Seeing as it is an Oldsmobile-themed day here at CC, it got me thinking of the various Oldsmobiles I had personal experience with over the years. Oldsmobile will always be a very special brand close to my heart, as it was the preferred car choice of my grandfather, the late Joseph Saur. Because of that, I had experience with Oldsmobile since my earliest days of life — in fact, his 1992 Nintey-Eight Regency was the very first car I ever rode in, as a newborn on my way home from the hospital.
Naturally, I don’t remember that ride specifically, but I do remember many in that Oldsmobile with my grandparents, as Papa kept that Olds until 1997, when it was traded in for a 1997 Eighty-Eight LS.
That specific Eighty-Eight became somewhat of a fixture of my childhood, as I was fortunate enough to see my grandparents nearly every single day. This car was kept longer than usual, for some reason, and in fact until my grandfather’s untimely passing in June 2003.
Oldsmobile will forever be a meaningful brand to me, despite its demise. Like Camel cigarettes and Chivas Regal scotch, Oldsmobile will always be instantly associated with my grandfather. I will also forever hold Olds dear to my heart, as it was the first vehicle I ever rode in. I’m sure most of us have strong personal feelings towards a brand for various reasons. What automobile brand is most special to you and why?
Chevrolet, period.
Wow!!! totally cool question!!! if we talk Olds, i have to give it to my mom, she had a 1968 Toronado and i loved that car. The spinning speedometer, the flat floor, hidden headlights curved back seatback. I have great memories of road trips in that car. keeping with childhood theme she ahd a score of Impalas her first car a 1966 yellow Impala 4 door, a 64 ss coupe,a 66 coupe, a 68 bel air, a 69 impala and a 72 bel air. the bel airs were cabs she owned. She also sported a 1967 Cadillac sedan deville great car!!!! she got plenty of looks and compliments on the Caddy(she was also a looker in her youth)she also had a 68 Lemans that she really liked and a 76 Cadillac Seville that we both loved. so to answer the question…………Cadillac is the most special brand to me. Chevrolet quickly follows with that Olds Toronado in tow. As for me her gratefull son……….Cadillac tradition kept going when i came of age…..72 Eldorado,73 coupe deville, 92 seville and my current Caddy an 88 deville one owner car. special mentions,BMW, Datsun/Nissan, Lincoln, VW, Chrysler, Mazda, Mercedes, Audi and Ford.
Most of my family ( 5 uncle’s and grate uncle and my dad) worked in Lansing Michigan. You didn’t work for general motors, you worked for Oldsmobile. So Oldsmobile s have a special place in my heart.
I really had to think about this one, as there are so many different brands that have had an influence on my love of all cars. My family was not that affluent when I was young, and with my Dad being a mechanic, we often had one newer car (usually a big wagon) for carrying the family and then a well-used second car for use by the other parent. Those second cars were often quirky ones. My favorite was the Fiat 1100 that my Mom drove. I know that influence my purchase of a new 500 a few years back, and makes me a defender of the brand against the haters. However, we never had a Peugeot/Renault/Citroen, but for some reason I love 50s and 60s French cars. My grandpa seemed to gravitate to AMC cars, and we got some fun hand-me-downs from him as teenagers. I must be like an animal lover who gravitates towards rescue animals, as I seem to be drawn to orphans and underdogs. Basically, if it is odd, or from an independent, I seem to love that car, and I really don’t know why.
Look at my avatar 🙂
For me, it would be Oldsmobile and Honda.
My family owned a string of Oldsmobile 88s when I was growing up in the 1970s, and I later owned a 1972 Cutlass Supreme hardtop coupe for several years in the 1990s. It was a great car.
My daily driver cars have been Hondas. I like their overall “feel,” as well as their reliability.
Mercedes, Ford, Buick. In that order.
Meaningful history.
I’d have to say Oldsmobile and Cadillac. Like Brendan, my Grandfather was an Oldsmobile man. What a great man he was as well. His last Oldsmobile was a 1968 Delta Custom (before the Royale)? It was loaded too. I remember this strange “wheel” that spun on the dashboard that was the cruise control. My parents had a string of Oldsmobile’s as well. Ending with a 1978 98 Regency. As a 16 year old, I thought we were “rich”! I used any excuse I could to borrow that car as a newly minted driver. That car in my Fathers opinion was problematic. It started a string of Toyota Cressida’s after that.
Now that Oldsmobile is dead, I find myself drawn to Cadillac’s. I cannot tell you how many well used Cadillac’s I have bought and brought back to as near perfect as possible and then sold. I bet I have lost thousands of dollars in the process. It sure has been fun though!
Ramblers
Their tinny simplicity, the unsynchronized column shifters, the AM radio, the silly little fins, the station wagons, the vinyl covered cardboard door and head liners, their lack of speed, their lack of luxury, and their Honda-esque sincerity. Ramblers are total dork-mobiles that never knew what it was like to be in style or fashion, yet carried out their daily duties like the guy eating the bologna sandwich, that his wife made, carried in his metal lunch box, along with his smokes and black coffee.
Yup – Ramblers.
Love your comment! Sometimes the plain lunch that you brought to work isn’t about being delicious. It’s just the fact that the love of your life thought enough about you to make it. That thought always made a bologna sandwich taste like a turkey dinner to me. I think most Rambler drivers would relate.
Lincoln (surprise!). No idea why, no one in my family had one, I just always liked them, from little.
Good question, and some interesting answers. I’ll name four brands:
Volvo, because three of the four cars my parents owned over nearly 60 years were Volvo’s and my first car was a Volvo also.
Bugatti … yes, an odd choice, but hear me out. First, I think the Type 35 was one of the most perfectly styled cars of all time. I picked it as the subject of a homework assignment for a “design history” class I took in college to fulfill some liberal arts credits for my engineering degree. The course covered everything from prehistoric arrowheads to Greek urns to Loewy locomotives, but no cars. The professor (who drove a Volvo BTW) loved my paper and admitted he had never though about including cars in the course material. And finally, my mother had actually ridden in a Bugatti, as a young woman on a trip to France, long before I was born, but I heard about it often.
Toyota: a brand I despised until about 25-30 years ago, but we’ve now owned 5 Toyota’s (3 of them 4×4’s), and in the offroad community, they have a passionate following worldwide (a very large cult I admit) which is well-deserved.
Finally, following Roger’s lead, I’ll name a truck: Peterbilt as a brand and company. I worked for Peterbilt for a few years out of college, and 40 years later I still keep in touch with a few colleagues, follow a Peterbilt history group on Facebook, and admire old and new Pete’s on the road every day.
Jeep! Looking at both sides of the family, I’m a 5th generation Jeeper. My great grandpa on my dad’s side had a Willys Jeepster, my grandpa on my mom’s side drove a Willys in WW2 and bought a 4WD Willys Station wagon when he was back home and then of course my parents have owned several Jeeps and we still do.
My favorite warm fuzzy automobile ‘feeling’ comes from FORD.PRODUCTS.OF.THE.1960s. (Especially cheap ’64 Falcon 2-door sedans).
Overall, my answer would be FORD as well. I’ve only owned 3 cars since I acquired my drivers license in Sept. 1989 so all my driving memories are in them, esp. the ’64 Falcon. The other 2 were a ’67 Lincoln and an ’86 Thunderbird.
When I was growing up my Dad had a Mercury Comet (think it was a ’76 or ’77) that was a light green color and then he bought two Zephyrs and the ’86 T-Bird was his last car until his death in Nov. 1998 at 59. I inherited that Thunderbird and proceeded to drive it regularly until an accident ended its automotive life on Jan. 11, 2000. A sad end.
My Mom had a ’70s Lincoln Mark IV and I remember it somewhat. BIG hood! (She also had a ’79 Chevy Malibu. Good car).
I have no beef with Chevrolet or any other car company it’s just that Ford is my favorite because I’ve never owned anything else. Ergo, an honest answer would ~have~ to be FORD or nothing. However, I do like the FORD ‘products’ I’ve owned so the Blue Oval comes in at #1. → Those afterburners on the Falcon are worth their weight in goodwill. I ♥ those taillights. (Never liked the look of the ’64 Thunderbirds by contrast. Thought they were ugly compared to the ’63s partly because the ’64 models ditched the round afterburners for rectangular tails. Didn’t like the front ‘look’ of the 64’s, either. Meh). I liked the 1972 Thunderbirds, though.
If I had the kind of $dough$ Jay Leno has I’d gladly add some old Chevys, Chryslers, Imperials and Cadillacs to my current 1-car automobile stash.
Opel, because we had various Rekords in my childhood. My first ride was as a baby in a Rekord D. The last one we had was a Rekord E Caravan. I still miss this car, and my parents sometimes too. Modern cars I don´t like so much, but some of the actual Opels looks nice. But I prefer the old rwd models.
Jaguar, because since my early childhood I´m a fan of this brand. In the block where I lived was a repair shop for classic british cars, so I could see them very often.
Studebaker, Ford and Datsun are all very close to my heart.
My first car was a 77 280z Datsun and it was the first manual I ever drove.
My parents owned a 76 Mustang II Cobra when I was very little (we called it the race car as it was painted red with yellow racing stripes) and then several fox body Mustangs after that. My dad sold me his pristine 83 GT for $300 that I still own today.
A 1959 Studebaker Silver Hawk was the first car I attempted to restore and helped to form a better relationship between my father and me. I still own this car as well.
Very nice story and pictures.
My entry is Nash. It is a great car from another era, reflecting the influence of both my father and grandfather. My grandfather had Nashes from the1930s to the early 1950s, including one that my father totaled in a teenage road race. My father continued the tradition, buying a 1948 Ambassador after returning from the war. They continued with Ramblers in 1956, 1959, and 1961, although my father said they “weren’t really Nashes”. As usual, he had a good point.
Chrysler. I owned several iterations of Plymouths and Dodges (and other brands too) but I finally acquired a Chrysler (300C) three years ago and I love it.
Personally, I am a Honda man, at 54 yrs old I’m working on my 2nd one, and see no reason to get rid of it after 17 yrs and 220k miles, no matter how many times my wife reminds me it won’t last forever. With manual Windows and locks, a manual transmission and a single CD player, it fits my flip phone mentality. But I’ve always aspired to a classic Chevy as my father is a Chevy man. Growing up, we had a 60 Bug and a 65 Implala with a 283 and power glide. In 74 he replaced the VW with a Caprice, boy was it luxurious with AM/FM and a/c. The 65 was replaced with a used 74 Malibu 2 door, you know those Collonade coupes, big on the outside, small on the inside. The Malibu was replaced with an 87 Caprice coupe, it was deep red; the paint looked better than it really was, a strong wind could scratch it. That coupe was replaced by an 03 Impala, a car that lacks the style of any of my fathers previous Chevys, but seems like it will outlast them all.
Tough choice. My family mostly drove Ford’s. In my lifetime my grandfather had a series of Buicks. My vintage cars have both been Mopar.
If I have to pick just one, it is probably Olds just due to all of the local history.
Old Jaguars. I was lucky to be in my late teens in the late 60’s, when classic Jags weren’t worth much. I daily-drove an XK-140 to school and work, courted my future wife in a 3.4 MKI, drove a 3.8 MKII to my night shift factory job. Had a MK8 project in the driveway. I recently bought a rust-free 3.4 MKI project, hope I’m able to relive some of it.
Chrysler (Dodge, Jeep, Plymouth, Eagle…at least the Vision anyways).
My grandma had a ’92(?) New Yorker, my grandpa a ’94 Ram 2500 Cummins 12-valve, (they now have a 2012 200 and 2007 Ram 2500 Cummins, respectively. Grandpa has a beautifully restored ’77 Fury and ’74 Dart). My aunt Nancy a ’87(?) LeBaron GTS (now drives a 2014 Mercedes C250 after totaling her 2011 200) and my aunt Terry a ’94 Concorde (who now has a very nice 2012 300C Hemi).
Growing up, my parents traded our ’92 Explorer for a ’98 Grand Voyager Expresso in ’98. I loved that van and no one is supposed to like minivans.
I was always a Mopar fanboy and am to this day. I own a ’13 200 Limited, an ’06 Ram 2500 Laramie MegaCab with a 5.9 Cummins, and two classics, a mint condition ’93 Concorde and a soon-to-be restored, 100% stock ’91 LeBaron convertible. If I had endless amounts of room and money, I’d be collecting darned near everything from the ’60s to present day. Everything from D-series trucks to Fury/Monaco, Diplomat, St. Regis. Neon to Ram 3500 Resistol Edition. Old Dart/Valiant to new Darts (which could have been Civic/Corolla killers if Marchionne just gave it a little more time and effort). K cars. LH cars. Minivans. Rumble Bee Ram. Jeeps.
If I ever was uber wealthy, you’d find no supercars in my stables, just Mopars, and a lot of ordinary/rare ones at that (I’m not in to super fast cars, so no Viper or Demon for me).
I’ll always have my two classics and my truck, but my next DD to replace my current 200 a couple years from now is going to be a 300 or a Grand Cherokee. Heck, I’d take the FWD Cherokee, too. Seems to be a nice little crossover and I hate crossovers, and the refreshed design is a lot more appealing.
My grandfather (paternal) lived all his life in New York City and never owned a car. My maternal grandfather only drove Dodge. My father drove company cars so it was what they gave or let him choose. I know of early Chevrolet, Dodge, Fords, Plymouth, Oldsmobile, Audi, Porsche, Mercedes and his last a Buick. My mother had some of those brands listed like Ford, Plymouth, Audi, BMW, Mazda and Honda. As for me I like all cars, I like to drive all cars, I like to work and restore any old car, but I’d have to give the first nod to Ford/Mercury.
Packard.
It was the first exotica I noticed, noticed inappropriately young for a normal person. Usual for here, then. I was somewhere not too far from nappies, I guess.
A grille from the classical world, but shaped to be a 1930’s skyscraper. The whole, long, dark, curved, whitewalled as if wearing spats, shaped and edged with chrome outlines. Round edged windows to hide the occupants, for peering through longingly for the rest of us.
Spoken of in ways that suggested a quiet knowing. “Ah, a Packard.” Unspoken authority in that way, too.
And that name. It sounded, it sounds, unarguable. Down a long nose (car or person) to one who is too young to know such things. Sighing patiently, “Packard, ofcourse, boy.” It’s very sound is wealth imperturbable, American, permanent, rounded and finalised with that dominant “r”.
To a modern ear, it probably sounds like a marketing handle for a concrete maker, packed and hard.
But not to my irrational self. Which is why as the point of entry to wondering about cars, and, as it happens, as a name who did make great cars, it remains special to me.
I’d have to start with the British Leyland group as the first car my father had and consequently I ever rode in was a Morris 1300 (ADO16). Then Toyota and Nissan, as those were the first cars I drove after I got my license.
Pontiac.
This started with my parent’s ’63 Star Chief, which was far better than any car the family had owned before. Next for them was a ’66 Tempest 326, followed by a ’69 Tempest, also 326. Great engine.
My first new car after college (and marriage) was a 1967 Tempest Custom Convertible with the Sprint package. 4bbl OHC 6 and 4-speed. I still dream about that car.
Went on to a Catalina. At one point bought a used ’65 Tempest for a work car, pushrod 6 and three-on-the-tree.
Tried a couple of Mopar and Fomoco products, but no love there. In later years we flirted with German cars, with mixed success. When American cars began to go downhill we went Honda/Acura or Toyota/Lexus and have never looked back.
But my heart is with Pontiac, the best cars of my youth
Oldsmobile certainly would be a great place to start. My very first experience with an Olds product was my parents 1968 dark green Delta 88 sedan with a Rocket 455 V8. That was up until that point dads favorite car and he kept it for 12 years selling it to a military guy that was being stationed at a different base.
It was Chevy and Ford after that with a 1974 Chevelle following the Delta 88 and then the nightmare 1979 Fairmont that I inherited.
Luckily I convinced dad to look at a beautiful light green 1982 Cutlass Supreme coupe that mom fell in love with and they bought it on the spot when we drive it back to the dealership after a lengthy test drive.
A 1984 Cutlass Ciera in light brown with a dark brown interior followed soon after as mom’s second car and then we inherited the grandparents 1985 gold V8 Cutlass coupe which was handed down to me as a college gift during the 1990’s.
In 1993 dad traded in the light green coupe for a 1992 dark blue Cutlass Supreme sedan with the 3.1 V6 and 4 speed automatic. Mom followed a few years later with a red 1994 of the same car upgraded with ABS, driver’s airbag and the 3100 V6.
Somewhere around 1996 I traded the 1985 gold coupe for a black 1989 Ciera with maroon interior, full rally gauges and the bullet proof 2.8 V6 and 3 speed transmission that refused to die even after it’s next two owners after me crashed it, put well over 200K miles on it with poor service and they beat on it mercilessly.
After that I had a clean brown 1983 307 Cutlass Brougham coupe and now currently have a beautiful low mileage 1987 two tone blue coupe with the 307, bucket seats, gauges and thankfully the FE3 suspension. She sits in my driveway as we speak with a pic below and drives like a dream.
Saab, of course. Had 4, loved them all, want them back.
Distant second – a model, rather than a brand – Golf.
Can’t pick just one, gotta go with Checker, Citroen, and Studebaker 🙂 . My father was part owner of a Checker dealer and back in the fall ordered up a loaded ’69 Marathon to be our new family car, it had a 4BBL 350, a/c, p/w, and was cool as heck. At the time we also had a ’63 ID19 Cabriolet as a second car, oh man how I LOVED that car! As for Studebaker, well, the very first car I ever rode in was a ’60 Lark 4 door.