1970 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser 455

WOW!!!! Appears to have every factory option for 1970!!!!

http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/carsforsale/oldsmobile/vista_cruiser/1707612.html

 

DOUBLE WOW !

 

With chipped and faded paint, however, it is not a $20,000 car. It wouldn't be a $20,000 car if the paint job was perfect.

 

Car needs A LOT of work. Missing the vista chrome around the top glass.Steering wheel cracked etc etc. Very nice solid starting point but no where near 19.5K Tom

 

20,000 or a car with faded paint and ripped seats?

 

A survivor with a 442 hood and grill? I guess the hood and grill did not survive? Only way to top that would be a one owner barn find

 

Not meaning to pile on, but this car is what it is. There is rust around the roof glass, a place where these cars are notorious for problems. While the rust in this may not be severe, it is no small matter, either, and, like an iceberg, most of the problems are below the surface. This is a $5,000 car at most.

 

I offered no comment on the price, but this 1970 Vista Cruiser is incredibly highly factory optioned! :2_thumbs_up_-_anima That alone merits due consideration.


1970 Oldsmobile VISTA CRUISER 455 / 3-Seat Custom Wagon, matching numbers & LOADED.
Always a Southern California car retaining it's original black California license plates; delivered in Dec. of 1969. Litterally a "little old lady from Pasadena" car in her 90's...
w/ Original FACTORY: 455 4bbl V8 Motor, Dual Exhaust, Rally-Pack with Tachometer/Clock and Gauges, Air Conditioning, Power Side Windows, Power Rear Window, Power Door Locks, 4-Way Power Seat, AM/FM Stereo w/ Rear Speaker, Tilt-Steering Wheel, Auxiliary Light Group, Gold Brocade Cloth Interior, Fold-a-Way Third Seat, Carpeted Cargo Area, Mirrored-Polarized Vista-Windows Glass, Tinted Lower Glass, Roof Rack, Rear Air Deflector, Diver-Side Remote Control Mirror, Matching set of 225/R 14" WSW Radial Tires & Non-Smoker Ash-Trays.
Additional Oldsmobile 442 equipment: 442 Grills, 442 Hood with Factory Pin-Spripes (original paint) & (Set of 4) 442 Rally I Wheels.
Very Good - Excellent Condition. NO RUST or LEAKAGE around Vista Roof Windows. Beautiful RUST-FREE Undercarriage. Straight and honest second owner car. Beautiful LOADED original example of the 1970, 1971 & 1972 Vista Cruiser series station wagons. The (3) "Vista Windows" windows in the roof DO NOT LEAK! Beautiful original carpeting, door pannels & headliner. Excellent Undercarriage with "0" Zero Rust. Front bench-seat needs reupholstering.
Superb "Driver", a "Survivor".
Enjoy it "as it is" or if you prefer, an easy cosmetic restoration to bring to perfection. Repainted once decades ago by original owner. All stock & upgraded Oldsmobile parts with factory original matching numbers 455 4bbl V8 Motor with dual exhaust. No trailer hitch.
Questions? Phone: 323-851-77hundred (No text please)
Zip Code for: viewing, shipping or pick up; 91387.
Price: $19,500 323-851-7700

 

In my opinion, this is true only to a point. There tends to be a great emphasis put on what options a wagon has in discussions on this site, and that's great, but options really affect value only on the margins. It's still the base car that matters most.

The options that DO matter, in terms of value, are the major ones. What engine does the car have if there was a choice of engines at the time? What transmission? Air-conditioning? Perhaps a special handling package? Even then, these kinds of options will affect value maybe 10 or 20% at most. So a $5000 car might be a $5500 or $6000 car if it has the top-end engine, etc.

But options like cruise control, power things (locks, windows, seat), rear-defogger, etc. are certainly cool, but their effect on value is minor, and these kinds of options are just things that can go wrong now and that can be difficult to get repaired or find parts for..

Certainly no amount of options turns a $5,000 Vista Cruiser into a $20,000 Vista Cruiser. Or even a $10,000 Vista Cruiser. Personally, I'd more likely rather have a low-option Vista Cruiser in good condition than a high-option one in poor shape or that needs a lot of work.

 

I don't see how the seller can say this when rust is obvious around the roof windows. There may be no leakage (yet), but there certainly is rust.

 

I have a funny feeling this is just maybe a $10,000 car. The paint is faded, but intact. This is true survivor patina. That interior looks to be in decent shape, and that material is fragile. The rust around the roof windows looks like a simple case of electrolysis cromnthe dissimilar metals, which is not difficult to stop and prevent. All those options make this one special. Each individual option may only add a tiny increment to the price, but the aggregate total of options makes this a rare and desirable example of a desirable model. That can add up to price.

 

I agree, $10,000 tops. What amazes me is a little ole lady bought a wagon with a 455. She must have been in a hurry to get to church and to the grocery store.

 

I agree it's not a $20k car, but the options really add value in my opinion. My guess this car was a dealer demo, they generally loaded them up. But they usually had a tough time selling them because of the price. If this was sold in '69 it still could have been a demo and the the new owner just had to have it. I have a friend who would buy the demo of the car he was interested in, his thoughts were that the demos would have the most attention paid to them to make sure everything was A1.

 

Looks like drive side front fender in front of door is rusted through.

 

It may be overpriced but it is a one rare bird.