Faults:

Have replaced front and back brakes several times.

Just changed the wheel cylinders at 157,000 miles.

Replaced starter once, several years back.

Replaced a clogged fuel pump, this improved the car tremendously!

Turn signals are slowing down.

Power everything is currently dying, perhaps this is the end of the alternator.

Drivers side vinyl dash began to slightly warp.

Drivers side-view mirror adjuster has popped out.

General Comments:

After changing the fuel pump around 150,000 miles, the car moves faster than ever.

Changing the fuel pump also increased gas mileage; average is 400 miles per tank.

Interior is very comfy and spacious.

Car runs very well for a 1989, has basic problems for it's age.

Faults:

When I went to get it inspected, the entire braking system had to be replaced... everything from the front pads to the master cylanders...$730.

I just recently relpaced the battery and ground wire.

The drivers side door panel is missing.

The drivers side window does not roll down.

The air conditioning is not functional.

The paint is starting to fade from gray to primer.

General Comments:

Once she gets started, she's fast and she handles just about as well she can for a fourteen year old car. However the headaches associated with this car are the primary reasons for me currently being in the used car market.

Faults:

The alternator went out at 165,000 miles.

The starter has been replaced.

Had work done on the transmission.

Tape player doesn't work.

Cruise control works when it wants to.

Power windows go down incredibly slow.

Power seat switches on both seats have been replaced.

General Comments:

They sure don't make cars like they used to, and my Oldsmobile proves this all the way.

This car is incredible. Very few problems, considering age and mileage.

Performance is awesome from the 3.8 liter V6. Obviously, fuel economy isn't the greatest, but I feel this is a fair trade off.

The interior is surprisingly comfortable. The seats feel and look like a sofa!

Electronic climate control, digital dashboard, and dual power seats are welcome options.

While this isn't the coolest looking car, it performs great and is very reliable.

I couldn't say better things about it!

Faults:

I had to replace the transmission at 200,000 miles. This was mainly because of abuse on my part.

Both front and rear brakes have been replaced a few times over the years.

Car is currently at 310,000 miles, still going. Can't complain about basic repairs.

Battery lasted 7 years, just replacing it now.

New starter at 217,000 miles.

Little rust problems frequently, especially at the trunk and passenger side door.

Factory cassette player died at around 100,000 miles.

Air conditioner parts had to be replaced around 250,000 miles (mainly because I didn't use it all winter.)

Current problems starting in cold weather, but I live in an area with extreme cold temps in the winter (-10 is the average daily high.)

Had some computer chip problems that disguised themselves as transmission issues around 110,000 miles. Once diagnosed, was very simple/cheap to fix.

General Comments:

This car is a tank. I learned how to drive with it and have been with the car since 1996.

It amazingly survived being hit by oncoming traffic twice, with barely a dent.

Has been very reliable, just basic, expected repairs necessary.

Very roomy car inside and quite comfortable for long trips.

Faults:

Aside from normal maintenance (i.e., fluids, filters, spark plugs, spark plug wires, tires, battery, etc.), I have had relatively few problems with the car.

I have, however, had to replace the intake air temperature sensor, the coolant temperature sensor, the knock sensor and the alternator. One expects the occasional sensor failure, but the alternator (more specifically, the internal voltage-regulator) failed at around 45,000 miles which, in my opinion, was very premature.

General Comments:

My 1989 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight is a classic "grandma" car in that it is the base model with relatively few options. This makes it a surprisingly simple car to work on, by contemporary standards anyway, and the car has a really large engine compartment which means that most of its components are handily accessible.

I bought the car in 2000 from a friend of mine who had inherited the car from her mother. The car had 43,000 miles on it when I bought it and I have driven it another 20,000 miles, largely as a daily-driver to work and back. The car is therefore somewhat unusual in that it has relatively few miles given its age.

As GM cars go, this particular engine and drive train (the so-called 3800 V-6 with the 4-speed overdrive automatic) has demonstrated itself to be both reliable and surprisingly powerful - in fact, one could argue that the car is over-powered in that the non-ABS power brakes and the standard "soft" suspension are simply not up to the performance potential of the engine.

The interior of the car, being that it is the base model, is somewhat plain and the manual bench seats are rather uncomfortable. The instrument panel, with its horizontal speedometer and single gas gage, is an unfortunate throw-back to an earlier age. The interior is, however, quite roomy, surprisingly quiet and the standard heating and air-conditioning system works very well.

The car has been garaged for most of its life and so the interior fabrics (garnet red) and the exterior paint (arctic white) are in excellent condition.