74 Olds Cutlass Salon

1982: My First Car    Sophomore year, La Porte High School (La Porte, TX)... I was introduced to the car of my dreams by another high school student, Pete. It was a "#66 Cinnamon" metallic brown 1974 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon with "Saddle Tan" interior. Optioned with Rallye Pack gauges, tilt wheel, cruise control, Olds wire hubcaps, a tan vinyl landau roof, sport mirrors, AM/8-track radio, and a broken A/C, I fell in love with the car the first time I drove it.

Within a few weeks, bought a similar one as my first car.

Mine was metallic "#64 Silver Taupe" (with lots of rust), but the interior was a beautiful immaculate "Cranberry" color. The only option ordered on that car, besides the Salon package, was sport mirrors. It had no tilt, no cruise, an AM radio, and the A/C was out, but I loved that car!

The night hurricane Alicia hit Houston, parked in my parent's garage, I peeled the rotting maroon landau vinyl roof off.

I had lots of good times cruising around, burning gas, and made lots of trips to Sonic, Morgan's Point, and Sylvan Beach during my lunch hour at school. After school hours, trips to Huffman, Galveston, San Antonio, and Austin kept me entertained.

My first car lasted about two years, but at age 18 with a job that didn't pay well, I couldn't afford to keep repairing it. With bad body rust and with 130,000+ miles on an abused Rocket 350 that cratered to my lead foot, it was time to let it go.

1985: My Second Car    In early 1985, I replaced my 74 Salon with a beautiful cream-colored 77 Salon with two-tone interior, and I loved that car too, but it was never the same.
I kept that 77 Salon until late 1986, when it was essentially taken from me after my father died.

2004: Third Time's the Charm   

• 1974-2002: Owned by aging original owners in California that kept it garaged.
• 2002: Bought by a sheriff deputy in NM. He loved the car. When he was a "youngster" he would wash the car for the original owners, just to see it. He realized after a couple of years and 4,000 miles that he didn't have the time, space, or extra money to put into it.
• April 2004: I bought it on eBay from the second owner, with 82,938 original miles on it.

Factory Options

• Tilt
• Cruise
• A/C
• Power steering
• Power brakes
• Power windows
• Power driver's seat
• Power trunk release
• Clock
• Simulated wood grain passenger side lower dash trim
• Rocket 350/4BBL
• TH 350
• (I've since upgraded to TH 400)
• Vinyl landau top
• Driver's side-only chrome standard mirror
• (I've since upgraded to chrome sport mirrors on both sides from a 4-4-2)
• AM/FM
• Olds rally wheels
• "Rallye Pack" gauge package
• Salon options:
  • Heavy duty front sway bar
  • Rear sway bar
  • Girthier Salon steering wheel
  • Salon wide reclining bucket seats
  • 15 inch wheels (-vs- 14)