When looking at what $5,000 can get you on Craigslist, you have to create a three way Venn diagram of what you want: Cheap, good, and cool/fast. You can find quite a bit of each one easily, but to find one vehicle that meets all of the requirements and is affordable…now that, my friends, that is the big trick. What is your deciding point? Cool and cheap are a good way to go, but then you risk the “good” factor…what good is a cool car when it’s a dead hunk of metal in the front yard?
Some hunting in the desert turned up this 1974 Oldsmobile 98 two-door sedan. It’s massive, it’s big-blocked and it’s black. If anything is a knock, the Daytons might be it, but we aren’t worried about that, especially since the seller notes that the suspension hasn’t been messed with. It’s nearly a city block long, might be one of the last cars made with vestigal fins on the back, and can be a brutal torque monster. Don’t expect speed like a 442 anytime soon, but for room, comfort and the satisfaction of pissing off every socially-concious anti-car human you know, accept no substitutes. The days of this Olds being nothing more than a barge are gone…now that you almost never see them on the road, you now own a unique and solid setup. Three grand well spent, we say. Who cares if it isn’t pretty? The bones are there for this Olds to be a lot of fun.
Craigslist Link: 1974 Oldsmobile 98
It reminds me of my first car, a 1973 Olds 98 Brougham. I still miss that car.
If I found any wise ass living in this black beauty I’d hand him his butt still dripping blood and throw him into the nearest deep water with some nice warm concrete boots to keep him warm on the way down…..
my first accident was when a girl I went to HS with backed out of her spot and hit the right 1/4 of my 78 Olds Delta 88….the noise was cool….THUD…
she was driving a 74 98….
Plenty of room in the trunk for guys that like to shoot off their mouths and pretend that they are tough.