Goodbye, Oldsmobile - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

DEI37 · 04-29-2004, 03:44 PM

It's a sad day in the automotive world today.

Quote:

Goodbye, Oldsmobile

America's oldest car brand made history for over a century but couldn't keep up with the times. The last Olds rolls off the line today.

By MSN Money staff

The final Oldsmobile rolled off the assembly line today in Lansing, Mich., the city where America's oldest car brand was founded in 1897. It joins such storied badges as Hudson, Studebaker, Packard and DeSoto on the automotive scrap heap, the grandest name, perhaps, but just as dead.

The last of 35,229,218 production Oldsmobiles was a metallic cherry red Alero compact bearing the signatures of 4,500 workers at Lansing Car Assembly under its hood and trunk lid. It will be sent to the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum in Lansing, General Motors (GM, news, msgs) says.

On a dealer's lot, that final Alero would have carried a $3,500 rebate.

"Phasing it out was sad," Doug Stott, a production manager for Oldsmobile who has owned more than 30 Oldsmobiles himself, told the Associated Press. "At the same time, it’s like a graduation.”

The car for the middle class
GM pulled the plug on Oldsmobile in December 2000 after two decades of decline, saying the company needed to concentrate its resources on nameplates with better chances in an increasingly competitive marketplace, like its fresher Saturn nameplate.

Since then, the company has added two additional brands -- Saab and Hummer -- even as it worked to buy out the 2,800 dealers who were still selling Olds models. The company took a $939 million charge in 2001 to cover the costs associated with shutting the brand down. Those costs included big rebates, dealer incentives and "loyalty rewards" to keep buyers coming until the shutdown was complete.

At one time, Oldsmobile was the country's third biggest brand, with more than 1 million a year sold in the mid-1980s. Fewer than 130,000 were sold in 2003, the last full calendar year of sales. In the General Motors pantheon of brands, conceived so that buyers could move up without ever leaving GM, Oldsmobile occupied the middle ground, more prestigious than a Pontiac but less snooty than a Buick.

Olds leaves behind some lasting contributions to the automotive scene, among them the first assembly line in 1901, the first fully automatic transmission in 1940, the first air bag in 1974, the first chrome trim and, of course, the "Rocket 88" engine widely credited with having inspired the first rock 'n' roll song, Ike Turner's "Rocket 88" in 1951:

You may have heard of jalopies
You heard the noise they make
Let me introduce you to my rocket 88
Yes, it's great, just won't wait
Everybody likes my rocket 88
Gals will ride in style, moving all along

V-8 motor and this modern design
My convertible top and the gals don't mind
Sportin' with me,
Ridin' all around town for joy

Step in my rocket and a-don't be late
We're pullin' out about a half past eight
Goin' on the corner and a-havin' some fun
Takin' my rocket on a long hot run
Ooh, goin' out, oozin' and cruisin' along

Now that you've ridden in my rocket 88
I'll be around every night about eight
You know it's great, don't be late
Everybody likes my rocket 88
Gals will ride in style, moving all along.

I've been sad all along that Oldsmobile is going away. I've been driving for eleven years, and have ALWAYS had on in the driveway. I have two right now. It's a sad day, to be sure.

shakran · 04-29-2004, 03:53 PM

This will go down as the longest automotive death in history.

merkerguitars · 04-29-2004, 08:02 PM

yeah it took them a long time to kill oldsmobile off.......it's kinda sad.....i was fond of the aurora very much.....oldsmobile was still my favorite v8 out of the gm bunch.

shakran · 04-29-2004, 09:17 PM

Well it's GM's fault. What the hell is the point of having 3 main brands (chevy, oldsmobile, pontiac) all making the same damn cars? Something's gotta suffer if you do it that way.

The smart thing to have done would have been to have bought the companies, and just left 'em to design their own stuff. Then you'd have real differences across the brands and people might actually have bought Olds.

TopRamen66 · 04-29-2004, 09:26 PM

I'd say it took them long enough.

merkerguitars · 04-29-2004, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by shakran
Well it's GM's fault. What the hell is the point of having 3 main brands (chevy, oldsmobile, pontiac) all making the same damn cars? Something's gotta suffer if you do it that way.

The smart thing to have done would have been to have bought the companies, and just left 'em to design their own stuff. Then you'd have real differences across the brands and people might actually have bought Olds.

Yeah they screwed up back in 1975 when they started to stuff chevy engines in cadillacs

amonkie · 04-29-2004, 11:43 PM

I was sad when I saw my Olds Royale for the last time before it was sold two weeks ago. No other V6 i've been in has been that good to me.

laconic1 · 04-30-2004, 10:27 AM

The thing that I thought was sad was that Olds had really got their act together with Aurora, Alero, Intrigue, and Bravada. All good products and a vast turnaround from the lost days of the 80s and 90s. Too little too late though.

Scorps · 04-30-2004, 02:31 PM

That sucks now GM is back down to what 9 devisions?

My family has never really owned a Olds, but I have been a Chevy fan sense birth and always will (even though I may own a Dodge at to moment and soon to own a Nissan), but maybe this will make room for Chevy to blossom

irseg · 04-30-2004, 04:30 PM

Olds has been pretty much screwed for a long time. First, they flooded the market with rebodied Grand Ams (Cutlass Ciera, Alero) which gave them a reputation of being for old farts who can't afford a Buick or Cadillac. Then, they couldn't go sportier because they'd encroach on Pontiac, or more luxurious becuase then they'd be stepping on Buick's territory.

I really liked the Toronado and Aurora, but everything else pretty much sucked.

Scorps · 04-30-2004, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by irseg
Olds has been pretty much screwed for a long time. First, they flooded the market with rebodied Grand Ams (Cutlass Ciera, Alero) which gave them a reputation of being for old farts who can't afford a Buick or Cadillac. Then, they couldn't go sportier because they'd encroach on Pontiac, or more luxurious becuase then they'd be stepping on Buick's territory.

I really liked the Toronado and Aurora, but everything else pretty much sucked.

They made a badass Mini-van the Silhouette

User Name · 05-01-2004, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pain Train
They made a badass Mini-van the Silhouette

Wasn't their "bad ass" minivan a clone of the Pontiac and Chevy not-so-bad-ass minivans-the Montana and Venture?

Jackebear · 05-01-2004, 08:04 PM

I will always remember my Old Delta 88 Royale 1977. I got it in 1982 when I was 17 from the old man when he moved up the a new Olds 98. One of the nicest driving cars I have ever owned.

shakran · 05-01-2004, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by User Name
Wasn't their "bad ass" minivan a clone of the Pontiac and Chevy not-so-bad-ass minivans-the Montana and Venture?

Yup. Pretty much every car they had was (at least underneath and in most cases body too) a clone of some other GM product.

That's why Plymouth is gone too - everything they had was a clone of Dodge

bodypainter · 05-02-2004, 05:42 AM

Well I'll always have my memories of the 1970 442 I owned for a couple years more than a decade ago. Lord, that car was frightening.

R.I.P. Olds.

Scorps · 05-02-2004, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by shakran
Yup. Pretty much every car they had was (at least underneath and in most cases body too) a clone of some other GM product.

That's why Plymouth is gone too - everything they had was a clone of Dodge

And Eagle was a clone of what?

Quote:

Originally posted by bodypainter
Well I'll always have my memories of the 1970 442 I owned for a couple years more than a decade ago. Lord, that car was frightening.

R.I.P. Olds.

Oh ya the best years of Olds

And I should have bought that Cutluss when I had the chance, 6,000(CDN) for a 84, thing was mint no rust frame was in mint condition also 350 4 spd

, also had a sunroof! I'm going to kick myself now

BooRadley · 05-02-2004, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by shakran
This will go down as the longest automotive death in history.

Just like the death of the camaro. Is it gone yet? Or have they revived it again ?

I personally don't care about GM losing a lineup. No further jobs are going to be lost, as GM has already moved many of the jobs to China.

GMs' seperate "brands" are a joke... there is minor restyling between brands, and that is all . Buick/Olds/Pontiac was the same damn engines for years, and then they all became Chevrolet/GM in the mid 70s....

Quote:

Originally posted by Pain Train
And Eagle was a clone of what?

Mitsubishi/Plymouth/Dodge/Chrysler

Scorps · 05-04-2004, 09:37 AM

I would say all the big car manufactures are doing this to save them money...Chrysler dropped Eagle and Plymouth chevy has now dropped Olds, but did Ford drop Mercury?

silent_jay · 05-04-2004, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pain Train
They made a badass Mini-van the Silhouette

Thw words badass and minivan don't go together at all

TopRamen66 · 05-05-2004, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pain Train
I would say all the big car manufactures are doing this to save them money...Chrysler dropped Eagle and Plymouth chevy has now dropped Olds, but did Ford drop Mercury?

The article said it cost them 939 million dollers to shut down the brand. I dont see what cost so much about firing everyone and turning off the lights.

04-29-2004, 08:02 PM	#3 (permalink)
merkerguitars Buffering......... Location: Wisconsin...	yeah it took them a long time to kill oldsmobile off.......it's kinda sad.....i was fond of the aurora very much.....oldsmobile was still my favorite v8 out of the gm bunch. __________________ Donate now! Ask me How! Please use the search function it is your friend. Look at my mustang please feel free to comment! http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthread.php?t=26985

04-29-2004, 11:43 PM	#7 (permalink)
amonkie Drifting Administrator Location: Windy City	I was sad when I saw my Olds Royale for the last time before it was sold two weeks ago. No other V6 i've been in has been that good to me. __________________ Calling from deep in the heart, from where the eyes can't see and the ears can't hear, from where the mountain trails end and only love can go... ~~~ Three Rivers Hare Krishna

05-01-2004, 08:04 PM	#13 (permalink)
Jackebear Insane	I will always remember my Old Delta 88 Royale 1977. I got it in 1982 when I was 17 from the old man when he moved up the a new Olds 98. One of the nicest driving cars I have ever owned. __________________ Life's jounney is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn-out shouting, "Holy sh*t! What a ride!" - unknown

04-29-2004, 03:53 PM	#2 (permalink)
shakran Tone.	This will go down as the longest automotive death in history.

04-29-2004, 09:17 PM	#4 (permalink)
shakran Tone.	Well it's GM's fault. What the hell is the point of having 3 main brands (chevy, oldsmobile, pontiac) all making the same damn cars? Something's gotta suffer if you do it that way. The smart thing to have done would have been to have bought the companies, and just left 'em to design their own stuff. Then you'd have real differences across the brands and people might actually have bought Olds.

04-29-2004, 09:26 PM	#5 (permalink)
TopRamen66 Insane	I'd say it took them long enough.

04-30-2004, 10:27 AM	#8 (permalink)
laconic1 Junkie	The thing that I thought was sad was that Olds had really got their act together with Aurora, Alero, Intrigue, and Bravada. All good products and a vast turnaround from the lost days of the 80s and 90s. Too little too late though.

04-30-2004, 02:31 PM	#9 (permalink)
Scorps Lost!! Location: Kingston, Ontario	That sucks now GM is back down to what 9 devisions? My family has never really owned a Olds, but I have been a Chevy fan sense birth and always will (even though I may own a Dodge at to moment and soon to own a Nissan), but maybe this will make room for Chevy to blossom

04-30-2004, 04:30 PM	#10 (permalink)
irseg Junkie Location: Florida	Olds has been pretty much screwed for a long time. First, they flooded the market with rebodied Grand Ams (Cutlass Ciera, Alero) which gave them a reputation of being for old farts who can't afford a Buick or Cadillac. Then, they couldn't go sportier because they'd encroach on Pontiac, or more luxurious becuase then they'd be stepping on Buick's territory. I really liked the Toronado and Aurora, but everything else pretty much sucked.

05-02-2004, 05:42 AM	#15 (permalink)
bodypainter Psycho Location: Sarasota	Well I'll always have my memories of the 1970 442 I owned for a couple years more than a decade ago. Lord, that car was frightening. R.I.P. Olds.

05-04-2004, 09:37 AM	#18 (permalink)
Scorps Lost!! Location: Kingston, Ontario	I would say all the big car manufactures are doing this to save them money...Chrysler dropped Eagle and Plymouth chevy has now dropped Olds, but did Ford drop Mercury?