Why are Oldsmobiles such a favorite?

[StealthBird]

Someone on another board pointed this out. Seems like Oldsmobiles have always been a favorite of....well....gangbangers. I recall even back in the 80's that Oldsmobiles always seemed to be the preferred car to customize, pimp out, whatever you want to call it. I know all makes have examples of customized cars, but now that YouTube has become a showcase for personal videos, seems like customized Oldsmobiles outnumber all other makes by about a 5 to 1 ratio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_cUqwheTIA&NR=1

And check out the dozens of other customized Cutlasses and 442's in the sidebar of that YouTube clip....

We had an all Oldsmobile show here recently, and while the majority of the field were 442's, Hurst/Olds, vintage Starfire's, etc., a few pimpmobiles showed up, stereos thumping away, and at a recent Hurst/Olds gathering, there were a few 68-72 Cutlasses wearing 20" (or greater) rims.

Just curious, no disrespect intended. While I don't care for the customization, I do at least appreciate that these cars are clean, and the owners are definitely proud of them. They're not beaters.

So does anyone know Oldsmobiles seemed to get &quot;pimped out&quot; so much over Buicks and/or Pontiacs? [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/hmmm.gif[/img]

[jbsides]

Don't really know why, but when I was paying off my 'vert, I had an '84 Delta 88 I was driving back and forth to work, and used to get followed by young gentlemen who were detemining where it was parked at night. It had been broken into and the steering column hacked up, but for some reason not driven away.
I sometimes had to drive around town for a while until they realized I was just leading them around, and knew they were trailing me. Pretty brazen. Didn't really understand the attraction to the car, it was just a big piece of crap.

JB

[al8apex]

It's just like a &quot;jeep thing&quot; or a &quot;harley thing&quot;, hard to explain

[firstgenaddict]

The Old's guys are a dedicated bunch... my dad traded his 67 Camaro on a 68 442 and he still talks about the 442 but not the Camaro... lol. My mom used to drive me around in the 442 spinning the tires when my dad was stationed in Charleston on the MSS1 - Mine Sweeper.

[bwag]

Maybe it's just a coincidence but the Cutlass , FWD and RWD ,always was on the top ten list of most stolen cars in the U.S. Easy to steal or a just a cheap driver ?

[JOZW30]

Could part of it just be because during the late 70's and early to mid-80's, the Cutlass was always the number one or two top selling car model in the US?

More to steal, more parts being made, more in the boneyards in later years for cheaper &quot;pimping&quot;.

jbsides, glad I don't live in your neighborhood........I'd move after the first time that happened.

[jbsides]

It's actually a very safe area (the local cops will stop you for the slightest suspicion or infraction), there are just a couple factors that introduce the incidents. Pacific Coast Highway goes right though town, bringing through a ton of transient traffic, and we border on Long Beach, which has a heavy gang influence. Been living here 16 years, and the only problems I ever experienced had to do with that Delta 88. My impression was always the attraction was for the parts more than the vehicle itself.

JB

[Xplantdad]

Seal Beach is a nice place. My brother lived there for years...about two blocks from the main st area. He then moved to Huntington Harbor....