Perfectly-preserved, low-mileage cars are common in the exotic vehicle world — but they’re pretty unusual when it comes to 1980s Oldsmobiles. And yet, that’s exactly what we have here: a 1989 Oldsmobile 88 Royale Brougham, finished in light blue with a blue interior and a dark blue vinyl top, with just 10,248 one-owner miles on the odometer.
This car is offered for sale at Brooks Biddle Automotive in the Seattle suburbs, and its Carfax report seems to indicate that it was sold new on August 31, 1989, and had covered just 9,000 miles by July 1997. Although the Carfax report shows a new owner in 2009, the ad says it’s a one-owner car — and either way, if the car did get a new owner in 2009, that person certainly didn’t drive it. See the 1989 Oldsmobile 88 models for sale near you
One of the many excellent things about this Oldsmobile time capsule is the fact that the original window sticker is still included. The base price for an Eighty-Eight Royale was merely $16,395 back in 1989 — but this car has a few options to push that figure to $21,295. Those would be airbags ($850), the "Touring Car Ride and Handling Package" ($675), an electronic instrument cluster ($299), power front seats ($240), a vinyl top ($245), a rear defogger ($145) and a body accent strip ($45). It also has an "Option Package" ($1,941) that adds essentials like automatic climate control, intermittent wipers, cruise control, power windows and locks and floor mats.
In other words, the original buyer of this car splurged. And why wouldn’t you? It features a gorgeous blue exterior with a gorgeous blue vinyl roof and a gorgeous blue interior with blue everywhere, including the steering wheel, the door panels and the glovebox. It has blue carpeting. It has blue everything.
As you may have guessed, however, there’s not much of a market for a perfectly-preserved Oldsmobile 88 — even a true time capsule like this one. This car is currently listed for sale for just $5,545, which seems like a pretty good deal, even if you just want a fairly reliable, comfortable used car. Of course, maybe it’ll be worth something someday. But probably not. Find a 1989 Oldsmobile 88 for sale
Doug DeMuro is an automotive journalist who has written for many online and magazine publications. He once owned a Nissan Cube and a Ferrari 360 Modena. At the same time.
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We had these back in high school. I remember the rack and pinions going out in them.
Love a Granny Special!! You can buy them cheap, low miles, usually maintained by the book, and run them forever. A friend of mine bought a 1994 Regal GS at an estate sale. 24k miles, for $4,000. Drove it to 267k miles trouble free before selling it to his mechanic for $750. $3250 (other than oil changes and an alternator) for 227k miles? In my book, that’s the automotive bargain of the century!