I wanted to weep when I saw this topic. How I'd love to head on down to my nearest Oldsmobile dealer and have the choice between Cutlass Supreme, Cutlass Calais, or Cutlass Supreme Brougham! With those options, is there such a thing as a wrong choice? If there is, well, I don't want to be right.
I know, it's an illness. My first car, purchased in 1990, was a 1978 Cutlass Supreme. It was pretty much standard fare- no power anything, 260 V8 with column-shift automatic, bench seats, and a glorious 8-track player.
(Don't know why my friends didn't want to listen to the music in my car back in high school, when I had the finest selection of 8-tracks from my parent's collection. Oh well, fuck 'em. At least one particular girl appreciated my hijacked Barry White Stone Gon' 8-track- it certainly wasn't my dashing good looks, my undeniable charisma, or my glorious disco/malaise-era Oldsmobile.)
So, if I had a second time around, as tempting as a Calais, Hurst/Olds, or 442 may be, I think I'd have to go for the Brougham. Velour seats, vinyl roof, and the finest shades of baby shit brown. I got a fever- and the only prescription- is more Brougham! #1979
My aunt had a turd brown '79 Cutlass Supreme Brougham for many years. Not sure it lived long enough to be turned into a donk or a lowrider after she sold it, given how overpowering the interior's tobacco stench was.
I had a '78 2 door Cutlass Supreme with the 260 cu in. V8. It was slower than a loaded school bus going uphill and it got the same crummy mileage as the bus would too. The speed limit at that time was still 55 mph - the only speed range where you had any get up and go was 65-80 mph. The engine required overhauling at 57,000 miles.
"This is not your father's Oldsmobile", indeed! #1979
And I'm at least as puzzled as you as to why these were so popular. Then again, I was born about 11 years after the '79 Oldsmobiles were, so maybe that has something to do with it. #1979
@gman1023: I think people of a certain persuasion (the tweedy types who read Road & Track in particular) didn't get it back then either. Then again, nowadays, we don't get why America can't get enough Toyota Camrys. But, just as I dig on that rare 5-speed Cutlass, there's going to be some kid in 2026 who thinks that a '96 Camry coupe (with the V6 and stick) is the shit. #1979
@Maymar: You make an excellent point. I have a feeling that in some circles that '96 Camry coupe is already pretty popular.
When I see almost any 1979 American (or one of many foreign makes) car, all I can see is unadulterated shit. Don't get me wrong, in the right trim it can be very appealing and rare shit, but still shit. I cannot imagine how anyone would have, in 1979, spent their hard-earned money on one of those heaps. The build quality was spectacularly poor, the designs were mostly generic at best and even the fastest cars were slow by today's standards. At least the '96 Camry was built well enough to hold together after being driven for 13 years, and will probably still be together 17 years down the road. #1979
@Novaload: Without a doubt... this is why when I go the grocery store, I always opt for the New York Strip Brougham, the Romaine Salad Mix Brougham Edition, and of course, the Barley Banana Bread with extra Vitamin-B Brougham. #1979
Every day I drive past a body shop where somebody, the owner or an employee, has a Supreme of slightly later vintage--after they refreshed the sheet metal. It's pristine in its two-tone beige and brown, daily driven and for sale. Not my cup of tea, but I'm surprised he hasn't found a buyer. #1979
Now the only option is how much you want your used Cutlass donked. No joke: I can't find any Cutlasses around here for sale that AREN'T to some extent. It actually gets my blood boiling, since I'm looking for a Cutlass to call my own. #1979
@underwear-ninja: Looking for a Cutlass to call my own... wasn't that a J.Giles song? Why, yes, it was:
Somebody help me,
Find a Cutlass,
Somebody help me,
Find a Cutlass right now,
Gonna get up in the morning,
And rub her cylinder heads,
I'm looking for a Cutlass,
To call my own,
Gonna feed her unleaded,
And check her tire treads,
I'm looking for a Cutlass,
To call my own,
(CHORUS)
I'm looking for a Cutlass,
I'm looking for a Cutlass,
Lookin' here and there,
Searchin' everywhere,
I'm looking for a Cutlass,
To call my own. #1979
@Novaload: That is true but you have to think that a part of a cars soul dies when that happens. You may restore a car to former glory but much like watching Rush Limbaugh dance naked the non-physical scars are there forever.
P. S. For conservatives in the crowd just replace Rush with Rosie O'Donald and you will see my point.
I had the same year Monte Carlo. There wasn't a lot of difference in these cars under the skin. Mine was the same color but the front, rather than the back of the roof had tan vinyl on it.
Drove from Long Island to Florida with the wife and kids many times. It was comfortable over the road, but lots of things broke on it. That was the car that convinced me to stop buying GM cars forever. #1979
None of these would have made me a-tingle, but at gunpoint, I'd choose the Calais for its meager attempt at sportiness and the mildly interesting checkered grille and road wheels. I'd pass on the diesel, though. Can I opt for a Buick Regal turbo coupe instead? For the record, Olds sold over 459,000 Cutlass Supreme coupes for '79. #1979
@tonyola: No, get the diesel because the class action lawsuit means you get to buy it, drive it, wait for the engine to seize up, and then have GM buy it back. My old man went that route. We laughed at the time, when the enraged diesel GM car owners banded together, but they won. Amazing. #1979
10/18/09
I know, it's an illness. My first car, purchased in 1990, was a 1978 Cutlass Supreme. It was pretty much standard fare- no power anything, 260 V8 with column-shift automatic, bench seats, and a glorious 8-track player.
(Don't know why my friends didn't want to listen to the music in my car back in high school, when I had the finest selection of 8-tracks from my parent's collection. Oh well, fuck 'em. At least one particular girl appreciated my hijacked Barry White Stone Gon' 8-track- it certainly wasn't my dashing good looks, my undeniable charisma, or my glorious disco/malaise-era Oldsmobile.)
So, if I had a second time around, as tempting as a Calais, Hurst/Olds, or 442 may be, I think I'd have to go for the Brougham. Velour seats, vinyl roof, and the finest shades of baby shit brown. I got a fever- and the only prescription- is more Brougham! #1979
10/18/09
10/18/09
[www.littledebbie.com] #1979
10/18/09
10/17/09
"This is not your father's Oldsmobile", indeed! #1979
10/17/09
10/17/09
And I'm at least as puzzled as you as to why these were so popular. Then again, I was born about 11 years after the '79 Oldsmobiles were, so maybe that has something to do with it. #1979
10/18/09
10/19/09
When I see almost any 1979 American (or one of many foreign makes) car, all I can see is unadulterated shit. Don't get me wrong, in the right trim it can be very appealing and rare shit, but still shit. I cannot imagine how anyone would have, in 1979, spent their hard-earned money on one of those heaps. The build quality was spectacularly poor, the designs were mostly generic at best and even the fastest cars were slow by today's standards. At least the '96 Camry was built well enough to hold together after being driven for 13 years, and will probably still be together 17 years down the road. #1979
10/17/09
10/17/09
10/17/09
10/18/09
Brougham is the American "Bruce". #1979
10/18/09
10/18/09
10/18/09
10/19/09
@The Dead Inside Grp. Co. Ltd.: Windows on shoes??? Dude, if you want glass on your shoes, this is the ONLY way to go...! #1979
10/17/09
10/17/09
10/17/09
10/17/09
10/17/09
10/17/09
10/17/09
10/17/09
Somebody help me,
Find a Cutlass,
Somebody help me,
Find a Cutlass right now,
Gonna get up in the morning,
And rub her cylinder heads,
I'm looking for a Cutlass,
To call my own,
Gonna feed her unleaded,
And check her tire treads,
I'm looking for a Cutlass,
To call my own,
(CHORUS)
I'm looking for a Cutlass,
I'm looking for a Cutlass,
Lookin' here and there,
Searchin' everywhere,
I'm looking for a Cutlass,
To call my own. #1979
11/04/09
P. S. For conservatives in the crowd just replace Rush with Rosie O'Donald and you will see my point.
10/17/09
10/17/09
Drove from Long Island to Florida with the wife and kids many times. It was comfortable over the road, but lots of things broke on it. That was the car that convinced me to stop buying GM cars forever. #1979
10/17/09
10/17/09
10/18/09
10/13/09