This is the best car review I have ever seen!!!!! OMG even more awesome is the fact that the car reviewed it's a Chevrolet Lumina!!!!! And those robotic voices and funny comments were a nice touch, lol!
This was a fantastic review, thank you for your time and effort. I inherited a low mileage TransPort. I was not a fan, I watched delivery truck unloading the TransPort I thought “I’m settling this beast as soon as I can”. Somehow from the drive to and from the DMV to register it or the drive back home I was less disgusted by it. I argued with myself that it was minivan and single guys didn’t drive minivans so I listed it for sale. While I was waiting for a buyer to sweep it up my best friend invited me to join him and a few other kayakers to go camping, my other car at the time was a Cooper S and packing up camping gear and strapping a kayak to the roof of my Mini didn’t seem practical or safe though. The roof rack turned out to be the perfect height to load and strap a kayak and with the rear seats removed it handily swallowed all my camping gear with room to spare. That road trip I fell in ‘strong like’ with the TransPort. I gave me surprisingly good fuel economy, pretty good ride and when the weather turned ugly I packed my gear up, stowed all of in the van and still had loads of room to stretch out my bed roll and sleeping bag. After years of kayaking, camping and ‘just because’ road trips my path of adventure with my TransPort was forever severed by a way drunk half naked old man driving a Cadillac. Losing my Adventure Spaceship was a bummer, seeing that old man staggering around in a banana hammock just added unnecessary punishment. I still look for a replacement for the TransPort. I can rebuild the motor and transmission, troubleshoot and repair any wiring issues and I bought materials a few years ago so I can reupholster any interior issues. I just can find a one that doesn’t have frame damage or too much oxidation though. From an embarrassment to own of my favorite vehicles, I lost my TransPort, the memories are forever though.
Wow, this is a great story. It is true that upon removing all of the seats from the Trans Sport / Silhouette there is a lot of room to load a lot of gear. I hope the video brought some of the great memories.
this is the best review of the Oldsmobile Silhouette on the internet! it couldn't be any better! thank you for letting me know and thank you for making it! i thought it will be like 7 or 8 minutes long, but 1h17 minutes, whooo and it's so detailed! thank you! i'm looking to buy one here in Europe but they are so rare almost impossible to find, espacially in good condition, but i'll keep looking and waiting!
Thank you! I am glad you like the review. These minivans became rather rare in the US as well and it's highly unlikely to find one on the street. They are, however, a lot of fun to drive and are catching attention because of their rarity.
Years ago I could almost buy a Chevy Lumina APV '94 from my friend. At that time this Chevy was quite unique here in the CZ, there were only about a couple of tens of Lumina APVs in the entire country. I do love the silhouette of the car and smart solution of interior. I have always been fascinated by that loooooooong windshield and the spaciousness of the car. Before the purchase, I could test drive that Lumina and I loved it. Unfortunately, before I could buy it, the engine broke down so much that the repair was out of question financially (engine block ruptured) and I had to cancel the action. I got a Jeep XJ Cherokee '94 from him instead (and I do own it still these days). The engine service must be a nightmare - replacing the timing belt or spark plugs in the rear line of cylinders (those buried deep at the firewall)... or the battery... must be veeeery tasty thing :). Thanks for your marvelous review, I could at least see what I missed :). The car is beautiful even by today's merits. Those were times when cars had been produced to satisfy customers, not emission limits and bureaucratic nonsenses (set by the EU in my case)....
@@AmazingWorlds314 I'm sure it is! My parents used to have one when I was a kid. I've been looking to get one because it was I always like it, but they're hard to find. If you ever want to sell it count with me :)
Excellent your description of the vans, I have had one. It was the best vehicle I have ever owned. MUUUUYYYYYY good !!! Congratulations friend for the description!
I am glad you enjoyed the review! I also agree that it was a great car. I remember when they first showed up, they attracted a lot of attention due to their unique styling. In my opinion, this styling was awesome.
I had a Pontiac Transport van which I liked very much all the way around, except for when the transmission went bad, which was an expensive repair job.
These really are great cars! I specifically love the design of the long front. This design was great although some engine parts were slightly harder to reach, such as the brake fluid reservoir. Still worth it. 🙂
There are other differences with earlier years, like the gas door. Earlier ones have an inside release on the floor between the drivers seat and door. Also, without fog lights, the switch there is an on off switch for all interior lights. Then the optional rear air, which adds a fan speed control located by the ashtray next to the seat behind the driver.
I keep reading/hearing that the Oldsmobile Silhouette was sold as the Pontiac Trans Sport in Europe, but wouldn’t that just mean it WAS the Pontiac Trans Sport? It was rebadged in the US too. If the Euro version had a different set of base specs more in line with the Olds Silhouette then I’d call it what it is: A Euro-spec Pontiac Trans Sport. Even if that was the only place they were sold back then, it’s no different than the Trans Sport and Montana that were sold in the USA later. Like the Chevy Venture and Lumina van, they are all just rebadged U-platform vehicles. I wouldn’t associate it any more with Olds than the others.
This is probably one of my favorite cars of all time. I am currently working on a 3D printed model 1:18 model of a Pontiac Trans Sport complete with an interior and rubber tires 😁 I haven’t finished it but it is very cool. I really want to own one but they are very uncommon here as people didn’t like the styling, most on sale are in terrible condition sadly. Thank you so much for the awesome video! :P
Спасибо! Я очень рад, что видео получилось информативным. Поздравляю с приобретением версии этого фургона Pontiac! Эти фургоны уникальны и действительно классны. -Translation: “Thank you! I am very glad the video was informative. Congrats on owning a Pontiac version of this van! These vans are unique and really awesome.”
I would always use the small D no matter if driving in the city or on a motorway. The small D is a normal driving position for all circumstances and it goes all the way up to fourth gear - about 70mph (113kmh) at about 2000 rpm . The big D could be useful in healy areas or when pulling a trailer and it allows going only up to third gear. All versions before 1993 had only three gear transmissions. I talk more about it in chapter 8 that starts at 35:05.
Very excellent and thorough review. Very clean for this year model. I have recently acquired a 95 Silhouette, not as nice as yours. As ugly as it is, it's a pleasure to drive.
@@CampingOutOfDebt88 yes. I would gladly sell all the parts that you see at the end of the video as a bulk. I would also ship if you know of a good freight company. You could always pick them up.
@@allleex8616 Поздравляю! Когда я купил свой фургон, он тоже был в плохом состоянии, но я восстановил его, и теперь он отлично выглядит. Состояние близкое к выставочному. Работа окупилась, машина привлекает внимание на улице. -Translation: “Congratulations! When I bought my van, it also has been in a poor condition but I restored it and now it looks great. It’s close to a showroom condition. The work paid off and the car attracts attention on the street.“
The ironing van (since it looks like an iron on wheels.....but quirky indeed....I don't think Indonesians back in the day receive vans like this until kia's carnival back in the late 90s!
This van has been exported to multiple countries throughout the world, although at many of those, it has been considered rather expensive, but also equally impressive at the time. Driving it is fun and it has a rather unusual view through its large front windshield.
Can you make a video on the sliding door sound effect? If you let the power sliding door shut it will play the sound when it is closing. The sound is nostalgic for me as when I was younger my family actually owned a 92 Lumina APV .
I do love these old artifacts that bring in nostalgia so I exactly understand what you mean. The presented model does not have the automatic door as it was an option and the original buyer did not go with it.
I have a Pontiac Trans Sport 3.8. At 1700 RPM the car doesn't rn smoothly but seems to slightly stutter. And only when the motor is warm. When still cold it runs fine. Up till now the motor stopped while driving. My garage suspects a problem with the transaxle. The warning light for the engine is constantly on when the engine is warm. What do you think? Transaxle or another problem? Suggestions are verry welcome.
My first guess was fuel/air problem. These cars were known for some fuel pump issues. But if it only occurs when the car is warm then it seams the temperature has a play in it. I am not sure why tranaxle would have anything to do with it. My best suggestion would be to look around for a place or for an enthusiast who would be more familiar.
Many thanks for posting such a thorough review of this van. I have owned a ‘02 Silhouette for a few years that I use a comfortable pickup truck. I was lucky to find a nice ‘96 Silhouette in the same color which I bought last month based on your excellent review. It is well equipped with rear air and the power sliding door. At the junkyard today I found an identical extra dome light and “ABS” brake petal pad on a ‘95 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera if you need to find these. I am still looking for the plastic handles for bringing the middle seat forward shown at about minute 51:00 of your video. Any idea where else GM used them?
I am glad the video assisted your great purchase of the 1996 3.4L Silhouette! :-) The parts may not always be easily found, but searching for local salvage yards (expanding the ratio as sometimes remote yards may have what you need) and eBay were my best resources.
There is one thing that you did not cover. Nobody has. As a kid I tempered with the rear interior light from the back seat. The white plastic fell off and it made a buzzer go off. My grandma was in the middle and helped me put it back in place.
Are you sure it was 1st gen Silhouette? Removing the white plastic from the dome light on the ceiling would not trigger any buzzer. Why would it or what purpose would that fulfil? Also, the buzzer you might be referring to is the one that would sound when you open Silhouette's side door. Even with that, it was an extra option to have a side door that would open with a push of a button (and trigger a warning buzzer).
This is amazing I m also a hot wheels lover n I make different different types of hot wheels stuff like display, showroom, track,cars,loop track, launcher and of course hot wheels drift track and drift pad u can watch all in my hot wheels playlists...
This Oldsmobile is a one large Hot Wheels car. It is in 1:1 scale. All doors and hood open. It's so big, I couldn't keep it on my shelf and I have to keep it in my garage instead. :-P
hola buen día yo tengo una de esa pero la verdad la obtuve con mucho esfuerzo para serles sincero mi primer vehículo pero la verdad la soy como el 3 o #4 de ser dueño pero por falta de recurso no ahorita no la estoy usando por k tiene una fuga de aceite .no quisiera desarme de eya como lo dije antes la obtuve con mucho esfuerzo y me sirve bastante con mi familia quiere k la vuelva a levantar se a muchos les dará risa mi comentario pero l k tiene la oportunidad de comprar autos lujosos para eyos ya es basura para algunos como yo son un gran medio de transporte pero bueno no pierdo la esperanza que Dios me proveerá pra arreglarla bien no es fácil para mí con mi familia desecharlo por k la compramos con tanto esfuerzo alguien me puede desir si bale la pena invertir para volver a levantar mi carro es modelo 95 veo la del video y es igualita saludos y bendiciones para los todos .
