Deceased Driver: 1976 Oldsmobile Regency 98 Four-Door Hardtop – Sold?

May 15, 2023, Update – While this “Classifind” expired recently, given the seller’s history, we suspect it may not actually be sold yet.  For now, we’re labeling this ride “Sold?” However, we will keep an eye out for an updated listing. In the interim, please reach out either by email or call Rudy directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.

April 11, 2023 Update – The seller of this 1976 Oldsmobile 98 Regency we first came across for sale in December of 2022 just posted a fresh listing of their deceased wife’s car. Using the same pictures, this time around, the seller lists the car for $7, which we assume means seven thousand dollars. This is a much more accurate price than the one-dollar request the seller posted in their original listing.

December 12, 2022, Update – We confirmed the listing for this “Classifind” expired, so with no replacement found, we’re assuming this ride is “Sold?” While this one got away, please reach out either by email or call us directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.

1976 was a high-water mark for General Motors’ (“GM”) full-size car lines, as this was the final year of the longest and widest “B” and “C” body-based cars the company built. Not only did GM stylists downsize the cars for 1977, but they also did so without offering a four-door pillarless hardtop body style.  That, combined with the fact America’s Bicentennial year was Olds’ final year of 455 cubic inch “Rocket” V8 production, and this blue 1976 Oldsmobile 98 Regency four-door hardtop for sale we spotted in November 2022 on Craigslist in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, truly is the brand’s Land Yacht swan song.

The seller’s listing and brief description raise more questions than it answers.  Sadly, the seller reports this Oldsmobile 98 was their wife’s daily driver before she succumbed to cancer three years ago.  Consequently, the first thing we want to confirm is whether she was, in fact, the original owner.  The low 70K original miles combined with what appears to be a very clean example hints this 98 has been babied from new.  Additionally, the seller lists the asking price as only one dollar.  So, next on our question list would be whether they are looking to find a good home for the car or expecting top dollar.

Classic.com, the analytics and search engine for the collector car market, confirms the five-year rolling average for ninth-generation Oldsmobile 98s produced between 1971 and 1976 to be $17,125.  By clicking on the green dots in the graph below, you can navigate to each comparable car sold as a way to help you evaluate the price of the 98 Regency featured here:

Since the seller does not provide a true asking price, we’re looking at their 98 Regency as somewhere between a condition #3 and #2 example.  Under those guidelines, the Collector Car Market Review Online Tool reveals the car is worth between $5,975 and $9,625.

Oldsmobile built its biggest full-size car in 1971 although the wheelbase was unchanged from 1970. The Ninety-Eights were the roomiest Oldsmobiles ever built thanks to the new GM full-size bodies which, at 64.3″ front shoulder room and 63.4″ rear shoulder room, set a record for interior width that would not be matched by any car until the full-size GM rear-wheel-drive models of the early to mid-1990s. 1971 through 1976 Ninety-Eight was very similar to the Oldsmobile 88 (which by now was called the “Delta 88″) except the Ninety-Eight had a longer passenger compartment owing to its 3” longer wheelbase, and had rear Cadillac-Esque tailfins to better differentiate between the two full-size models.

In 1976 the Luxury and Regency editions of the full-size Ninety-Eights were offered, in 2-door coupes or 4-door hardtops. 4-doors had an extra window (like an opera window) in the C-pillar. A landau roof option for the coupe gave it a huge-looking opera window. Like the Custom Cruiser, Ninety-Eights had a dual-section egg crate-design grille, with a new front end panel, front bumper, and wraparound horizontal parking lamps. Amber marker lenses aligned with the headlamps wrapped around the fender sides. Separate clear cornering lamps had horizontal ribs. Vertical taillamps were decorated with a small emblem in each lens. Tiny backup lamps stood alongside the license plate, on a panel that also contained small red lenses next to the tail lamps. Standard Ninety-Eight equipment included a 455 CID Rocket V8 with a 4-barrel carburetor, Turbo-Hydramatic, variable-ratio power steering, power brakes, power driver’s seat, driver’s door armrest control console, electronic message center, electric clock, fold-down center armrests, front ashtray, and JR78 x 15 Blackwall steel-belted radials. Rear fender skirts and bumper impact strips were also standard. A new 2.41:1 axle ratio became standard to improve fuel economy.

The Osborn Tramain YouTube Channel features this 1976 Oldsmobile 98 Regency commercial:

We could be wrong, but this 1976 Oldsmobile 98 Regency for sale might be a great buy if it turns out to be a nicely documented one-owner example and the seller is looking more for closure than maximizing price.  This car will make a great highway cruiser once the factory A/C system receives proper service.

Here’s the seller’s description:

Show or go: What would you do with this survivor-quality 1976 Oldsmobile 98 Regency for sale?  Please comment below and let us know!