The Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser Is an Old-School Family Wagon 

Doug: here’s a 3.5 million dollar Ferrari. Me: meh. Doug: here’s a brown station wagon Me: go onnn...

I care about plastered-on wood paneling, Doug.

As a European, to me, this car is the epitome and everything American I can imagine in a car. Big family, land yacht, no style or grace, just a big, comfy, land boat for your dogs and loud kids, throwing stuff around while you cruise smoking and arm up on the bench seat, and playing some old 80s tunes from the crappy radio. So old American that it makes ME nostalgic hahah

The steering wheel is dainty because this was always for mom to drive. 😊 the F and R on the tape player is for fast forward and reverse for the tape. One final thing- I’m gen x and boomer parents did not like dogs in their cars so that would have been very rare. I can tell you that moms and grandmothers had zero trouble driving these cars - thank you for fun video!

"for europeans friends this is 3 feet longer than a mercedes c class" "i dont know what feet are"

I was adopted at the age of 5 in 1980 and I remember riding to my new home in that great back seat! That was the life!

This car represents a good portion of my childhood. Our family didn't have one but my friend down the block did, as did so many others. I spent many hours riding in that car, and honestly I'd love to have one right now.

I wish cars like this were still being made these days. I'd have one. Huge, comfy, easy to drive, just floats along and so easy to maintain. Fabulous. How times have changed, with modern cars you get; --hard seats, stiff suspension, cramped interiors and DIY maintenance that's almost impossible to perform. Well, that's progress folks!

7:22 imagine driving behind some old wagon and see doug demuro staring back at you

Oh my Lord, yes. I understand you have the pay the bills, but I'd rather see reviews like this all day versus reviewing new cars.

My father bought one new in 1987, he always had station wagons. RIP dad love you.

One thing that Doug forgot to mention is this car did not have a steel radio antenna poking out anywhere. Even my dad's Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser did not have a steel radio antenna. For this vehicle, the antenna was actually thin wire in like a zig zag pattern across the very top of the windshield, going from the center out to both side mirrors.

2:46 For European friends out there , it's 3 FEET longer than a C class. Very helpful Doug

Wood paneling... About 20ft long... Underpowered V8... RWD... Chrome everywhere... It's perfect.

In Buick's defense, the 3rd row ash tray is more likely for parents when they're sitting in the back watching their kid's baseball game or whatever. It made a good tailgating vehicle.

My dad had a 1972 Town &country station wagon, and it was a big boat. It floated down the road. It had a 440cubic inch engine. It had all power windows, tail gate window. Dad used it to hall trash to the dumps.

When you were a kid, and had the chance to ride in that back seat...my God, you ruled the world.

2:45 "for our european friends" uses feet

My grandpa was a UAW member and worked in the plant that built these for 20 years. I never got to ride in one, but with him being gone now this video really made me smile. Thanks Doug!

I miss the days when I would go down the road in one of my 4 station wagons. I had a 62 Falcon Squire, 71 Plymouth Sport Suburban, 71 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser and a 66 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser. Not only could you load them for anything you could think of from a trip to the ocean or climbing a mountain, but it seemed that they could handle it all with no effort as well. They might not have been the technological wonders that today's cars seem to be, but they were ready to go when I was. Today, I drive one of the expensive so-called luxury German brands that always seems to break down when I want to use it. How I would love to be heading into the sunset just once more in a big heavy station wagon, a time machine from my past.

Things I miss about the 80's cars: - Bench seats - shift stick on the column. - auwfuly soft suspension (super comfy). - the ton of memories.

so beautiful. how could anyone possibly hate on this absolute family land yacht?! i HATE how wagons fell off in popularity SO sharply in the US

When you’re riding in the third row and you put the tailgate window down, no matter how fast you go the air would never blow in and cool you off. I spent many many hours in the back of that car and I loved it. My sister even got her foot caught in the door jam when shutting the back door. I’ve never heard someone scream so loud!

*Clock says **4:20* *starts thinking about That 70’s Show with pot and the Vista Cruiser*

I'm impressed someone kept this boat in good condition. I would imagine 99% of these are in scrapyards or crushed cubes.

Station wagons are my spirit animal! The versatility of this Custom Cruiser, the fake wood, the rear facing bench seats… I LOVE IT! And I’m sorry for what I’m about to do: “I FOUND OUT LONG AGOOOO…. ITS A LONG WAY DOWN THE HOLIDAY ROAD!!!”

I had the Custom Cruiser's cousin and competitor, the Ford Country Squire Wagon. Ford's third row 'jump seats' were 2 single seats mounted sideways along the sidewalls. The two-way power tailgate was awesome. Those big bumpers sticking so far out from the body were mounted on shock absorbers that compressed, so minor hits never affected the body panels. Best boat I ever had.

Was really expecting more comments about the clock being set to 4:20

"... for our european friends ..." "... 3 feet longer ..."

Doug, thanks for making this wonderful video. As a previous Oldsmobile sales consultant for the now defunct brand, I can truly say that every one of these wagons I ever delivered provided 100% satisfaction to its owners and their families, especially to the many kids who got to ride in the rearward facing fold-away back seat. One thing you got wrong though, the F and R button on the stereo was a cassette tape control, not a front to rear fader control. Pushing it into the up position would fast Forward the tape, while pushing it down would Rewind it. The middle position was just a default. BTW, I still have my Oldsmobile demo cassette(s) and they still sound great to this day. Thanks again for your great review. I would love to see you review the last gen version of these great cars, like the review you did for the Buick Roadmaster. A similar car, but different enough to earn it a different 'Doug Score'. Peter J. Martens, Founder: The Oldsmobile Forum'

I still have the demo tape from my grandfather's Oldsmobile. I know it's super cheesy, but I actually have strong memories tied to the songs on that tape.

To me a non american this car looks like every other car in Hollywood Movies that I watched in my childhood

Doug Score for Doug DeMuro styling: 1/10 His sense of style do not exist Acceleration: 5/10 He gets a 5 because of his long legs, but doesn't workout Handling: 7/10 no comment Fun Factor: 7/10 He seems like he's a fun guy Cool Factor: 5/10 He's not the coolest guy but knows a lot about cars Total Weekend Score: 25 Features: 6/10 He gets a lot of quirks and features but wears 2 shirts Comfort: 4/10 no comment Quality: 10/10 produces high quality car review videos Practical: 7/10 He seems very practical and doesn't seem to buy unnecessary things Value : 7/10 do not come with bumper to bumper unlimited warranty Total Daily Score: 34 Total DougScore: 59/100 which puts him right in the middle above Hoovie's garage

My dad had an '82 Chevy Impala station wagon with a 267 (4.4 Liter) 2bbl V8 good for 120hp. This video brings back a lot of memories. We kids used to sit in the rear-facing back seat and wave. We'd go on trips with 8 people inside and our luggage strapped on the roof rack. Sometimes, we'd go for cargo runs with the middle & back seats folded flat. Those wire-wheel hubcaps were a pain to clean & polish. Remember the chore of scrubbing the whitewall tires? BTW, the third brake light came out in 1985. On new cars and motorcycles from 1978 to '87, the speedometer only went up to 85mph, with the 55mph speed limit highlighted. That was a government mandate to get people to drive slower & save gas. Also, before 1986, odometers on American cars only had 5 digits. So when people saw the odometer up at 70K or so, they would trade the car in sooner and buy a new one. German & Japanese cars in the 80's had 6-digit odometers. Nowadays, people keep their cars for 150K miles or longer.

We had a 1987 Chevrolet Caprice Classic station wagon that was almost a carbon copy of this (however it was a two-tone silver color) and it had the center brake light. Beyond that, so many of the design elements and features are almost exactly the same. I rode in the back seat (looking backwards) so many times. That rear footwell was money. You could fold down the third row almost totally flat too. When we had friends over we'd all pile into the back flat area and my dad would drive around and take hard turns so we could roll all over the place - in hindsight dangerous, but as a kid it was the epitome of fun!

*Doug:* Can you imagine today someone coming out with a car called "The Custom Cruiser"? It’s just ridiculous *Ferrari Superfast:* Hold my beer

Doug, The F/R switch on the radio is used to forward and reverse the cassette. It has nothing to do with speaker control.

My dad had the Ford wagon with the cargo seats facing each other. Loved it! Me the first grandson would ride in back and play games. Had a map light to read by and a control switch for the rear window.

I love how the air filter cover is turned upside down. I used to do that to my dad’s 79 Caprice Classic with the 305 in it to make it sound meaner!

15:02 I see what you did with that clock.

If I lived in the US I would buy this car. Can't get more American than this.

god i love cars like this so much. i was born in the 2000s and never got to witness the glory of these being popular but i so badly want to own one and want to see vehicles like this brought back

OMG I HAD one of those !! I loved it ! Carried as much as a current F-150, .. almost. thanks for the memories !

A true slice of Americana from before the world went SUV crazy. One day we'll realise that the estate/ Station wagon was all the car we ever needed.

Doug: "For our European friends: this is 3 feet longer than a Mercedes C-class" Europeans: "Wtf is feet?" 😂

Doug... I don't know how I missed this, because I bought a brand new one in 1984, and loved it. I lived in Austin, TX and had seven kids as you mentioned...lol! I bought it through my father-in-law who had a fleet of trucks and cars for his wire line service in New Mexico, and had all his vehicles, including this one, modified to get the maximum hp from the stock engine, so I remember it having plenty of power for the job. I also remember it floated like a cloud on the Highway, and the power steering was great! Maybe the one you reviewed had bad shocks...? I got compliments all of the time on "what a beautiful car it was!" The color on mine was much nicer and made a bick difference. The bumpers were standard size for the time, and rather small for a car that size. It was a very solid well-built car and it sure did the job for us...!

I believe the station wagon is the best automobile version available. An 8/9 passenger body style with rear facing 3rd row is awesome for large families plus the small block V8 is a robust engine that can last forever with minor maintenance. Not to mention the 3'+ overhangs allow you to scrape on almost every dip in the road.

*Funny how Doug shows his young age here. Many of us literally grew up in these cars, and made our memories as kids, traveling with the family, etc. They may be odd by today's standards, but they were perfect for what they needed to be at the time.*

My dad had a 1977 olds wagon 9 passenger. 350 olds V-8- It was a creme color with tan interior. He took us camping every summer in that beast we even towed a pop up behind us for my younger siblings. The older kids got the leaky tents. I will never forget that car or those vacations.

Doug, the F /R switch is Forward and Reverse control for the cassette. It's standard with the Ralley Fun Pack.

We had an 1982 white with the wood, blue leather interior, it was a great wagon, the wife and I loved it. We called ours "Intrepid", it was so long it, it was like driving a landing strip on the highway, a fun wagon, many great trips. Thank you Doug

This car needs to be brought back! Much easier to strap a kayak to the roof than any modern SUV or Crossover

The F/R control was for the auto-reverse cassette player, and it meant Forward/Reverse. It wasn't a fader control for Front/Rear.

9:24 Kids smoking while riding down the street That is how That 70's show was born! 💛

Born in 89 here my parents had an 84 ( give or take a year or two) custom cruiser and it was olive green with same interior green color. To this day it’s one of my favorite cars ever. Even if one of the back hubcaps was missing after moving one year lol

Personally I think all of those chrome-edged rectangles and wood-grain panels inside and out ARE much more stylish that a lot of the rounded, black plastic blobs found inside most modern cars.

The reason bumpers didn't "flow into the design" back then, is because they could actually take a bump...

When Doug was a teenager, he would say to his date: "First, I'm going to kiss you. Then, I'm going to give you a Doug-score."

Wagons are great, transportation for families, holding long items such as surfboards, ladders small kayaks, our Pontiac safari went completely flat in the rear seat area and was great for camping and hauling stuff. I have owned 3 Volvo wagons but these nice long wagons are rare. Beautiful old car.

I love my old cars and my 1978 Olds Custom Cruiser is one that I miss the most! It was 12 years old when I acquired it and in good shape. It was the perfect car for me and my two German Shepherds. They rode in wire crates side by side in the back and I still had plenty of room with the seats down for grocery shopping and more. It didn’t have wood paneling but it was a lovely soft golden yellow. I thought it drove rather well! The only times the Olds wagon ever disappointed me was driving it after I had rented and driven a more modern car. When I returned home to my old Olds it felt like I was driving a boat. Seriously, it felt like I was in a boat with a soft soggy ride and slow to respond. But that feeling went away in a day or two and I never seemed to mind the way it drove. .I let it go very reluctantly in 2009 when it failed the CA smog test. It still looked great. I bought a brand new 2007 Dodge Ram 2500 truck which I still own. The funny thing about that is I bought the Olds to replace my 1971 Ford F250. BTW, some of those old vehicles I owned, well, let’s just say I had good taste in cars. 1957 Chevrolet, 1956 Cadillac convertible. 1964 Chevrolet Corvette. 1967 Triumph Spitfire. 1968 Ford Mustang.

*Crash Test Engineer* “Hmmmm so I’m looking for a crumble zone” *Owner* “The crumble zone is the other car it hits”

I’m so glad my dad had one of these, that backseat was so much fun, plus your parents couldn’t reach back and smack you if you were acting up way back there.

My dad had a 1980-81(?) charcoal grey one with red pin stripping. He had it all the way into the late 90s. I drove it through the last three years of highschool (87-89). I took it on dates and to the drive in. It was great, especially the powerful engine and space for all your friends!👍🏼

12:14 Doug missed that you can actually fold that rear panel back for a completely flat load surface. The reasons I know are because 1, the bottom of that looks the same as the one from the 2nd row, 2 because it has little rubber feet that rest on the trunk sill, and 3, it has a strap you can grab and pull to flip it back

"For our European friends out there, this is 3 feet longer than a mercedes benz c-class" *Cries in metric system

I loved this video. I would much rather watch a video about a 1985 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser than any new multi million dollar supercar. Thanks Doug! Addendum: Awesome easter egg with the clock lol

We had the Buick Estate Wagon version of this in the 80’s … fond memories of it and getting car sick in the rear-facing back seats. So fun to dock as a teenager.

I remember hiding in those as a kid because i was embarrassed to be seen in it when all my friends had mini vans. Now I think it's cool. 😂

Took my drivers test in one... Failed the parallel park section. Gee, wonder why?

You could easily sleep in the back without messing with the front seats. Motels didn’t get many guests back in the day from folks who owned this. How many people were conceived in the back of these land yatchs? lol

Im in tears. My parents had this and nostalgia doesnt begin to describe. Missed the back footwell cover when the seat folds down though.

I remember the episode of Top Gear when they traveled across the southern US, and Jeremy with his Camaro that had a 5.7 liter V8 making 190 hp questioned “how do they get such little horsepower with such a massive engine? It was hilarious.

The 'wire wheels' were actually just a wire wheel cover over a regular steel wheel. And that 4 speaker Delco sound system was top of the line baby!

Notice how there’s a 55 wedged between 50 and 60 on the speedometer, a throwback to the national speed limit of 55 mph...

This kind of 1980s station wagon reminds me of my childhood. My parents didn’t have one, but friends’ parents did.

I had one, and Loved it! With 3 kids it was a mother and father saver

My uncle had this car. That deep pocket in the trunk area is where I used to vomit during long car rides. Ahh, memories..

I have zero interest in the $100k+ cars usually reviewed. These are the ones that are fun to watch!

Grew up in that rear facing seat. The neighbors had the Chevy version of this wagon (basically identical). The mom would drive us everywhere, while we made faces at the driver's behind us at stop lights... lol

Oh boy , that has to have the reverse view back seat. Carried us through the 80s , baseball , football practice . Then the family trips everywhere that was on the radar for beautiful scenery.

For those curious, here is the soundtrack for the Oldsmobile Complimentary Tape Cartridge in 1985: Unknown Artist - Oldsmobile Theme - Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time - Mike Reno & Ann Wilson - Almost Paradise - Enrique Iglesias & Willie Nelson - To All The Girls I've Loved Before - Barbra Streisand - The Way He Makes Me Feel - Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers - Denver - Janie Fricke - Lonely People - Mickey Gilley - Fool For Your Love - Charly McClain - Surround Me With Love - Michael Jackson - Billie Jean - Luther Vandross - Never Too Much - Deniece Williams - Let's Hear It For The Boy - Kent Jordan - Theme From "Terms of Endearment" - The Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell - Overture to "The Marriage of Figaro" K. 492 Composed By - Mozart* The Philadelphia Orchestra, William Smith (4) - Fur Elise Composed By - Beethoven* Philippe Entremont, Piano* - Waltz No. 15 In A-Flat Major, OP. 39 Composed By - Brahms* The Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy - Serenade Composed By - Schubert*

Love the flipped over air filter cover. I did that to my ‘72 Monte Carlo. Didn’t improve performance at all, but it sounded cool.

My dad had a Delta 88 Sedan but we rented a custom crusier for vacation. Talk about driving on a cloud and also huge! I loved it!

The "F" and "R" buttons were for Auto Reverse on the tape deck. The fader was likely controlled by a ring on the outside of one of the main knobs.

I can smell the Marlboro cigarettes, cheap vodka, and hear the conversation about how “your daddy’s a bum” on the way to the local supermarket where I know I’m not getting anything while mom gets 3 cartons of marlboros and 4 gallons of vodka, and an onion.

It certainly is a cool car if not, to others, a good car. I watched this video while sitting at my garage workbench with a die-cast, scale-model, vintage station wagon with me. All in all, this was a refreshing and thorough review of a cool, classic car.

I took my driver's test on a '78 Chevy Caprice Estate wagon (basically the same car) which then became my high school daily driver when Dad got a new car. I loved it. Maybe the most uncool car in the student lot, but a lot of good times and memories. Wish I still had it!

2:45 "for our European friends, this is three feet..." lmao. Why do you hate us Doug

This was the first car my dad bought when he moved to America in the early 80s! We drove this car everywhere and it was amazing

I remember a co worker of my mom had one of these as a daily at de end of the 90's. Not a commom car here in Norway, but the size and engine sound was something special. I really like these land boats.

We had not one but TWO of these simultaneously (82 and 84). The heat and AC weren’t a problem as I recall. I took my drivers test in the 82 which included parallel parking! What a boat. Nostalgic view. Thanks.

Doug, I didn’t read all the comments, so maybe someone has already mentioned this: You missed a lot of great quirks. Maybe you didn’t have enough time. The last panel in the “Back Back”(what my kids called it), was not folded flat, thus making a totally flat floor. Pull on that black strap and then it made a lid over that footwell. It had a latch and you could keep large items there and also haul plywood or drywall panels. Also a real quirky thing was the spare tire area. It was to your left as you sat in the “Back Back”. You pull on that plastic panel and move it out of the way to reveal the FULL SIZED spare and jack and tools. Another quirky thing that you missed was the trash can in the passenger side footwell. Cadillac even did this on their cars. They were color matched and carpeted and clipped in and out so as to empty easily. Some of the stereo systems had a CB player in them. Squelch just right and CB transmissions would override your music so that you could be informed of traffic conditions ahead. I had one that was AM/FM/8Track/CB and one that was AM/FM/Cassette/CB. How do I know? I had a wife, 3 kids, their friends, one Pontiac Grand Safari wagon, one Buick Estate wagon, and one Pontiac Parisienne.

Reminds me of the Vista Cruiser from That 70's Show. "With this you could literally, cruise the vistas"

I had one of these, it was all white with blue interior. I put Firestone air bag suspension on the rear. Put a bored over cammed out 455 out of a Cutlass . Did lots of fab work and put a 4 speed out of a 70 GTO. Man that draggin wagon was fast....but not fast enough to cut that oak tree in half I crashed into while street racing ....when your class mate father owned a salvage yard , you could do anything you set you mind to.

Just so much fun to watch your videos with all your enthusiasm!

I would rather drive this than any new family sedan. Reminds me of grandmas apartment - safe and warm!

This car is a Hoovie special! He would have bought it for 8 grand, spend another 2 grand fixing it and then sell it for 4 grand.

Omg. I remember my dad had one of these. We drove that thing every where. Local and on long trips. We loved it. I would like to see wagons make a come back

Try a 1970 Chrysler Town & Country. Very comfortable seats, 8-track player, horn in the steering wheel rim, rear window washer and wiper, seats 9 (we had 11 in there once), massive 440 ci gas guzzler engine, rear passenger air conditioning. She moved. Fold down all the seats and make a bed (rear seat area becomes a trunk) and travel in style. It was pretty good looking as well.

I'm happy to see somebody has kept that nice old wagon in great shape.