26th Apr 2006, 13:19

I have the same problem. I have to replace the intake gaskets. A 600.00 job. My drivers window was off track. Air comes and goes at will. Leather seats cracked. I only have 48,000 miles on the car and it's a 98. Before the problems it was a great car. Works great for road trips and isn't bad with the gas mileage.

29th May 2006, 22:18

My car has had the same problems. I got it on July 2004 for $4,500 and after two years I GIVE UP. I've invested more than $2,000 on it and it keeps giving me trouble. Tomorrow I'm going to sell it back to the lot where I bought it.

Here's a list of all the problems I've had:

-Stereo ate the CD's and wouldn't return them so the guys from the lot had to change it for one of another Oldsmobile.

-A/C light turns off and on, and when it turns off the air turns hot!

-Compressor was repaired. Less than 10 months later A/C is dead again. Needs a new compressor.

-New thermostat.

-The alternator has been repaired twice

-Changed the battery.

-Changed one tire.

-The whole engine had to be repaired costing me $1,000.

-Ignition switch didn't recognized my key and therefore the THEFT SYSTEM entered. I couldn't turn on the car. It happened once a week, at college, at the mall, everywhere! and I needed to remove the battery and put it again, that worked 50% of the time. Then I took it to the dealer and they fixed it and gave me a new key for +$200.

I thought that once I repaired the problems it'd run smoothly and I wouldn't have any more problems, but there's always something broken, always something new. I GIVE UP. The car is cute from outside, the trunk is huge, but that's it. My first car and I had an awful experience, I dunno which one to buy now, I've been traumatized by this car.

23rd Aug 2006, 18:11

I just purchased a 98 Cutlass with 104k on it. I purchased it knowing it had a few quirks, one being the 1 and 2 not working on the climate control area, another being that when it rained the engine light would blink at you for about 10 miles as it, chugged its way up hills. So I took it to get fixed at the local dealership, I had the 100k service done and they replaced the intake gasket, fixed the blower as well, all for 1000 dollars. The car now sounds worse than when I brought it in. There is a squealing noise when the gas is pressed and if I turn the A/C off the car shakes and makes a terrible noise, yes I said when I turn it off... The dealership was not any help and told me to drive it a few days. If the engine light comes on in the morning I am going to flip out.

15th Nov 2006, 20:48

Same issues as above. Currently have 140,000 miles and have owned this POS since around 60,000. My mechanic finally said "turn the radio up and just drive it." This car had so many issues, I just ignore the dummy lights and the fan not working...Here's some advice for the overheating... Turn on the A/C. I know this sounds wrong, but there is a glitch in this car that does not activate the radiator fan at idle. By turning on the A/C, you can actually cool this beast down. One good point, this car has never, ever stranded me yet. (knock on wood)

10th Nov 2007, 17:14

I have a 1999 Olds Cutlass too. I paid $3000 for it and put that much back into it. I have to replace the intake gaskets, 2 new thermostats, the alternator, the ignition switch didn't recognize my key and therefore the THEFT SYSTEM entered and then the head gasket mixed my oil and the radiator mixed together at 187,000 miles and killed the engine.

Great car in the snow, a lot of power in the engine, lots of room. Nice car, but not worth the crap...

30th Dec 2007, 20:30

I own a 1999 Oldsmobile and as I was reading the comments above, I had to laugh as I have experienced 99% of what was listed above. Unbelievable!!! I now am stuck with the car as I can't afford to buy a new one, but I am facing WAY TOO MANY REPAIRS and I am scared to even bring it in. It is burning oil, leaking antifreeze, 1 & 2 do not work on the fan... did for a day or 2, the Driver side window feels like working when it wants to, the tires go bald faster than an aging man, the brake light comes on mysteriously in the middle of driving, I have replaced the brakes themselves and the rotors so many times I have lost count and I have some squeaky sounds under the hood... and no, it is not the mouse from the garage under there. It does have 140,000 miles on it, but I have kept up with maintenance on it and you wouldn't think there would be this many issues...

1st Jan 2008, 19:12

My 1999 Oldsmobile Cutlass' Auto Theft automatically turns on from time to time disallowing the car to start. Tires do seem to wear fast. It is frightening to me because I do not know how to approach preventive care for the car. The alternator has been replaced, new battery and now the car seems to hesitate while driving.

23rd Jul 2008, 06:36

My 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass sucks!! The 1-2 settings on the A/C don't work, the driver's door and the passenger back window have stopped working, and I am trying to sell it just to get out it!!!

Oh, and it makes this terrible squealing noise and the brakes are totally out, so it's going in today to get fixed, but I know it is going to be new rotors too?! How much does it cost to fix the windows?

30th Jan 2009, 14:16

I have similar experience with my '98 Olds Cutlass! I thought it was just me! 1 and 2 on climate do not work, replaced brakes, shocks, heater blower fan, had to disable the windows when that motor died and most of the times have trouble starting because of the anti-theft thing. Today, it would not start at all, and I don't know what I will do!

28th Feb 2009, 14:50

Wow, I thought I was just tough on my car. The windows on the drivers side (both front and back) started falling down, so we had to have the back one jammed because we could not afford to fix it, and we had the front motor fixed, but it's still very slow to go down sometimes.

Levels 1 and 2 used to work on my AC, but not any more (though they only quit working last year in '08, and the car is a '99).

To whoever was having the Theft system issue, I HAD THAT TOO! It drove me absolutely insane for months until I finally took it into a shop. They spent a day testing and running diagnostics on it, and couldn't solve they problem. They cleaned and reattached the battery cables for me while they were at it. They gave me my car back without any charges since they hadn't been able to fix it. I haven't had the problem since, so just keep the battery cables clean and secured.

My ABS brake light comes on when it rains, which I think defeats the purpose of having ABS brakes...

However, it runs, it's gotten me safely through two wrecks, and I'm a college student on a budget. It's served me well for the past 5 years, and I'm going to stand by it as long as it lasts. I don't want to try and afford a new car right now.