Funny post about W-bodies on the Motortrend forums

[5speedz34]

http://forums.motortrend.com/70/1070514/the-general-forum/pick-one-for-your-daily-driver/index.html

 

W Platform GMs

 

If you can find one that hasn't started disassociating itself into iron ore, these may be the king of stupid-cheap cars. Luminas, Cutlass Supremes, Regals and Monte Carlos, there's something here for everyone. They were decently engineered, and then whacked hard with the beancounter's stick. Even after cheapening and decontenting, they're pretty good cars and drive better than you'd expect. Born as the GM10 in 1988, the W soldiers on, even motivated by V8 power. The mid to late 90's vintage is the sweet spot where they're cheap, but still have life left in them.

 

The General makes great powertrains, and the W cars literally rust away around perfectly running engines – be they the boomy 4 cylinder or more demure 60-degree V6's. The 6's are the ones to get -- they're smooth, pretty well isolated and offer a decent amount of power. If you want something tossable, seek out a Lumina Z34. The more complex "Twin Dual Cam" engine may drive up the cost of maintenance, though.

 

These cars can take a lot of pounding without complaint. Suspensions of the first-gen cars have a transverse rear leaf, like a Corvette. That little fact may keep you from feeling like too much of a dork for driving one of these things around. Honestly, for all the guff GM product takes, these are pretty good cars. Their sheer numbers, and the amount of parts they share with other GM platforms means that they are really cheap to run, and they can be easily turned into something special if you're creative with a set of wrenches. The ultimate W platform car has to be the Intrigue, Oldsmobile's last gasp and a hell of a car – better with the 3800 than the fancy schmantzy 3.5L. There's something to be said for pushrods.

 

Did Rob write that end statement?! It really does some up the platform as a whole. I don't know what he's talking about rust though. These cars don't rust anywhere near as bad as imports or most other cars.

[White93z34]

Rob would never write such a thing.

[swift13]

so is that a put down article or a pick up blog cuz it seems to me like the guy is bi-polar or something.

[jake91]

rob would write "lx5's are the best bitches" so no not rob lol

[5speedz34]

I didn't read anything else in the post, just the part about the W's. How could you interpret that as dogging the cars?

[GP1138]

Nice to see these cars get their due.

[swift13]

well he tals about them being stupid cheap cars and feeling like a dork when driving one and stuff like that but it also looked good in ways too so i ask if he may be bi-polar

 

i guess i was wrong

[Andrew]

Nice to see these cars get their due.

thats way i see it too.

[Brian P]

I take it as a compliment. There are many, many cars costing thousands more that couldn't do half as good for a daily driver.

[runt]

W's are great daily cars. No matter what anyone says.

 

I'd say W's rust just as much as ANY other car on the road. Although, I see a lot more rusty W's then anything else...but that's only because the W keeps going even with all the rust.

[Dark Ride]

The General makes great powertrains, and the W cars literally rust away around perfectly running engines

 

QFT at least around here, my lumina and my old grand prix were no exception. Pieces of the lumina are actually starting to fall off its so rusty, but the engine won't quit. (Weight Reduction FTW!!!!)

[gimp19]

I've always thought they were great cars wish I still had the intrigue, looking for another right now in fact. This time with the 3.8 the 3.5 was a great motor but I dreaded the thought of working on it if something broke.

 

Due to me my sister is on her second Prix (just got a 01' w58k), my brother drives a 97 Regal GS, and brother in law has a 96 Monte. I was considering 97 Regal GS w/55k for $4000 but I'm gonna hold out for another Intrigue. The only thing stopping me right now is the Firebird w/150k that LT1 wont die and selling it is not an option, I've been driving it everyday since the weather got nice, and the truck's been sitting.

[Crazy K]

nice! lol

[Cully77]

wow, that's cool haha

 

I'll take the insults with the praise

[meltboy1]

ya that whole rust thing is crap, I see many other cars, specificly chryslers that rust out a hell of a lot more than pretty much any W-body I see here in upstate NY, personally I think Ws hold up very well against rust as long as they are taken care of, very rarely do I see a rustbucket W

[Euro]

I love how we're in the same category as old Volvos and the Chrysler K car......I feel so special

[88red4cyl]

Hm.. That was a nice mention in the article... I think he exaggerated a bit on the rusting issue though... I don't see many W's with rust issues, aside from the obvious rusting of the rockers on the second gens (which is my guess as to what he was probably referring to)... Around here, a 2nd gen GP is a super rare sight to not have the rockers all rusted out...

[ShockTherapy]

cool article, it almost makes me want another W.

[Samurai]

http://forums.motortrend.com/70/1070514/the-general-forum/pick-one-for-your-daily-driver/index.html

 

W Platform GMs

 

If you can find one that hasn't started disassociating itself into iron ore, these may be the king of stupid-cheap cars. Luminas, Cutlass Supremes, Regals and Monte Carlos, there's something here for everyone. They were decently engineered, and then whacked hard with the beancounter's stick. Even after cheapening and decontenting, they're pretty good cars and drive better than you'd expect. Born as the GM10 in 1988, the W soldiers on, even motivated by V8 power. The mid to late 90's vintage is the sweet spot where they're cheap, but still have life left in them.

 

The General makes great powertrains, and the W cars literally rust away around perfectly running engines – be they the boomy 4 cylinder or more demure 60-degree V6's. The 6's are the ones to get -- they're smooth, pretty well isolated and offer a decent amount of power. If you want something tossable, seek out a Lumina Z34. The more complex "Twin Dual Cam" engine may drive up the cost of maintenance, though.

 

These cars can take a lot of pounding without complaint. Suspensions of the first-gen cars have a transverse rear leaf, like a Corvette. That little fact may keep you from feeling like too much of a dork for driving one of these things around. Honestly, for all the guff GM product takes, these are pretty good cars. Their sheer numbers, and the amount of parts they share with other GM platforms means that they are really cheap to run, and they can be easily turned into something special if you're creative with a set of wrenches. The ultimate W platform car has to be the Intrigue, Oldsmobile's last gasp and a hell of a car – better with the 3800 than the fancy schmantzy 3.5L. There's something to be said for pushrods.

 

Did Rob write that end statement?! It really does some up the platform as a whole. I don't know what he's talking about rust though. These cars don't rust anywhere near as bad as imports or most other cars.

 

up here in the Northeast, the rust monster got after them pretty hard. And it was always ALWAYS in the same spots: Rear of the quarter panel wheel opening, rocker panel just behind the front wheel, filler neck, gask tank and the rear valance under the bumper. As their age progresses, they just start to rot everywhere! But, these cars will run 300,000+ even having the stuffing pounded out of them. I had a 93 Lumina (3.1L/4speed) with 156,000 miles on it and I was a merciless bastard to that car. I ran it over logging trails, through creeks, into snow banks/drifts, high speed slide into snow banks in parking lots. I even had it out on the ice of Lake Champlain going 110mph and cut the wheel... it was like a four door Days Of Thunder yayhoo spin... for over 1/2 a mile. Ice is nice.

And the car never EVER missed a beat. It leaked gas like it was free, leaked transmission fluid everywhere, had brakes that sort of worked and a transmission that was pretty lackadaisical about overdrive... it would get there when it got there and not a minute before.

Maybe that is the attraction to these cars... they are always there, never ask much in return and give you all they have right up to the moment they sling a rod out the side of the block.

 

[swift13]

very true i love these cars and dont think much of any other makes and models other than trucks but i cant seem to find a better style than these old Ws

 

 

 

 

Ws FTW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Addicted2bass]

ya that whole rust thing is crap, I see many other cars, specificly chryslers that rust out a hell of a lot more than pretty much any W-body I see here in upstate NY, personally I think Ws hold up very well against rust as long as they are taken care of, very rarely do I see a rustbucket W

 

They must not salt so much down there as they do up here in buffalo then! I see rust bucket w-bodys all the time, but to be fair i see rust bucket everything here lol.

[IRONDOG442]

http://forums.motortrend.com/70/1070514/the-general-forum/pick-one-for-your-daily-driver/index.html

 

. The ultimate W platform car has to be the Intrigue, Oldsmobile's last gasp and a hell of a car – better with the 3800 than the fancy schmantzy 3.5L. There's something to be said for pushrods.

 

 

yeah second place in a drag race is whats to be said about pushrods, you could say that and 3 sets of intake seals and a brand spanking new upper plenum and just to add insult to injury we could say we all love hydrolocked engines with their lower ends doused in dex cool (the best lubricating agent in the free world) and if somehow you were lucky enough to defeat all those odds you could get charred in an L36 BBQ.

 

It's this kind of tripe that makes me never want to pick up a motortrend magazine as long as I live.

[GOT2B GM]

I was waiting for your reaction.

[IRONDOG442]

Seriously though as close as this guy gets on the Intrigue being the best W-body how could he possibly think the L36>LX-5, I mean the LX-5 has a dash in it!!! I am going to clinically certify him as a Manic Depression sufferer or in laymans terms, bi-polar!

[Samurai]

ya that whole rust thing is crap, I see many other cars, specificly chryslers that rust out a hell of a lot more than pretty much any W-body I see here in upstate NY, personally I think Ws hold up very well against rust as long as they are taken care of, very rarely do I see a rustbucket W

 

They must not salt so much down there as they do up here in buffalo then! I see rust bucket w-bodys all the time, but to be fair i see rust bucket everything here lol.

 

up here in the Adirondacks of New York, it's not just the salt its the tailings. Tailings is gray, and is more or less the same consistency of sandblast medium. it just tears the paint off the cars. Also, it gets inside the ABS sensors and makes them fail. Our end of New York sucks for cars.