When you chart the changes of the Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera across its 14-year run, it’s easy to break it down into the six-window era and the four-window era. Less obviously, perhaps, this car also has the sealed-beam era and the composite-headlamps era. Only in 1988 did the six-window Cutlass Ciera come with composite headlamps. Now you know, and you’re welcome.
My next-door neighbor has one, but it must be newer because it only has 4 windows. It was his daily driver until a couple months ago when it must have stopped working, and I haven’t seen him leave the house since.
Looks like the Ciera sedan lost the C-pillar windows for the 1989 refresh.
There was an interesting passage about the final year Ciera in the Wikipedia article which stated:
“During this time, Oldsmobile attempted to revamp itself as a European-styled upscale make with new products such as the Aurora, but the Cutlass Ciera’s continued strong sales proved almost an embarrassment due to its dated design and perceived image as an “old man’s car”. On the other hand, because the tooling for the A-body platform had long since been monetized, GM was guaranteed a profit off each Cutlass Ciera and Buick Century sold.”
Seems about right.
I’m sure if the government hadn’t changed the safety standards they probably would have still sold well til at least 2000.
I’m sorry, I couldn’t see anything but a rusty yellow car. Is there a single car color that looks worse as it rusts than light yellow?
Also, it occurs to me that there are few cars with wipers that parked more tightly and unobtrusively against the bottom of the windshield than these.
“Also, it occurs to me that there are few cars with wipers that parked more tightly and unobtrusively against the bottom of the windshield than these.”
They may have sweated this detail a bit more as this car took a place in the GM line-up that had sported “Hide Away” wipers since 1968.
In the mid 90s my dad bought a coworker’s 1977 Corolla 2dr sedan as a commuter for $1. It was a California transplant with a decade of Central NY road salt exposure, base model with a 4spd and manual brakes and steering. It was a honey-mustard yellow, and my dad took it upon himself to combat the splotches of rust with bright yellow Rustoleum spray paint from the hardware store. It ended up looking truly ghastly but we loved that crude old thing. A few years later it started to bend in half on our mechanic’s lift so he condemned it, we sold it to him for $1. Talk about low TCO
Pretty obvious on haze gray also.
Dad had an 83 Ciera LS with the 2.8 V6. A perfect car. Absolutely nothing went wrong during his lengthy ownership. It did everything needed quietly, smoothly and efficiently.
A friend had an 82 Ciera Brougham which was similarly successful.
I drove in several others and found the V6 and firm suspension package to be essential for a happy experience. The 4 cyl was too rough, and the base suspension too soft.
If I came across a really well preserved example, I’d add it to the fleet.
I own 2000 Volvo S70 which, except for the rough 5 cyl engine is remarkably similar to that old Ciera. Not something Volvo owners might like to hear, but it says something for the innate goodness of the fwd A-body when properly equipped.
I love Road Roaches ™ and look forward to the stories .
-Nate
3300 V6 did well in these, but the real sleepers are the older ones with the optional “big block”, the 3.8L fuel injected. Technically a Muscle Car, they took the engine from the biggest cars (Ninety Eight, Toronado) and made it available in a midsize. So many were 4 cylinders and 2.8’s, one of the 3.8 cars can surprise ya.
The 3300 is effectively a lower-deck version of the 3800, with a smaller bore and stroke. It is the same block.
Like this one 😈
Oldsmobile
For yesterday’s look – today!
Suddenly, it is 1978!
I still see these things absolutely everywhere across the Midwest and PA, despite rust increasingly actively taking them off the road. There is still seemingly a steady supply of reasonably clean/structurally sound ones from estates that end up entering the motor pool, I saw a very nice one just last week when visiting my brother in State College PA. At this point I have nothing but respect for them for providing affordable, comfortable transportation for several generations of working class Americans. They’re great in the snow too, with a modern CUV’s equivalent of ground clearance and good weight over the front wheels, and no traction control to stymie forward motion.
Pa huh? Neat. I drive one in central PA. It’s a 95, with the 3.1 V6. It’s been my daily driver since 2010, and continues to outshine a lot of the newer cars (In my opinion)
The biggest problem it had, was, unfortunately the transmission. It’s GM 4T60E four speed automatic decided at 243 thousand miles, it would be a great time for it to stop going into reverse (and it lost 3 and 4 gear) This car meant so much to me, both economically, and sentimentally. That I actually took that tranny out, and rebuilt it. It was a huge pain, I never want to have to deal with again. But all in all, it worked out, and that Cuddy is still going strong today.
That’s awesome! The one I saw was grey, and looked very nice indeed, not rusted out at all by the look of it. An aside, if you ever have some auto-diagnostics needs he’s your guy. He runs a mobile auto diagnostic business and has a built a nice little youtube presence built around those case-studies (Pine Hollow Auto Diagnostics on youtube). Him and I both love the old GM rigs.
IMO the 6-window roofline is too upright and formal and the 4-window looks melted and has those hokey cheater panels. The wagon just nailed it, though, and a late Ciera wagon would be the one to have.
The formal roof line made for efficient packaging in a smaller car. Maximum headroom, easy entry rear doors and an accessible trunk are nice benefits of a near- vertical rear window.
CHEATER PANELS yes! Great description. My Mom bought a new 1990 Century and it had those. Great car though, with the 3300 V6. A solution for the cheater panels woulda been to buy a very rare 2 door version!
Thanks 4 posting. Some M.Y. 1987 models of this did indeed have composite headlamps. Kind of like the Buick Skyhawk having covered and uncovered headlamps in the same M.Y. but dependent on trim level. Happy New Year!
My wife was gifted a 1987 Cutlass Ciera Brougham in the late 1990s that her grandmother ordered new with what seemed like every option.
It had the composite headlamps that became standard in 1988, along with the 3.8L fuel-injected Buick V6, and the full “rally” gauge cluster (including a tach).
White over maroon velour, with some light rust starting to take hold around the wheel wells. It was comfortable, fairly fast, and we had no qualms driving it across the country in 2000 with >180K on the odometer and the original engine and transmission.
I prefer the original rear window design on the sedans. The rounded rear window and C-pillar appeared to the grafting of a different car’s parts onto one of Irv Rybicki’s “sheer look” masterpieces.
It’s like the 85 Ford Escort.
These are now very scarce on Westcoast roads, where any old car tends to live longer due to the lack of road salt.
They still show up on Craigslist, though this is the only one at the moment.
https://vancouver.craigslist.org/nvn/cto/d/west-vancouver-south-88-cutlass-ciera/7399688023.html
TWO DOOR – {swoon}
If that was a 3.8L i might make a road trip 🙂
Someone on the FACEBOOK Ciera Car Group brought up they were available on the 1987 BROUGHAM Ciera.