1984 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency

Murilee Martin
by Murilee Martin

While it was possible to get a Ninety-Eight Regency Brougham in 1984, the buyer of this Olds cheaped out and went for the non-Brougham version. That just seems wrong.


When you’re talking about an Olds 98 from the 1980s, the conversation must turn to the greatest Oldsmobile song of all time. Suckers to the side! I know you hate my 98!

What we’ve got here is a big, traditional Detroit rear-drive sedan. By this time, the base engine in the Ninety-Eight was an Olds 307 making 140 horsepower, and the car weighed 3,886 pounds.

But Ninety-Eight Regency drivers weren’t looking for speed, in spite of what Chuck D said about his. They were looking for the same kind of luxury they got in their ’47 Oldsmobiles.













Murilee Martin
Murilee Martin

Murilee Martin is the pen name of Phil Greden, a writer who has lived in Minnesota, California, Georgia and (now) Colorado. He has toiled at copywriting, technical writing, junkmail writing, fiction writing and now automotive writing. He has owned many terrible vehicles and some good ones. He spends a great deal of time in self-service junkyards. These days, he writes for publications including Autoweek, Autoblog, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars and Capital One.

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  • Joe F85 Joe F85 on Feb 06, 2013

    Hi guys. Newbie here. I had to comment. I still own and drive a 1984 Olds Ninety-Eight Regency Brougham - I had it now for 14 years. From everything I've read and studied on the subject, the Big 3 simply mated their old-technology engines (drive train as a whole) to mandated pollution-fighting technology, and the result was a horrific loss in power. As I age, though, I find this loss to be less of a pain. This car represents Oldsmobile's long-standing commitment to luxury and quality. The car is probably the quietest car I've ever been in. A truly wonderful car to experience. I am still angry at GM for 'killing' the brand long before discontinuing it: remember the 'Not your father's Oldsmobile' campain? That's exactly what Olds drivers wanted! Lastly, I have to say that it pains me to see these cars put out to pasture like the one pictured above. With relatively little attention, these cars will offer years (decades, for me) of reliable, stylish transportation. Thanks for posting.

    • See 1 previous
    • Supremebrougham Supremebrougham on Apr 04, 2013

      @nathan5294 Hey Nathan, I knew it was you!!! You better come in and say hi to me at Northland!!! -Richard :)

  • Zachary Zachary on May 03, 2024

    How much is the 1984 oldmobile (281)8613817

  • AZFelix With both fuel lines and battery packs, Lamborghini owners can soon wager on which part of the engine will instigate the self immolation of their super cars.
  • Namesakeone The realities of the market have spoken: with a little help of a lingering recession (in that most families need a car for every purpose, rather than affording multiple cars as once was true), and with a little advertising-prodding from the manufacturers, the SUV and crossover have, in turn, replaced the station wagon, the minivan, and now the sedan. (Or maybe the minivan replaced the station wagon. Whatever.) I still like cars, but the only votes are the ones that a.) come to new-car dealerships, and b.) come with money attached. Period.
  • MaintenanceCosts "But your author does wonder what the maintenance routine is going to be like on an Italian-German supercar that plays host to a high-revving engine, battery pack, and several electric motors."Probably not much different from the maintenance routine of any other Italian-German supercar with a high-revving engine.
  • 28-Cars-Later "The unions" need to not be the UAW and maybe there's a shot. Maybe.
  • 2manyvettes I had a Cougar of similar vintage that I bought from my late mother in law. It did not suffer the issues mentioned in this article, but being a Minnesota car it did have some weird issues, like a rusted brake line.(!) I do not remember the mileage of the vehicle, but it left my driveway when the transmission started making unwelcome noises. I traded it for a much newer Ford Fusion that served my daughter well until she finished college.
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