I honestly doubt anyone would see this car as “vintage”, but as someone who has been into cars as a hobby for as long as I can remember, I wouldn’t want to forget my history and experience with this car, as the one in these pictures are of my own. While my story and time with this car isn’t amazing or fantastic, it hits home and helps me remember a time when things were more simple, less expensive, and…should I say, more enjoyable in a strange way? At least that’s what it does for me, and while the time has come for me to part ways with it to keep my other cars, I will forever have a soft spot for the early 90s cutlass Cieras, Buick Centurys and GM A-bodies in general. Anyway, on with the story.
It was only three short (or long) years ago that I was a freshman in high school and couldn’t wait to get my license or learners permit. In late 2017, while I was struggling slowly though the utterly boring Drivers Ed class, my mom and I started looking for a used car for both of us. At this point in time my mother hadn’t owned a car in about 5 years as she couldn’t afford one, so either we took the city bus or my dad had to take me somewhere instead, neither of which were fun or nice. But we had been saving up for a few years, so we both agreed that it would be a good idea to buy a cheap car for me to learn to drive with. While I’d spent a large portion of my life learning about vehicles, a lot of my knowledge was about classic cars and muscle cars, so I had never really considered wanting to buy a FWD non-V8 car.
What I originally had been looking for was a classic RWD V8 car of an older style; while I would buy these types of cars in the future, there weren’t any available for $1,000 at the time. The only two options was this 1993 Olds Cutlass and a 1998 Dodge Neon (I clearly made the right choice). The Cutlass had 186k miles and the guy was asking $1000 OBO. It was only 8 miles away from us, so we figured why not?
I have to admit, 15 year-old me was pretty excited once we got to the guy’s house. The car had been garage kept and had a CD radio player swapped in favor of the old cassette player. That wasn’t what made me buy it though; it was the harmonic chugging of the reliable 3300 V6 and comfortable red velvet seats. I doubt I would’ve gotten the car if it had the 2200 inline 4.
While it wasn’t what I had originally wanted, something about it felt right, and 2nd best of everything wasn’t so bad right? And so I went with my gut feeling, and ended up getting the car right on my 16th birthday. Lots of people looked at these cars as “grandpa” cars, but I can’t see why they can’t be a “teen” car as well, considering how you can still pick up cars like this for under $2,000 in decent condition these days. The one that I bought however, was not in the best condition, which is why it was only $1,000.
While neither my mother or I drive that much (still), we both drove that car everywhere. It had heat for the winter and AC for the summer; well…that is until the blower fan broke. At the time I got the car I knew almost nothing about it, so the first time I went to change the oil, it proved to be a surprisingly difficult task. Not because I didn’t know how, but because for some reason the oil filter had been placed FAR back in the engine bay where I could barely even get to it. For a while I couldn’t even find the stupid thing, so I ended up having to buy a special tool to reach it and get it out. And from the looks of it the oil hadn’t been changed in years (probably due to the fact the oil filter was nearly impossible to find).
Oh yea, two of the windows don’t move at all and the other two windows only sometimes work. But the only other problem I had with it was the clutch solenoid going bad, and causing the transmission to go into fail-safe mode after driving at highway speeds. But after a bit of research I solved the problem by merely unplugging the solenoid. My fuel mileage got cut, but the car no longer stalled on the freeway exit ramps, which is what I was aiming for.
After 29 years, the driver’s side door handle has in fact broken, so while it didn’t have the finest of materials, I couldn’t say that I didn’t expect a few things to break over time. But with it weighing just under 3000 pounds, the 160 HP V6 gets up just fine. It’s not bad in the snow either, so I would say this car is perfect for those who are starting to learn how to drive. It’s not too big or too small, it’s not too slow or too fast, it’s just right.
Now is it safe? Eh…it’s about as safe as a medium sized car from the 90s could be. Steering feels planted and is actually not too heavy. The gearing is fine, though the motor isn’t too pleased with going over 75 MPH unless the gas pedal is at least pressed halfway down.
Over three years and 7,000 miles later, the Ciera has endured a hit and run with a Toyota Tacoma (never caught the guy), sliding into a snow drift, having bald tires that nearly fall off the wheels, and having the brake pads nearly down to nothing (replaced recently). The only time the car hasn’t started was when the battery died, so I must say I’m very pleased with it and can say I got my money’s worth.
I said something earlier about this car hitting home for me; the two cars I remember my mom having when I was really young were a 1991 Pontiac Trans Sport minivan and a 1996 Olds Cutlass Supreme, so my mom’s side of the family seems to have had a thing for 90s GM cars.
When I first bought this car, my hometown was more quiet, and had lots of trees and grass. The roads were wide and there were more places to park. Now everything is different, the neighborhood is loud, all the trees and grass have been paved over to make way for apartments and parking lots, and the roads have been narrowed each way to make space for new sidewalks (kinda a problem considering all the cars I drive are big sedans). So, I guess in a way this car helps me remember a more relaxed, less congested and simple time. I don’t know if anyone else has experience with the early 90s GM A-body cars, but since I still see so many of them still on the road I would assume that people have had good experience with them for the most part and they hold up over time; right?
GM A-bodies from the ’90s are well-regarded for their durability – they had been in production since 1982 and the bugs were worked out by then. Amazingly, these were based heavily on the 1980 X-bodies (Chevrolet Citation et al.) which were disastrously unreliable and underdeveloped when new.
Few teens drive the car they really want to drive; they drive what they can afford, if they can even afford an old used car at all. And often the best choice for an affordable, reliable car are the sort of cars popular with older people who don’t drive much, or vehicles that aren’t regarded as fashionable anymore (such as large sedans today).
“Few teens drive the car they really want to drive; they drive what they can afford, if they can even afford an old used car at all. And often the best choice for an affordable, reliable car are the sort of cars popular with older people who don’t drive much, or vehicles that aren’t regarded as fashionable anymore (such as large sedans today).”
That is so true when looking at a shot of my high school parking lot in 1970. In fact here is my buddy driving down the road in the car he had use of in 1972.
Is that a 1963 Buick LeSabre?
Yes it is and yet I never rode in that car even though he had use of it from 1969-76. His mother had the new car the 68 Mustang which I did ride in. Typical San Diego neighborhood with six other easily identifiable cars in the picture.
The quintessential cheap used cars when I was in high school in the early ’80s, believe it or not, were 1967-72 GM A bodies. The muscle-car versions were already becoming valuable since new cars that were fast but affordable weren’t available in the height of the malaise era, but your basic ’70 Malibu or LeMans 2 door hardtop? That was a $400 used car, super-common and ubiquitous.
I actually remember one guy in the HS parking lot apologizing to a girl he was giving a ride to for apparently the first time about how old and run-down his car was compared to the newer ones surrounding it. It was a nice and clean 1967 Mustang. Just an old used car in 1982.
In that era, nothing shouted “I’m driving my parents’ car” more than a big ’70s station wagon, like that light Mercury (?) parked in front in that pic.
“Few teens drive the car they really want to drive; they drive what they can afford, if they can even afford an old used car at all. And often the best choice for an affordable, reliable car are the sort of cars popular with older people who don’t drive much, or vehicles that aren’t regarded as fashionable anymore”
Funny thing is, while this is very true in most cases. Me and some other people I know would end up proving this wrong in some way. And my future articles are going to be about those cars, but seriously this is a good saying, and I’ll tell other folks this as well.
These are wonderful and durable cars. We owned a ’93 Century from 2012 to late 2014, purchased from the original owner who was heading to assisted living. Oh, and it had all of 41,000 miles on it at the time. We were looking for a smaller used car and this fit the bill perfectly.
Ours also had the 3300 V6 and the three speed automatic. The oil filter is easily accessed via the right front wheel well. Just turn the wheel (I believe to the left) and the filter is right there.
Thanks for the Information! I never actually considered turning the wheel, I’ll keep that in mind for the future.
Every generation experiences life as it gets complicated and remembers a simpler time. I have come to conclude that it wasn’t so much that the times were simpler but that when we were young we were less troubled or concerned by them.
And every generation has that small group of cars that are great teen beaters because of their durability and easy availability. For my generation it was the Dart and Valiant or maybe any one of a bazillion 283/Powerglide Chevys. I didn’t care much for these when they were new but I have come to appreciate them for what they have proved themselves to be.
GM A-bodies are automotive cockroaches. The hard plastics and “mouse fur” upholstery aren’t much to look at, but they do hold up – I can’t recall ever seeing one with a torn seat or pulled stitches.
The only thing that brings them down in my neck of the woods (Ohio) is rust, of which they seem to be a little more susceptible than other 90’s cars.
This was my first car as well, though around Y2K and therefore much newer than yours at the time. Didn’t have it long, because teenager. It was archaic and retrograde 20 years ago, so I would love to have your experience of driving it again now to see how much bigger the gap is.
There were clear charming distinctions: the 3.3L V6 was torquey and the car moved well for the time despite the really long ratioed 3 speed automatic. The velour ulpholstery was really nice in comparison to today’s junk. Ice cold A/C. The interior is definitely of a certain period of American cars, from materials to switchgear to ergonomics. Rode like a cloud. Unfortunately it also cornered like a bag of Jell-O, drank a lot (but again, teenager), and felt like two full vehicle sizes larger from behind the wheel.
I may or may not have found its top speed on a deserted arrow-straight desert highway, and by doing so come to realize why even inexpensive German cars have a far different approach to suspension tuning. Overall, great memories with that car and I’d love to have it back for awhile. You definitely got your money’s worth out of yours.
I owned a 1988 Ciera Cruiser (wagon). Upgraded to a wagon when child #2 was born. Someone mentioned seats. Seats only adjusted fore and aft, but they were all day comfortable. 10 hours drive comfortable. The olds came with Iron Duke 4. Acceleration was leisurely. That was only when headed down hill. But the car could cruise all day at any speed. Moved to Iowa and the car could eat up miles effortlessly–until you wanted to pass on a two lane road. That was scary. But it was such an upgrade from the econoboxes I had owned prior (Omni, Escort, etc). To compare it to the Alfa Stelvio family car we currently own is laughable, but we should compare them to the choices people had at the time.
Because of a cursed X-car experience, I shunned these. Then the Taurus/Sable appeared, and these cars were immediately outdated. I would have nothing to do with them until decades later. My brother found a low-mileage Olds and it turned out to be quite a durable and dependable ride. By this time, GM had already created a more modern Lumina sedan, and I had the unfortunate experience of using them for work. So, in hindsight, between the X-car and the GM Lumina, there appears to be these nice old fashioned sedans.
These cars looked best when they were still selling the straight edge design of the pre-aerodynamic era. Post Taurus, GM tried to round off these sharp edges. All that did was make them look boring. Case in point – that sad C pillar on that Ciera is a bad look.
Thanks to old people, these cars weren’t used up until they were resold to teens.
Like JP, our generation rode around in bullet-proof Valiant/Darts/Dusters. They weren’t stylish, but they were what kept us on the road. We also had Beetles, but after growing up with them, that was the last car I wanted as my own. Vegas and Pintos were already imploding around us, but the Chrysler compacts would not die.
I see a future where teens are riding around in old Toyota, Hyundai and Kia cars, while the Nissans and Dodges win up in ditches and the junk yards of tomorrow.
I think you touch a lot of great sentiments on here, by having purchased a car possibly ten years older than yourself, or more, if you were just a freshman in high school in about 2018. A great purchase it was too, for a grand and having gotten three years, so far, out of it. For my generation, the equivalent would have been buying an early ’60s car when in Grade Nine. Oh wait a minute, I did that. But that car sure did not last three years.
Nice going. Thank you for sharing this story with us.
Dad had a Cutlass Ciera, maybe a few year older (4 headlights instead of the solid lamps). Rouge red with a corresponding interior. No one in the family got it as a head-me-down. Mom noticed the car was gone when she went to get the paper one morning….stolen out the driveway without a whisper.
The police later found the car minus the Iron Duke (Tech 4) engine. Who would want that engine is beyond me, but was replaced by a Nissan Maxima.
It’s remarkable that this was your first car, considering the first vehicle I ever drove after getting my license in (gasp) 1995 was this car’s 1990 Chevy twin. That car also had that stalling problem! These cars were ubiquitous in my high school parking lot. Can’t say I miss it, but can’t say I can forget it either. It speaks to the cockroach-esque qualities (not quality!) of these cars that they are still around and accessible to folks like you. It’s also bewildering how many younger folks won’t have or don’t have the experience of driving a 25-year-old car. It was expected at my school that most of us would be driving cars at least from the early eighties. The few kids who had “modern” cars were looked upon dubiously, frankly. I drive by high school lots now and I’m astounded at the money parents spend on their kids. It was a different time, of course. But good on you and your mom for keeping it old school. Teaches you a ton.
Also:
https://youtu.be/ngbpvjN-K0s
I think the prevalence of leasing is part of the reason we see more kids in fairly new, or occasionally, new cars. Back in the day many people’s first car was a hand me down from a relative. The relative purchased a new(er) car and instead of accepting the trade in value of an “old car” they gave it to the new driver in the family. Now with 2 and 3 year leases so common cars get turned in rather than being kept around long enough to get handed down.
Personally we did and continue to do the hand me down, or sometimes up, thing. Most recently we gave my wife’s car to my daughter, which had replaced the wife’s car we gave to her mother. In this case though the wife hasn’t got a replacement yet but then again with 100% work from home we weren’t putting that many miles on it anyway and there are other vehicles for her to drive.
In 2000 I was in army stationed at Huntsville Alabama. I grabbed the first thousand dollar car I could find. A gold
1997 4 door Cutlass Ciera with Iron duke 4.
Served me quite well, as on weekends I would take the 2 hour drive either to nashville, Atlanta, or Birmingham. Usually 30mpg on those quiet comfy drives. Christmas break meant 4 big soldiers and their duffle bag crossing america to california. Handled that trip like a cham.
I gained a real respect for that Iron Duke motor. Don’t understand why people don’t like it. In this car it was smooth, quiet, economical, reliable, and fast enough to get speeding tickets, which I didn’t (I was well past teen aged by the time of ownership.
The Iron Duke or Tech IV was a much better engine by the 1990’s compared to the earlier cruder versions of the 70’s and 80’s that lacked a balance shaft and had that noisy timing gear instead of the quieter timing chain. During the 1989 run they also got the John Deer heads and went from 98 to 110 HP which added some pep to them. I drove several 1990-91 Grand AM’s with these engines and they were noticeably more pleasant to live with than the earlier versions.
I still see these being used by commuters and by college students for pizza delivery vehicles. They aren’t pretty but they do the job. Most have been replaced with 2000s Focuses or Chrysler minivans because used Japanese cars are either too expensive or thrashed beyond use.
A fantastic read – thank you for this. I had some seat-time in a similar year Cutlass Ciera, though I think the ones my parents had was a ’92. It was a really comfortable car, and probably bigger and nicer than anything they had owned before or after.
I got a ride in an 80’s version of this car about a decade ago. I was impressed how comfortable and roomy it was for its size. The paint was faded but it still ran reasonably well.
Thanx again for sharing the stories .
I had a beat to crap 12 year old VW Beetle when I was in high school, no one had anything new .
-Nate
I currently drive a 1996 Ciera. It’s my third car and my newest so far. It replaced a 1985 Volvo 244 which was rear ended and which itself replaced an ‘88 Plymouth Caravelle which hit black ice and then a tree. I welcomed the roominess of the Olds which reminded me of my Plymouth E-class (extended K) after the much more claustrophobic Volvo. It’s my first non-quad headlight, and first 6 cylinder car, and therefore the first that can actually maintain speed or even accelerate on the numerous Pennsylvania hills and mountains. 😂 It’s in beautiful condition and I hope to have it for many years to come.
While not my first car by a long shot I did have a car very similar to yours during the early part of the 2000’s (2003 to be exact) that I picked up for a mere 1100 bucks with no rust, 111K miles in light blue with alloy wheels, 3300 V6, 3 speed automatic, a driver’s air bag, power seat recliners, windows and locks, cassette and cruise/tilt wheel. It was my cheap go to car for when I was out of a job and WInter was fast approaching.
I really lucked out with this car as it was from PA and mostly rust free and in good condition, was a pleasant color and had enough equipment to keep me happy. I replaced the 185/74R14 tires with 195/70 14’s as a wider upgrade and had HD gas shocks installed in the rear which helped ride and handling quite a bit. Other than a frayed transmission TV cable that caused it to shift late (which I replaced for around 3 bucks with a junkyard donar part) it never gave me an ounce of trouble. It was terrific in the snow, had great heat and great A/C in the Summer, was relatively economical averaging mid 20’s and around 29 on highway trips and very easy to service and parts were cheap. Yes it was definitely a much simpler time and one of these could be had for a song.
I kept the light blue 1993 Ciera S for 4 years having used it for a new job I got in 2004 that required much traveling. Old blue as I called her held up really well and got me through a dark time in my life and for that I am very grateful for these cars. It’s a credit to the design and robustness of these that I still see numerous examples still driving around in late 2021. A good friend of mine still has several Buick versions that are all in running order despite having 200-300K miles on the clocks.
While never having owned one, I drove a lot of these, as a rental car shuttler. I found the Ciera comfortable for extended seat time, peppy and, responsive. I’d not hesitate, if I discovered one, in decent shape.
I have one the same car need parts lmk