1976 Olds Delta 88. 3200 orig miles. Wellington, PEI

Canadian Poncho · A Poncho Legend!

1976 Olds Delta 88. 3200 orig miles. Wellington, PEI

norontcan · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

So why would the engine compartment look so much different than the frame and body?

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

I noticed the same thing on a vehicle I own that was off the road for 10 months and parked in the garage. I think it is the fact that moisture evaporates off the paint and bumpers and frame but is trapped under the hood

eeluddy · Uber Guru

norontcan wrote:
So why would the engine compartment look so much different than the frame and body?

GM under hood paint and detail was horrible back then. The paint was very poor quality,thinnest coat And sloppy in application.

under the hood of my 1980Turbo T/A Indy Pace Car looks awful. Worse than this by far, but 139,000 Klms. But it was a GM halo car,same as the Corvette. Cheaply done because they just didn't care and the customer was treated like a chump by upper management in all divisions.

This Olds was a premium priced car back then by most standards. If you wonder why GM went bankrupt this is your answer.

Beaumont67SD · Guru

A turn key car, no disappointment...except $$.

Here is another overpriced car, but one that caught my eye:
www.ebay.com/itm/Chevrolet-Chevelle-300-SEDAN-1965-chevrolet-chevelle-300-sedan-327-350-hp-4-speed-stunning-/261605899189

Canadian Poncho · A Poncho Legend!

So, what do you guys think it's worth? The highest number going through my head is $3500. That's sad, isn't it? Should be worth more I guess due to the low mileage...

eeluddy · Uber Guru

Canadian Poncho wrote:
So, what do you guys think it's worth? The highest number going through my head is $3500. That's sad, isn't it? Should be worth more I guess due to the low mileage...

You're on the money Todd. Owner likely doesn't agree. These Malaise Era GM full size are a notch above Ford and a tad below Mopar in value.

They were very hard on fuel, far too big, far too ugly,too slow. Not high on collectors list. This is a rare example IF the odo is correct and VERIFIED It will be sold

NOS · Poncho Master!

76 Olds with no AC. Got to be rare ?

Dale @ NOS

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

It will be a hard sell to convince the seller that he has overpriced the car by $10,000.

I think the fact that it is a 455 makes it quite a bit more desirable than the regular run of the mill 350 versions. It certainly is no collector car but there is always one shot out there that has to have it.

eeluddy · Uber Guru

NOS wrote:
76 Olds with no AC. Got to be rare ?
Dale @ NOS

Surprisingly not that rare in Canada. I bet near 50% of Canuck cars didn't have it.

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

My old man only bought new cars and the first car he ever owned with A/C was a 1980 Grand Prix, his first new car after returning home from WWII was a 1949 Chev Torpedo back so he went 31 years without A/C just like everyone else on my street.

MC · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

norontcan wrote:
So why would the engine compartment look so much different than the frame and body?

My opinion is that it must have been stored in a damp barn. PEI being an island, there's lots of humidity everywhere and if it's in an uninsulated barn for example, temperature changes can lead to condensation on the car. In a high humidity environment, the dewpoint is a lot closer to the actual air temperature, so in the right conditions it wouldn't take much for condensation to form. Over a long period of time, with the car never really drying out, surface corrosion can occur easily, especially if the paint quality is not so good.

In the right side of the frame pic, it looks like rust has formed there, so it is definitely not rust-free. Also looks like the frame has been sprayed with some kind of undercoating.

A agree that the actual value of the car is much less than the owner's asking price. Despite the low mileage, the rust has left the car less-than-pristine, and given that it's not an overly popular model I can't see it selling for over 5K unless it hits a chord with someone (i.e. their father had one, or one of those was their first car, etc.). I think the asking price would be top dollar even if it was a more popular Olds from the same year (i.e. a 442). Truth is, 1976 wasn't a year that inspired car enthusiasts as it was a time of low-performance, unfocused styling and marketing, etc.

That said, anything that old with such low mileage is interesting to me, but not necessarily worth a lot of $$ (supply vs demand and all that).

Beaumont67SD · Guru

A decade ago, might have been a $7,000 car...after 2008 recession & in economic down turn market:
- many consumers are more furgal now, forced to get smarter with a buck

An asking price of $5,000 would be tops, and seller would have to still haggle a price drop if a real buyer presented himself.
Todd's on the money IMPO...$3,500 seems fair...the seller is delusional and been watching B-J Auction reruns, way too much.

I tend to think that if someone would have sprayed WD40 on the air cleaner lid & valve covers (few times a year), the under hood black paint wouldn't be a rusty eye sore.