Well, that’s pretty decisive. Personally, I’d take either of them, with a slight advantage given to the Mazda just for the low mileage. But they’re both good little cars. Today we’ve got a sedan and a wagon, both V6s, both American, both coincidentally dead nameplates. But both cars are still very much alive and kicking. Let’s see which one you prefer.
1988 Olds Cutlass Cruiser – $2,400
Engine/drivetrain: 3.8 liter OHV V6, 4 speed automatic, FWD Location: Lafayette, CO Odometer reading: 219,000 miles Runs/drives? Yep The front-wheel-drive A body, introduced in 1982, was kind of the beginning of the “GM cars run like crap forever” myth. Its predecessor, the X body, was still in production, and had a terrible reputation for quality and reliability. But the larger A and smaller J body cars somehow ended up being decent reliabile cars, and were sold for years in various bodystyles.
This station wagon bodystyle had a different name for each GM division, being sold as the 6000 Safari at Pontiac dealerships, Century Estate by Buick, the specatularly imaginatively-named Celebrity Wagon by Chevy, and the Cutlass Cruiser, like this one, for Oldsmobile. Even though it was a mid-sized wagon, the Cruiser offered a backwards-facing third row of seats – the fabled and often fought-over “way back.”
This Cruiser has covered a lot of miles – 219,000 – but it’s powered by the legendary Buick 3.8 liter V6. It didn’t put out a lot of power in 1988, but it was still a rock-solid engine capable of piling on the miles. This one just passed a smog test, too, which is indicative of a clean bill of health.
The rest of this old wagon is in good shape as well, with some wear and cracks in the interior, but no obvious signs of abuse or damage, and no rust or damage outside. Considering the hard life that most family-type vehicles lead, its condition is even more remarkable.
1995 Mercury Sable GS – $2,500
Engine/drivetrain: 3.0 liter OHV V6, 4 speed automatic, FWD Location: Denver, CO Odometer reading: 151,000 miles Runs/drives? Sure does The old square-jawed Cutlass, however, looked instantly ancient in 1986 when Ford introduced the Taurus and its Mercury twin, the Sable. The two were fraternal twins, with some different sheetmetal and window shapes, and more importantly, a light bar across the front, sort of a front heckblende – noseblende, maybe? Whatever you want to call it, it sure looked like crap when one of the lights was burned out.
This Sable, like so many Sables and Tauruses, is powered by Ford’s 3.0 liter “Vulcan” V6, backed by a four speed automatic. Hey, it works. This one only has 151,000 miles on it, so it should have some life left. It’s being sold by a dealership, so of course nothing is known about its service history, but it’s a simple car.
It’s an awfully clean-looking car for being twenty-seven years old.The seats are clean and inviting, and Fords of this era had simple, easy-to-decipher controls. Nary a touchscreen in sight. Outside, it looks damage- and rust-free. It’s not a good looking car, exactly, but it’s more interesting than its Taurus sister. And it’s not white. For some reason in my mind all Mercury Sables are white.
And look! It has a tiny heckblende in the back as well, right above the license plate. Cool, huh? Well, that’s that. Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone, and we’ll be back on Friday (I think) to pit this weeks winners against each other in the automotive Thunderdome of thought experiment known as “Track, Daily, Burn.” See you then!
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers) I do like the gauge cluster of the Olds, but wagon or not, it is still a front drive A-body….
- The speedometer only goes to 85 and I know it wasn’t pegged. 2. F me I left the baseball tickets in my room. As I looked at the cop I said “F tickets.” He laughed and said “yep you are getting a ticket.” I then explained our ticket situation. He laughed and said “don’t worry nobody watches the Pirates you will be fine.” Those things are way too comfortable at speed. Make mine an Olds. My first real job in 98-01 I worked as an Architect at the University of Michigan. Our department had a couple company cars to drive around campus (and other places). We had like 3 Cutlasses and 2 Tarusesss. All were bad even when they were less than 10 years old. I seem to remember the Cutlasses had much better seats though, if we had to drive out of town, they didn’t hurt as much. That’s where I got to drive the original electric Ranger though! Our department had one for a year along with the huge 208V/3ph charger My first car was a 1989 Cutlass Cruiser. But it had the Iron Duke and 3 speed auto. It had a terminal case of tin worm to boot. Look, let’s be honest. The Sable dates back to the golden era of the Ford triumvirate – are the head gaskets gona pop? Are the transmission’s days numbered? And will that damn P.S. pump ever stop whining? Meanwhile, the Buick 3.8 is well known as an automotive cockroach and GM’s various FWD HydraMatics are robust under daily driver duty. Combine that with the superior versatility of the wagon body and enough ubiquity that you still see these suckers in U-Pull-It junkyards even after their now-40-years-passed introduction (!), that clinches it. The only advantage the Olds has over this Mercury is that the transmission is likely to be more robust. For all the cost-burdened young fathers (like mine) who threw an extension ladder atop a Country Squire and hustled side jobs, or the burgeoning rock stars lining the back of a Chevy II wagon with blankets and pillows to protect drums, amps, or a girlfriend on a cold night, or fire chiefs, or ambulance attendants, caterers, couriers, and little-league chauffers I say, on their behalf, your condition is Aces over Kings & Queens.
