Mt Pisgah is ten minutes away, and offers dozens of splendid hiking trails, most of which converge at the top for terrific views over the valley and to the Cascade Mountains. Most of the trails start at the various west side trail heads, but there’s also a small east side trail head, and the other day we headed there. There were three other cars there, and not the usual assortment of Subarus, for a change. In fact, it was a rather unusual collection of cars, American, Japanese and Germany, and of decidedly different vintages and formats. So how could I resist, despite the splendid views over the fields?
The 88 LSS (Luxury Sport Sedan) was one of the many typical GM attempts to remake their traditional sedans like the 88 into an import-fighter. Throw in some leather buckets, borrow a console from the previous generation Bonneville SSE, add some alloys and make the suspension upgrade standard, and Voila! A genuine BMW-fighter. Or not. This on is a 1996 or later, with its Aurora-style grille.
The open sunroof allowed a different perspective into the interior. From the looks of the leather and the cracked arm rest, this car has had a lot of miles, or it reflects on the quality of the materials.
The LSS was powered by the ubiquitous 3.8 L V6, rated at 205 hp by this time. An optional supercharged version bumped that to 225 hp.
Not a bad looking car; just a rather confused one, in terms of its image. Most 88s were bought by the kind of older demographic Olds was trying so hard to distance themselves from.
No questions about who’s driving this veteran Mazda GLC (323) wagon: it’s a young woman, and I’ve run into it three times in the last couple of weeks since it suddenly showed up in town.
The stickers on the rear window confirms that without a doubt.
This is a decently roomy little wagon, considering its 91″ wheelbase and that it has conventional RWD still.
I like the shifter handle. These wagons were still built after the new FWD 323 generation appeared, as there was no wagon version of it.
It did get a new front clip that looked like the new 323, so this wagon is from that second series, after 1980. These were tough little cars (like pretty much all Mazdas back in the day), and it’s not the only one of its kind still running regular duties in Eugene. When is the last time you saw one?
Ken Kesey’s family farm is just ahead a ways in this valley, near Pleasant Hill. He and his kids used to hike up to Pisgah (on left, not in the shot) from their farm, and there’s a nice little memorial to his son that passed away in his youth, up on top. Before Ken passed away a few years back, he could be seen driving around town in a woody Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon; a fitting car for an all-American icon.
This big GL350 is a handsome hunk, as was Ken.
It’s a diesel. Diesels really work well in these bigger SUVs, both for their effortless torque yet surprisingly good fuel economy. The economics are relatively better in this class of car, as the diesel upcharge is a smaller percentage of the total price, or even subsidized by the manufacturer. And when the total fuel consumed goes up, like in a big SUV, the efficiency gains are more significant, financially-wise.
I haven’t driven one of these, but I did drive a somewhat similar big Audi Q7 diesel, and it really impressed me how it hustled along with that boosted 3 L turbo diesel. If I was getting a vehicle in this class, I’d likely spring for the diesel.
It was another glorious day and hike, and the views were splendid, and not just of that Mazda 323.
Wow, I haven’t seen a Mazda like that in a long while. Homely as heck.
I always like that LSS front end design, still see lots around here in Vancouver. I guess they kept it around, if you couldn’t afford the Aurora. It’s got the Aurora seats, steering wheel and wheels.
I have never seen a 323 wagon before…thanks for sharing
My grandmother owned a GLC wagon much like this one, but with the older front clip. Think hers was a ’79. The interior brought back memories, though Nana Mary’s was silver with black vinyl. Solid little car, and in immaculate shape when it was traded on a Protege LX in 1993. Though they’re by no means common anymore, I have seen at least one in the past 5 years. There was a GLC-badged wagon, in white like this one, that was actually in use as a pizza delivery vehicle when I lived in Durham, NC. Saw it multiple times. On the one hand, seems like needlessly hard work for a 30+ year old near-classic, but on the other hand, it’s a point in the car’s favor that it was still reliable enough to be used as a work vehicle after all these years.
Very nice assortment! Naturally, this generation Eighty-Eight is very near and dear to my heart. If I ever decided to buy one, the LSS would be my first choice. Same car as my grandfather’s Eighty-Eight LS, but ever so slightly more fitting of my personality.
I’ll also admit that I really like the GL. If I was in the market for a large 3-row SUV, it would be high on my list. All things relative, the new ones are actually somewhat of a bargain, considering they start at about what a similarly-equipped Tahoe/Suburban goes for. The current generation has a much nicer interior, but I somewhat prefer the styling of the first generation.
It may not be in BMW territory, but I bet the LSS is a nice driving car in its own way.
They really are. I had one as a rental car in Orlando FL back in ’97. Super comfy
Three very disparate cars, as you say, Paul, and three very disparate drivers, I would venture to say. And yet here they are, enjoying the same thing: the great outdoors. Nature, the great democratizer.
There are also a couple of Mt Pisgahs in Maine. Turns out it’s a bible name,
Totally unrelated to anything, I saw a blue Chevy Monza on the road in Topsham, Maine today.
An interesting collection of cars. The Olds is at least a 96, so both V6’s would be series ii (205 or 240 hp). The ML350’s fuel consumption is hard to figure. The Fuel Economy website suggests about 18 MPG with the gas engine and 23 with the diesel. This would save about 2 to 3 thousand dollars over 100,000 miles at todays fuel prices (which change daily). But the actual fuel consumption for owners that post at the website, 27 MPG average is possible with diesel, and 20 or so probable for gas. The diesel seems like a good choice.
If you don’t drive around like a mad man, around 25 MPG should be possible with an ML 350 diesel.
I get 26 to 27 MPG in my 13 year old Land Cruiser with a 3.0 liter turbo diesel. That includes a lot of freeway-driving, doing 80 to 85 mph.
i have no recent experience with diesels, but my 1978 Olds did use much less fuel than my earlier gas powered big sedans. My current car with a 3.6 gas engine and AWD gets about 27 on long trips cruising at 70 MPH (our speed limits are generally well under 85). Day to day driving I get about 24-25 on pure gasoline. I plan to experiment with 10% ethanol to see if I can see a difference. On long trips I have a mix of ethanol and pure gasoline, plus head winds…
The speed limit on freeways is 80 mph (130 km/h) now, but in real life most people drive faster. It has always been that way, no matter the limit. You’ve got a real problem when you exceed the speed limit with 31 mph (50 km/h) or more. When you get caught in that case, the police will take your driver’s license. It’s up to the judge when you get it back…
27 MPG is not bad for a 3.6 gasoline engine and AWD.
The real fuel sippers here are small (B-segment) hatchbacks with a turbo diesel engine, think around 1.3 to 1.6 liter displacement. Then you’re talking 50 to 55 MPG on average, easily.
Nice GLC wagon, haven’t seen that in awhile. “Good(Great) Little Car”, and Mazda was right.
It’s like Mazda’s version of the Toyota Starlet. Small, thrifty hatchback with RWD.
The wagon stayed RWD, even though the GLC sedan/coupe switched to FWD in 1981.
That’s a nice mixed company you have there…
A 3.0 liter 6 cylinder turbo diesel -like in the Benz GL above- seems to be the optimum for both (big) SUVs and midsized and larger Autobahn burners & high performance long distance runners. Only Audi, Porsche and Range Rover still offer a bigger V8 diesel (Audi in the A8, Porsche in the Cayenne S).
Power of these 3.0 liter 6-cylinders these days is somewhere between 250 and 380 hp. Torque between 450 and 550 ft-lb. (Compared to the Porsche Cayenne S with the V8 diesel: 385 hp / 627 ft-lb @ 2,000 – 2,750 rpm)
I’ve only seen a few of those GLs so far. It’s a bit “too much”, Mercedes SUV buyers obviously prefer the ML with the same V6 diesel engine as in the GL.
I had one of those Mazdas a 83 but 2 door and the steering utensil was on the other side 1500 engine 4 speed it was a great little car but not badged that way same colour interior as the above.
I can see the appeal of the little Mazda, or the big Mercedes to somebody else, but I think the Olds would be “just right”
My 20 year old 98 has an interior that is nearly perfect except for the drivers seat, and that same spot on the drivers door armrest, so I’d guess it’s mostly the miles on this one too.
What year did they stop making the Mazda 323 wagon’s? Definitely not a commonly seen car, I never really saw too many of these even back in the early 90’s.
According to a 1988 Consumer Guide publication covering used cars from the previous ten years (found it a while back while cleaning, in a box of books), the wagon was sold in the U.S. through 1983. While it may not have been sold in the U.S. after that, Wikipedia says that the wagon actually remained in production through 1986, when an FWD version was finally developed.
I once saw a ’86 Mazda 323 wagon looking similar to this at a car dealership in Washington State back in 2007 and I was surprised about it being an ’86 instead of an early 80’s model, I would have guessed the car being an ’81 or ’82 model.
From what I understand, the RWD GLC wagon rivaled the Land Rover Defender in how inconsistently it was available in the US. I’ve seen it listed for ’82 and ’83, then dropped for ’84 and ’85; then it reappeared for ’86 before disappearing for good. This also meant that it overlapped with the “BF” 323 model, making it two generations out of date.
I love the look and feel of the last-gen GL. My girlfriend’s parents has one and we’ve borrowed it a few times on our canoeing/camping outings to carry all of our gear and canoes, as her Jetta and my 200 are not appropriate vehicles for this voyage, being front-wheel drive and too low to the ground. It looks and feels like an urban/suburban vehicle but it carved around some really rough terrain like a it was a Jeep or something, only the ride was unbelievably smooth.
Even going over gravel-paved inclines, over tree limbs and that kind of stuff, we weren’t sloshing around in our seats and holding on for dear life. It went through this trail with no problem. I seriously thought we were going to have some major issues as I doubted the suspension was up to the job, but her dad has taken it off-road several times and has towed a fishing boat. We had a few stares from people passing by us on the very narrow road in old Chevy 4×4 trucks or Jeep Wranglers, and I’m sure people were gasping at the mud and the filth caked on it on our drive home.
Mercedes really killed the smooth, classy look on the GL550 version. They took something perfect and pasted this huge, hideous grille on. I guess the bigger engine size = the perceived need for a bigger grille, but this is a Mercedes, not some kind of man toy like a lifted pickup or a Hummer. Looks so terrible.
I have a thing for Mazda. I learned something new today, because I did not realize that this wagon was RWD. I guess if I ever get to drive a RWD Mazda it would likely be the Miata.
I kind of fell on love with the Olds 88. I really like that styling. But you were right guessing the cracked plastics are a sign of low quality materials. But the drive train, the great view out of the green house and the comfortable ride make them great highway cars. There are plenty of them here in the middle of the Midwest. They are holding up rather well against corrosive compounds. I don’t look at them as import fighters but as modern American family sedans in their own right. I am CL- lurking for those.
How about the Benz? It would be too much for my needs and it does not figure for my wants.
Luxury Sports Sedan eh? Good thing there was no coupe or I’d call it blatant ripoff of Lincoln’s LSC package.
I haven’t seen a GLC wagon in at least 20 years, or any GLC for many years now. They are definitely an endangered species (if not extinct) beyond the Rocky Mountains.
Mercedes-Benz GLs, on the other hand, are all over the place here, and it seems that at least half of them are diesels. Lots of ML, GLK, X5 and Q7 diesels too.
What about a Gasoline GL500? Too expensive to feed!?
TBH, I don’t really see a whole lot of GL550s, but I don’t think that’s the reason why. I do see plenty of the lesser GL450s, which burn nearly as much gas but cost a lot less up front. The diesel seems like it appeals more to diesel fanatics specifically, because diesel is not mainstream at all for passenger vehicles in the U.S. – however Mercedes and VW have built a nice little niche for themselves among this crowd over the last 30+ years. I suspect that a lot of GL350 BlueTec drivers are coming from W126, W140, W210, etc. diesels earlier in life, or perhaps they just grew up with those cars.
The people who want an SUV that hauls ass seem to gravitate much more towards the G-wagen in G550 and G63 AMG forms. Plenty of those around, too – and of course it’s a much more “status symbol-y” vehicle as well.
The Oldsmobile 88 LSS is a killer! No comments about the mazda 323. The GL reminds me to a boring local lad…
I’d go for the Olds. I think if I was buying something as old as the Mazda, I’d want a bit more…character? The Merc does nothing for me at all.
The LSS is a n/a 3800 SII powered one. The L67 supercharged version replaced “Oldsmobile” with “Supercharged” on the rear deck badging. No other outward clues as to the 240 hp/280 lb ft drivetrain. Most of the s/c versions had the older style 16″ turbine wheels (from the ’92 era 98 Touring Sedan), though a few had the Aurora style base wheels. S/c was a $1500 option with, iirc, a 10% take rate. My aunt had a ’97 LSS s/c, burgundy over tan, with the chrome 16″ turbines. They looked better with the Aurora style wheels imo. These are not Aurora wheels, being 5 spokes (Aurora had 6). The interiors were quite nice in their day, often being described as near Lexus quality switchgear. Some hard plastic. Feature rich, though, with Twilight Sentinel, traction control, ABS, digital climate, CD player, dual power seats, auto dimming inside and drivers outside mirror, etc. The wood trim is spare and realistic, modern looking low gloss. Insider tip: it’s actually wood look printed on a metal strip, not plastic.
The 1996 LSS was the first car on the American market with optional factory GPS, a dash-mounted unit bolted next to the radio (think Hertz NeverLost) called Guidestar, developed by Delphi. A $2500 stand-alone option. Japan and Europe had cars on sale with optional nav earlier, though.
The Dodge Durango 2011-2015 is based on a GL. It is literally half the price! With a few options the GL is $70,000! Plus most reviews place the Durango as a better although less luxurious SUV. It’s V6 is rated 25mpg on the highway.
I really want a Durango for our growing family but my wife doesn’t really like the idea of driving a Dodge. The GL would be nice, but they are super expensive even used. Luckily she also likes the Buick Enclave. So I’ll hold my nose and deal with the FWD and at least be happy it’s American and also a good SUV that is not overpriced.
We sold many LSS Delta 88’s and most had the Aurora style wheels with a few featuring the optional chromes. 200-300K miles was the norm for these cars as many were used as long distance interstate cruisers and our customers really seemed to like them. The rarely seen SC 3800 which put out 240 horses from 1996-1999 really turned these into performers for there day and 30 MPG on the open road was not unknown. The Aurora leather seats are super comfortable and these cars cruise down the road as quietly as many cars today that claim to have quiet tuning etc. The Mazda looks like a stark relic from the late 70’s.