Oldsmobile is famous for having the country’s most popular car for much of the decade. Considering the Chevrolet Impala had traditionally been Detroit’s traditional best-seller, this was a profound development. Among Cutlass models, the Cutlass Supreme led the way. How were they as used cars?
The Cutlass series and all other Oldsmobiles are the focus on this continuing serial on the 1970s used car market according to Consumer Guide. Please note the CG rating scale of 5 being Excellent and 1 being Poor.
Oldsmobile
“[The Cutlass is] more popular than its division stablemates largely because of styling, nicer interior appointments, and Oldsmobile’s durability reputation.”
- Cutlass: “No significant problem areas, [though Colonnades] not a paragon of space utilization, but adequate for a typical family.” CG rating: 2-3
- Cutlass (downsized): “Above-average for reliability, except for ’79 V6s, which rate average.” CG rating: 4
- Delta 88/Ninety-Eight: “Main drawbacks here are excess size and weight, which penalize fuel economy and maneuverability. Frequency-of-repair rate lower-than-average except for 1974 models.” CG rating: 3
- Delta 88/Ninety-Eight (downsized): “Many virtues including roomy interior, high ride comfort, big trunk, and low noise levels. Question: wouldn’t a Cutlass fit your needs just as well?” CG rating: 4
- Omega: “While we see no reason to buy the Omega over its cheaper [corporate siblings], we praise Omega’s overall good repair history.” CG rating: 2-3
- Omega (1980): “A fine used car buy for the 1980s.” CG rating: N/A
- Starfire: “The problem in taking a single GM car and spreading it throughout each of the divisions is that when the design is bad, the corporation gets not one black eye but several. This is the case with the Oldsmobile Starfire.” CG rating: 2
- Toronado: “An automobile that has a superior repair record cannot receive a poor used-car rating. But that is the only thing preventing us from ranking the Toronado lowest in the personal luxury class.” CG rating: 2
- Toronado (downsized): “A welcome return to sanity in design, fuel economy, ride, and handling.” CG rating: N/A
