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Olds owners sadly seek new ride
By Thomas Hartley
Business First of Buffalo
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Mike Noah's love affair with cars started even before he was old enough to drive.
It was his father's Oldsmobile that did it.
"Dad owned a neat blue and white 1955 Olds. Back then, Olds was in the high echelon of cars. It made a lasting impression on me because of its quality and price. When it came to purchasing my first car, it had to be Oldsmobile. That definitely was my choice," said Noah, senior vice president of NCO Financial Services Inc. in Amherst.
A two-door 1981 Cutlass was the first of the 15 different Oldsmobiles that he purchased over the years.
"Each of that car's doors must have weighed about 800 pounds!" Noah said, thinking back on the two-tone blue car he bought when he was 35 years old and working at M&T Bank.
In subsequent years, he has owned several Olds 88s -- his favorite model -- a Cutlass Supreme, an Aurora and a Bravada SUV. Noah's wife, son, and daughter also have been, or are, Oldsmobile owners.
When Oldsmobile stopped making cars in April after 107 years, Noah and tens of thousands of other loyal Olds owners in Western New York and elsewhere were forced into having to deal with a new reality: life without a familiar name in their garages or under the carport.
Another of those loyalists is Gerald Kantor, a 64-year-old semi-retired chemical engineer from Buffalo. He bought his first Oldsmobile in 1968 and knows that the car he purchased in 2000 probably will be his last new Olds and the last of seven consecutive Oldsmobiles.
Kantor, who drives a 2000 Olds Intrigue, faces the motoring future resigned and sad. Like many others, he remembers with affection and nostalgia the brand that made its first appearance in 1897 and was the longest-running vehicle brand in America.
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Saying good-bye to Olds is bidding a final fond farewell to an old friend.
I'm upset at GM for the action they took in regards to Oldsmobile. They took out a mid-price automobile that was an innovative line," Kantor says.
The demise of Olds has left loyal owners scanning alternative vehicles for what formerly would have been their second or third choices.
"Olds was a well-engineered car that was always striving for a more up-to-date version," says Kantor. "The engines were superior, sweet and solid. Olds was the testing ground for Cadillac and many ideas, including the double overhead cam engine.
"Where will I go now? Well, my son is in sales for Jim Ball Pontiac in Orchard Park so I probably will take a look at Pontiac. The biggest thing is I'll have to have an open mind," he says.
Full Uncut Article Here
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By Thomas Hartley
Business First of Buffalo
Mike Noah's love affair with cars started even before he was old enough to drive.
It was his father's Oldsmobile that did it.
"Dad owned a neat blue and white 1955 Olds. Back then, Olds was in the high echelon of cars. It made a lasting impression on me because of its quality and price. When it came to purchasing my first car, it had to be Oldsmobile. That definitely was my choice," said Noah, senior vice president of NCO Financial Services Inc. in Amherst.
A two-door 1981 Cutlass was the first of the 15 different Oldsmobiles that he purchased over the years.
"Each of that car's doors must have weighed about 800 pounds!" Noah said, thinking back on the two-tone blue car he bought when he was 35 years old and working at M&T Bank.
In subsequent years, he has owned several Olds 88s -- his favorite model -- a Cutlass Supreme, an Aurora and a Bravada SUV. Noah's wife, son, and daughter also have been, or are, Oldsmobile owners.
When Oldsmobile stopped making cars in April after 107 years, Noah and tens of thousands of other loyal Olds owners in Western New York and elsewhere were forced into having to deal with a new reality: life without a familiar name in their garages or under the carport.
Another of those loyalists is Gerald Kantor, a 64-year-old semi-retired chemical engineer from Buffalo. He bought his first Oldsmobile in 1968 and knows that the car he purchased in 2000 probably will be his last new Olds and the last of seven consecutive Oldsmobiles.
Kantor, who drives a 2000 Olds Intrigue, faces the motoring future resigned and sad. Like many others, he remembers with affection and nostalgia the brand that made its first appearance in 1897 and was the longest-running vehicle brand in America.
Saying good-bye to Olds is bidding a final fond farewell to an old friend.
I'm upset at GM for the action they took in regards to Oldsmobile. They took out a mid-price automobile that was an innovative line," Kantor says.
The demise of Olds has left loyal owners scanning alternative vehicles for what formerly would have been their second or third choices.
"Olds was a well-engineered car that was always striving for a more up-to-date version," says Kantor. "The engines were superior, sweet and solid. Olds was the testing ground for Cadillac and many ideas, including the double overhead cam engine.
"Where will I go now? Well, my son is in sales for Jim Ball Pontiac in Orchard Park so I probably will take a look at Pontiac. The biggest thing is I'll have to have an open mind," he says.
Full Uncut Article Here
