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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  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....

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  Great car for the price, few problems - 2003 Oldsmobile Alero
  By Chelle - May 26 - 7:53 pm

  I got this vehicle after totaling my Dodge Dakota. I am definitely more pleased with it than I was the truck. I read after we had the car for about a year that there were many complaints about it, especially the dash and inside door material peeling up. I have put quite a few miles, a lot of them aggressive-driving miles, and have only had the air go out (turned out that a cap was missing-less than a couple dollars to fix) and the ignition was not recognizing my key, so the car shut down. That cost me about 300. Also, sometimes blinkers quit working, then suddenly come back on. But so far, so good with anything Major.

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  Great for family - 2003 Oldsmobile Silhouette
  By Mc Family - May 26 - 2:00 am

  Perfect car for family and loaded with great options. DVD with wirless headsets is great for trips, Mileage is great at 30mpg on the highway. Great car.

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  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.

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  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 .

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  Wish they would make them again! - 1999 Oldsmobile Eighty Eight
  By ynotps - May 21 - 10:00 am

  I bought this Olds Eighty-Eight LS certified pre-owned 2 years ago, with 40,000. It has been a great car and I think GM should consider building them again. I just sold the car with 62,000, and had no problems at all during my 2 year ownership. I highly recommend one, especially if you find one that has been pampered.

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  Happy With This One - 2001 Oldsmobile Silhouette
  By mrkdrv - May 20 - 1:16 am

  I bought my Oldsmobile Silhouette new and five years later I am still happy with it. It has had no major problems to speak of. The only time I had it at the dealer was to fix the blower, it had lost low speed and the heater in the passenger seat died. Both were fixed without issue. I replaced the front brakes twice, tires twice, and rear brakes once. I am happy with the accelation also. It isnt a race car but I can merge onto a highway without feeling like Im going to get creamed.

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  GARBAGE - 1999 Oldsmobile Bravada
  By Gandalf - May 19 - 10:00 am

  Leased in 99 went way over miles. Rotors defective from the factory at 39,000/ water pump at 60,000/ transmission at 65,000/ battery at 2+ years. Amazingly nothing was warrantied when it went. All wheel drive chatters on corners and reverse and is underpowered.

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  Glad I got one of the last of these - 2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue
  By Big Wes - May 19 - 10:00 am

  The car is a revelation and a heck of a deal. Generous cash incentive from GM - an extended powertrain warranty - and a high performance great handling sport sedan. It goes like stink and is invisible to the Law. Too bad that this is the last of the line. It is a real winner.

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  Bravada, our generations EDSEL! - 1997 Oldsmobile Bravada
  By proofed - May 19 - 4:03 am

  HI all, I am "mad as hell and I am not going to take ti anymore". Mostly at myself for buying what was meant to be a practical purpose, but the shine and the bells and the whistles sucked me in.To keep it as brief as possible, I bought this car as I needed a vehicle that could tow a boat and a small trailer. It fit the bill perfectly and I traded my SW2 Saturn Wagon, a good car, for this nightmare on elm street. I have been able to use it twice in two years to camp and to boat, a short trip. Overheating was # 1, Bad gas #2, complete cat replacement with 6 oxy sens #3,a 300 spider fuel injection unit #4,batt drain, as the genius who designed the switch made it too easy to leave on,more...