1992 Oldsmobile Achieva SC | Retro Review

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Gm's trusty N-Body looked pretty tasty in teal. Would this Quad-4 powered Oldsmobile Achieva have had you racing to the Olds showrooms back in '92?
Show 1127 - Original Taping 3-28-1992
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[@Motorweek]

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[@aarondwhat]

I owned the 4-door model of this car, and it lasted forever. Never had any serious mechanical issues and was very reliable for long road trips. I truly miss Oldsmobile and the Achieva specifically. Was truly a car like none other.

[@channell11]

An Oldsmobile with a manual-things changed a lot over the 90's

[@emeyer6963]

They always had manuals.Firenza's and Omega's and even Cutlasses back in the 70's and 80's.Not many were sold but they were available

[@halohunter5217]

The Alero had a manual too, the Achieva's replacement.

[@chrisSVT]

Can you imagine a first gen Aurora came with a manual??? I would be ISO as we speak if that existed.

[@rodger7029]

Almost no manuals were sold

[@koss9488]

I once had a 2001 Olds Alero coupe had a manual. My wife was driving our daughter to volleyball practice and the cooling fan relay died and blew a head gasket. It had 158K on it and was 14 years old, so I sold it to the scrap yard.

[@ddellwo]

Am I the only one who grows nostalgic watching these retro-reviews? I didn’t think it was even possible to get misty-eyed about the early 90’s......😂

[@RADGarage]

I'm totally with you.

[@CrossingRover]

I wasn't even alive yet but I love the aesthetic of early 90's cars.

[@Vekurus]

Right there with you.

[@Bartonovich52]

Yep.

[@agamemnon8163]

No. You are the only 1.

[@henryovalles1163]

In the 90s Aqua green was the go to color for American cars 🚙

[@TyEiraMarieMorrisonOsteen]

2:38 Whew I Miss That Sound ❤

[@trump248]

I see a bright future for Oldsmobile

[@BreakStuffClub]

I still have my '93 Achieva SCX W41, highly underated

[@SnepperStepTV]

The Achieva is the liminal space of cars and that's kinda rad honestly

[@artistwithouttalent]

My grandma had one of these. I miss playing around and in it with my cousins.

[@chaseman94]

0:48 - promises to go a whole lot further....until 2004.

[@Lrules364]

You can thank CHINA for that one.

[@terrenceh.3139]

Yep. I Bought a 2004 Olds Alero. It was the last of the line.

[@ahmadfaisal6778]

I think 180hp from 2.3L NA engine is still impressive by today's standard.

[@chaseman94]

This engine seemed like it had potential to be legendary like the 3800 series but I'm assuming there's a reason why GM discontinued it aside from what I'm guessing head gasket issues.

[@mikederucki]

Pretty solid achievament indeed

[@jaxandmore440]

@@chaseman94 Head gasket and overheating issues. It was a great engine on paper, but terrible in the real world. Noisy and failure prone.

[@dante04srt]

Yes, these engines had a few problems early on yeah, but they don't really suffer from those problem today. With a redesigned head gasket and a set of ARP head studs, these things don't have any problems there anymore. The one and only head gasket failure I've had on any of my numerous quad for powered cars in the past was back in 2000 when I had to replace an oem head gasket on my 1993 gtz. Truthfully, these cars are a blast to drive and are very capable of seeing 7500 RPM without breaking a sweat. They really were engineering Marvels for their day, but got a bad reputation early on that they truthfully, don't warrant today.

[@Bartonovich52]

Unfortunately they sacrificed everything for top end power. It had no low end torque and terrible NVH. Almost every auto reviewer at the time recommended the V6 for better daily driving, and they were the volume sellers. GM would redesign the Quad 4 into the Twin Cam to fix all of those problems in the mid 90s, and in the process it would lose 30HP.

[@000TheZombie000]

Best looking N-body car by far.

[@042452]

I had a 1992 Oldsmobile Achievable SCX neat car

[@BreakStuffClub]

I have a '93 SCX

[@pierogi210]

I had one as my first car. It was amazing. Unfortunately, a truck driver was reaching down for a cigarette and rear ended me totaling the car. I still have my spoiler hanging in my moms garage.

[@TurboMan942]

GM still sticking 3 speed autos in '92 in a supposed sport coupe..inexcusable

[@kevinW826]

They did that with the Pontiac backfire in 2003

[@pgtmr2713]

So disappointing.

[@kevinW826]

@@pgtmr2713 I know

[@isaakwelch3451]

The 5 speed made for a better car anyhow

[@TurboMan942]

@@kevinW826 and that was a base model car, but still that's 11 more years on. No wonder RPM gauges never used to be in GM cars..75mph in 3rd gear..probably pegging the poor engine

[@carypyke935]

Great looking design

[@theKevronHarris]

4:01 Interior noise at 72 decibels which sounds like a MW record for the highest interior noise ever recorded IMO.

[@happy_camper]

Yeah that’s an insane amount of noise lol

[@basshead.]

You don't hear it over the loud music anyway.

[@Bartonovich52]

That’s why the Quad 4 was redesigned into the Twin Cam.. gaining displacement for more low power, balance shafts to reduce NVH, and losing 30 horsepower.

[@liddlebopeep]

If not for GM beancounters, the Quad4 would have had balance shafts and better NVH control before it was introduced.

[@Lrules364]

Nah. I know ive seen way higher. And the noise on some modern cars are worse than this. Ill never understand the noise complaint

[@jsciarri]

I remember Carl buying one of these in Family Matters.

[@basshead.]

Blossom too.

[@whatup654]

Me too.

[@theKevronHarris]

Me too

[@hank1556]

Me too.

[@igarrett113]

He bought a red one. That episode was on a few days ago lol

[@TommioRS]

I wish Oldsmobile never got canned..... Their modern styling was top notch for their time! I drive a 1999 Oldsmobile intrigue and I still get people asking me is that a new car!

[@Raynl1978]

I had a 92 olds achieva that is the twin to this one. Same color, ruins, everything

[@joserobinson8419]

That mug was loppin

[@jacktorse2145]

The delightful song that the Quad 4 sings is music to my ears! Love that motor.

[@joskjj3625]

I miss Oldsmobile

[@Boostlagg]

90's was great... best movies, music and cars. So many sports coupes that even Oldsmobile made one... even with a manual.

[@fantom5894]

You’re serious?

[@acemobile9806]

My first wife had an Achieva when we met. Hers was the base S model with Quad OHC, basically a Quad 4 missing 1 of the cams. A perfectly dreadful car-like appliance, absolutely no soul & scared me to death that the water pump was gonna take a dump. The brakes & handling were downright scary & it always amazed me GM got away with putting out such a wretched pile. Soon after we got married I got rid of that turd & put her in an '88 T-bird with a 5.0. I ended up building it into a 347 stroker just for fun & she drove the hell out of that thing thru 8 years of marriage. She still had it several years even after we split up.

[@leesale98]

Nothing screams mechanical precision more than a tach in 500 rpm increments. ...as well as the rest of the gauges. For some reason though, I still would like to have the car. Especially with a manual. When I was a kid, forget saturday morning cartoons....it was Bob Villa ...and on Sunday morning...Motorweek!

[@captainsledge7554]

This was my first car lol also the first engine I ever rebuilt (4 cylinder) with grandpa's supervision or course lol I broke a head bolt cuz I was using leverage and didn't know how they worked lol so he taught me how to use a torque wrench and remove a broken head bolt without removing the head lol It ran for years after so... it was successful despite me being 13 yrs old and doing most of the work. He did the timing tho... and torqued the main and rod caps. But I did the ring gaps, and installed the pistons and bearings.

[@romanseano]

Simple Minds "Alive & Kicking" at 4:57

[@michaelcrockette3881]

John is happy, oil pressure and voltmeter gauges YAY!!!!

[@TofersCarTales]

This particular example has aged surprisingly well considering it's from '92. It is weird though how noisy it is given the fact it's an Olds. That Quad 4 must have been VERY noisy.

[@mr.c493]

This reminds me of an episode of Family Matters. Carl’sred new car and Urkles ’ duck calling device!!! 😂

[@thetreblerebel]

Junkyard specials. Quad 4 had big potential but the reliability couldn't handle vague maintenance. You won't see many of these on the road today in 2020

[@93sundance]

My second car was a 74 Cutlass. Not very fast but was a nice cruiser.

[@chrislara4134]

Impressive numbers for its time and somewhat now.

[@Gunsforfreedom]

I really miss brands like Oldsmobile and Mercury. It was nice to get a car that was middle of road. Not a basic Chevy or an overpriced Ford (Lincoln).

[@isaakwelch3451]

Buick!

[@Gunsforfreedom]

@@isaakwelch3451 I stopped liking Buicks when they ended the GN in '87! lol

[@tristanlaferriere5194]

@@Gunsforfreedom I find Buicks to be much nicer now. They've gone from an older person's simple basic luxury car to a rather beautiful, comfortable premium car for all ages.

[@isaakwelch3451]

@@Gunsforfreedom Buick never stopped making comfortable, luxurious, sleepers. The execs at GM told Buick that they couldn't keep stealing corvette customers with the GN though

[@isaakwelch3451]

@@tristanlaferriere5194 I'm not a huge fan of the modern buick, although the Regal TourX is pretty cool. There were some pretty solid winners in the 90s and early 2000's though

[@Lookout4the3rdrail]

A car that dont track you 80s and them 90s you were appreciated

[@oneblach]

I drove the v6 version back in the late 90’s. Yeah, the looks were weird and interior plastics were cheap, and it felt really cramped inside, but man was it riding smooth and comfortable , and fast!

[@tedschmitt178]

Looks were weird???

[@DMETS519]

@ 3:26. My rear has also been "twitchy but manageable".

[@torythefanman]

I drove a 97 Achieva SL sedan once..it had the twin cam 2.4..fun lil cars..I would have bought it if it was cheaper..

[@robertlamble6523]

I actually like the colour of that car

[@Alviniscute]

those rims were probably huge for 1992

[@joebrito2066]

This Oldsmobile was specifically build for people that lived in trailer parks.

[@rightlanehog3151]

"After a decade of less than inspired products," it was clearly time to bring back the Vista Cruiser.

[@rootsmanuva82]

And the Citation. What a beaut.

[@pgtmr2713]

@@rootsmanuva82 I think you mean Omega, if we're keeping it all Olds ;-)

[@trevagraham1605]

Right Lane Hog Clearly indeed!

[@aarongranda7825]

What about the 442? Is THAT inspired?

[@440_SIXPACK]

@@pgtmr2713omegas and citations were both junk just like the achevia

[@elonmust7470]

A honda k swap would be really cool in one of these.

[@blackericdenice]

I still want to drive a 180 hp quad 4

[@peter455sd]

Very torquey engine too

[@mattiasvelinov1226]

I got really excited when I saw this was uploaded. My parents had a ‘97 SC. No power options and a plain radio!

[@0utc4st1985]

A decade of uninspired design? Oldsmobiles were top selling cars in the US for most of the 80s. In fact the not your father's Oldsmobile campaign was a big reason for the brand's collapse. Personally I owned a late 80s Delta 88 and loved it. I wish I had the money for a proper restoration of one so I can go on road trips with it again.

[@robertriley1569]

"Your" fathers oldsmobile was the one to own. The plastic fantastic olds from say 93 till the end in 04 were mostly cheap crap i owned a delta 88 and an 04 alero, so i put my time in with the brand. I dated a girl in high school that had a black achieva with red interior. Beautiful color combo but cheap crap.

[@danieljohnson9351]

I always thought the name was dumb, it sounds like a sneeze. Ah, Ah, Chieva!!!! But I do like the way it looks. Much better than a lot of current cars.

[@TheMELTDOWN911]

this is a rare car

[@TheMELTDOWN911]

man what a memories.. I used to injection mold the front plates for all those Delco radios and many parts for GM cars back in the early 90's......

[@MrTaxiRob]

It pisses me off that nobody made aftermarket radios for American cars in that size, at least not in any appreciable quantities. And there are still millions of them on the road.

[@TheMELTDOWN911]

@@MrTaxiRob yes.... I remember when I worked in the plant that assembled those radios, we made many even when the model had become obsolete, for the dealers, as the car companies had to be able to supply replacement parts (any type) for up to 10 years, after 10 years good luck, only used and eBay maybe

[@johnl5993]

At the Kokomo Delco plant ?

[@darknessislight3689]

I had one of these ☺️ it was a decent car for the times

[@JackRusselMan]

I know someone that had an achieva she didn't like it. She took it through the car wash it shorted out and when they got it back to the house it just sat there in front of the house for years.

[@jamesrandall1979]

That interior is dope, how strange lol

[@wayneheart7676]

Mine had a 3.3 l with a 3 speed auto in the floor . It was a runner . Dark maroon interior with white exterior. It won every race but the last one it threw a rod at 120 + mph . That xr7 was a little more than my lil olds could handle, lol. Good times

[@steinravnik8692]

Passive restraints became mandatory by 1990. GM cheaped out and used those awful door mounted seatbelts to meet the requirement instead of putting an air bag in. I remember when this came out, thinking that was a rather ridiculous way to cheap out.

[@jaxandmore440]

Super unsafe too. God forbid your door pop open, even a little, during a bad accident. That door mounted seatbelt would serve no purpose.

[@Bartonovich52]

Yes, but that’s why they had to offer four wheel ABS standard rather than rear ABS or no standard ABS like most manufacturers at the time. I personally found GMs solution far more ingenious than the complex and annoying automatic belts that Ford, Mazda, Nissan, etc had. They met the standards, but didn’t force you to use them (they used the phrase, “we hope you’ll always keep your automatic seatbelts buckled”), and for coupes it meant you didn’t have to climb through or trip over the front belts to get into the rear seat. As for crash worthiness... if the damage is bad enough to pop a door it’s probably bad enough to bend a B pillar as well. Doesn’t make much of a difference.

[@JackBandicootsBunker]

Also: 4:57 - Alive and Kicking by Simple Minds

[@ddellwo]

I was trying to place that - I knew the opening, but for some reason had something “pop-ier” in my head......😂

[@Mikes84Corvette]

I noticed that too! Awesome.

[@markj2838]

Hell yeah!!!

[@robertc5200]

Best part of the video, Simple Minds on the Delco, and a can of Coke Classic in the cup holder. Please take me back in time.

[@RoadCone411]

I check the comments to see who has identified the song....well done, Moondust

[@michaelnobles2643]

I was obsessed with these and the Buick Skylark when I was a kid.

[@ElectoneGuy]

You must have had a pretty weird childhood...

[@buckwheatINtheCity]

Watching this video makes me want one of these cars. I didn't when they were new. 🥸

[@AmericafromthegrindWolfe]

The 92 that I had had totally different rims. They were like that of a chevy cavalier they were rare Rims at the time, and they were compatible with Chevy.

[@Thindoublechin]

Back when Oldsmobile was trying.

[@MandusahRamirez]

Oooouuuu! I wish I could find one of these! I hated GMs as a Kid but I Love Them As A Father! Lol

[@alextsahalis6984]

It earned a "P" for Rear-Shoulder Belts! haha

[@mattc4970]

"We appreciated the convenient cupholder." What a quaint statement.

[@jasetraber]

Alive & Kicking 4:57

[@cgreenfield6655]

Such a dopey looking car

[@TheCarCrazyGuy]

It's an Under Achieva

[@rjcolombe]

Those GM door mounted seatbelts were simply terrible. They put these in everything, but thankfully weren't around for long.

[@coltonphillips1]

The turn signals flashed erratically even brand new. Haha

[@kevinmcadams805]

It’s those little things that sent everyone to buy Japanese and Korean cars.

[@mediacritic]

There's a reason why Olds went extinct.

[@jsciarri]

Those are the older thermal flashers and worked off heat from two contacts. The warmer it is the faster they flash and vice versa.

[@Tennesseestorm76]

I think they flashed at a steady rate, just flashed a little faster than newer cars which can be a good thing imo. I think they flashed this fast on my moms '97. I have seen some cars of the same era have slow flashing turn signals.

[@Peter_Yachymczyk]

Maybe a lamp went out already as that is what happened when one went out

[@westernjeep4015]

These were bought en mass by GSA. My recruiter carried me to MEPS in a red 2.2 SOHC.

[@JacobPaul-ix7oc]

That must have been before 1994 when the Government switched to Ford. My Navy recruiter would drive me around in his government issue white Ford Taurus.

[@westernjeep4015]

@@JacobPaul-ix7oc GSA buys from all three; just depends on what's in fleet stock. As a general rule, when a model goes almost immediately to fleet - rental or otherwise, it's not a good sign, as the margin per unit (that GSA affords) is like 1%, which is basically nothing.

[@thejake8099]

Chevy Beretta over this all day

[@Vekurus]

Never liked the interior, but the exterior was pretty cool. Loved the "shark" commercials they used when it first came out.

[@MrTaxiRob]

Beretta with its leaky back windows? No thanks. Back then I lived where it rained a lot.

[@OxBlitzkriegxO]

the beretta is basically the same car underneath. the L body is a stretched n body. i liked my gtz as much as i did my i-series, the achieva SC, calais and GAGT

[@OxBlitzkriegxO]

@@MrTaxiRob i owned a GTZ for 6 years, it never leaked? it had the sunroof too. it was a FL car.

[@thejake8099]

@@OxBlitzkriegxO they may all share the same platform, but the Beretta was actually nice to look at, inside and outside, plus it did handle very well. Now the Corsica, 🤢

[@jcdenton4902]

my mom had one back 2000s

[@AmericafromthegrindWolfe]

I had a standard and I raced a guy that I had a new 98F150 in blue him away on I 95.

[@dcanmore]

Simple Minds on the radio

[@michaelsimko7694]

The early 90s was when things got worse quickly for Oldsmobile. Styling, quality, and targeting the younger crowds were what really did it. The elderly continued buying Oldsmobiles while the younger crowds were going for Chevys, Pontiacs, Fords, Toyotas, Nissans, and Hondas. I's hardly see this style of the Achieva. The one that looks a lot like the Skylark and 98 of that generation was the body style I'd see. The Grand Am sold much better to the younger crowds.

[@jacobfleming565]

The olds equivalent of the Buick skylark

[@ManlyPastry]

GM is still using that exact climate change switch panel in the Express van.

[@NVzla]

4T60 transmissions were available in those days, and it's not a 3 speed.

[@raymondhaley6185]

Could have been the next 98 achieva,it had the same styling.

[@cdale613]

What dreams may come...

[@ShaunSavage-kl9pd]

Nice car I drive hoopties. 97 ranger

[@SportsMusicCars]

No airbags in 1992?? My 1992 Beretta 3.1 base had a drivers airbag at least. The 3A topped out at 107, governor limited. The 96 3.1 went to 129.

[@AutoXerWgn610]

Had a 92 Achieva SCX W41 back when I was a teenager. Knew it was a pretty rare car, but didn't have the knowledge or the means to do the repairs it needed at the time :(

[@goodbonezz1289]

All too common story..had my share as well! Too bad lol

[@BreakStuffClub]

I still have a '93 SCX, my dad had a '92 when I was a kid

[@michaelmcwhorter8707]

If you think you hate this car, wait until you drive the Alero...

[@steveespinola7652]

Hey I drove an Oldsmobile Alero, it was a fun car to drive.

[@michaelmcwhorter8707]

@@steveespinola7652 I owned an Alero too. Bought it new. It was fun watching it self-destruct before it was paid off.

[@JacobPaul-ix7oc]

@@michaelmcwhorter8707 I had an 01 Alero coupe. It was without a doubt one of the worst cars I ever owned. Fun to drive if you ignore all of the rattling and chunks of plastic falling off every time you hit a bump in the road. Hell, even the damn steering wheel had large chunks of plastic falling off leaving the metal ring inside exposed. Absolute garbage and it's no wonder why Oldsmobile folded.

[@robertb5922]

I bought a new ‘93 SCX with the W41 and drove it for 5 years. It was a fun car to drive and very reliable. I do remember that it was the only manual at the dealership. They seemed relived to find a buyer who wanted a stick.

[@BreakStuffClub]

I have a red '93 SCX. You didn't buy it in Norristown Pa by any chance?

[@porscheguy09]

GM should have put the 180 horsepower Quad 4 engine in the Pontiac Fiero. It’s power and light weight compared with the V6 they used would have made the Fiero a better performance car for the time.

[@garbage854]

Cool Old's 😀

[@midnightbeast4481]

not a bad gig.

[@grunkohlaktionar7474]

4:59 yeah Simple Minds

[@BennyT_3434]

Alive and Kicking.....which is ironic coming from the stereo of an Oldsmobile!

[@vanteal]

This was my first car. Loved it.. Until the transmission blew a hole in it.

[@RoadCone411]

Can we applaud the most notable feature of this video: after 10 years of being on the market, John finally says "Camry" and not "Cam-Ray"!

[@millerkiller6496]

This is would even be great for young guys today. It doesn’t have an 85 mph speedometer which is a good thing. Manual only, which is a plus. And who needs airbags. Sports coupes are the way to go. They’re more affordable and more comfortable than regular sports cars.

[@weefees]

00:51 I wonder what that crow is up to these days.

[@soulerflare7]

Hahaha , my kind of humor 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@theroyalcrownedtiger2946]

The front of the Achieva reminds me of the 1992 Chevy Caprice Classic.

[@captainsledge7554]

That 2.3 is impressive In every way for its time... besides fuel mileage haha

[@johnjayalves6843]

Oldsmobile would disappear as a marque by 2004. These cars WERE your father's Oldsmobile....RIP

[@AmericafromthegrindWolfe]

I bought 1 in 1999. It was so fast it would get-app-and-go. And it, who's 120 mile an hour car. But it would go faster, Siri. It has so much punch for a small engine and I can't remember How big the engine was? It was a 4 Bangor but that thing would go. We just had a problem with the coil pack. Kept Going Out. I wanted to keep it but I gave it to my sister because I got a pickup truck because working and construction I needed something different I wish I would have kept the car but I donated it.

[@cassidybb10]

Looking for good videos on the SCX version!!!

[@edwardautrey3671]

It was replaced by the Alero