Last of the Land Yachts: 1976 Olds Custom Cruiser
The year 1976 was a year of little change in most American cars. Maybe manufacturers thought we’d all be too busy celebrating the Bicentennial to notice. Oldsmobile was no different. However, the 1976 Oldsmobile full-size models did get updated grilles. The Custom Cruiser shared its new grille with the Olds 98. This 1976 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser is for sale here on Craigslist in Marengo, Illinois. Thanks to Barnfinds reader Rocco B. for bringing this car to our attention.
Look at that massive station wagon. This 1976 Custom Cruiser rode on a 127″ wheelbase and stretched 231″ overall. This particular car wears the simulated woodgrain siding, however, there were probably very few 1976 models without it. This is a very clean two owner vehicle. It has a fresh Light Blue Metallic paint job with some bodywork, including new vinyl wood siding. A luggage roof rack is an option found on this car.
The 1976 brochure said “Imagine an Olds 98 with a 106-cubic-foot trunk–and then look at a Custom Cruiser” While the interior was not as nice as that of the 98, its poshness fell somewhere between the interior of the Delta 88 and the Delta 88 Royale, with a center fold-down armrest. There must have been some unwritten rule in the seventies that all station wagons (and convertibles) must have vinyl interiors. I guess interior designers envisioned soft drinks and ice cream being spilled all over the seats. The interior of this car is in great shape though and has probably seen no spills. An aftermarket armrest with built-in cupholders has been added to contain those soft drinks on the turns. Also included with the car is an aftermarket radio.
This was the last year of the full-size General Motors clamshell tailgate, but no pictures of it are included. This Custom Cruiser is a two-seat model with the rear area reserved for cargo, including underneath the floor. The cargo area looks like it was used very little. You normally envision station wagons with scratches on the plastic and soiled areas on the carpeting.
To pull this massive vehicle around, a 455 cubic inch V-8 engine was required. But this one hasn’t been pulling too hard, because there are only 26,000 miles on the car. It runs and drives great. It has had recent mechanical work including oil change, differential service, transmission rebuild, and new flow master steering linkage. The air conditioning was retrofitted with a new compressor in 2015. New shocks and muffler were also added. This is literally a turn key vehicle that will need nothing. But with all the work done on the vehicle, it will demand a higher price of $10,000. Are you ready to add a massive wagon to your collection?
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Comments
Somebody’s going to steal this one. Nice options, great shape, and I dig the blue on blue over some kind of 70’s red combo.
Already gone…
Darn I was planning on adopting a hundred cats 🐈 or 12.5 kids and getting this land yacht to drive gas ⛽️ station to station threw the US but it’s already sold.
It’s looks like someone else has the same idea on this super clean classic wagon master rare “old”-mobile😫😩😢😥😓😪🤧
would seriously need $10,000 in fuel costs the first year. does anyone know if mileage cracked double digits on the highway?
These could get 17 on the highway if you don’t drive it like you just stole it.
$10,000 in gasoline at $3 a gallon would propel you for 56,000 miles.
I had a 72 Buick Estate Wagon.It had a 455. I could get 20 mpg on the highway. 18mpg with the a/c on. Around town forget it. You did not think mpg.
Had one of these, back in 85. Would go 85, on a flat surface or headed up a hill like a saturn v rocket, but bog slow around town (2.76 gear?) Great in the snow, and the clamback never gave me a bit of trouble. Finally when all the deferred maintenance caught up with it, I made an El Camino out of it for the summer, then sold the drivetrain in maybe October. I always thought it was an extremely handsome, and it did drive like a much smaller car……
If you put one of those self learning electronic fuel injection conversion kits and a proper dual exhaust system on this car, I’m sure you could equal the highway mileage of most of today’s massive pick up trucks.
Just maintain the factory setup meticulously, and you can get mid-teens.
You’d have to do a LOT of driving to make an EFI system pay for itself in fuel savings.
Let’s assume the car gets 15 mpg with the stock setup and 18 with, say, the Holley Quick Fuel Injection system.
Driving 10,000 miles and assuming gasoline is $3 a gallon:
At 15 mpg, your fuel cost is $2000.
At 18 mpg, your fuel cost is $1666.
The QFI system costs $1911 at Summit. Assuming it costs you nothing to install it, you’d have to drive 57,000 miles just to break even.
With gas at $2.12 a gallon as it is where I live today, the break-even point is 80,000 miles.
Most of us here aren’t going to drive a car like this more than a few thousand miles a year. The break-even point may never be reached before you (or your heirs) resell the car.
Of course, if the fuel system currently in place is trashed or trouble-prone and/or you were going to upgrade it anyway…by all means go EFI! Just don’t expect a big payback in fuel savings.
I had one as a demo at the dealership where I worked at the time. Huge land yacht with lots of room for the neighbourhood kids. Gas was cheap but as I recall low two digit numbers on the highway – never checked in town. The ad is already removed by the owner or I would have called.
Lovely looking car. Although no one in my family owned one, I remember seeing these when I was a boy. I preferred these over the tiny cars produced at the time by Toyota, Datsun, Isuzu, etc.
And it’s gone…………………
Plus you will look a whole lot cooler driving this Jack.
Nice memory..we called these tuna boats in high school..
lol!
If you’re thinking about buying a 5000lb wagon and then concerned about the MPG, you’re not doing this right………..
You want 20 something MPG? Get one of the last LT1 wagons……
station wagons still have their uses in this century. Rather have the olds, then a junky Toyota Previa any day.
Yes 1976 was a water shed year for the Big 3. The reason was the phony gas shortages due to reliance on flaky Mid Eastern regimes.
Cars were significantly down sized in 77.
This thing eveñ in fine tune would consume enough fuel to put the Exxon Valdeez to shame. Most of the fuel going right out the exhaust without a lot of it not even being burned.
This one is a beauty. I think those floors in the back were just folded seats
I missed – wow – this price is perfect –
I own 1987 custom cruiser olds wagon – I need one more low millage
I really missed
Nice car. When I take one of my 78 Pontiac wagons out it gets more attention than a 396 Chevelle
People can gripe about gas prices what’s that old saying if you can’t afford it etc
Cars like this are not only rare because of low production numbers but are pure fun
How people can complain about gas prices. They pay monthly payment for new vehicle average $ 350.00 plus 150 for insurance plus monthly gas expenses average $ 100 = $600 total.
This old perfect car will cost monthly less than $200 and ,,,,,,,,,, no recalls
Wow – we need go back to American old class cars- no recalls
Done by professional engineers not by computers operators.
26k miles and it needed a rebuilt transmission? Those TH400s lasted longer than that.
I remember noticing a very big difference between the 1975 and 1976 Large Oldsmobiles. Because they adopted the square headlights across the board. That was a huge deal at the time.
They put the sealed beams on the more expensive cars first for 1975, all Cadillacs, 98,Toronado, Electra, Riviera, Caprice/GrandVille and oddly enough, the new H-body Monza/Skyhawk etc, the less expensive LeSabre,88’s and wagons got the square lights in 76.
Our family car salesman told me that all American wagon makers offered any number of interior seating options, but primarily vinyl in rows two and three. Those were where most of the wear and tear from use took place. Vinyl can be scrubbed out with soapy water and a soft brush. Cloth and leather can’t. Buick was famous for offering cloth front seats with vinyl rear rows. I’m sure Chrysler and a ford had same.