Gas mileage was no too good actually. Only about 20 mpg, but of course it had four large people in it, was full of luggage, had the air on full blast, and was traveling at 75+ mph

When I see the news about the Iraqi war, I'd swear I've seen that style van cruisin' around in the background....

It is a sweet ride..... Let us know what kind of gas mileage you get on your vaction. Drive safe and have fun!

I should never have overlooked this thread. Yes, I had one in the past. It drove like a truck, which is a good thing. Here's a hint, for anybody who doesn't know; the battery can be found behind the driver's seat. Here's another; That ice maker was a genuine option, not some aftermarket add-on you'd find in the J.C. Whitney catalog.

It was free .
It's an '86, first year of the FWD H platform. I wouldn't call it little though, it's longer then GM's new(ish) U platform minivans (well, the SWB ones. But still, it's a coupe!).

Like I said, overdrive is cheaper then adding another gear. Even when GM finally started making 4 speed autos, overdrive makes it a 5 speed.

Why? Because of the insanely short wheelbase?

Mmmm... you have a Delta 88? Not something I would expect from someone who also has owned a Toyota Supra
Anyway, what year is it? Is it the old big one or the littler downsized one? Either way...

Also, I'm surprised an 88 has overdrive, always thought that kind of thing was for smaller/sportier cars

I've always like those. As a kid I always thought that if the driver slammed on the brakes that the whole front of it would dive down, the rear would lift up and the driver would go through the windshield.

It multiplies the last gear... somehow, so it's higher. It's like having another gear, but cheaper. Pretty common on automatics.
My Delta 88 (and many GM cars, in my experience) has another position on the shifter instead of a switch like this (so there's Drive (overdrive allowed) and Drive (no overdrive)).
I loved that switch on my Supra, when you turned overdrive off, the engine would be right at the start of the powerband at 60 km/h. Just a little nudge on the gas pedal and the car would take off. Pretty fun, because the engine wasn't in great shape and it was an automatic, so that's about the only time it was fast.
The really cool way to do it (this doesn't) is if the overdrive unit is an independant thing that multiplies the gear ratio, it can make a 4-speed into an 8-speed! Sort of. Since you've only got 4 real gears and one multiplier, the gears can't be as useful as if you had 8 real gears.
This is sort of how semi trucks/tractors/prime movers/lorries/whatever have 18 gears. Instead of just overdrive on/off, there's a whole additional transmission (I think it's actually just a really tricky multiratio differential. Same effect though). Like having a 12/18/21 speed bike, 2 or 3 gears on the crank and 6 or 7 on the cone.

Nice. I like the Ice Maker. And the van is in mint conditon too, which is always good.

Yeah, pretty much. We had been talking about buying a new car, but we were looking at mostly just Corollas and Camrys, not this thing at all. They even drove almost 100 miles to get it, too.





Yes, which yields better fuel mileage