Most Reasonable Purchase: 1991 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight Regency Elite

(by CFlo) The V6 engine is smooth, responsive, and nearly silent. It gets 30 mpg on the highway. Hundreds of miles of American scenery can pass through the windows, and you won’t even feel a little bit tired – there’s no wind noise. Stretch out – there’s plenty of room for 4 or 5 other people and their belongings. The body is solid, without rattles or squeaks. I’m not describing a new Lincoln Aviator or GMC Terrain SUV here… no, I’m talking about a 31 year old sedan that looks like Grandma Phyllis picked it out herself. This was the full-sized flagship in Oldsmobile’s lineup for decades – the Ninety Eight. By 1991 the 12th and final generation was upon us, and now you can pick one up for less than the down payment on that 8 year old Kia Sportage you were thinking of financing at 8% APR for 87 months. Find this 1991 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight Regency Elite for $3,999 on craigslist in Prescott, AZ.

From the seller:

1991 OLDSMOBILE NINTY EIGHT REGENCY, 1 OWNER FROM PRESCOTT, ALL SERVICE RECORDS SINCE NEW, GARAGED SINCE NEW, SUPER CLEAN INSIDE AND OUT, ALL POWER OPTIONS, MUST SEE $3999.00

Now I have to admit something here… I didn’t just stumble across this listing. I recently bought a pretty cherry 1996 Ninety Eight myself, and I’ve been keeping my eyes open for others, just as a way to gauge how common or uncommon these really are in 2022. This triple cocaine white example is the only other one I’ve found for sale in the Western US in several months’ worth of trolling. I’ll admit this type of car is not the stuff that 18-year-old CFlo’s automotive dreams were made of, but for a daily driver that’s quirky, extremely comfortable, solid and simple to service, I couldn’t really hope to find much better (or cheaper) than a final generation H-body FWD Oldsmobile.

GM made larger cars than this in the ’90s – the rear drive B-body Caprice / Roadmaster / Custom Cruiser was a dinosaur with “modern” styling that stayed in production to meet the needs of people who couldn’t not have a V8 and a ladder frame. But the H platform front drive sedans were almost as large, and they were much more modern unibody designs. And they were the flagships. The Buick Park Avenue, Pontiac Bonneville, and Olds 88/98 were the cars that GM pinned its hopes on in the 80s and 90s, only to find the market shift away from large but efficient sedans and towards large but inefficient SUVs. About the only negative things I have to say about this white car are: the aftermarket vinyl top is unfortunate, and the 3800 V6 is still a Series I (the more powerful & refined Series II debuted in 1995). Otherwise it’s hard to find fault with this 144k-mile luxoyacht that will carry someone in grand style for years to come.

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