My previous car was totaled late last year. Searching through the local paper's classifieds turned up several candidates, one of which was this '77 Cutlass Supreme Brougham. Of the cars I was considering, it was easily in the best condition (better than many newer cars). It also shared a lot in common with my father's '73 Cutlass S, a car that's almost as old as me (same Rocket 350 V-8 and TH350 tranny, for starters), and at $2000, it was a steal.

The car had one owner before me, an elderly lady who used it mainly in highway driving in the high-desert area of California. (It was getting to be too much for her to handle, so she bought an Alero and put this one on the market.) The body is 100% original, with no tears in the full-vinyl roof. The upholstery could use a little work, but is in good condition for its age. The engine runs like new after 166000 miles, except for some noise from one of the valves. The AIR pump (part of the CA emissions package) is seized up...I'll probably take it out as it's not needed to pass smog-check in Nevada and robs the engine of performance when it's running. I also need to figure out why the cruise-control system was disconnected and get it going again (well, "need" may be a bit strong, but I'd like it to work :-) ).

It's my daily driver (actually, it's my only car) and hasn't needed much more than routine maintenance in the few months I've had it. Between this car, this website, and some other sites, I'm beginning to see a bit more for myself why Dad plans to keep his forever. :-) Assuming I can keep this one out of accidents (kinda difficult with the crazy drivers we have in Las Vegas), I'd anticipate hanging onto this one for a while too.