God damn it, my parents are ruining my chances of an awesome ride!

C

cupcake<333

New member
My best friend wants to sell me his old car for $400. All it needs are the tires aligned.

All problems are purely cosmetic.

It's a 1986 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale Brougham with 188,000 miles on it.

The car is luxurious. Digital climate control, spacious interior, CD Player, silky smooth rides and cushy seats. I've heard nothing but awesome things about the Delta 88's reliability, as in they are on par with Toyota's and go for 250K+ miles with no issues.

It's safe, I've read about many people who crashed one at 50+ MPH and walked away and know someone who did first hand.

He outran his friend's '92 Mustang 5.0 in it.

The only optional work would be a new suspension, and possibly new fuel injectors, and an O2 sensor, which my mechanic friends would do for free.

On top of that, it talks to you. Yes, with a rather nice computer voice.

*DING**DING*DING*"The engine coolant level is low!"

*DING**DING*DING*"The park brake is not fully released!"

In other words, this car is fucking awesome. The only thing more awesome is the deal I could be getting on it.

My mom wants me to wait until I get a full license, even though I'll be 19 in half a year. She wants me to wait to drive until I get a car.

Sounds like a good idea, except this car has EVERYTHING I WANT IN A FIRST CAR.

God damn it, I am NOT giving up this easily. This will be an ongoing battle, I don't CARE what they want me to do with MY FUCKING MONEY.
 
Oh my God you have no clue how awesome it is. It is just amazing in every respect besides handling.

It was maybe one out of the maybe three cars GM made in the 80's that were great.

They really broke the mold with that car...it's still more advanced that some cars on the market today. Even the frame cost GM $3 billion to develop.

Did I mention that GM used the same engine in the Buick GNX, which was designed for NASCAR? The only difference was it had a turbo.

I will never forgive my parents if they fuck me over with this. Delta 88's are hard as hell to come by these days.



There lies the problem. My bank account is a custodial account, and we haven't had time to change it to my name yet because my dad is out of town ALL THE FUCKING TIME.
 
I used to have one of those cars. Gas guzzling pile. Three speed transmission with plastic posts. Gear two likes to break leaving you first and third.

For $400 it's not a bad deal.
 
did you think about insurance yet? So your parents are ok with your necrophilia for comps but not for cars? You old enough anyway just make the decision for yourself.
 
Hah, thats a nice one...From what I can see of this car it wouldn't make a bad shitbox. but i wouldn't go as far to say its 'awesome' either way your parents are just being paranoid, HOWEVER....get someone who is experienced with buying second hand cars to go over it with you, just so you don't but it and it shits itself.

have your parents said anything about that when you mentioned the car?
 
If the tranny fails I'll swap it out for a compatible one. I've heard of other swaps with this, from Chevy Celebrities to older Delta 88's.

Only the '86 model year has crappy transmissions, sadly...I'm willing to take my chances for $400 though.

Also, that car is rated at 19 city/30 highway by the government...but I think it'll need some stuff replaced, Eric says he gets like 10.
 
Dude, it's a fucking GMC. The transmission is compatible with any similar GMC. The Olds 88 is the same thing as about 5 other cars with a different badge. The transmissions in all of them are shit.

Hell, it's a GMC H chasis. Same as the Chevy Caprice among other things.

And no, it won't be getting near the 19/30 ratings.
 
Buy it. It'll last you long enough to be worth $400, at the very least. If you drive it decent, and maintain it, it'll last you a couple years or more.
 
Try talking to your parents again about the car. One of their concerns is that you don't have your full license yet. A way around that is that you get them to agree that the car is put in "storage" until you can drive. While it's sitting there, you get a chance to work on it, fix everything that needs to be done, and start saving up for insurance. (Prepare to be a bit shocked - the insurance companies support a small country on what they get from young adult male drivers.)

Our "dream" cars are few and far between. Follow that dream!
 
I dont mean to rain on your parade, but you want this?

1984-oldsmobile-delta-88-royale-brougham.jpg


Dude that's a gangsta's car if I've ever seen one...

But for $400.. .why not.

Expect anything and everything to break as you get near and past 200k miles. Everything electrical, every goofy little addition, every old mechanical gadget, it's all old and on the virge of going to shit, or it's new and you dont know how well it's been installed. Do all of these gadgets have proper fuses or fusible links? You never know, that's the first ingredient to your car burning down.

I drive a 92 Camaro, basically a 80s car. Trust me, American quality in the 80s wasnt all that impressive. The engine may be bulletproof for hte most part as long as you change the oil regularly, but dont think that means it aint going to burn oil, and smell like ass as it rolls down the road soon.


Get something closer 100k miles unless you want to get down and dirty working on a poor man's cadillac. I don't mind working on my car, but I love sports cars. my car is my baby, and it's my project. I upgrade everything that breaks and I'm replacing most every mechanical part (or planning to) over the next few years. I wouldnt pour this kind of money and passion into a car if I didnt really LOVE the car. And I've loved these camaros since I was a kid, part of growing up in the south I guess.

Either way, make sure you really like this car before you spend too much time learning to turn wrenches on it. Or for $400, just buy it and drive it until it wont work anymore. $400 is peanuts for a car. If it can last you 6 months and isn't stolen then it's worth it.

But dont think cars like that ever cost very much money, and when it comes to older cars, my personal philosophy is that the simpler the car is the better off you are. I dont have power locks, power windows, map lights, nothing like that. And because of it, I know those things arent going to break. I can always roll my windows down and lock my door. I dont ahve to worry about some car alarm going nuts and not knowing how to fix it since I didnt install it. And when your A/C stops working, good luck finding some R12. When mine goes I'm ditching it because it will make my car lighter and faster, but I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.
 
I bought my 1990 Astrovan for $110. I've probably put about $150 to $200 into it, repairing things that wear out or break, and I've been driving it since September '06, minus about two one-month spells where I was waiting for parts and ambition to fix it. So I've been driving it for six months, and I've put less than $500 into it. The things I did fix, also, were parts that do wear out over time, and they were more than likely original.

You are right, it is quite often the fancier cars that start having problems first, with all the extras causing trouble. However, I drove two '83 Supras, and the only "extra" I had trouble with on the one car was the cruise. Everything else, even the A/C, worked fine! Sometimes you get lucky, and for $400, it's worth a chance.
 
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