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:

• 

  2001 Alero - 2001 Oldsmobile Alero
  By Cornholeo - May 29 - 2:00 am

  Excellent vehicle. 160K miles and less than $1500.00 maintenance expenses. Highly recommend for anyone responsible enough to own a vehicle....

• 

  excellent design - good value - 2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue
  By vjd2211 - May 24 - 10:00 am

  the car is an excellent value - during the last 30 months since I have owned this car, two small items have been replaced (never been stuck on the road) plus a sticky drivers door that was retuned" twice by the dealer. The car is a pleasure to drive; why GM is not continuing this design under another name beats me - OLDS is the only GM line now in touch with the american "urban" reality (I mean closest to it because there is still room for improvement) in the Northeast and Coastal West. All other designs look pretty ugly to me and some are 10 years behind.

• 

  Great car at the price - 2001 Oldsmobile Alero
  By Dan Adamski - May 24 - 10:00 am

  First Olds I have had in many years. have been driving and audi and volvo. car handels very well and cannot beat preformance and economy. I drive car very hard and have had no problems .

• 

  New Car Smell - 2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue
  By shylockmike - May 2 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car 3/24/03 with only 13,159 miles on it. It still has the new car smell. On my test drive the brakes squeaked, but I attributed that to the fact the car had been sitting idle. Once I took delivery the noise subsided. Now 6/12/03 the car has 17,600 miles and I am getting pronounced feedback from the brake pedal and the car shutters when the brakes are applied. This is my first GM car, I have previously owned 2 Fords, a Toyota and a Nissan because I was always skeptical about the quality of GM and Chrysler vehicles. I hope my fears of poor GM quality are unfounded. I have an appointment for service on this vehicle 6/16/03.

• 

  GREAT CAR TO OWN - 1998 Oldsmobile Aurora
  By DWILLIS - April 25 - 10:00 am

  VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR

• 

  none - 2002 Oldsmobile Silhouette
  By cmeyer - April 25 - 10:00 am

  This is a great family vehicle. Ride quality is quite good. Vehicle has been a pleasure to drive. Fuel economy is good on REGULAR gas. We love taking this vehicle on long trips. Its quite comfortable and a great highway performer.

• 

  Good Alero! - 2001 Oldsmobile Alero
  By eldo - April 25 - 10:00 am

  This is a great small car. I traded a compact SUV in on this and I do miss the added room in the SUV compared to this car. The room is adequate with the rear seats folded down. It has very good performance and seems tight and quiet. The ride is solid and handling is great with the 50 series, 16" GoodYear Eagles that came on it! I had two small problems; the outside, drivers side mirror and the inside rear view mirror came off. Both problems were taken care of on the spot and the dealer people were very courteous. No complaint with service! I feel this car is just as good as imports from Japan in the same price range!

• 

  Olds intrigue is Fun to drive, comfortable. - 1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue
  By drdoug99 - April 22 - 7:21 pm

  I just bought the car used off a random guy off Craigslist for 1,000 bucks a couple months ago. It has issues of course, most minor, some major for a 14 year old car. Just put another 1,000 into it having the rear strut assemblies replaced, new exhaust system, tie rod, alignment, etc. This is all the major work that needed done. The rest is piddly stuff that any old car would need. So for 2,000 bucks I have a car that drives like a 10,000 car. Its got the 3.5L, with 160,000 miles on it. The engine and transmission shift smooth and quiet. The motor has plenty of passing power. Very impressed with the car overall.

• 

  Fun car, but many problems - 2001 Oldsmobile Aurora
  By Aurorakoth - April 22 - 11:26 am

  This car is still fun to drive 3 years after I bought it. It gets looks quite often as it is almost one of a kind in my town. I actually seen another black one on the highway and the couple in that car waved in suprise. On the other hand, the reliability of this car has been awful. I bought it with 26,000 miles. Ive had the water pump, secondary air pump, front end parts, stearing parts, and at 74,600 miles, right before the warranty expired, the transmission went out. The car has not been the same since. It shifts hard around 40 mph and the dealerships have tried to fix it, but have not succeded. I think it has to do with the O.D. Besides the expensive repairs, this is a great car.

• 

  Going to Miss Olds - 2002 Oldsmobile Aurora
  By Johngo - April 17 - 2:00 am

  At age 37, this is my fourth Oldsmobile. There is nothing like the 4.0. It provides with power all the time, at any speed. The looks of the car are deceiving. I am always asked if is a Mercedes or Infiniti. Its a shame Olds is going away. This is a great car. Seats are big and roomy. Luxury features like real wood dash are hard to find in a car at this price. No car in this price range makes the noise it does when you step on it. Id say, go get one, you an get a great deal on one. I do wish the fit was a little tighter. Squaks come out at the darndest times. I had that trouble with my Intrigue as well. So long OLDS, you will not be forgotten.