1972 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser

https://houston.craigslist.org/cto/d/1972-oldsmobile-cutlass-vista/6557064972.html

 

Almost looks like the buckets are original to that car. Nice color combo

 

Those are definitely GM bucket seats of the correct period. Not sure if you could actually get them in a VC, though. I would think not. Most likely added later.

 

The only front seat available on a '72 VC was a bench seat.

 

Is it third row seating too (is that the folded up third seat in that pic of the rear)?

 

Yes, it has a third seat. You can see the split second seat in this photo, which I've enhanced a bit to make it easier to see. There is no split second seat in a 2-seat VC.

 

It should be noted that for the majority of station wagons offered in the 50's through the 90's, when there were 2-seat and 3-seat versions of the same wagon available, the third seat setup wasn't an 'option' per se, but an entirely different model that was ordered. A dealer wouldn't order a regular station wagon and then option it with a third seat - he would order the 3-seat wagon. This was not ALWAYS the case, but more often than not the way it was. It was usually on the smaller wagons (like the Chevy II for instance) where the third seat was actually an option.

 

Indeed. This VIN probably begins:

3 - Olds
K - Vista Cruiser
66 - Station Wagon, 4 Door, 3 Seat, 2-way Tailgate

If the 455 is original then the next digit would be..

U ?
V ?
W ?

http://www.outrightolds.com/index.php/reference/vin-rpo

 

The alteration is forgivable, in my opinion. It was GM's mistake, not offereing them as an option. I'd be too ashamed for trying to haggle down the price, using this improvement as a reason

 

The buckets would be fine with me - I would actually prefer them...and then go source a center console and floor shift setup (and non-shifter steering column).