Hey all, I'm a noob here. Buying my first olds tomorrow. Its a '95 cutlass supreme w/ 128k on the 3.1 engine. I currently drive a super duty but, the mpg is killing me so needed a cheap car that gets good mpgs. Haven't seen or drove the car yet. What are some things to look for? The seller claims everything works and that it runs great. What kind of mpg in town and highway can I expect? Should I be able to get 200k miles out of the car without any major probs?

Thanks all,

Kyle

 

Must be a dead forum....

 

I had a 95 just like the one you are getting. I traded it in with 188K on it. I put a rebuilt trans in it at 130K or so, other than that, it never had any major maintenance. It was still running great when I got rid of it.

 

What about your mpgs? I have read numbers that say around 20 in town and 30 highway? Are these accurate figures? In the spring when it warms up I plan to give the car a full tune up and change all the fluids. I know the last owners were an elderly couple so I'm sure the car has been babied most of its life.

 

Those number might be a little high, but not much. I didn't accurately measure my mileage, but it should be pretty close to them.

 

Hi Kyle,

I joined this site just to answer your post!

I own a ’95 Cutlass Supreme SL 3.1. I love it. I bought it over 7 years ago with about 110K on it. It now has 197,500 on it. Up until recently, I never had any big trouble with it. Two weeks ago (after some head scratching) I figured out I had a bad intake gasket. I fixed it myself with some knowledgeable friends giving me advice along the way. It wasn’t too bad of a fix.

From what I have heard and read, the intake gasket eventually failing on the 3.1 is common. Not sure if they normally last until 200K or not, but it’s something to keep in mind.

I have had a few small things to fix. Both rear strut mounts needed replacement. They actually failed within about 5K of each other. I knew I should have changed them both when I did the first one!

If it’s the 2 door, be ready for some sticker shock when you need a new headlight. They are $30! They are smaller than a typical sealed beam headlight. They were only used on 4 GM models, and only between ‘91-’97. If yours is a 4 door, than it’s a bulb for about $10.

The only annoyance I have with my Cutlass is the exterior door handles. And again, this only applies to a 2 door. I have replaced both sides twice, and the drivers side is currently broke and in need of replacement again. Now, I have been buying cheap replacements on e-Bay for about $30. Maybe if I had spent the $100+ that the local GM dealer wants, the first set would have been good enough?

I live in North Dakota, so I would assume my weather has a lot to do with them failing. If you live in a warmer climate, maybe you won’t have the trouble I had. The other thing is that they are big heavy doors. If you use the handle to pull the door open all the way, you put a lot of pressure on them. I don’t know how much it is helping, but I have learned to only pull on the handle long enough to open it, and then grab onto the top of the door to open it all the way.

This is getting long. I’ll try and wrap it up! Mileage: I haven’t done enough of it to measure town driving. But back when I first got it, I got 27-29 on the highway. Now I’m getting about 25-26. But, I haven’t checked it again after the work I did. I did some tune-up work while I was doing the intake gasket, so I am hoping I can hit 28 again!

Good luck with your “new” Cutlass. I’m sure you’ll like it. I love mine.

 

Thanks for reply. I just did plugs, fuel filter, oil change, fuel filter, and new battery this weekend. The fuel filter and plugs were original factory equipment so I expect it will run a ton better than before. However, I never got the chance to drive much before doing the work so who knows. Mine is a 4 door but, thanks for info. Hope to get 200k out of the car.