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jonosso

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HEMMING’S ARTICLE:

Is now the time to jump on midsize front-drive cars like this 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Convertible?


https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2020/12/20/is-now-the-time-to-jump-on-mid-size-front-drive-cars-like-this-1994-oldsmobile-cutlass-supreme-convertible

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

For people from the outside it was a minor revision. Can't blame em for not following every last change they made over the years. 

I may move this to General to get it some more attention. Haven't decided yet.

Its interesting to me that these are coming around as something collectible. Its funny. Then again back in the late 70's my dad drove a 69' Camaro convertible as a regular old car, was nothing special then... not saying that our cars will ever stain that status but... On the other other hand I kind of like them being ignored at large by "collectors".

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With all the new RWD  high HP stuff coming in the last 10 years or so now, I have a hard time thinking these FWD drive cars will have a big collector market. I'm guessing a small niche market and a cult following for these cars will be around for a long time yet. 

I've been following Corvairs, owed a corvair, and 15 years ago $10,000 was a ton of money for a restored Corvair. The guys on the forums back then said you don't build one of these to make money. Back then $10,000 would have bought the nicest Corvair out there. That was typically a 1965-1969 Corvair. Now I've seen them sell into the $30k mark. That whole market has changed.

I'm sure these w-bodies will have some value going forward, but who really knows what the market could like in 10 to 20 years for a W-body. 

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The cult is us. I'm currently mulling over grabbing a 1992 CS convertible the same color as my 1994. It seems to be a nicely upkept car. Sure wish it were a 1994 or 1995 but you can't have everything 

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The general population will get bored of the generic 4 door sedans and station wagon SUV transgendered vehicles, perhaps that land battleship feeling of driving large American cars will be sought for the nostalgic feeling and W-bodies could feel that niche. 

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I've been told that my two W's will be valuable someday.  No matter, that's not why I have them.  I enjoy them for what they are and how much joy they give me.  If they do end up gaining in monetary value, that's great.  If not, oh well.  They're not going anywhere.

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Hope that turns out great, did you get vinyl or canvas? 

We are having a stretch of decent weather here in the Northeast. I've peeled of my California Car Cover (Stormweave, which they no longer sell) and I have been driving around my white 1996 CS. I've go my "snow wheels" on it (sawblade rims) with 15 year old Dunlap Snow tires so it's LOCAL driving only. But I'll take that for now, it's better than seeing it in the driveway under the cover with a foot of snow on top of it. The road salt is minimal to none so it's fairly safe to venture out. I got one big complement on it, even with the saws. Nice.

 

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I believe that's the only company that makes them now. I bought a canvas one a few years back but still haven't put it on yet. Make sure you have everything, I thought I could get by without replacing the headliner but its integral with everything else per advice from the forum.

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Interesting article. If those valuations are accurate, my '95 CS convertible was a better investment than I initially thought. I basically bought the thing because it was immediately affordable but I had no illusions of it ever being a particularly valuable collector car, despite their apparent rarity. In the time I've owned mine, I have only seen two others on the road and only one CS coupe, despite the city where I live having been home to one of the region's strongest Oldsmobile dealers. To my mind, one of the major arguments against it achieving cult collector status is their build quality, which is mediocre at best. They're just not aging gracefully. 

Between acquisition cost and repairs, I've got about $7k sunk into my 'vert and there are still several significant repairs remaining to be done: ABS system, A/C, new top. By the time I do all that, assuming I do them all, I'll be well into five figures and I doubt I'll be staying ahead of its resale value, not that I had any intention of making money on the car. The bottom line comes down to a question of how much the fun factor is worth. For now at least, the fun is winning out for me.

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