1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser article on Curbside Classic

http://www.curbsideclassic.com/curb...bile-cutlass-cruiser-jerry-lundegaards-folly/



As a child of the 1980s, I am very familiar with the GM A-bodies, and Cutlass Cieras in particular. They were everywhere at the time, and there were no less than two on my block. They were as common on the streets as Camrys are today. Arguably, the most famous Cutlass Ciera was the tan 1988 Cutlass Ciera that Jerry Lundegaard gave the hit men as partial payment in the classic 1996 film, Fargo. Unlike Jerry Lundegaard, the Ciera was a solid hit.



The Cutlass Ciera was introduced in the fall of 1981 as a 1982 model. It had some very big shoes to fill. The Cutlass nameplate was Oldsmobile’s most successful in the 1970s, and the Cutlass Supreme in particular was the undisputed best selling model in the lineup. The first downsizing came in 1978, followed by a more aerodynamic restyling in 1981. Building on that success came the Ciera, the first time the Cutlass nameplate was applied to more than one car line.



The 1982 Cutlass Ciera was a response to the recent Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. As a result of this legislation, vehicle lineups had to be more fuel efficient. You could still build full-size cars like the Delta 88 and Ninety Eight Regency, but it had to be countered with smaller, lighter and more efficient vehicles. As a result, the Ciera had front wheel drive, unit construction and no V8 option. The standard engine was a 2.5L 4 cylinder, with a 2.8L V6, 3.0L V6, and 4.3L diesel V6 engines standard or optional, depending on the model. It was initially offered as a two-door or four-door sedan. Initially offered in base, LS and top-of-the line Brougham models. For 1983 an ES option was added, with blacked out trim, sporty wheel covers, a console and full instrumentation.



The rear-wheel drive Cutlass Supreme remained in production, so the Cutlass Cruiser station wagon remained on the Supreme platform for 1982 and 1983. Finally, in 1984, the front wheel drive Cruiser was introduced. It was immediately popular with first year production of 41, 816, nearly double that of the 1983 rear-drive version. It certainly didn’t hurt that the Cutlass name still had quite a bit of cachet with buyers. Ultimately, the Cutlass Ciera was a great success, and wound up being the most popular Oldsmobile of the 1980s. The choice of a Cutlass Ciera as the car the hit men drive in Fargo was perfect. If you wanted to blend into the background in Minnesota in the late ’80s, this was the car to drive.

​

These cars were extremely popular in my part of the country. They were so common as to blend into the background, much like the Toyota Camry does today. One of our neighbors, an older lady, had a copper colored Brougham sedan, probably an ’84. Our next door neighbor’s daughter, Jeannie, had a cream colored ’84 Cutlass Cruiser in cream with a brown interior and her husband had a full size Custom Cruiser. One of our grade school teachers had a burgundy ’85 Ciera sedan. My driver’s ed car was a navy blue ’96 Ciera with a blue interior. When I started working part-time during high school and college, one of the managers had a gunmetal gray 1991 or ’92 sedan. Those are just the ones I remember. Yes, Northwest Illinois really liked their Oldsmobiles, the Ciera in particular.





However, with success can come complacency. The Ciera was a very comfortable, efficient, state of the art car – in 1982. The problem was, there were no significant updates to the car, save a redesigned roofline for the coupe in mid-1986 and the sedan in 1989. Some slight changes were made to the front and back ends, usually year to year, and a driver’s side airbag was added. Yet despite the lack of changes they kept selling. The longer they were made, the better they were built, and by the early 1990s these cars and their A body cousins were some of the most trouble free cars available.





But eventually, it was finally time to retire them, and along with its remaining A body cousin, the Buick Century, they were put out to pasture in 1996. The coupe had been discontinued after the 1991 model year, but the sedan and wagon made it all the way to the end. At the time, I recall reading an article where Oldsmobile made 1982 and 1996 model Cieras available to the press to commemorate all the years of production. One wag claimed he couldn’t tell which was which. And so ended fifteen years of production. A ‘new’ Cutlass came out in 1997, but it was clearly a badge-engineered version of the 1997 Chevy Malibu, and it tanked. Oldsmobile never really got a replacement that was a volume seller, and Oldsmobile Division ultimately ended production after a very short run of 2004 models.





What prompted this article? A couple weeks ago, I spotted this Cutlass Cruiser (above) on a side street. I still see sedans all the time, but the wagons are rare enough today that I had to go around the block and get a photo. Today, even in my rust-prone region of the country, these cars are a common sight, a testament to their popularity and durability.

 

Excellent read...thanks

 

Good old cars. I loved the a-wagons. I still drive more a-bodies than anything. They're still in abundance around here, but you don't see too many of the wagons.

It's too bad that GM had to quit making the Ciera. I read that they still sold 50,000 Cieras a year with basically no advertising before they had to quit making them. All the bugs worked out, it was an easy moneymaker. It was either quit making them or seriously redesign the car to fit the government mandated side door beams.

That one with the peeling woodgrain has my favorite nose that ever came on the Ciera. I'm really surprised that it looks totally rust-free, because the body has obviously not been maintained. I see that it has the worn drivers door hinges, broken armrest, and sticking door innards just like my 89 6000 wagon. This summer I've gotta get in the door and fix it up.

 

I enjoyed the story, around here you might go a year before you would see any of the A-bodys

 

The wagons and sedans are both still fairly common around here.

 

The Century wagons are so much better, now who wants to buy one of my two? I do have one friend who really likes his Century wagon.

 

Yes...I am a great fan of the Buick Century wagon. If it has to be front wheel drive I will take a 90's Century Special wagon loaded. Preferably with the 3800 engine but a 3300 will do.