This one just popped up on ebay. It's identical in appearance to my car. The only real difference is the cloth seats where mine has leather. The interior looks great. The exterior definitely has faded paint, scratches, and a small dent in the fender above the wheel on the driver's side. The fender extensions look pretty good. The odometer shows 62,000, but the seller, a dealer, admits they don't know if the odometer has turned. Judging by the condition of the interior, I might guess that it hasn't. The condition of the exterior could be the result of lots of sitting outside. The price is very realistic, and he has no reserve. I like how he starts the bidding at $1978. The same, numerically, as the year of the car. Get it? https://www.ebay.com/itm/265052731575?ul_noapp=true This view of the sunroof, which obviously works, shows how the paint really looks, splotchy and faded. It's very similar to the way the paint looked on my car before I had it repainted. Dent above the wheel opening. Beautiful interior, front and back. Steering wheel has a crack or two, which is very common. Includes the original window sticker, which is pretty cool. And you can actually read it. Owned at some point by someone in the military. Could it have been a government-owned vehicle? Seems pretty extravagant for something like that. A low-option Ford Fairmont I could understand, but a high-end Oldsmobile? Seems unlikely. Probably owned by a general. If this were a '77 instead of a '78, I'd be all over it. Just gotta keep looking.
The one thing I noticed right away, is the rubber key fob. That was something dealerships handed out like candy (along with many, many other businesses) as cheap advertising. Not exactly period-correct, as I recall those hitting the market in the early '80s, but nonetheless, a nice touch.
I have a fob similar to that. From Tom Gill Oldsmobile, Columbus, Ohio. It's not shaped the same, but it's the same flexible plastic. Tom Gill Olds was a long-time sponsor of the annual Mid-Ohio Chapter, Oldsmobile Club of America, annual car show.
That was owned by somebody that worked on a base. At every base there is a check point to get in. Quick easy way to verify if the car should be allowed on is that sticker typically placed on the windshield or front bumper. I'm sure they probably have a more high tech way of doing it now. That's how it was 30 years ago at least.
Looks like it was originally purchased by the person who worked at Camp Pendleton. Original dealer it was shipped to was Hoehn Motors in Carlsbad, CA., which is very near Camp Pendleton. Hoehn Motors is still in existence today, selling Buicks, GMC trucks, Honda and Acura in the Carlsbad Auto Mall.
To my knowledge it's still the same way now, you have a sticker on the car (or did as of 4-5 years ago) and the guard lets you in or not based on that. I know flag officers had their own unique decal on the car compared to the average bumper\windshield sticker - my grandfather's Buick had 2 stars on it and the guard seemed to be a little more at attention when he drove through... My '73 wagon had ones from Redstone Arsenal in Alabama on the front bumper. It also had Grissom High School parking (Seniors 1981!) bumper stickers and decals all over it too.
The stickers were color-coded to denote enlisted vs. commissioned, and then you had a small sticker with your badge of rank. Retireds had different side stickers from current personnel. Dad retired as a Lieutenant Commander, USN, so IIRC, his had a blue tag (red was enlisted), and before he retired, he had a LCDR oak leaf on one side, and the Civil Engineers Corps 'branches' insignia on the opposite end.
SOLD for $5600! What a deal. https://www.ebay.com/itm/1978-Oldsm...=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
I would occasionally have an inspection assignment down that way, back in the 90's. As I recall, the auto mall itself only had maybe 2 or 3 body shops total - one at the Chevy dealer, and one at Ken Grody Ford, and maybe one other. There are some other independent body shops in the immediate area that other dealers would send customers to.
Do you think the buyer will back out, or do you think he’ll flip it? $5,600 seems pretty reasonable for this car.
I don't know. It's just that it isn't unusual for a car "sold" on ebay to reappear for one reason or another days or weeks later. To me, a car is only flippable if it can be bought for less than market value and then sold for market value or higher. $5600 is decent for this car, in my opinion, but it's no bargain. If the buyer turns around and tries to sell it without doing anything to the car, I don't see him getting much more than what he paid for it. With the faded paint and minor body damage, no one is drooling over this car.
