Middle-Age Crazy on a Budget

So I recently fell into a middle age stereotype. I bought a red convertible. It's not a musclebound Mustang, Camaro or Chevelle from the '60s or early '70s, nor is it some sleek little European number. It's a 1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, a mid-sized, middle-of-the-road car from the mid-'90s. As I said, it's not a muscle car, not yet an antique but something of a classic in waiting. Like most cars from the '90s, it's just beginning to become a bona fide collectible, especially as fewer and fewer of them remain on the road.

Built on GM's front wheel drive W-Body platform, which it shared with the Pontiac Gran Prix (1988-2008); Buick Regal (1988-2005), Century (1997-2005) and LaCrosse (2006-2010); Chevy Lumina (1988-1999), Monte Carlo (1997-2008) and Impala (2000-2016); and Oldsmobile Cutlass and Intrigue (1998-2002), this final iteration of the iconic Cutlass Supreme ran from 1988-1997. The convertible body style was exclusive to the Cutlass Supreme and was in regular production from 1991-1995, although it originated as an Indianapolis 500 Pace Car in 1988 with only about 50 units produced.

The '95 convertible has the distinction of being the last year model for the last convertible produced by Oldsmobile. It's also the only year the convertible was offered with the updated Cutlass Supreme interior, necessitated by the addition of a passenger side airbag.

With so many sibling vehicles using many of the same components, replacement parts are plentiful and relatively cheap. junk yards are also full of compatible donor cars, although they are getting a bit scarcer as time goes on. The one thing that's borderline 'unobtainium' is parts for the convertible top and any body or interior parts specific to the convertible.

I chose this particular car because its original paint is in very nice condition, the upholstery was in excellent shape with a couple of high-wear panels replaced on the driver's seat, the transmission had recently been rebuilt and the top had been recently replaced, a repair that would have cost almost as much as I paid for the car. It came to me with just under 120,000 miles on it, which is more than I ideally would have liked, but it's a solid enough car and not my daily driver, so it will do.

To be sure, it still needed some work. The air conditioner is non-functional, as is the anti-lock braking system. The brakes still work just fine as conventional brakes, they just don't pulse to avoid locking up if I stand up on the pedal. These things will be fixed as time and finances allow. A more recent priority was to replace the rear struts and the rear brake pads and rotors. Now, it stops safely and it doesn't ride like a buckboard anymore.

As I said, this car isn't a muscle car. At best, it's a cruiser. The 3.1 liter V6 is enough to have some fun with on a sunny day but it'll never win any races, much less do a burnout. But it's the perfect car for a little zen driving in which the journey is more important than the destination.

Driving with the top down on a country road, which fortunately are in abundance within a couple minutes of my house, is a heavenly experience and a great way to de-stress. It puts you more in touch with the surroundings without being quite as vulnerable as one would be riding a motorcycle. It's a feeling of freedom one simply cannot experience in a closed sedan. Curiously, on the occasions when I drive the convertible with the top up, I get a feeling of claustrophobia I don't get when driving my sedan. It's just a car that needs to be open to the sky.

UPDATE—With this year's social distancing due to COVID-19, the convertible provided the perfect means of escape. The combination of cheap gas, empty roads and mild weather formed a perfect convertible trifecta, satisfying my need for a change of scenery without being too close to other people.

UPDATE—Now that I've had the car almost three years, I've begun to have a few problems with it. The rebuilt transmission didn't last and had to be replaced at the end of last summer. The paint and top have also begun to deteriorate and the latter will have to be replaced, probably within the next couple of years and I still haven't done anything about the brakes or the air conditioning but driving it around on sunny days is still just as fun as ever.