should i get a 95 Oldsmobile Cutlas Ciera for $2Gs

well, i've been looking for a vehicle lately... and this seems to be a nice car... original owners selling it... only has 50-something-thousand miles... in near-perfect condition...

but, i don't know anything about the car, and my internet searches haven't yielded any clear information...

so if anyone is knowledgable about the car... could you tell me about the MPG it gets, and the standard features of the vehicle? and most importantly, the MPG it gets?

my internet searches have yielded results between 16MPG and 26MPG... and it wasn't a city/highway discrepancy...

but anyways, i really need a vehicle... and without me knowing much about the car, it seems like a nice price for a nicely taken care of vehicle... but not if it has a crappy MPG average...

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif

which motor ?
2.5 iron duke four cylinder? in aftermarket form it is a great performance engine.
2.3 dohc quad four (I like my HO quad four but it has it's quirks-expensive and hard to work on but very reliable if you know what you are doing)

3.1 v6 ?

about 7 years ago I had a friend who had one with the 2.5 four cylinder it was reliable but she never maintained it at all.

I think the v6 models are reliable.

50k is pretty young for a car 2k is not a lot o money.

gas milage would depend on the engine-tires-transmission driving style etc.

a 95 probably has a 4 speed automatic with lockup torque converter. or a stick shift.
65 or 70 series tires

I am a lead foot so I do not know what the mpg of my car is.

26 mpg sounds very posible.

just my 2 cents worth I do not spin a wrench for a living.

The car is about 10 years old. Regardless of mileage, that is getting old for a car. Was it owned in Maine? How is the rust? Not just on the body, but on the steering control arms, suspension components, etc?

I once got a Cadillac with only 45K miles that was 13 years old. It was my Grandfather's and very gently used and properly maintained. It seemed like a real creampuff, but in reality it was a piece of junk due to its age. It had plenty of problems (climate control, suspension, oil pressure, battery, various trim pieces, power antenna, etc.) and finally threw a rod. I only had it a few months and it was more trouble and expense than it was worth-- and I got it for free.

The lesson I learned is that mileage alone does not indicate the condition of a car and that age is at least as important. Also, purchase price is not the total cost of owning a car. In some cases it is just the beginning of the real costs.

This is just a heads-up on buying an older car. Your's may truly be in good condition, but verify that before buying and expect some problems anyway.

Re: should i get a 95 Oldsmobile Cutlas Ciera for

My parents just sold their '93 Olds Cutlas Ciera for 3k. It was in mint condition with 37k on it. It was always garaged and looked like it just rolled off the show room floor. The people that bought it loved the car and couldn't give my parents the money fast enough. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

Re: should i get a 95 Oldsmobile Cutlas Ciera for

change the vacume hoses water hoses all the belts if they are old.
service the cooling system if it has not been done
replace the fuel filter and the fuel pickup filter in the gas tank.
change the transmission fluid and filter if it has not been done recently.

I only say this because I know a lot of older people who rarely drive (my mom included) and they do not service their viechles correctly

I have an old grand am 1988 w41 ho quad four(bought the engine from a salvage company it is a 1995 engine). (168000 miles on the car)I could drive it to alaska and back with no problems. I remanufacured the engine and transmission about 2 years ago
new wheel bearings master cylinder and a lot of other stuff.
It is as reliable as any 2 year old car and the interior has no rattles but it needs a paint job.
It has been so cheap to own I laugh at people with 300 or 400 dollar car payments for a simular car.

I do all of the work my self every fastner has a tourque spec.

If you bough that car and it did not have serious design defects and you took care of it I think you would be happy.

Re: should i get a 95 Oldsmobile Cutlas Ciera for

My SO and I have just inherited a 96 Cutlass Sierra wagon with 60,000 miles on it. Seems like a good car. Gas mileage on the highway is around 26. We have the V6 3.1 engine in it. We really hate all the automatic windows and door locks but it runs fine.

My departed father-in-law chose this model specifically because of the good record of this particular engine. He was employed in auto-related business his whole life and knew his mechanics pretty well. He was not impressed with most GM products but was OK with this one.

Also, the 3.1 V6 doesnt use a timing belt....it has a timing chain. It won't break on you.

Re: should i get a 95 Oldsmobile Cutlas Ciera for

I can't quite wrap my mind around the Ciera.

In '95 I was driving various cars for a Shell Oil Company gas test.

On of them (by far the least well liked by 25 or so drivers) was a Buick with a 4cyl engine. It was as reliable as any car in the test. But it was rough as a cob! If you reved it up to get on the highway or somesuch, it was buzzy to the extreme.

Still. We recently bought my sister a '95 Town Car. About 2 years ago we got my Dad a '91 F150. A little before that my Beast ('90 F350) was acquired. All have been just fine with very little unexpected work required.

2K for a relatively low mile '95 model sounds like a deal to me!

Re: should i get a 95 Oldsmobile Cutlas Ciera for

MPG ? I bought a 1982 Dodge Challenger 5 speed in 82 brand spankin new I burned a half tank of gas driving to Memphis about 86
miles from Jonesboro Ark. we goofed the day at the Zoo and I filled up and the wife drove back-- the needle barely moved. MPG will vary depending on how you drive. I do not recall her gettin rubber in 4 gears like I did /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Topper /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Re: should i get a 95 Oldsmobile Cutlas Ciera for

Driving style does matter...

We had a hot rodded 1981 El Camino around here for a while. I could go about twice as far on a tank of gas as my dad! I stayed out of the back barrels!

My beast gets about 14.5 no matter how I drive it. Of course I have to mash the go peddle pretty hard from time to time!

Driven normally (and depending on which engine) the 95 Olds ought to do 20 standing on it's head... 25+ seems very possible!

Re: should i get a 95 Oldsmobile Cutlas Ciera for

I work for a wholesale car dealer and we get all kinds of cars in the lot. The engine buyers would shy away from is the GM 4 cylinder Tech4 engine. Oh, the engine had power but it idled rough and was buzzy, hooty...noisy. If the car has this engine I would have no problem walking away from it. 4 cylinder engines can be made better.

The slower Iron Duke engine is just the opposite. It is good for an American engine but not in the same class as a Japanese 4 cylinder. A couple of days ago I bought from work a garaged 1989 Mazda 626 with a 2.2 liter engine and only 28,000 miles on the car for $1,999. It really is in showroom condition. The reason I know is because the 1989 car is parked next to my 1991 Mazda 626 with 62,000 miles that I bought new. They are the same body style. The engines on both 4 cylinders are very refined engines.

If the car has an American 4 cylinder I wouldn't look at it.

Re: should i get a 95 Oldsmobile Cutlas Ciera for

aright, back on top of this...

Markdi:
it's the 3.1L V6 engine... and due to the low mileage and relatively small (@ least for this area) pricetag, i'm thinking i'll probly pick this up... and yes, it's also the 4-speed automatic... power everything... etc etc.
and how much is replacing all that stuff gonna cost? could i keep it under a couple hundred bucks? feel free to come on over to Maine to work on this jewel for me! i should probly learn to maintain the car on my own too, 'cause i don't feel the need to get a brand new vehicle and make down payments and monthly payments etc... it's just not necessary... maybe when i'm making more money i'll work my way up to something expensive... *shrug*

Lurker:
it was indeed owned only in Maine... driven downstate a couple times... owned by an older couple... i took a look underneath (with my Elektrolumens Blaster 3 *wink*) and nothing appears to be rusting... in fact, some parts aren't even discolored yet... i'm gonna head over to the couple's home this weekend to ask more in-depth questions...

Tiktok:
this one was also garaged... i mean, as you know, it's such a beautiful vehicle! haha

Stu:
that's a nice semi-review! i'll have the same engine with about 10,000 less miles... i could see how one would have more confidence with a chain in place of the belt too...

Joe:
it does seem like a nice deal... but it's one ugly ******* tho! haha
i'll be driving pretty mellow (see my reply to Topper for the reason), so i'd figure whatever the ideal mileage is on this thing, i wont be too far from it... again, it's got the 3.1L V6, which i've heard pretty good things about...

Topper:
hahaha, interesting little experiment there... i'm a pretty mellow driver tho... 40% of the roads here are pot-holes and most roads are relatively narrow...

Haveblue:
you could NEVER EVER EVER find that deal here... =(
i wouldn't mind an old 626! here's a pretty nice '92 626: http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/355666/2


thanks for the help everyone... i was a bit turned off by the look of the car @ first, and i needed this convincing to g'head and get what is clearly a pretty good deal (as long as everything is in working order) on a vehicle, especially for this area... good prices are rare around here unless you're buying from a dealership, and even then the prices start around $5000, which is about $3000 outta my current budget, haha...

maybe i'll ditch those tired old looking rims and get some spokes... i think that'll help it look a little more decent.

Re: should i get a 95 Oldsmobile Cutlas Ciera for

I thought the tech four was a re named iron duke
iron duke in stock form are pretty wimpy but reliable.
they used to have a fantastic aftermarket racing program for the iron duke It was one of the most powerfull 4 cylinder engines in nascar but the stock block and everything needs to be upgraded

my w41 ho quad four Is as reliable as any jap 4 cylinder for the same power output vs displacement.(maybe not if I let the mechanics at a gm dealer ship touch it-I turn my own wrench)

Re: should i get a 95 Oldsmobile Cutlas Ciera for

I'm glad I could help with your choice. I hope you are glad with your choice. We all have the apprehensive feeling before we buy a car. But after the papers are signed the car feels so good to drive home. I swear all my senses are heightened as I drive home with a different car. I remember when I drove home my New Beetle. It not only felt very different but it looked different.

Have fun with the car!

Re: should i get a 95 Oldsmobile Cutlas Ciera for

Ten years ago, we owned almost the exact same car -- a 93 Buick Century with the V6. I inherited it from my Grandfather when he passed away, it was a year old and only had a couple thousand miles. It was burgundy, with full "grandpa" trim of wire wheel covers and soft velour bench seats, but it was in impeccable condition and was free. The car turned out to be totally reliable. Not one single breakdown or repair. It got amazingly good gas mileage for such a large car, almost 30 mpg on long trips if I recall. I drove it for about 2 years and 40,000 miles, and then sold it, mostly because it was such a "grandpa" car and as a guy in my 20's (at the time), I wanted something smaller, sportier and fun to own and drive. So be aware, it's a good vehicle, but if you're any sort of "car guy" it offers you exactly zero driving pleasure. Face it, it's an old geezer's ride and it handles like a big floaty boat.

All that said, if this one is in decent shape, and you're primarily looking for sturdy, cheap transportation, I wouldn't hesitate to go for it. . . after all, what else are you gonna find for only $2K that isn't a heap.

Cheers,

Dave

Re: should i get a 95 Oldsmobile Cutlas Ciera for

3.1 v6 4 speed automatic 50k miles 2 grand
sounds great to me
there was a euro sport version that was pretty sporty
with the 3.1 v6