I bought a car today

[human]

Today, I did something that was either very smart or very dumb, depending on one's point of view. I bought a 1995 Cutlass Supreme convertible. The car is in nice shape and has a new convertible top (not a cheap thing in and of itself) but believe it or not, my motivation is to save money--or more accurately, to contain costs. I have two Oldsmobile convertibles that were my late father's. He had given me a 1964 Dynamic 88, which needs considerable work just to get it running after sitting more than 30 years and my sister, who is executrix of his estate, said I could also have his '67 Cutlass Supreme Turnpike Cruiser convertible, which has been sitting for almost as long as the '64 and likely needs even more work to get it streetable. The idea was that I would sell one car to help pay for fixing the other one up. I stumbled across this '95 Cutlass over the weekend and the price was decent for its condition, so the more I thought about it, the more I began to see another alternative that seemed to make sense—Sell both of the older convertibles, buy this '95 and put some money in the bank. What I came to realize is that at the end of the day, I really just want a convertible I can drive around and enjoy on pretty days. The '95 provides that along with what I believe will be a significantly lower cost of ownership and less worry about constant repairs and unobtainium parts, at least for the next few years. Either of the other two cars run the risk of being potential open money pits with costs possibly spiraling out of control and beyond my modest means. The best part is the '95 is ready to go and I can start enjoying it immediately, whereas I could be pouring money into either of the other two cars for quite some time without ever getting behind the wheel. I've always had a bit of fondness for those last generation Cutlass Supremes ever since I had a '91 Supreme coupe about 20 years ago. More recently, we had a '94 Supreme convertible in the family that I would have liked to have had but at the time, I had no place to put it and could not afford it. Call me crazy for giving up not one, but two vintage cars in favor of one that's still a few years away from qualifying as an antique, but it makes sense for me and my circumstances. Now here's the the ironic part. At the age of 54, this is the first car buying decision I've ever made completely on my own. Every other car I have ever had was either purchased in consultation with my father, who was an Oldsmobile district sales manager, or outright chosen by him. For better or worse, this one's gonna be truly mine.

Now for the obligatory Aurora content: With the convertible on its way, there's just not enough room in the driveway for all these cars, so sadly, the time has come to part ways with the Aurora. If I had my 'druthers, I would prefer it go to somebody who has a passion for these special cars. Let me know if you're interested in the Aurora or either of the other convertibles and maybe we can work a deal.

Daily Driver: 2011 Chevy Impala LT
Weekend Toy: 1995 Aurora
Coming Soon: 1995 Cutlass Supreme Convertible

[tigger]

Congrats on your purchase!

Even though I do understand your choice financially, I would have a hard time parting with either of those classic Oldsmobiles...



With that said, haha, any pics of that '67 Cutlass TC? Those were 400/2bbl, correct?

[Marc]

Aug 20, 2018 23:49:57 GMT -6 tigger said:

With that said, haha, any pics of that '67 Cutlass TC? Those were 400/2bbl, correct?

You are right.

[RCA1186]

Sad to hear that she's going. Do post an ad in the marketplace with pictures and details! Maybe one of us will pick her up!

[human]

Yes, the Turnpike Cruiser was an odd duck for its time. Essentially a 442 with a 2bbl carb and a taller gear ratio to achieve more optimal highway fuel efficiency. It was just the wrong concept for the height of the muscle car era when gas was about 30 cents a gallon. I haven't seen either of the older convertibles since about 2004 but will within the next couple of weeks when we retrieve them from where they've been stored for the past three or four years. I'll post some pix when I can. I'm sad to be parting ways with the Aurora but at the same time, I don't think I've driven it 20 miles this year because of the oil pressure issue. It's just time. I also struggled with the decision not to keep either of the classic convertibles but at the end of the day, the '95 is a more practical choice for my needs and means—to the extent that any convertible can be called practical. The classic convertibles will be brought back on the road by others who will be better qualified stewards of them than I.

Daily Driver: 2011 Impala LT
Weekend Toy: 1995 Aurora
Coming Soon: 1964 Dynamic 88 Convertible

[human]

When the late Tom Petty penned the line "The waiting is the hardest part", I don't think he was thinking about waiting for a Cutlass convertible to be delivered, but somehow it fits. The seller deposited my check today and we're just waiting for it to clear and then for the shipper to pick the car up. I'm thinking maybe it could possibly be here the end of next week.

In preparation for the Cutlass' arrival, I decided to get the Aurora movable again. I haven't driven it in about four or five months and it had two flat tires on the rear and a dead battery. I was able to air one tire up with my compressor but the other one had a damaged valve stem from when I had to cut a corroded aluminum valve cap off with a Dremel, so I took that one to the shop and had a new stem put in for the princely sum of $2. The battery took almost 48 hours to charge but tonight when I took it out for a little exercise, it cranked right up. I went and picked up some dinner and it was kind of fun being behind the Aurora's wheel but sort of bittersweet as well, knowing my time of doing so is soon coming to an end. But hey, time marches on. At least the Low Oil Pressure warnings stayed at bay until I pulled back into the driveway.

Daily Driver: 2011 Impala LT
Weekend Toy: 1995 Aurora
Coming Very Soon: 1995 Cutlass Supreme Convertible

[human]

I just heard from the shipper and my Cutlass convertible is scheduled to ship on Monday. Woo-hoo!

Daily Driver: 2011 Impala LT
Weekend Toy: 1995 Aurora
Coming Soon: 1964 Dynamic 88 Convertible

[aj]

So how much did the Cutlass cost you? I would much rather have the Aurora and fix it instead. You know there is that special feeling with the Aurora, you will miss it. But in my case is different since they have always been in my family Oldsmobile stable since new. You should try and keep one of your older Oldsmobile's they are worth the investment and since it is your fathers Oldsmobile? But none the less, at least your still going to have an Oldsmobile in your stable!

[human]

The Convertible Has Landed!
The '95 Cutlass Convertible was dropped off at my house a little over an hour ago. I really had to fight the urge to drop the top and take it for a little spin, but that will have to wait until tomorrow when I can get it registered. There were a few little undisclosed defects, but that's to be expected on a car that age. The most annoying one is the plastic hinge on the console cover is broken. Construction seems similar to that of a 2nd gen Aurora. It's a clean break and it had been glued in the past without success. Unless I can come up with a creative redneck engineering solution, I'll have to start scouring the yards and keep my eyes open for a replacement. Another little problem that the seller had alerted me to is the switch for the convertible top sometimes doesn't want to work. I'm going to try spraying it with some contact cleaner tomorrow and if that doesn't work, a new switch will go on the shopping list. It looks to be the same as the sunroof switch on my Aurora. If so, I may have to pull a little switcheroo before I get rid of the Aurora. The daylight was fading when the car was delivered, so I didn't have an opportunity to take pictures. I'll definitely be doing that tomorrow afternoon so I can send some to my insurance company and post some here as well. While the updated interior is a vast improvement to the '88-'94 Cutlass Supremes, it's definitely not an Aurora.

The Aurora I really miss is the first one I had and wrecked. I felt like I had unfinished business in that department so I bought the '95 but it was never the same experience. I'm just ready for a change. While I'd love to keep one of the older convertibles, I have no place to put one and I really don't have the money to do it justice. I can have my fun with the '95 Cutlass, without breaking the bank. The convertible doesn't have any floormats, but it and the Aurora have the same color interior, so the convertible will be rolling with Aurora mats.

Daily Driver: 2011 Impala LT
Weekend Toy: 1995 Cutlass Supreme Convertible

For Sale:
1995 Aurora
1964 Dynamic 88 Convertible
1967 Cutlass Supreme Turnpike Cruiser Convertible

[human]

So today marked two months since I placed the winning bid on the convertible. The weather was a little on the moist and cool side so I didn't take it out. But I'm really happy with the car. Yeah, it isn't an Aurora but it's still a whole lot of fun. I'm finding that driving out in the country with the top down is very therapeutic. I'm also enjoying fixing up the few little things that are wrong with it. To that end, I made a run this week to a junk yard about a half hour away that had just gotten in a '95 Cutlass Supreme coupe. I got some pieces I needed and some I'll probably need in the future. Bird in the hand and all that. I've also cleaned out the Aurora to get it ready to sell and among the things I found in the car that I'd forgotten about were the front floor mats out of my '91 Cutlass Supreme coupe that I had twenty-odd years ago I cleaned them up and they're now in the convertible where they belong, along with the rear mats from the Aurora, which now has a set of black mats out of a 2001 Seville. The '95 convertible has a graphite interior like the Aurora and the '91 had a light gray interior with slightly darker carpet but the convertible's carpet has faded to the point that the lighter floor mats are pretty much a spot-on match in the front while the Aurora's rear mats are perfect in the rear. I've also swapped radios around. The convertible had its OEM AM/FM/cassette unit so I immediately swapped in an AM/FM/cassette/CD unit I'd grabbed from a 2000 Intrigue a few years and never used. The convertible's radio is now in the Aurora and the Buick AM/FM/CD/cassette unit is sitting on the shelf while I debate whether to move it into the convertible. I liked it in the Aurora but somehow the Oldsmobile unit looks more at home in the convertible. Still, I may give it a test fitting at some point, just for fun. And that's what the convertible is all about for me--fun!

Daily Driver: 2011 Impala LT
Weekend Toy: 1995 Cutlass Supreme convertible
For sale: 1995 Aurora, 2002 Silhouette