1988 Oldsmobile Delta 88 royale brougham 3800C from North America
Summary:
A great car. It has paid it's way 10 fold
Faults:
The timing chain had to be replaced at 180,000.
The FE3 suspension developed an air leak at 225,000.
General Comments:
I ordered and purchased this car in August, 1988.
You would never know that it has 311,000 miles on it. It performs pretty much as when I purchased it.
The main problem is the overdrive lock-up feature shudders very easily when applying an engine load. This has been occurring and getting worse the last 10,000 miles. However, I compensate for it by downshifting.
The headliner came loose about 2 years ago. I sprayed adhesive on it and stuck it back up. However, it does need to be replaced. The rest of the upholstery has held up quite well.
The clear coat on the paint turned hazy and started peeling at 80,000 miles. However, GM repainted it for me under warranty. That paint job only lasted about 30,000 before it started peeling. so I had it repainted again at a professional body shop. It still looks great as it has always been garaged.
Amazingly, it still has the original suspension and rides quite nice.
The factory sunroof started leaking at about 20,000 miles and I replaced the gasket. This fixed the problem. It still doesn't leak.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 7th May, 2004
30th Aug 2004, 13:18
It sounds like you bought a lemon (mechanically), but I'm glad that you are able to look beyond that and still see the car's good points. When you decide to get rid of it, you should check around for a buyer. There are enough Olds enthusiasts in this world that someone would be sure to buy it.