Overview & Reviews

At the dawn of the automobile, Oldsmobile was there. Owned by General Motors, Oldsmobile was the most senior domestic marque and one of the oldest automobile brands in the world, with a run that spanned some 107 years.

Ransom E. Olds was born in Ohio, but moved to Lansing, Michigan, to work in his father's machine shop. His experiences there helped whet his appetite for all things automotive, and he soon garnered enough expertise to develop a gasoline-powered vehicle. Joining forces with other partners, Olds cofounded the Olds Motor Vehicle Company in 1897. By the early 1900s, the company had introduced the nation to upscale models like the Curved Dash and had risen to become the best-selling car company in the United States.

Ransom Olds eventually left the company and it was sold to General Motors in 1908, where it became known as the Oldsmobile Division. More than ever, Oldsmobile became the brand of choice for car buyers seeking vehicles steeped in luxury and sophistication. Early models like the 1915 Model 42 Touring Roadster offered sleek lines and style aplenty. The 1918 Model 37 was its first model to offer a closed top, ensuring that the brand's well-heeled buyers had protection from the elements.

Oldsmobile had another hit in the 1920s with the Model 46, a V8-powered touring car that seated seven. The manufacturer did its part to make sure that the decade's elegance wasn't lost on its automobiles. It introduced fancy chrome-plated trim that served to raise the glamour quotient of its already eye-catching vehicles.

The '30s was a decade of innovation for the brand. The company wooed customers with its "Knee-Action" independent front suspension, an affordably priced option that served to improve ride quality. The company also offered one of the earliest automatic transmissions, freeing drivers from the rigors of the clutch with its four-speed "Hydra-matic" system.

Postwar, Oldsmobile gave consumers the Rocket 88. The car offered new levels of performance, giving the North American market its first taste of the short-stroke, overhead-valve V8. The car was adored by enthusiasts, and was chosen to serve as the pace car for the 1949 Indy 500.

The 1950s saw Olds continuing to distinguish itself as a purveyor of fine performance machines. With a name inspired by the Lockheed Starfire fighter plane, its 1953 Starfire show car offered a fiberglass body, a stylishly low beltline and most importantly, a 200-horsepower engine. The car was one of the first to display a wraparound windshield, and in the years following, many other manufacturers adopted this styling cue.

Oldsmobile's innovations continued into the 1960s. The manufacturer was the first since the 1930s Cord to taste success with a front-wheel-drive vehicle, in the form of its sporty Toronado. The '70s saw Olds breaking new ground in the area of safety. In 1974, it introduced a Toronado equipped with a driver-side airbag; Olds was the first domestic automaker to offer this feature. Around this time, the company's Cutlass had also become one of America's favorite cars.

Less successful was the company's effort to get on board with diesel technology. In 1978, Oldsmobile introduced a 5.7-liter V8 diesel engine as a response to that decade's fuel crisis; the engine was meant to appeal to buyers desperate to save money at the pump. Rising diesel prices and the unreliability of the engines caused the program to suffer, and Oldsmobile was eventually forced to terminate its efforts on this front.

In the '80s, Oldsmobile left its competitors in the dust when its Aerotech — piloted by noted racecar driver A.J. Foyt — set a closed-course world speed record of 257 mph. The company continued to have a huge hit with its Cutlass; the model spent much of the decade atop the sales charts.

The '90s saw Oldsmobile's introduction of Guidestar, the first onboard navigation system combining mapping and satellite positioning. The company made history yet again when its race-modified Aurora V8 won the Indy 500, making Olds the first manufacturer to pace and win the race in the same year.

By the dawn of the new millennium, Oldsmobile's sales were in a rut. The brand's identity had suffered over the years due to parts-sharing and rebadging within the GM camp. GM ultimately decided to pull the plug, and the last Oldsmobile rolled off the assembly line in model-year 2004.

User Reviews:

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  Piece of Junk - 2001 Oldsmobile Alero
  By MrLee - November 5 - 4:36 am

  Dont buy this car if your life depends on it. The computer system is garbage, mine has been repaired over four times and it is still broken. The security system is broken, and the car wont start. The windows leak, ruining the carpet (which wont be replaced) and after they are fixed, they fall off the track. The rotors warped after only 12,000 miles and only third party replacements make it stop. The intake manifold leaks coolant.

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  DO NOT BUY THIS CAR - 2001 Oldsmobile Alero
  By Geografer - July 24 - 2:00 am

  Had nothing but problems with this car since day 1. Back rotor brakes have been resurfaced 4 times (only 28K miles on car) and already need to be done again. There are random electrical problems (blinkers will randomly quit working while driving but turn the hazard lights on few seconds they will work again/radio will not turn off after car is off, keys out and doors open and will stay on constantly until suddenly going off as it should) that they cant seem to find an explanation for so cant fix. I bought this car because it claimed to be low maintenance but has been anything but. It has been in for repairs at least 6 times a year.

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  2nd Bravada - 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada
  By Bill Gerber - July 22 - 2:00 am

  With minor issues, i.e. mirrors/radio, not working, dealer was clueless and treated me like I was stupid; what I was reporting as problems didnt exist. Car lost a piston -would not keep car. GM (Olds) would not help and dealer took me to the cleaners on trade in depreciation for another new Bravada; my course of least resistance. The newest Bravada has some of the same problems as the first; mirrors do not work properly in reverse mode; radio will not hold settings. My last GM car. Thank the lord Olds is going out of business. Nice vehicle but a piece of crap in my 2 Bravada experience.

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  Could have been designed better - 2000 Oldsmobile Bravada
  By NomoreGMs - July 11 - 10:00 am

  Bought this vehicle (for wife)used with 20k miles on it. Reportedly an off-lease vehicle. The vehicle is a gas hog. It gets slightly better mileage than my Quad-cab Doge Ram 1500 that weighs 4500 pounds. The Bravadas transmission gave out at 42000 miles. My wifes last GM had a transmission replaced at 30K miles and my last GMC Sierra had tranmission rebuilt at 37000 miles. The vehicle is underpowered. You have to floor-it to get out of your own way. With a little ingenuity, this car should have been GMs flagship. This car should have a V-8 rather than the 4.3 V-6. Climate control should have been digital - instead of knobs.

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  2002 Bravada - 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada
  By Fritz - June 15 - 3:20 am

  Bought this vehicle with 35,000 miles on it, so called Certified used vehicle, have had it less than 2 months, back to the shop because windshield wipers quit working, week later power mirrors that automatically adjust quit working. Funny thing is these 2 problems were supposed to be recalls, why didnt the dealer fix this on there so called certified car. Now transmission is going out, going back to the shop again. Im fed up, how can you depend on a car like this, course it only cost $19,000! I have bought $500 cars that were more debendable than this.

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  What a pile of garbage - 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue
  By grebmohr - February 22 - 2:43 pm

  I thought this was a neat looking car. Still is. But it has terrible quality and reliability. Everything started breaking starting at 75,000 miles-now has 90,000. Just like the old garbage of the 60s and 70s planned obsolescence seems to have been the order of the day at Oldsmo-Buick engineering. The car has a rental car feel and ride when it does run. Put your money on a Honda or Nissan you wont be as sorry about it as I am.

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  Dont buy an Intrigue - 2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue
  By blu_by_u - November 30 - 10:00 am

  This is our first new car. At around 40k miles it developed an oil consumption problem. Now it consumes 1qt in about 1200 miles. There is no oil on the garage floor and it doesnt somke. I personally change the oil and perform most maintenance. I have never seen a car burn out so many dash bulbs like this does. I hate the rock hard arm rests, my FORD F350 had FAR superior arm rests. Im 63" (not terribly tall) and my head rubs the ceiling of the car, I would hate to be any taller! The throttle valve has a problem of getting coated with gunk and making the pedal stick closed and the car leaps forward when you finally break the throttle loose.

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  Buy something else - 1999 Oldsmobile Silhouette
  By DA - November 27 - 5:40 am

  I was against the purchase of this vehicle from the beginning as I was suspect of GMs ability to provide a quality product. My suspicions were accurate. This week I forked out $1,550 for a new head gasket. Two years ago, it needed an intake manifold gasket for $800. VHS system is broken, trim and molding parts falling off van. A/C will not work, keyless entry broken, rear wheel cylinder needed replacement, TCM sensor broken, its just endless. GM should be embarrassed for the lack of build quality in this vehicle. I am still waiting for the recall notices. As for my Honda and Nissan purchases prior to buying this van, I never had any of these problems.

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  Peice Of Crap - 2003 Oldsmobile Bravada
  By bravadahtr - October 23 - 7:20 pm

  I hate this car! I have had so many problems..... Transfer case motor went 3x, brought it back to dealer, turn signal didnt work. Bad ground, The front differential seized up and stopped me dead in the road. Had to flatbed it back to the dealer.The replacement costed $2,000. Sway bar links went bad in the front and back.replaced the back ones. Fronts still need to be replaced. The cam shaft positioning sensor went bad making the check engine light come on.That needed to be replaced along with two tires, tie rod end, and a thermostat housing to pass inspect. $600 for that. Now the trans. is slipping, pass wheel bearing going bad, front breaks are bad, and theres a strange rattle underneath.

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  Trash Heap - 2000 Oldsmobile Alero
  By Wildplrbear - August 5 - 12:36 pm

  I have owned this car for 6 years and treated it like an old man would. It did not love me back, it constantly bit the hand that feed it. The car is horribly constructed. It has built in flaws that are unfixable and dangerous. It completely broke down with 112000 miles. By break down, I mean it gave up on life. I do not believe it is even ok to sell this car to someone. I plan on taking it to a junk yard and asking them to destroy it. Did not start 15% of the time because of security system issues, new bearings every 15K miles, windows that stop working every winter, bad head gaskets, bad intake gaskets, new breaks every 20K miles, shorting wires on a semiannual basis.