Oldsmobile Builds a "Full-Size" Luxury Handler: The 1990 Oldsmobile 98 Touring Sedan

[@DavidHall-ge6nn]

My parents each had a Touring Sedan, and my dad gave me his when it was three years old with 28K miles. I absolutely loved that car, and put 100K miles on it. Basically trouble free, except it had a voracious appetite for alternators, which I became very adept at replacing. She was white with a blue interior and I named her Grace, because grace is something wonderful you get even though you don't deserve it. I miss her to this very day. Thanks for the memories!

[@bryantint1339]

My grandfather had a 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera. Alternator went out too. Powerful rig. Same Buick V6.

[@johnrichardson1949]

My bonnevilles ate alternators also- but they could be changed in five minutes

[@mdcollins3806]

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@b-genspinster7895]

Back then an autozone flavored reman cost $30 with core.

[@johnrichardson1949]

Maybe it’s the fact that we kept using AutoZone alternators that they got eaten….

[@pcno2832]

This car deserved far more attention than it got. It did seem in those days that when GM did something wrong, it was big news, but when they got something right, no one noticed.

[@randolfo1265]

I noticed. I had a 1990 Olds Eighty Eight for about five years. What I really wanted was a Touring Sedan. All the ones I could afford here in the north were well rusted.

[@shawnmcculley2995]

Buick 3800. Best V6 in the history of the world. Better than Honda. Better than Toyota. But you'll never hear that on TV!!

[@goodbonezz1289]

FE3 suspension package! I started selling these right out of high school in 1989. I can still vividly remember them and the smell of the brand new interiors. The FE3 suspension really brought out the best of every model it was offered in. As a 18 yr old car fanatic, I would have been more than happy to drive any of them. The 98, 88, Cutlass Ciera, Supreme and even the Calais…which btw, when the Quad 442 came out I tried to not like it but after driving the 5 sp demo our regional rep brought by, I became a fan of that also. It screwed. But those 98’s, especially the Touring Sedan were very sharp and rode great. Would love to find a nice example today. What’s rarer would be the limited production two door version.

[@jeffshadow2407]

Two door Ninety-Eights were produced from 1985 to 1987.

[@markj9544]

At 19 i bought a cpl year old 91 Bonneville SSE probably around 1993. LOVED THAT CAR!

[@goodbonezz1289]

@@jeffshadow2407 I must have been thinking of the two door 88

[@jeffshadow2407]

@@goodbonezz1289 The last year for the two door Eighty Eight was 1991. My dealership had a dark blue one that took nine months to sell.

[@goodbonezz1289]

@@jeffshadow2407 I thought the two door FE3 with the console shifter was sweet.

[@thornmountain8129]

Another achilles heel under the hood on these motors is the CS-130 Alternators. I replaced quite a few of them, their rectifier bridge would typically burn up if your battery was low and a high load was placed on the alternator for charging. The CS-144 is much more desirable alternator to replace the CS130 with.

[@knurlgnar24]

The alternator was completely trouble-free. The CS130 couldn't operate with aux loads like big amps or inverters etc, but with a standard BCI78 battery it had no trouble charging a dead one without issue from a cold start. Ford had much more issues with this than GM. I think you're getting this impression by comparing with older GM products where the alternators could output 100% power continuously rather than other products of the same era. The same applies to vehicles today: load a modern alternator 100% and it will destroy itself in short order.

[@thornmountain8129]

@@knurlgnar24 I disagree, as an alternator rebuilder at the time I replaced more regulators and rectifiers in the GM CS-130 alternator than the CS-130D or CS-144. The ford 2G alternators are garbage, I repaired or replaced quite a few of those equally, but the CS130 Achilles heel was always in the rectifier bridge.

[@tomanderson6335]

I believe the wheels (which look fantastic, IMO) were shared with the '90-'92 Toronado Trofeo. Impressed that they used real wood trim on the dash and console.

[@eliquegracia3343]

The farmer I work for had one I told her if you ever wanted to sell it to sell it to me which she did in 1999 that’s what made me fall in love with Oldsmobile. I still have it and when I pulled the motor out there was nothing wrong with it. It had over 300,000 miles, but I just wanted a newer 3800 and I still have it to this day

[@dosgos]

That's the thing. Well maintained, how long can these 3800 engines go?

[@paulwindisch1423]

@@dosgos When I worked at the Oldsmobile dealer, we saw numerous 3800 cars with 200, 300, and 400,000 miles. I truly don't know what the upper limit is. By 1990, the 440-T4/4T60 was a 200,000 mile transmission. These cars were fuel misers, too. Lots of people claiming 30-32 mpg at 75 mph.

[@wayneknodel3347]

After owning Japanese and American vehicles for a number of years starting in the 1970's, by the 1990's I had largely dismssed any thoughts of ever owning any American CAR. After entering the auto business and being exposed to these Oldmobiles (and Buicks), I realized there were still people at GM who cared about building great cars. It truly is one of GM's best cars of the last 50 years.

[@dskofich]

I had one of these that I drove for 380 k miles with only a harmonic balancer replaced. Best car I ever owned and the best seats EVER!!!!

[@robk9685]

Had one of these, it was VERY underrated. Picked one up for $12,000, in 1992. Original $26,000 sticker price. It was a repo with 40K on the clock (= a brand new car because of the bulletproof 3800). 52,000 more miles on this gorgeous tight as H car and the only thing I put in it was an alternator and a set of plug wires because ONE of them went bad and the car actually sputtered.....twice. My brother who drove F150s drove it and asked...".WTF is this thing, it's tight as H?". (OLDSMOBILE wasn't labeled all over it, inside or out). My boss, Seattle native, obvious import driver asked similar. My Mother even loved it and had to drive it. 16-way articulating seats you could wrap the bolster around you, (people were in awe of an Audi in a showroom in 2015 with similar seats....I had to comment "My 1990 Oldsmobile had those!"). Didn't even have to steer it on the highway because it hugged the road so tight. Real wood inside too. I thought these were just optioned out at the factory but they were actually taken from the assembly line and modified elsewhere. The anti-lock brakes? If you want more info, let me tell you about them. The car was out of warranty but the dealer gave me a loaner car for free and WOULD NOT let me drive that car until GM engineers were called in. The service manager took it for a test drive and said "It happened and scared the sh*t out of me,!". There were 2 different suppliers for the ABS system. One didn't get it quite right. Yes, it was related to moisture in the system. I told them both times "it" happened to me, it was raining. They blew this off as the car was due for rear brakes so the front brakes were "overheating"....until that service manager took it out after the rear brake job and discovered (like I did), the car will barely stop at all. The entire car, no exterior chrome. Total monochromatic "Gunmetal Gray" they called it. This Touring Sedan was a "sister" car to the Bonneville SSE at the time, in my opinion, just a lil more upscale/luxury. I believe this was during the "This Is Not Your Father's Oldsmobile" campaign. Drove a drunk friend home after the bar and he repeated that after stepping out of it. 😁

[@bradleypollack5658]

I used to have a champagne colored 1989 Regency!! It was a beautiful car!!

[@OLDS98]

I did not see this video coming. I thank you so much for the review Adam. As a Oldsmobile Ninety Eight owner I say thank you. A few points of interest. The floor shifter and seats were shared with Oldsmobile Toronado as well as the engine. This was for two generations. My 1992 Toronado has that same seat design in cloth. They are six way power on my car. They are not 18 way like on Trofeo. This is fine. The floor shifter was shared also for two generations even when the design changed . I owned another 1992 Toronado previously with the same sear design in split bench form. The wheels were too. The 1987 Touring Sedan had the touring suspension wheels then changed as you said. The earlier Touring Sedan wheels became the standard Ninety Eight wheels until 1994. I wanted a second generation Touring Sedan and wanted to convert the cluster over to digital. I learned you could not. I owned a 1995 Ninety Eight with a Touring package. It had the Elite interior with full analog gauges, touring suspension, and supercharged 3800 V6. It was rusted out. This car had what they called smoked taillamp lenses or neutral density taillamps. The Touring Sedan was dropped after the 1993 model year and went over to the Touring package. I recall the Electra T-Type too. Cadillac Deville Touring Sedan. That stayed around and became Deville Concours and the Deville Touring Sedan( DTS). Thank you Adam.

[@silasakron4692]

As someone who has seen you around YT for many years, I knew you'd dig this one. : ) I had an H-body that was pretty similar to this C-body which you commented on ages ago on a channel/account here that no longer exists.

[@OLDS98]

@@silasakron4692 It is nice to know people know me on You Tube. I really did not think people did. Your words are appreciated.

[@johnrichardson1949]

I had a bunch of Bonneville SSE and SSEi’s - you seem to ignore these cars- they were amazing

[@dosgos]

Love these Oldsmobiles; looked great and the interior was a wonderful place to be. Those 3800 engines were incredible.

[@tomdrohan3706]

Such a looker, I loved this one! The C bodies had doors/hardware that opened and closed wonderfully. The smoothness in the way the button pushed in. The green, tinted glass on the ones that had it was super classy. The wheel on this white 98 Touring, wow so high end.

[@jamesscherrer1642]

Ive had a lot of REALLY nice American cars but one of the nicest and most favorites was my 1990 Regency 98 Brougham. Triple red, leather and all the goodies. It was really a kick to drive and looked great! Thanks, Adam. Always enjoy your "tutorials" and this was one of great interest. Always so very well done.

[@MarinCipollina]

Thanks for this one, Adam.. This was a challenging era for General Motors, and Oldsmobile in particular. Sadly, the end was a mere decade away. Stunning to consider how much the Ninety Eight had shrunk between the 1963 example you showed and 1990. It's difficult to maintain market position and leadership under those circumstances.

[@IcelanderUSer]

GM should have given its brands far more independence. By 90 all GM brands were really selling the same car. How sustainable is this?

[@MarinCipollina]

@@IcelanderUSer All of that dates back to the disastrous tenure of one Roger Smith. GM never recovered from his incompetency

[@timferguson1593]

I ran into problems in the early 2000's and had to get a car. I found a maroon 88 Touring Sedan. It had 235,000 miles on it. The 3800 was still running and still strong. Can't say enough about that motor. Best engine GM has ever made.

[@73_f100]

That wheel and tire combo is fantastic. Beautiful semi-turbine wheels and the right blend of a fat sidewall bulge on a still shorter sidewall than the super tall tires that were the norm on American luxury cars.

[@edgarbeat2851]

An art lost these days. That's what I love about the featured car also the domed cross spoke wheels.

[@DanEBoyd]

First thing I noticed in the interior was that staple/horseshoe style gear selector! Didn't know that was used as recently as 1990!

[@ernestpower2202]

You have a professional studio sounding voice!!! Great content!!!🏁🏁

[@mkernen]

What a beautiful beautiful car. I would happily daily drive one of these babies!

[@BK-uw2uk]

One of my fav GM vehicles of that era. I was a bit too young to afford a car like that back then but it always caught my eye along with the Buick Electra GT.

[@byrnc927]

You should do a video on the Oldsmobile LSS. Especially the supercharged version. Had one with Olds Aurora 5 spokes what an awesome car. 220,000 miles and it took a crash to stop it.

[@randolfo1265]

I love them 3800 Superchargers!

[@damianbowyer2018]

Certainly a Terrific-Looking Touring Sedan, Adam😎👏

[@markcain5168]

Still have my father’s 89-88. What a great driver. 235000 miles and still getting 30mpg on the highway at 80mph.

[@knurlgnar24]

I owned a 1991. It got 24mpg at 75mph. It got

[@joeceretti9098]

Finding the MAF sensor, as the fault, was a huge problem for me when trying to maintain one of these engines. GM was long out of stock on those sensors when I was at the point of attemtping to maintain it in some rough semblance of running reliably. I had to eventually disconnect it and reprogram the controller to a nominal value. As long as I kept premium fuel in the beast; It would run well enough for daily use, as long as I kept the throttle within nominal values, the computer would cycle through it's csystem checks, receive what was clearly and out of bounds value, and fal back into a mode, where programatically, it must be within nominal values and run reasonably. Clearly the engineers of the system had this possibilty in mind and had the engine control system setup in a way to try and prevent a break down situation. Kudos to them.

[@sirmister4411]

I always thought those fog lights looked like an after thought. I had one of those in the late90s loved it quiet and smooth and very dependable and gas mileage was pretty good to back then. Had almost 200 thousand on it when I was done with it

[@wmalden]

My 1985 Continental Mark VII had fog lights like those on this Olds. I think it was the style at the time to have fog lights hanging under the bumper.

[@DanEBoyd]

@@wmalden Marchals! I had an '82 Mustang GT and an '84 Capri RS with them. I found them to be troublesome, particularly their bulb-holder arrangement.

[@dosgos]

They looked like appendages. That said, a lot of cars in Europe had the same thing going on.

[@Chitwn81]

My grandfather had a 87 98 Brougham in burgundy. He got it from Currie Motors Oldsmobile here in Chicago. He had it all the way until 1999 when he traded it for a brand new Mercury Sable. I learned to drive in it 1997-98. Fond memories of him taking us to church in it every Sunday morning.

[@61rampy65]

That combined master cyl and power brake and antilock unit is very similar to the TEVES unit I had on my 88 MkVII Lincoln. Mine worked perfectly until one day, on the way to my job at a Ford dealer, the red BRAKE and the YELLOW ABS lights came on, as I was pulling up to the street I usually turned on. I stepped on the brakes, and it was like pushing a pedal welded to the floor. ABSOLUTELY no braking, even with me *standing* on the brake pedal! A quick downshift into Low range, and careful application of the parking brake got me to a stop at the next stoplight. I putt-putted back to the shop, found that nobody in the shop knew how to fix it, and was told that a new unit would be over $900 (with employee discount). This was in 1999 dollars. So, I looked around the store, found a new 99 Escort ZX2, and bought it, trading the Lincoln. Funny, going from a Lincoln to an Escort was a bit of a shock. I gradually grew to really like the Escort, and it turned out to be one of the best cars I've owned.

[@jcstrothers833]

Adam, its so funny that this video popped up.I worked for and oldsmobile dealership when these cars were brand new and I just loved them! I was just thinking about contacting you and seeing if you had any videos on them. I would love to get my hands on one again. I got to drive them when they were brand new off of the car carrier..What a treat.I especially loved the seats and the U shaped shifter that is definitely a throw back to earlier gm monte carlos and chevelles...

[@Travis25601]

These and the similar Buicks were affordable luxury cars that were EVERYWHERE in the late 80’s and in the 90’s. They were more sensible than the cost of Cadillac or Lincoln and they just looked and felt pleasant and if they were kept clean and when they were treated gently… they were very reliable and we all liked looking at them. I miss them. Many a church parking lot was populated with these but once in a while there would be one realllly shiny and reflective and you just knew the occupants were in luxury. When in new condition… they were truly riding in style and class… yet sensibly. We don’t have cars to choose from like that anymore.

[@tima6549]

My mom had an 89 98 Brougham in white. She had that car for years and was pretty reliable. It was advanced for its day, digital dash, auto climate, decent stereo system, power everything. I remember finding it for her and negotiating the price she got a good deal on because it had damage to the front bumper. So after she bought it I pulled another bumper at a wrecking yard and replaced it good as new. Was a good driving car I remember well

[@jefferysmith3930]

I worked at an Olds dealer in 2002. One of these came in with brake booster problems. Parts were expensive and hard to source back then…I can’t imagine what it would be like today. Lovely car though. A friend of my stepdad’s bought one around 89-90. I liked it then and still like it today

[@PlusIvIinuS]

I have a 1987 touring sedan and love it! Great car. Easy to work on. I'm never selling it.

[@mzrzfxr]

I had this cars cousin, a 1989 Pontiac Bonneville SE. Bought it at 77k, 9 years old at the time, took it past 110k without much issue as my college car. That 3800/4speed engine/trans combo was pretty darn bulletproof, our mechanic (who also worked at GM powertrain) recommended trans flush about every 30000mi, did a few of those and no issues with the transmission. Started in the coldest Upper Peninsula of MI days, all things worked. Only failures on it were a new MAF (its 4th in its lifetime- original owner kept all service records - he was diligent), new water pump/belt (only breakdown when it failed), couple of R12 charges for AC, put in a new battery, did an alternator just to be safe, some random pieces of trim on the front bumper that were damaged by previous owner, put in a CD player and some better speakers. Rest was just maint… Oh yeah the ABS, mine did have it, assumed the exact same setup this had. So I never had major issues with the ABS (Teves unit?), a few times in heavy snow sub zero the ABS and brake light warning would come on for a few minutes until engine warmed up then went off. Happened maybe 5 times to me. The previous owner had two ABS / brake modules replaced under warranty, he did perform lots of flushes on it, i think every couple of years. From what my mechanic at the time told me, the brake “pucks” and the electronics at the time were not so great, also when machining them metal shavings/dust got into them. Now many ABS / brake unit facilities are clean rooms, almost like a computer facility (have visited multiple in my job). There were lower level versions of this body style without ABS, not sure how easy it is to downgrade to no ABS. I recall when I had my Bonneville you could but their was something about the brake lines not matching up, something about proportioning with the non-ABS unit so some work need to be done there, it was beyond my comfort zone, so I just lived with the light on occasion and sold it eventually.

[@paulkelly4731]

Had a 1990 Black Touring Sedan, I rate it as one of the best cars I've ever had

[@philkey8135]

Thanks for presenting this car. They incorporated that "extra", which separates mundane from exciting.

[@Primus54]

By 1990 GM had really worn out the sheer design and vertical rear window look across its divisions that Lincoln made fun of in its ads. It didn’t help that the rental car and fleet leasing companies were awash with them as well. Consumers were getting bored to death, made clear with Ford’s gigantic hit with the Taurus/Sable. Even so, this Touring Sedan is certainly one of the best examples of that design and the interior is awesome.

[@wendellbrownbrown5968]

I'm so glad that you did a story about this preticular oldsmobille, when i first saw one i wanted one and to be honest i would still like to have one, despite it looks likes the other GM vehicles it truly stand out own it's own. To put it simply it's a real head turner!

[@OBC-radio]

I was born in 1988, and our 1990 Olds, albeit an Eighty-Eight, is the first car I have real memories of. It had the blue velour interior (a darker shade of blue than this 98). My dad was a participant in the PEP car program, and drove nearly every contemporary GM model as a company car. When he purchased vehicles for my mom every 2 years or so, he always leaned-towards 3800 powered products. We traded in the Eighty-Eight for a 3800 powered Olds Silhouette “Dust Buster” van in ‘93 or so. The early 90s olds will always hold a special appeal to me. Great cars for roadtrips, especially from the back seat perspective. 😎

[@leewaken5059]

"Stirrup" is the word I used to describe my 1970 Camaro shifter lever.👍🏼

[@OldDood]

I never owned one of these but I have driven a few back then. They are nice cars. Another 'Big GM' that you can drive from Michigan to Florida in one trip. A trip that when you get out of the car your body is NOT all beat up. Thank you once again Adam for your expertise on these older comfortable vehicles to travel in.

[@briandesrocher6882]

I want this car!!! I miss my first car was a 92 olds cutlass supreme real 2 door with 3.1 v6 sunroof.. absolutely excellent car. The whole family has owned cutlasses and at one point there was 7 in the driveway of my grandparents and 5 kids..

[@mattg5022]

Thank you for doing these things. It’s a chronicle of culture so much of this.

[@scottnewton9046]

My mom had a 1987 first year Touring Sedan that was eventually passed down to me. That shifter was awesome and the Lier Siegler seats were epic. I loved that car.

[@paulburger8710]

The Teves brake system works great. I've owned several cars with it and only replaced a pressure switch on one with high mileage. The accumulators can lose their efficiency over time but I still see them available in the GM parts catalog for about $100. Depending on the space available, Mercedes/Jaguar/Saab accumulators can be used. Another nice thing about this system is that it doesn't use a vacuum booster.

[@in-my-ways-dh8lr]

I worked at an Oldsmobile dealer when these were new and always wanted one of these but were out of my reach when new. Was finally able to get one about 10 years later that was traded in. It was low mileage like most and was the perfect inside & out with the gray metallic paint. I did not have that thing 2 weeks when the ABS light came on. I could not find parts for it then as they were already discontinued and no longer available. This was way before the internet and parts locator services that we have today. I ended up selling that to a technician that worked at the dealership and he retrofitted something else and eliminated the ABS system. He was still driving that thing 10 years later and never had any other problems. The interior was one of the best ever designed by GM IMHO.

[@dannusbaum6851]

I worked as a Service Writer at an Olds Cadillac dealer thru the 80s. The 98 Touring was my favorite Olds. Always wanted one. I haven’t seen one in years. Thanks for the info on the brake booster issue. I can be proactive if I find one to acquire. Great video! Thx mega.

[@weegeemike]

My first car was a 1990 Oldsmobile Regency Brougham. Loved every second of owning it. To this day ive never felt a smoother riding car when it still had functioning factory air suspension. Got 30 mpg regularly out of the 1st gen (some call it pre gen 1) LN3 3800. One of my biggest regrets is letting it go. Always loved the look of these touring sedans, although my Regency Brougham was fully loaded so it had really every option this had except the rare airbag and sunroof. (My Olds was often mistook for a Caddy and me being the Olds guy that I am I always had to correct them 😅)

[@march24-lp4pv]

I had a 1988 (about 10 years old when purchased)regency brougham and despite its faults it was a highway cruiser, drove it from the Midwest to the east coast a half a dozen times. As much as I rag on GM I agree what's your sentiments I wish I would have held onto that car.

[@Streamer22]

A friend had a 1989 model back in the 1990s that he acquired from a relative who bought it new. I drove it a bit; for it's time it was a great car, and while the styling might have been dated, it was head and shoulders above a a typical Taurus. It demonstrated that GM could design and build desirable cars.

[@jeremyk3320]

I think the reason why the seatbelts were on the door because of the U.S D.O.T law that all cars had to have passive restraints, other manufacturers used the motorized should belts

[@fensterlips]

It’s fun to learn all the nouns and descriptors for various design elements: tulip panel, daylight openings, belt line and more

[@chuckvan1961]

Great model along with the Buick T Type y56 package. Don’t forget the Regal 4 seater in around 1995

[@MrRmstitanicof1912]

I miss this car. My very first car was the 1989 Olds 98. I loved this car

[@jamesengland7461]

I remember from this era the "exotic" dual overhead cam engine on foreign cars were highly praised, and yet this 3800 engine in sedans and the Corvette TPI 350 made competitive power and superior gas mileage. Many magazine comparison tests noted that the big dumb V8 would get #1 or #2 in gas mileage against smaller sports cars with smaller engines (oh, and the Vette could run away from most of them on track, too). 3800 gave similar results.

[@dosgos]

Those 16v engines revved up a lot. But the 3800 drove great in its own right with good torque and great gas mileage. 3800 was such a refined design by this point.

[@clllaytrrron]

My 89 Buick Reatta is virtually identical under hood and would have been equipped with that Teves "anti-stop" brake system as it was a standard feature for the model. A previous owner did convert mine to a conventional master cylinder with a vacuum booster. I wasn't the one who did the work on that project and don't know at what point in my cars lifetime it was done, but I am very much satisfied with the result. In my regular scrap yard tourings I have come across an 89 Toronado which did not have antilock and the setup looked identical. That has lead me to believe that a previous owner most likely found took the parts from another scrapped E-body car. The antilock brakes were optional on both the Riv and the Toro... The Eldorado I'm thinking would have been standard feature but I couldn't say for sure. The car brakes nicely and straight and I live in Saskatchewan where it's winter for 4-6 months of the year and if you can't drive without antilock brakes you probably shouldn't be behind the wheel. The only issues I can mention are that the antilock warning light on the instrument cluster is always lit and the mess of electrical connectors left under hood. I was able to tuck them all neatly between the firewall and strut tower underneath the plastic cowling. But I am very much appreciative to whomever did the conversion as the correct replacement parts are nonexistent... And who wants to pay thousands of dollars on used brake parts? Not me!

[@Johnny_Socko]

Thank you for covering the Touring Sedan. I only recently learned about this model, even though I was a car-crazy teenager/young adult when these were out. I remember seeing commercials for the 98 Regency, but never the TS. I think this car is probably the best combination of performance, comfort, quality, and style to come out of GM in that era. I think the styling holds up because it has a similar profile to the Volvo 760, which was hugely popular and was seen on the road for decades.

[@Thomas63r2]

The Lear Siegler seats were very comfortable. I wasn’t too crazy about the grill design or the steering wheel design. I thought the 16” wheels could have been more stylish.

[@MrOnemanop]

My father=in-law has an 87(?) 88, but our '89 Cutlass Interntional was a similar themed unit as your 98 here. I loved the seats and the steering wheel controls were very useful/tasteful. Two quirks: I would pull the fuse for the A/C as it would otherwise always engage even in the off season, annoyingly so. Also, to avoid high engine temperature, I would take the transmission out of overdrive in town. The 2.8 was not exeptionally smooth, but we could get 500 miles on a tank of gas on one of our many road trips. The kids hated the high windows that didn't open (two door) and the lack of rear ventilation. We had it used from 100,000kms, to 406,000kms. I spent a fortune on brakes (Rear disc had a habit of seizing caliper pins unless frequently serviced-OK that's three things) and suspension but the engine transmission were relatively problem free. -I'm looking at you EGR valve.

[@Trapper4265]

I love watching the movie "Fargo" and seeing the Oldsmobiles. Coincidently, I purchased an '08 Pontiac GP with that 3800 or 3.8L., new. Oil changed every 3500k miles. Trans flushed every 50k. Today (12/17/23), it has 230k miles, 15 yrs old. Pulled a 4x8 trailer Abq - Boston. It never missed a beat. Although, I've replaced "everything" else on the car. My Toyota and Honda friends with comparable miles and yrs haven't had to replace a 1/3 of what I've replaced. I will shop quality, not price next time. 😊

[@irishuwould5185]

Beautiful car

[@kykeith4591]

I had an 87 cutlass ciera gt back in 95 when I was a senior in high school. Loved that car, it had the fe3 suspension and the HO 3.8....... man I wish I still had it. Love the channel and thx for all the hard work. 😅

[@kykeith4591]

it was a coupe btw!!!!

[@michaelcoffey7362]

Cool, my family saw a 1990 Olds Touring sedan at the GM World Of Motion ride at Walt Disney World 😀

[@sneakerfreak2002]

Gorgeous car

[@DavidCarte-q8r]

I owned a 1991 regency broham , before it was involved in an accident. I loved this car, it had great visibility, one of the quietest cars ive ever owned, mileage was great . On a trip to Ga., i got 36 mpg., but averaged 30 to 32 otherwise. Plenty of trunk space as well as passenger room. Mine had the 40/60 bench seat which i liked better than buckets. Would love to find another one with low milage.

[@davidkirkham6497]

I owned a 1989 Olds 98 Touring sedan! I bought it used in 1993, I think it was! It had 34,000 miles on it & was like brand new! I owned this car about. 15 years or so. It was burgundy in color, inside and out! I liked this Olds so much I didn’t drive it in the winter for many, many, years! It was a great automobile, that is for sure. I had to put an ECM in it at one point as well as a new ignition module. Other then that just oil changes! I have very fond memories of this car! As far as I am concerned GM hit the mark on these great cars.🇨🇦

[@bobhill3941]

I loved seeing a few of your mid 80's cars where GM brought back the horseshoe shifter! In my opinion, the horseshoe shifter was as equally iconic for automatics as the pistol grip was for manuals❤. Also, in my opinion Oldsmobile started (and was ahead of their time) with the whole manual mode/shiftable automatic craze with the his and hers dual shifter in the late 60's.

[@keithwhite3159]

The door-mounted seat belts weren't an engineering mistake. The law started requiring "passive restraints", intended to be airbags, but GM figured these seatbelts out as a loophole to save money since they could technically remain belted and thus be "passive". They knew they were worse but put money ahead of safety (I'm shocked; shocked!).

[@MarinCipollina]

How were they any worse than those motorized belts? The door mounted belts ensured the lap belt was included. The motorized ones were shoulder belt only, clicking the lap belt was a separate manœuver. Shoulder belts without lap belts were actually worse than no seat belt at all in a collision.

[@jeffshadow2407]

​@@MarinCipollinaIf your door flew out in a collision, you went with it!

[@rightlanehog3151]

Adam, Thanks for allowing us to comment below and beside the video at the same time. 😁

[@aca2983]

Very nice. The more I learn, the more I'm finding that if you want some late "malaise" GM iron, Olds and Buick are what I'd want, not Cadillac.

[@kroge007]

I was considering one just like this one on Bring A Trailer a month ago. It sold for $10,300.

[@petrovicmotors3775]

Best looking 80’s GM designs ever good proportions with “16 wheels owned many of them still have the 1990 ultra with series 2 engine!

[@victordohleman953]

Always liked those wheels! They were super clean and hansom back then, when some many wheel / Tire combos were just ugly and usually offset wrong. I lived in a upscale area as a kid and we had TONs OF GAUDDY Lincolns & Caddies, But these Olds, Pontiac & Buick touring models were standouts of restraint with MBZs and the Audi 5000 designs in my town in the late 80s-90s.

[@MalibuBrian]

I forgot about those thumb button door handles! Wisconsin winters made those a challenge I remember.

[@derrylballard9281]

Great video Adam, and a much appreciated tribute to a fine Oldsmobile. I currently own my 4th Olds Touring Sedan which, prior to my purchase, already had the ABS brake system removed and refitted with vacuum booster brakes. Mine also has larger front disc brakes with rear disc brakes added. The refitted brakes have been fantastic!

[@keithwhite3159]

I rode in one of these when a doctor friend of my father's bought one. My dad made him drive it over the worst dip in our neighborhood and we marveled at how well the suspension took it. It was a beautiful red wine color (dark reddish purple).

[@davidkirkham6497]

That’s what color mine was. I call it burgundy! Loved this car!

[@howebrad4601]

Ive always like the c platform cars and as more time goes by i find them even more attractive. Great cars.

[@albertbekassy2709]

A very Interesting episode. The Volvo 760/740 also got a very Cadillac Seville inspired vertical c-pillar and low belt line, lower than the hood/windshield line.

[@HoosierGreek]

I have a 90 Olds Delta 88 that is my daily driver. They really are nice cars that run really smooth and quiet. I kinda like the design of the rear end of the 88 a little better than the 98, just because they have the larger, square tail lights as opposed to the thinner ones in the 98.

[@markcollins457]

I know the Buick and Pontiac version was basically the same car. But the Olds i think was was the best of the bunch. The upright sadan in the touring trim was a smart looking car.😊

[@treyreed6203]

You are correct Adam, by this time these cars seemed to last forever, if maintained could go 100,000’s of thousands of miles. Love these late 80’s early 90’s Oldsmobile’s

[@seaned9249]

I love this car . I still would like to have one

[@foretraveler2852]

So glad to finally see this! Thanks! I’d still love to have one! I was such a nerd and this was my HS dream car!

[@grandtheftautotune7715]

Great video...growing up in Lansing saw alot of Touring Sedans running around during this era. Alot of Olds execs drove them as company cars. It would be interesting to see the sales numbers for the Lansing area. I would say close to 30% of the cars on the road were Olds there. I was a Cutlass guy myself. These were produced to compete with the German cars at the time and car magazines often included it in comparos. I think they hit the target with the Touring sedans and came close with the International series cars. Some of the interior bits could have been aa little better but they held up for the most part..More Olds content if you can, please!

[@Richard4point6]

Another articulate presentation....thanks Adam

[@palmermccall7309]

These were gorgeous cars...the frippery and wire wheels were supplanted by the more serious alloy wheels and more sensible trim. I wish I had not been so caught up in the Cadillac marketing, because the Olds and Buick C-bodies were so much better. I do wish that GM had produced a wagon on this C platform...they would have been distinctive for sure. Just a couple of quibbles...the Touring Sedan may have lagged the Taurus/Continental by 4 years, but of course the C-bodies were released a couple of years prior, without the "Touring" and performance/appearance packages. By the time this was released, the Taurus/Sable/Continental were still rather new and sensational, but the writing was on the wall for the GM sheer look. Chrysler was still heading in the opposite direction, with the very angular pre-LH sedans. The seat belts integrated into the doors were of course an application of passive restraints to meet mandates until enough air bags were available. Terrible design, but at least better than the motorized shoulder belts found in Ford and the Japanese brands. People forgot to fasten their lap belts in those cars, which probably put them in more jeopardy in a crash than the 3-point GM door design.

[@jiggity76]

Beautiful and very elegant cars. I unfortunately have found about 3 of these in junkyards over the last 7 years or so. One of them was also a White car with very rare factory moonroof or Astroroof I think GM called it.

[@yamahama9650]

Such good cars for jumping railroad tracks and flying down dirt road wash board. All jokes aside buicks and olds from like 85 to 2000 were such solid rides. Aurora not included.

[@Tully3674]

Good video and you are on target regarding the Teves ABS. Accumulators from Saab and Jaguars of that era, with a little trickery and a spacer, work at replacing the OEM item. But they are hard to find. The hard item itself rarely fails - it's that darn accumulator behind the fluid with the orange label. I have owned several Reattas of that era with the same engine/Teves system (ugh!). Bullet proof engine - terrible Teves system.

[@ianjay5301]

We had a company '90 88 that was somewhat close to this model. It had the FE3 suspension with self levelling rear struts, meaty tires and wheels, full gauges and the trip computer (which, although primitive, was fun to use on long trips). We needed the six passenger seating from time to time. One huge difference was that our Canadian cars did not have the stupid door mounted seatbelt system (even on the Touring). And the 88 did not have ABS, so did not have the same issue with the brakes. The 3800 had plenty of poke up to a certain speed and then kind of ran out of breath but by then you were seriously speeding. We had considered a Caprice which did have ABS, but my boss didn't like the new styling (the SS was still a few years away, and when it finally arrived was too fast - 140 mph right off the showroom floor). It also got pretty good fuel economy for a large sedan.

[@flyonbyya]

GM Electronic ignition (HEI) was introduced in 1974. This 3800 was equipped with D.I.S. (Distributorless Ignition System)

[@linwoodccole9765]

I had the identical gray 87 touring sedan I enjoyed it it was pretty quick n fun to drive car for its size

[@jeffshadow2407]

The Aurora had "six spoke" wheels. The LSS got the five spoke wheels in 1997. I had a black on black 1997. It was a true Darth Vader machine, with my MIDNITR license plates!

[@sblsbl7600]

My brother in law had a 1989. Tripple navy blue. It was a great car.

[@mikeflege5733]

I have a 1990 Trofeo with the same brake and abs setup. My car has been sitting for 4 years because of the lack of parts to fix the abs system. The pedal goes to the floor, and I don't feel safe driving it. It was a very fun and trouble free car for many years

[@devineleven514]

Maaaaaan I miss my 98 lol had an 86 i think with the 3.2(?) and the transmission slipped in overdrive and also motor would cut out random times for no reason at all. Had to wait like 20-30mins to get it to run again. Never found out what it was. Timing belt snapped before I could get it fixed. 170k and got it for free because the previous owners couldn't get it running.....it just ran out of gas lmao so I didn't complain much. Loved how the air pump would come on after it shut off lol Should have kept that dodge aries too, dammit lol sold that after I got that olds That interior is dope. Surprised it's not that all red gut interior like every classic 80's and early 90's GM cars. Love that speed shifter lmao

[@TVHouseHistorian]

The Olds Regency was the only one out of the 3 luxury divisions that pulled off the Touring Sedan spectacularly. Both Cadillac and Buick’s versions were very awkward-looking, and seemed out of character. Oldsmobile got this one right. Back in 1995, I bought a 1986 Regency Brougham. It was in immaculate condition, and I was its second owner. I was 21 at the time, and yes, I did get that special feel in my Oldsmobile. Very reliable car.

[@cdstoc]

I imagine the FE3 option was similar to Chevy's F41, which was so effective and so relatively cheap that I don't know why everybody didn't order it. On my 1982 Cavalier the F41 gave your stiffer shocks/springs, bigger anti-roll bars, better tires, and a quicker steering ratio. When I drove non-F41 Cavaliers I couldn't believe the difference. I liked the large GM cars of the late 1980s through the 1990s, I owned 1992 and 2000 Bonnevilles and liked them both.

[@MillerMeteor74]

Very interesting car. I don't remember hearing about a Touring Sedan option in those cars. On a side note, I once had a 1990 Caddy Sedan DeVille (which I had gotten used) and I loved everything about it. I remember when I drove it in snow and ice, it accelerated and stopped as if I were driving it on dry pavement in the summer. It was amazing. It was totally reliable too. But unfortunately I wrecked it. Then the `89 I got to replace it turned out to be badly worn out and tired. After a couple years it ended up with a long list of problems.

[@ScrotieJohnson]

Motorweek in I believe 1986? tested a 98 development mule with the touring sedan styling cues and fe3 suspension but in stead of the 3.8 it had a turbo quad four and it was painted a gold color(it ripped hard) claiming it had 250-270 hp.

[@jamesengland7461]

The rise of popularity of BMW sports sedans in the 80s likely drove GM to develop this touring sedan.

[@Henry_Jones]

No gm product from that era can hold a candle to any bmw. These were old man cars, plain and simple.

[@Primus54]

@@Henry_JonesOther than the Taurus/Sable/Continental, American manufacturers were still trying to walk a fine line between tradition and contemporary tastes. GM was slow at adapting and by this time had an awful quality reputation it was trying to overcome (compared to imports… particularly Japanese). It’s funny how things change over time. BMWs are still fun drivers but nowhere near as reliable as they once were.