My buddy growing up drove one of these as his first car. His family was very wealthy, so he thought it was "embarrassing" that he drove a 10 year old Oldsmobile, but I thought it was an AWESOME car. Very smooth and comfortable.
First cars should be crappy. There's a good chance they'll get wrecked and they'll make you appreciate getting a nice car later. I would love to have a comfortable, reasonably sized car to get around.
80s American cars had such a distinctive style. They're boxy with only the slightest attempt at aerodynamics. The interior has straight lines and switchgear that hasn't changed in a decade or more with the most comfortable seats you'll ever sit in. These were disposable cars and this one shows its age a little bit but it's still going. Oldsmobile was GM's techy brand so the digital displays fit in.
They were "disposable" but they didn't plan on the 3.8L being all but bulletproof! 🤣 296k on one (totaled via deer), 265k (running), and 128k (running).
I had a 1988 Royale Delta 88. I bought it new, drove it for 3 years and it never failed me. 100% reliable. It took time to adjust to the downsized dimensions, and once I did I was very happy. I traded it in on a ‘91 Olds Silhouette, which I loved even more.
I owned the sister to this car, a 1990 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight Regency Brougham. It was my first car. Such a great car with the 3800, super reliable and would do 30 mpg on the highway all day long. Super comfy with the pillow top velour seats and factory air ride (that later failed and replaced with conventional struts). Wish i never sold it.
@@jessihawkins9116You're an idiot if you did that!!! The fluid reservoirs next to the belt slid out of place! But, I didn't even figure that out until just using a plain breaker bar with a socket on the belt tensioner! 🤣
Ah.. the memories. My late Grandma Kay (she died in 2022) had a Delta 98 of this same era. Remembering floating down the Sarasota streets. Such a comfy ride.
My classic is a '90 Eighty-Eight Royale. If you thought the steering wheel was old-fashioned, you should see the non-digital speedometer. Straight outta 1975!
My grandma had this exact car but it was a 1990. Hers had the 3800 engine and was super reliable. Hers was more base- not brougham version. The seats were blue jean! She bought it new in 1990 and named her Bessie. She had that car until 2016 when the Ohio winters rotted out the frame 😩
These, and Buick LeSabres of the same era, make pretty good sleepers as those V6's weren't slouches. They weren't very big cars, but they were good cruisers that had a little extra on the pedal for the passing lane.
A relative had a LeSabre that was essentially the base model of this platform, simpler seats and fewer bells. Did fine in the winter with FWD and was a grocery getter that could get a little peppy on the back roads.
I had a 90 ad coming cross from Gunnison I passed a half dozen cars backed up behind a semi without checking the rear view. Kept the pedal down down a while and as I was slowing down the mirror was filled by a crown vicki with flashing lights. The good natured trooper said he had me at "a hundred"😂🤣
I like the 90s H and C bodies more like the 91-96 Park Avenue or 92-99 LeSabre, but the late 80s H Bodies like the Oldsmobile 88 and LeSabre are still pretty cool, and probably my favorite cars from the 80s. I wouldn't mind getting one of the later 88-91 models of Oldsmobile 88 or LeSabre with the 3.8L LN3 3800 (aka the Pre-Series I 3800) which to my knowledge offered significant improvements over the 3.8L LG3 that was used in the 86/87 models.
@@Andyface79The Bonneville's that were loaded with leather interior were so nice for that era. I've had two 89' Olds "88"s . One 20 years ago and I just bought another. So nice to cruise in and brings back memories..
I love your take I do find it funny how you and I see the differences in Oldsmobiles Pontiacs and buicks of the late 80s because GM was actually made fun of by everyone from Motorweek to Lincoln for having very very cookie cutter cars and the lesabre, delta 88 and Bonneville were at the forefront in the media for not being special at all.
I believe they had something like 9 "different" models that were all the same except the badging! 🤣 Don't forget the Cadillac... It was a slightly more optioned Oldsmobile 98.
I made it to the 6 minute mark but I just can't take it anymore! Royal - Royale Royal - Royale These are not both pronounced the same way. You emphasize the second syllable in Royale. roy-AL Thanks. Very cool car.
When 55mph was the national speed limit, car makers were required to highlight the 55mph mark. How they did it was up to them, many marked it in red. It was almost impossible to enforce this unnaturally slow speed limit, especially when big V8s designed for cruising at 80mph all day were the norm. As the 80s started, smaller V6s became standard, even in very large cars, and they were geared for economy and the lower speed limit. Whole industries and customs sprung up around this crazy speed limit, CB radios, radar guns, radar detectors, police helicopters monitoring speeds, all kinds of attempts to jam or confuse police radar, from special stealth paint schemes to putting balls of tin foil behind the hubcaps. Even a whole sub genre of Hollywood movies was created about racers, smugglers and truckers who used all kinds of techniques to evade the "Double Nickel" 55mph law. The public overwhelmingly and openly defied the law, which might have succeeded if set at a more natural "mile a minute" or even 65mph, which was the natural speed people drove in studies where people were asked to drive without a speedometer. With science showing that 55mph was unnaturally slow, enforcement seemed even more unnecessarily draconian. So, after 2 decades of ruining peoples' driving records, creating billions for insurance companies, creating anti-public measures like shady speed traps where signs were hidden or otherwise people were tricked into speeding to allow corrupt small municipalities to rake in millions in ill gotten revenue, finally, in the mid 90s the Congress killed the national speed limit and gave States back the power to decide their own. This led to the 2nd big horsepower race, since even large heavy cars could do 55mph just great with under 200 hp. It took a while for US automakers to retool for this revived, faster future, so foreign cars, especially German ones flourished, since they already were already engineered for high speeds. The 55mph speed limit was a public relations disaster, and a creator if many forms of corruption. One positive thing it did do, was save gas, which was the initial goal. A perfect study of unintended consequences.
My first car was an 88 Olds Delta 88 with a 3800 engine. Bought it in 2000. Loved that car! Had a CD player put in at Circuit City (RIP) and drove it around for 4 years. Perfect first car. Don’t see them around anymore because of Cash for Clunkers. Breaks my heart. If I ever come across one for a reasonable price, I’d actually consider buying it.
I bought a 1989 88 Royale in 2000 too, and had it 6 years. I put over 100k on it and absolutely loved it. It was my first actually GOOD car. (I had two POS before that..lol) I actually just bought another 89' Olds 88 that's pretty clean for $1700. Definitely worth it to me..I really missed cruising in it.
@@emmittmatthews8636 I had mine untill 2012 it was 23 years old with 100,000 +miles it was done by that point.I haven't seen an 88 in person in probably ten years or more now.The 98 and Cutlass are extinct in my area also
@@robertriley1569Only 100k?! 1990 with 296K (totaled by a deer) 1991 with 265+k (daily driver) 1989 with 126k (prepping it to be up for sale). The 90, I bought with 41k, 91 with 122k, and the 89 with 114k.
The ‘87 pre-3800 (LG3) and ‘88 and up 3800s (LN3) are actually quite different motors. Not only were balance shafts used but they redesigned the block and crank for on center spacing. The LG3 block in this Delta 88 is off center. So those improvements resulted in a hp boost from 150 to 165 hp in ‘88.
Great car! A few quick things, it is pronounced "Roy- Al" and the Delta 88 and the other "C" body cars were full-size. The Ninety Eight and other "H" body cars were just bigger, stretched "C" body platforms. Kind of like the Chevy Caprice (B body) was full size but smaller than the Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham (D body, which is a stretched B body).
When the engine was renamed "3800" in 1988, the balance shaft was added. Red dots also had offset connecting rods which caused the motor to wear out quicker.
My daily driver is a 1990 Olds Delta 88 Royal Brogham! I love the smooth ride.... It floats down the highway! The visibility is fantastic! So glad that mine does not have the digital dash..... my gauges are all analog with the exception of the climate control....
I first bought one in 2006, a 1990 (16 years old) with 41k miles! I liked it so much i almost made it to 300k before a deer totaled out the car. But, by then I already bought a back up car, a 1991 ($500) and once the 1990 was totaled, bought a 1989 ($350). I still have all 3 of them! The totaled one as a parts car, but, the 1989 will be up for sale shortly.
I rented a 1986 Delta 88 sedan in Minneapolis in September 1986. Upon my return to the airport terminal I saw the new-for-1987 version with the one-piece halogen headlamps parked within the concourse. American cars RULED back then.
A real beauty! Cars from the 80s will always be my favorite. They had the highest level of refinement (in comparison with 60s cars) and quality (in comparison with 2000 and newer cars which have almost none).
I drove the 1987 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight version of this car. The most reliable car I ever drove. I put almost 300,000 miles on the car before the transmission went. Would never get that in a new vehicle car today.
Overall a good car. Those 3.8s were pretty good but had terrible mounts. Friend of mine had the 87 Lesabre and he went through some engine mounts. And door panels could have been better. The arm rests fell off over time. Minus those couple of cons, it was a smooth and powerful car
Great review Zac ! I own a 81 Oldsmobile Delta 88 sedan and these cars 87 FWD cars were pretty reliable and as comfortable as the predecessor from the early 70s and early 80s .
9:16 I had another late-80s GM car with a mouthful of a name: A 1989 Buick Electra Park Avenue Ultra ...And it was rather similar to this. Like, maybe the FE3 suspension would've made a difference, but that was the era when the Olds 88/98 and Buick LeSabre/Electra looked the most alike.
I feel like I’m about to have a mental breakdown over this cosmic “nucleus” logo on the trip computer. 😂😂 I’ve never seen this before and can’t find another one with that logo. Google lens shows no image matches and it’s not in the brochure picture I found. I won’t be able to sleep until I know what this Easter egg is
Yup!! There's a little loophole to get these through MVC. If the plate was considered "dead" by 1985, you can request them as a personalized plate! You'll get the yellow ones (which I keep in the car) but the tag will match the reg and no-one's the wiser!
My parents car back in the day! I drove the hell out of this car growing up.Very reliable car it is. My parents car came with a car phone as well very ritzy for my parents 😅
My uncle had a 1989 Delta 88 the same color has this one but his had a wine color vinyl top and the interior was cloth and also wine color. A beautiful car. I wish I was old enough to buy it when he turned it in on a 92 Lumina Eurosport. I was 12 when he turned it in. Still one my favorite cars. One neat feature I liked was the adjustable reading lights in the rear c pillars.
These are ok engines but no 3800. There are 2 problems with this engine. 1st is the plastic timing chain gear which tends to fail once past 100,000 miles. 2cnd these were originally odd fire engines. Buick split the crank wrist pins 30 degrees with an offset connecting rod with deep skirt pistons to get an even fire. This made for a lot of friction. Buick fixed this with the 3800 which has an offset block. If you look at this block each bank is not even so they were able to line up the connecting rods in the middle of the piston as God intended. Yes the pre 3800 is interesting.
How about that TruCoat huh? I’m saying, that TruCoat, you don’t get it you get oxidation problems it’ll cost you a heck of a lot more than $500". That's all I hear when I see these now
My 1st grade teacher had one and she loved it said she was never going to get rid of it. Many years later a drunk rear ended it and it was deemed a total loss. She's been driving a 2000 impala every since.
Someone I knew bought one of these, it was 3 years old, another a new Hyundai, the key being they both cost the same ($6K). New economy car, or used one of these? I thought they were on different planets. This was so quiet, faster, more comfortable, and super posh. It really felt like you arrived, everywhere you went, great feeling. However, in a few years, 3 transmissions later on the GM car, the Korean Hyundai 5 speed (or probably most Japanese imports) had none of these problems.
What the F was he doing to those transmissions?!!! Must have been a crappy rebuild shop or something! Only one of the 3 I own needed a transmission rebuild and I drove it for another 65k before a deer totaled the car! That car had 296k, my 1991 has 265k with the original transmission!
When I was in high school my best friend had a 2 door 1987 olds 88 royal brougham and he took me out in it one time and barrie the needle and there was still more speed left in it. They were pretty quick for the time. It was red with red velour interior. I'll never forget it.l
Great review! As i said at another video - it would be really cool for future-videos to just a 1-2 minute POV without talking. Startup and a short drive. 👍
Thank you for this review. It was most enjoyable. This Eighty Eight has a lot of options. The only thing it does not have is power mirrors. This car is so close to that era Ninety Eight in terms of features and size you have no idea. I like the fact you know your information as well. It was the downsized era, but it was reliable transportation. The V6 was making its way to be the 3800 a year later. There is some off too. The 1987 had a hood ornament. The 1988 did not. I like the fact you mentioned the other Oldsmobiles as well. Oldsmobile's version of the H Body indeed.
Yes my dad drove one from 93-98 and drove the living hell out of it for his insurance sales job. My grandma bought it on repo and my dad and brother finished it off. It was an 87 delta 88 Royale brougham. Black with grey velour seats. No digital dash FE3 or digital climate. It was so beat the transmission wouldn’t shift itself and the odometer stopped at 150k. I think the car had closer to 250.
A 1988 Oldsmobile Delta 88 was my first car. But it was much, much more base model than this...manual windows, no temp control, no rear defrost, brown on brown with no options. I still miss it sometimes.
@@inandoutofreal1tyI can't believe cars of this era still exist with less than 100k! I put 255k on my 1990, 145+k on my 1991 and only about 20k on the 1989.
@@ShootingCars that’s so funny - great minds think alike. Sorry I missed it. I own a 1994 trooper that has that feature and always wondered why ball cooling technology didn’t progress. At least it wasn’t killed off by “me too” or cancel culture.
I had an 89 ignition coil pack was highly susceptible to moisture. Door panel on ds fell apart, chewed through brakes and serpentine belts like bubble gum. Lasted untill 2012 these cars had so many mechanical issue's and leaks it's hard to believe there are any left in daily use I would think at this point it would just be the ones that were preserved.
I've never heard of any issues with these other than the ignition module that usually wont appear until after 100k anyway and can be remedied in less than an hour pretty cheaply. Brake pads were undersized because it's GM...had to replace a fuel pump because it was 35 yrs old that's about it for mine. They were just appliance vehicles cushy yes but still would keep going with maintenence. Today there are much less of them obviously but they're still out there.
My neighbors back in the day got this car brand new from dealership, Same color as the your driving and everything. Well, my friends 5 year old little sister thought it would be a good idea to get a rock and scratch her name into the hood, lol, fun ensued.😂
Well, Oldsmobile tried too hard to make some kind of difference between the 88 and the 98 and...they failed. Both cars represented worst things of the Malaise era.
