Image from the web. The author’s car was a firethorn red with a white top. A four-door without the Oldsmobile wheels, just hubcaps.
I’d like to start out my COAL by coming clean;
I love all things Brougham! Yes, I like well-overstuffed velour seating as in the Cadillac Fleetwood Talisman, cornering lights, thermometers built into the outside mirrors, and even some vinyl roof coverings!
Ok, I already know that this will cross-grain some, but that’s OK! It’s out in the open!
I got my driver’s license in 1979. Sadly, at this same time, my mom and dad, who owned a building company and a real estate company, went completely bankrupt. This country was in a bad recession at the time and losing everything wasn’t uncommon. We made a move from Ohio to Florida so they could start over.
I started mowing lawns at the age of 9 and banked all the money I made. I knew I’d be buying my first car, and I wanted a big, loaded up car. I knew that I had about $3000 so I told my dad that I was ready to start looking.
Photo from the Cohort by William Rubano.
The first car I had my eyes on was a very clean, elderly-owned 1974 Pontiac Grand Ville. It was really nice, but Dad thought me having a 455-4 barrel under my right foot was a terrible idea. The next one was a 1973 Impala sport coupe. But again, he said no because this one had the 454-4 barrel.
Finally, my dad found a suitable car (in his eyes only!), a 1973 Mercury Montego MX Villager wagon, similar to the one in the picture. It was cheap at $900, but was really well-worn. Besides an AM radio, remote control mirror, and a clock, this car had the class 3 towing package. The original owner used this car to tow his 26’ Airstream Trailer. However, he neglected his car by not charging the oil, or keeping up with any maintenance. It was a mess.
My dad came clean; he admitted that the reason we needed something cheap was because the money in my account had been used to move us. He felt terrible about the whole thing, and he would make it right…
One afternoon I came home from work to see my dad and his friend John standing at the curb next to John’s 1977 Cutlass Supreme Brougham! Dad asked me over, introduced me to John, and told me to take this car for a drive and let him know what I thought about it.
I got in, and admired the regency-like loose pillow seats, the color-everything! It drove perfectly, looked to be in very good condition and would have made me perfectly happy.
So I told my dad all of this. He explained that he could make a “really good deal on it due to the mileage.”
This car had traveled 98,645 miles in just under 3 years. It seems that John was a traveling salesman. As such, his company paid him for the use of his car, meaning it was very well maintained.
A deal was struck and it was mine for $1750.
I loved that car. I had treated my station wagon terribly! I drove it hard, didn’t do much to keep it running and even bent the A frame part of the suspension. But that Cutlass was something else entirely, and I kept it up perfectly. It was garage kept, secured serviced all the time, and was constantly washed and waxed.
I enjoyed every mile I drove. It was back and forth to Ohio two or three times, all over Florida, and became the choice of cars whenever my friends and I went out. In the 35,000 miles I drove it over two years, it only needed a fan clutch.
One day, I started eyeing my next car and decided that at 19, owning two cars wasn’t a great idea. So I put the Cutlass up for sale.
I had it out at my workplace and a car pulled up with three guys in it. The lead man came over to introduce himself and ask about the car. I told him how many miles it had, and gave him the history. At first, he seemed unimpressed. But he changed his tune after looking it over. He commented that the rare options, such as the rally gauge pack and the intermittent wipers put it back on his list.
After driving it, we came to a deal at $2400.
Once we were done, I asked if he was going to make this his driver. He explained that all three of them each owned a car lot in Columbus Indiana. They had delivered a car to Fort Myers and needed something to drive home. He was brutally honest! He told me he’d make the odometer read around 60,000 miles and sell it for $4000-4200!
I hope you enjoyed this first COAL as much as I enjoyed writing it. Great memories.
Related CC reading:
Cohort Pic(k) Of The Day#2: 1973 Mercury Montego Wagon — I Hate To Be A Killbuzz, But…
Curbside Classic: 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham — Finest Brougham In All Of Hampton, IL!
“He was brutally honest! He told me he’d make the odometer read around 60,000 miles and sell it for $4000-4200!”
That’s brutally DIS-honest!
A odometer scandal happened at a GM dealership north of New Orleans some years back. A gentleman bought a car similar to the above, low milage, good condition, and made the deal. Later, the gentleman noted several service station stickers in the door jam and under the hood indicted much higher mileage than on the odometer. A law suit ensued, and Feds got involved. From mechanic to shop foreman, to used sales director to the manager of the dealership were indicted as each rolled on the next. Since this was a federal crime, the franchise with GM was instantly voided. Within 10 days after the story broke, the dealership was under a new name.
I’d forgotten that Olds put the squared-away fascia with waterfall grille on the existing 4 door bodies (the coupes got new bodies). The Buick 4 doors were not so lucky.
Welcome “Chips” 🙂
I too recall that recession…it’s what I graduated from high school into; and things weren’t that much better for several years after that.
I can only imagine that it was mighty tough for your dad to fess up to using your savings to pay for household expenses. It’s a shame that he didn’t ask first as there’s a good chance that you’d have agreed to help? Did he ever make good on it?…I suppose that even if he paid the $1700 for the Olds, you were still $1300 in the hole.
Crazy story about the odometer fraud. I guess they paid you in cash, ’cause they certainly don’t sound trustworthy for any kind of check.
Welcome to the COAL club. You’re off to a fine start!
In an odd twist of near coincidence, I learned to drive in 1980, and the first car I bought with my own money was a 1972 Ford Torino wagon whose first life was towing an Airstream camper.
Thanks Jeff! Yes, dad and I worked everything out.
He took good care of me. He was so frightened. Back then, bankruptcy wasn’t an easy, 7 year recoup. It was years of being turned down.
@Evan- small world! I suppose those were designed to be workhorses! Mine was so very tired!!!
For some reason, my reply feature doesn’t work.
The station wagon pic kind a emphasizes the “rust tendency”, of mid “70’s Fords/Merc’s”. (At least round the mid Atlantic regions).
I didn’t get to anyplace else during that time period.
Hello Chips, welcome to the COAL mine. I see that we share the same love for the “fancy car.” I look forward to seeing what’s next in your series.
Welcome, Chips! This was a great read. I am just a touch older, got my license in 1975 and graduated college in 1982 in the depths of a terrible economy, so I remember that time period well.
I remember really liking those Pontiac Grand Villes, and thought they were one of the most attractive of GM’s big cars.
Odometer fraud used to be really common. My family knew some people who traded in a car for a new one. She really loved her old car, and saw it on the lot when she had her new car in for service. She went to sit down in it, and noticed that it had way fewer miles showing than when she traded it. And this was a supposedly reputable new car dealer!
At my aunt/ uncles apt building, in Baily’s Crossroads VA; a red “tudor” , version of the “Olds” was always in the parking lot.
Would a been “75-78-9”, timeframe. White top was a “half top”. Red wheels, like the one in the pic. White bucket seats, floor mounted automatic.
Attractive brunette lady driver.Also a “73”, tudor. White/full black top, dark green fabric seats, column mounted auto, full wheel covers.(think there was a green , thin accent stripe too.
Middle age blonded, lady drove that one.
It stayed on the scene until closer to “81”.
Like the blue “Chevy”. There were so few with that roof line. Remember a med green, one in the high school faculty lot. (late 1970’s time period) Had a black (maybe dk green, top)
A little brougham never hurt in my opinion. So, yes, good to be honest and spill the beans! Those cars were unique unto themselves and deserve a decent place in history although I know a few would disagree.
I really appreciate everyone welcoming me.
Having owned 60+ vehicles, I could write till I go home!
But I’ll sort through the really stand out ones!!
I was the opposite of my dad; I am not a hot dog eating football watching person at all. I have always loved cars. Since mom never drove, he pretty much picked them all until I came along. Then he would ask my opinion, which was really cool
I have some cars coming for the series as long as you all tolerate me!!
Great write up CHIP! not “CHiPS” gang. He’s not the t.v. show that featured John Baker and Poncherelo
But Chip did have a majority of the cars in show..lol!
WELCOME CHIPS ! .
I remember these well as I worked for a local Oldsmobile dealership a while in that time, most of the employees had Diesel powered olds and had little trouble keeping them running well (go figure) .
Your story resonates strongly .
I didn’t know there was a recession in 1979, one of the maybe good things about being on the bottom rung is : not far to fall, I don’t recall skipping many meals or the rent back then .
I find this a beautiful car .
-Nate
The second oil embargo started in the spring of ’79 after Carter allowed the deposed and dying Shah of Iran to come to the US for (hopeless) treatment for the same kind of cancer (pancreatic) that Jimmy’s father had died of and his siblings would, too. Gas prices quickly doubled and shortages occurred. The new Fed Chairman decided to raise interest rates to slow double digit inflation, then reaching its peak after more than a decade. It worked, but the economy didn’t begin to grow consistently again until 1983.
I read about odometer rollbacks and shrug my shoulders. Almost all my cars have been 10+ years old, often much older, and condition trumps mileage any day, on mine at least. Bunch of aircooled VWs, my Simca 1204 that nobody even knew what it was, a ton of BMWs, some with crazy high miles when I sold them. But with rare exception neither I nor perspective buyers thought much about mileage. Sold an ’85 BMW E28 with 330K on in, or was it 335K, I forget. The thing everyone wanted to know was not about the miles, but did the A/C work. Yes it did by the way.
I live in Columbus Indiana. I have a couple of guesses who those car dealers could be from that era. Fortunately, I never bought a car from any of them.
Sorry about the Mercury – even if it was in perfect condition, it would have been a challenging ride to enjoy. The Torino body was never designed to be anything but a floating numb steering vessel when it was redesigned years earlier. It went to a body on frame design in keeping with the market that was demanding numb riding cars at the time. Ford sold millions in every permentation, but rarely in a form that wasn’t hampered by it size and design. Those Starsky/Hutch Torinos were about as good as that car got, sadly.
The Olds had a lot more going for it in every way. Styled better, rode better, better made, the Colonnades were solid rides.
Welcome to CC! Thank you for your COAL.
A great first COAL, Chip – thank you! To know he was going to roll back the odometer… At least to your credit, you had maintained the car well enough during your ownership that it coul pass for a car with much fewer miles on it.
Wow so good! And actually left me hanging ! so when do we tune in to hear car number two- the next car in your saga ? 🙂 Look forward to hearing that one! (by the way, I vaguely remember that mercury Montego wagon! ) great job Chip!
Great COAL – welcome to the COAL mines!
Wow! The 77 Cutlass Supreme Brougham sedan was a one year only model in this body style, 73 to 77 and extremely rare to find today.
My parents ordered a fully loaded black on black 77 Brougham sedan with red pinstripes with the plush firethorn red/gold pinstriped pillow interior in October 76. The car was built in December 76 and we finally took delivery in May 77. Magnificent Olds. Loaded with everything, including super stock wheels, 8 track Stereo, power everything, you name it.
The reason for the delay?
When the car arrived at the dealership, it was such a stunner, the sales manager insisted on displaying our car on the showroom floor to attract customers, for almost 5 months!
Finally, after dad had his attorney, who was a close friend, threaten to file a lawsuit for withholding our car after we already paid for it, the dealership released their hostage hold on the car while at the same time, giving us a two thousand dollar refund at our attorney’s demand which was a good chunk of change in 1977.
When my parents bought a new Cadillac in 1988, I asked them not to trade in the Cutlass which was ok with them.
I parked the car in the garage in 1988 where it still sits today. Although it’s been sitting for over 35 years now, I have no regrets on keeping it as it’s probably one of a kind now. Thank you for bringing back fond memories of the 77 Brougham Sedan.