L V8 engine had had its power reduced to that of a four cylinder trying to push the mammoth car. It was fantastically slow.
The ride was very cushy, but it was difficult to be comfortable when I was spending all of my time trying to keep the car going in a straight line.
29th Apr 2011, 19:42
These Oldsmobile 307's are known to have excessive carbon build up in the EGR ports. Replace the EGR valve and have the EGR ports cleaned out. Also, have the timing checked and adjusted if necessary by a professional technician. That should cure any sluggish engine performance.