In 1998, I found myself in the market for a full sized sedan. I considered the Buick LeSabre, Pontiac Bonneville and the Mercury Grand Marquise. I had set my price at about $29000.00 and all of these cars fell into that range.
Before purchasing a car new, I decided to check out CarMax. There I found a 1997 Oldsmobile LSS with 18000 miles on the odometer. It was listed at $10000.00 less than buying it new, so I bought it. This turned out to be very good decision. The car came with the following options:
3800 series II Supercharged V-6, anti-lock brakes, leather seats, power windows/seats, cruise, climate control/passenger temp control, traction control, magnasteer, am/fm/cd, sport wheels, sports tuned suspension and automatic leveling rear shocks.
The controls are simple and easy to operate. The seats are comfortable but supportive and road and wind noise are kept to a minimum due to good insulation. The climate control system keeps the car comfortable in all weather conditions. The overall feeling of the car is one of quality and stability. The suspension keeps body lean to a minimum, yet soaks up pot holes and bumps without disturbing the ride. The "Magnasteer" tightens the steering as your speed increases, thus giving you a very good feel of the road. Overall, the handling of the car feels more European than American, which is a plus.
The car seats five and has a large trunk. The gas mileage has proven to be 18 mpg in the city and 27mpg on the highway. The anti-lock brakes have kept me out of trouble on several occasions and the car handles well in emergency situations. The traction control works well, however, it can be "touchy" upon acceleration. Driving through large puddles seems to set it off even though the car has not lost traction. The turning radius is rather wide and can prove troublesome in parking lots. Power from the 3800II Supercharged V-6 is effortless. The car never feels as if it is struggling and provides plenty of passing "get up and go".
The styling is conservative with cleans lines. The wheels add a touch of sportiness as do the wide tires.
Reliability has been one of the cars strongest attributes. The odometer now reads 51,126 and I have only changed the oil and replaced a belt. Not even the brakes have needed work.
In conclusion, this car truly owes me nothing and if I had to find a bad point about it, I would say that as with all American cars, it depreciates rapidly.

Amount Paid (US$): 18900.00
Condition: Used
Model Year: 1997
Model and Options: LSS w/supercharged V 6