The LUVTUB is for sale!!! The LUVTUB, well known along the eastern seaboard and beyond, is seeking a new berth. This awesome American cruiser has been turning heads for over 43 years and can now be yours.
This is a 1970 Oldsmobile 98 Ninety-Eight Convertible with 42,557 original miles.
For the past 10 years I’ve enjoyed the LUVTUB in local parades, trips to the beach, Cape Cod getaways, moonlight summer cruises, apple picking, and all around town. This is a ride you’ve got to want to be seen in. I get constant waves from passers-by. I can’t sit in the car for more than a minute without someone striking up a conversation with me. “What year is it?” 1970 I say. “In high school I had a…” they respond. Or, “My dad had a blue…” One thousand times I’ve had that conversation, each one as good as the last.
The LUVTUB is virtually completely original. The paint is original- Azure Blue they called it. The body is original. Floorboards are strong. This is no rust bucket. No compounding in the panels- what you see is what you get. I put in modern headlight bulbs, but have two original T-3s that worked when I removed them.
Provenance: The LUVTUB was born on August 1, 1969 in Lansing, Michigan. I purchased this car on eBay, sight unseen, in the summer of 2003 from the third owner. It was shipped from Granbury, Texas and had 36,500 miles. The car spent most of its life in South Carolina and was barely driven. Remarkably, there are 42,557 original miles on this car. The odometer has not turned over. This car has many more miles to go. Only 3,161 1970 Olds 98 Convertibles were built, and as of a few years ago merely 561 were still registered.
Specs: The legendary 365-HP Olds Rocket 455 V-8 high compression block powers this land beast. Transmission is the robust Turbo Hydra-Matic 400. At 225 inches, she’s almost 19 feet long! It is one of the longest production convertibles ever built.
Mechanics: She runs great. That huge block hums along without any worries. Shifts smoothly. Brakes strong with front disks. Alignment good. The occasional repair I’ve had done to her has been very inexpensive. GM made many of the parts in this car for years and years on various models, so they are plentiful and easy to get. I replaced the alternator a while ago and the part cost $40!
Electrical: Some things work, some don’t. Most importantly, over the winter the headlights and exterior running light stopped working. Interior lights work. Only the passenger electric window works. Pretty sure they all worked last summer. I had the clock working for a while then it stopped again. Power seat not working, has in the past. The A/C does not work, but all the plumbing is there as ‘Comfortron’ was an original accessory. The gas gauge stopped working a few years ago. I keep track of the mileage between fill-ups. There is a huge 25 gallon gas tank on this car.
Cosmetics: The LUVTUB is not a show car. It’s a car for someone that wants to drive her around and have people smile and wave at him or her. It has a few dings and nicks. I have never been in an accident with her and as far as I can tell no one has. I recently replaced the interior carpet with a matching one from stockinteriors.com. It’s a perfect match to the original, but is brand new.
Top: The white top is shot. If you were going to spend money on the car, here’s where you might do it. I would have, but could not find a quality top shop near me. I leave the top down and throw a cover over the car in the garage. The boot is original and looks great. I have not had the top up in years and it may not even work anymore. If you had it done I would think you would want to replace everything anyway.
Horn: In 1970 era Olds, “Rim Blow” was the technical innovation of the day. You pressed into a pad around the circumference of the wheel to honk the horn. All Rim Blows failed within a few years, leading to the discontinuation of the feature. The horn works less and less. There used to be a spot on the wheel that worked if you squeezed it just right, but either I lost my touch or it broke more because I could not get it blow last I tried. Also, because the Rim Blow area flakes off the wheel, the original steering wheel is wrapped with a quality leather cover from wheelskins.com. There are specialists that restore these wheels.
Radio: I installed an aftermarket radio in the glove box so that if you close the glove box you don’t see it. I didn’t want a modern radio slapped into the dash. I also replaced the rear speaker behind the grill and added two door speakers masked behind matching covers. The radio I put in is not currently powering on. The factory radio in the dash lights up but does not work.
The car seats six. I’ve taken her to Cape Cod in the summer many times, about a 250 mile trip. Never had a problem. I pretty much store her in the garage all winter and put a trickle charge on the battery. First nice spring day I go out and she starts right up.
Maintenance: Mechanically I baby the car. Change the oil every spring. Keep her tuned up with my local mechanic (who loves the car because it’s so easy to work on). But there’s really not much she needs mechanically.
I put super gas in the car. If I use regular she knocks. Gas mileage? If you have to ask… Don’t buy this car if you care about gas mileage.
Bottom line: The car runs great, body is in fairly good original condition. She needs some TLC on the electrical and the top, if you care to. I drive her now on nice days and it’s a blast. The car is currently inspected and on the road. I drove her yesterday. To pass inspection this season you will need to repair some of the electrical issues like the lights.
Extras: Remarkably, I have the original protect-o-plate for this car, along with the original manual, color-matching sleeve it came in, with some other original extras. I’ve done extensive research on this car, and will provide all the paperwork I have.
Where’s the name from? The LUVTUB is awesome so I named her the LUVTUB (and it fit on a license plate).
Why are you selling? All good things must come to an end. After 10 good years it’s time for me to move on.
I appreciate you taking the time to view this listing. I will happily answer any questions you have. The car is available to test drive if you are in the area.
Terms: This is a cash sale. (Scammers, please move on, and try to make something of your life, it’s not too late.) A $500 PayPal deposit is required within 24 hours of the auction close. This car is being sold as is, where is. You must pick this car up or arrange for delivery.
Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight for Sale
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Wed, 11 Dec 2013
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For the latest Jay Leno's Garage episode, he takes his real Toronado out for a cruise and then drives the virtual one like he stole it, accruing some body damage along the way. Leno also drives the virtual supercar Mercedes-Benz designed for GT6, the AMG Vision Gran Turismo Concept that debuted at the LA Auto Show, along with the real one, which is a 1:1-scale model. The model is radio-controlled and equipped with a small electric motor, sufficient to move it on and off of auto show floors.
Head below to watch the episode, which includes a few words from GT6 creator Kazunori Yamauchi.
Thu, 09 Oct 2014
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Mon, 30 Jun 2014
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For the sake of perspective, translated to US population, this total recall figure would equal a car for each resident of New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Montana, Delaware, South Dakota, Alaska, North Dakota, the District of Columbia, Vermont and Wyoming. Combined. Here's how it all breaks down:
7,610,862 vehicles in North America being recalled for unintended ignition key rotation. 6,805,679 are in the United States.
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