[Gregg]

this IS not....

Any other Olds owners out there? I have a '99 model which I bought late in that model year. I had no idea then that GM would kill the Olds division. I see that they are promising a $1,000 rebate on a new Olds or GM vehicle to recent (unspecified) Olds purchasers. I have no info yet on how long the rebate period will be. Alot of good that does if you're set for a few years with the car(s) you own! They promise service at other GM dealers if your friendly Olds dealership folds or switches to Ford or something. You have to wonder how good that service will be.

Daimler-Chrysler killed Plymouth recently. Any "victims" out there on that one? Perhaps that experience will serve as a precursor to the Olds phase out....

Gregg

[This message has been edited by Gregg (edited 12-12-2000).]

[Arty50]

Wow! A sad day indeed. The Olds brand used to be well known in performance circles. The Aurora was an attempt to return to that.

[This message has been edited by Arty50 (edited 12-12-2000).]

[Scott_H]

Why would they be giving money back?

[jaguarandi]

To help get Olds owners into other GM vehicles, rather than lose them from the GM fold completely.

//e

[jholmes]

Watch carefully - I'd bet that Mercury gets folded up next.

This same thing is happening throughout the retail world. Midlevel brands are hurting. Consumers are going for either the bottom of the barrel discounters like the Walmarts of the world or the high end.
GM is facing the reality that Oldsmobile can't compete with a $30,000 Mercedes or an entry level Lexus. And there isn't enough demographic separation between Olds and Buick buyers.

Sorry guy. I hope you get some satisfaction

[davidflas]

Yes, this truly is a sad day in automotive history. The Olds brand has existed for 103 years. I know markets change, but its disheartening to see more evidence that heritate counts for nothing these days.

------------------
"life is pain, Highness, anyone who tells you different is selling something."--The Man in Black from The Princess Bride

Leased a 1996 LSS for 4 years. Very good car quality, comfort, and power wise. Bought a 2000
Intrigue GL (5 year/.09% financing) in July. Also a great car so far. Especially the new 3.5 V-6. Revs
great, never runs out of steam, and still gets mileage equal to the 3.8 I had in the LSS.
But what do you expect from GM, they axed the 98, the 88, the Cutlass, and Tornado, yet
produced a crummy car like the Achieva. Recent cars like the Intrigue and new Aurora were
steps in the right direction, but Olds hasn't advertised in ages. Of course sales are down!
No advertising and a cut in the number of models they offered.

Oh well, considering I will have this car for 5 years, the phase out won't affect resale value much
anyway.

Bryan

[kaceygones]

I got my first car in March of '81.
It was a 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and I thought it could fly.

I was determined that every car I got after that was going to be an Olds.
Of course, finances said otherwise, but I never lost the passion for them.
Whenever we had to rent a car, an Olds was always my first choice.

I will always have a special place in my heart for them.
kaceygones.

[jholmes]

GM has a terrible problem that they created back in the 70's when they decided to cross-brand platforms and engines and "badge engineer" the cars. Now there's product duplication across all makes and most of the brands have lost their personalities.

Olds lost some great brand entities - The Cutlass was almost an icon for the "personal luxury coupe". Then it became a Monte Carlo with a different front and rear clip and it killed the cache.
Where's the 88 or the 98? For that matter, where's the Riv or GTO in the GM lineup? Back when GM was building cars instead of next quarter's P&L statement the divisions had personality, identity and the attendant brand loyalty.

I rented an Olds last year on vacation and it was a nice comfortable car. Very capable. After spending a week driving across country in it and putting 1500 miles behind the wheel - I can't tell you what the model was. It could have been a Regal or a Grand Prix.

But I guarantee, I'd have known if it was a WS-6 442

[scottiB]

General Monster should've axed Buick, but doing so would alienate its major market (and the company wonders why the median age of its buyers is approaching the entrance requirement to the AARP.)

Clueless.

[Gregg]

More info:
The rebate offer will be extended to people who purchased 1996 or newer Oldsmobiles. No word on how long will be given before the offer expires. It will be $1,500 if a new Olds is purchased, or $1,000 for another GM vehicle. But, when I bought my Olds in 1999, there was a sales promotion going on. I received a $1,500 cash back deal then. So, they aren't doing anything they don't regularly do anyway.

[quedrivessuck]

I'd have to say I'm GLAD Oldsmobile and Plymouth are dead.

They both produced the most boring cars on earth. wait. No. That's BUICK. I hate BUICK. Anyone who purcahses a buick should be exported to an oldfolks home in tahiti where they arent ever allowed to drive anything except golf clubs. I hate buicks. I HATE THEM. And in this case, hate is NOT a strong word. There is not a word bad enough that describes my feelings towards some old bat driving a buick regal 10 under the speed limit.

However, I guess it is sorta disheartening how cool both of those companies USED to be. I mean, plymouth had the Sebring, the Roadrunner, the Barracuda, the GTX, all sorts of KICK ASS cars......

And Oldsmobile had the 442, the GNX, and the Cutlass. Too bad both companies produce cars lacking any testosterone at all......

Ca$h

[bood69]

Used to have a dookie brown '84 Delta 88, man, those were days.

[macmonkey]

Well that sucks, looks like my 1978 Olds Cutlass is an antique...sure runs like one!

[3gg3]

A Study in Obsolescence: http://www.montrealgazette.com/edito...islin.1214.jpg

[macmonkey]

I thought Gore was going to outlaw cars more than 20 years old, and give no compensation to their owners??? Thank god he lost, I'd be without!

[gorefan68]

He'd never be able to get my charger from me. >:|

Try it Bore. Dare ya. :|

Ca$h

[Kilbey]

Originally posted by quedrivessuck:
I'd have to say I'm GLAD Oldsmobile and Plymouth are dead.

They both produced the most boring cars on earth. wait. No. That's BUICK. I hate BUICK. Anyone who purcahses a buick should be exported to an oldfolks home in tahiti where they arent ever allowed to drive anything except golf clubs. I hate buicks. I HATE THEM. And in this case, hate is NOT a strong word. There is not a word bad enough that describes my feelings towards some old bat driving a buick regal 10 under the speed limit.

However, I guess it is sorta disheartening how cool both of those companies USED to be. I mean, plymouth had the Sebring, the Roadrunner, the Barracuda, the GTX, all sorts of KICK ASS cars......

And Oldsmobile had the 442, the GNX, and the Cutlass. Too bad both companies produce cars lacking any testosterone at all......

Ca$h

GNX?!?! It's a BUICK!!! HA HA HA!!! Buick also had the GSX. Both kicked more ass in their time than most. The Riv was also
a nice car. Style and spped. I work for GM so I am biased. I'll admit that. It's funny how much you hate Buicks. The car my wife and I'd love to own most is a Park Avenue Ultra. Ultra smooth ride, Super-Charged engine, Technologically advanced, and sharp looking. And I'm only 29 years old!

Right now I own a '00 4x4 GMC Jimmy and a '98 Pontiac Bonneville. I bought the Bonneville because I worked for GM engineering
at the time and the 3800 is the best engine I have ever worked on. The Bonneville has the ride and the style I love. The Jimmy I bought
because they offered 0% financing this Fall and you just can't beat a deal like that. I aslo drive 60 miles one way to work and in Michigan that means 4x4 (or in a ditch). I was going to buy an Olds Bravada, and I wished I had now.

I am very diasappointed that they are killing the Olds line. I would think Saturn would be a better division to eliminate due to
possible furute labor realtions problems and high overhead. But then 95% of the public has no idea Saturn is owned by GM.

Thomas Johnson
Owosso, MI
(former Experimental Engineering Test Technician for GM)

[gorefan68]

hehehe. Oh yeah. Oops. WTF did olds have then besides the cutlass and 442? Hrm. BTW; if you think a park avenue is SHARP looking, you've gotta get a reality check. Those are boring boring boring lethargic looking cars. The supercharged engine is nice (My dad has a 96 s.c'ed Riv), but the park avenue and whatever other sedans... regal... MAN! I think it'd be impossible to fall asleep at the wheel of one of those things..... instead you'd fall asleep in the parking lot, walking towards it.

BLech. DIE BUICK DIE.

Ca$h