Can we officially call this is a steal? The car sold for $4950 at the Mecum auction currently underway in Indianapolis. It is probably the least desirable body style, being a four-door pillared sedan. Still, the car is gorgeous. Somebody got a great deal. You can't see the selling price at the Mecum site unless you have an account and log in. But you can see all the photos. https://www.mecum.com/lots/551937/1976-oldsmobile-delta-88-royale/ I love what was considered normal back then. Even though it's a high-end Delta 88, it is relatively low-optioned with no power windows or locks, no trip odometer, no rear-window defogger, no power antenna, base 350 V-8, base air-conditioning (but at least it has A/C), and it does have AM/FM stereo and cruise control and tilt wheel. I would say it is very typically equipped for the era.
Being a post car it was likely geared more towards the budget-minded consumer anyways. The tilt column and AC are at least nice to have, and the seat belts are deluxe and match the interior color ;-)
It's still indicative of how most buyers thought when buying cars back then. Few gadgets and geegaws, so less problems to pop up during ownership. It is nice to be able to electrically roll windows up and down, retract an antenna before going through a car wash, adjust mirrors by yourself (and have two outside mirrors instead of one), etc., but most didn't think that way.
I also think the manufacturers started bundling things more when they realized that most people weren't necessarily interested in ticking off all of these options individually. Once you start bundling them and getting people interested, they'll start wanting them more and the demand creates itself. Plus you can also sell cars that cost a bit more and make everyone more money. Also in this era of the malaise car the manufacturers couldn't easily make them any faster or better performing, so they doubled down on "this is a nice comfy experience to drive\ride in with luxurious appointments" as it was the only way to get people to buy new cars with half the performance of a car 5-10 years older that they would have kept driving otherwise. Because let's not kid each other, if you had a 1971 4 door big car lined up next to an identical 1976 big car, it's a real difficult sell to get someone to give up what is essentially a faster and less of a hassle to maintain car for a slower car with more 1-year only emissions controls that costs more money (AND get worse fuel economy) simply because it's "new."
Do not assume power windows were as reliable back then as they are now. They definitely were not. One rainy night in late 70s traveled from Portland Maine to Wilton Maine in a Forster Mfg. company car. Driver window went down for some reason and would not go back up. Not fun. As late as 86 I would not have a car with power windows.
That was just about Lee Iacocca's thinking at Ford in the Sixties. But because the bean counters lacked common sense in the Sixties, it took a decade and a half for FoMoCo to jump wholesale (pardon the pun) on that bandwagon.
Oh, I know they weren't. I was diagnosing the Breezeway window in Leadslead's '66, and the switch literally 'fell apart' in my hands. Fortunately, he found a good-condition replacement, and it works so nicely.
Another typically equipped Delta 88. Both regular family cars that survived. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1972-oldsmobile-88-2
I definitely would want this coupe, a 2-years newer Holiday Coupe than my '70 I had oh so many years ago.
I think this one might be classified as "less than typical," even for 1972. It's Delta 88 Royale, which was the higher-end Delta 88, but it has very few significant options. Just the base air-conditioning ($431), remote driver's side mirror ($12), vinyl roof ($123), and a clock ($18). No power windows, seats, or locks (not unusual for the era), no cruise control (a fairly popular option in a higher-end car like this even then), no rear window defogger (ditto), base 350 engine instead of the optional 455, no tilt wheel. It has an aftermarket but period-correct shaft-style radio, and the original radio is apparently part of the sale as a photo of it is shown. It's an AM/FM stereo radio, so that's an option, too, that cost a pretty penny at $233. It has the very desirable 2-door hardtop (Holiday Coupe) body style. It's a beautiful car, and it sold well for the seller.
