Oldsmobile Silhouette: Doug Demuro
02-11-20, 01:39 PM
#2
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Just love the 80s or 90s whenever this was released. They should bring back integrated cars seats. Kinda looks like a crossover
Such a weird yet such a cool van. So rediculous
Such a weird yet such a cool van. So rediculous
Last edited by Toys4RJill; 02-11-20 at 01:48 PM.
02-11-20, 02:06 PM
#3
Lexus Champion
02-11-20, 02:11 PM
#4
My parents had one of these when I was in College. It was just a vehicle that you used and abused...and it took it all in stride and kept running with no issues. The plastic body panels were great. You never worried about baskets rolling around at the grocery store. I used it to take people to our "Formal" events for school. You could take all the seats out and haul stuff in it when I moved apartments. Strangely enough, we loved that thing!
02-11-20, 02:42 PM
#5
Lexus Champion
LOL that is exactly like the one my Mom had, down to the color.
Hers had every option though, and I can't believe this one he tested didn't have the 3800.
That thing was a hotrod for its time when they dropped the 3800 in it. She wanted a Bravada of the day and it didn't have the pickup of this van so she got the van instead.
Power door was a GM first, and it was pretty cool. It would make this GOD AWFUL buzz if you put it in gear while the door was closing. (Which happened all the time being picked up from school as I would just throw my bag in the side and get in the front seat lol.)
Hers had every option though, and I can't believe this one he tested didn't have the 3800.
That thing was a hotrod for its time when they dropped the 3800 in it. She wanted a Bravada of the day and it didn't have the pickup of this van so she got the van instead.
Power door was a GM first, and it was pretty cool. It would make this GOD AWFUL buzz if you put it in gear while the door was closing. (Which happened all the time being picked up from school as I would just throw my bag in the side and get in the front seat lol.)
02-11-20, 03:59 PM
#6
Lexus Fanatic
Watching it right now lol.
we didn’t have a GM Dustbuster van, but we did have a 1987 Ford Aerostar.
Exactly lol
we didn’t have a GM Dustbuster van, but we did have a 1987 Ford Aerostar.
Exactly lol
02-11-20, 04:03 PM
#7
Lexus Champion
Oh I grew up riding in the back of station wagons.
It seems crazy today.
These Silhouettes were unique in that all seats could be removed separately.
We took advantage of that many times, and the seats were a cinch to get in and out.
It seems crazy today.
These Silhouettes were unique in that all seats could be removed separately.
We took advantage of that many times, and the seats were a cinch to get in and out.
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02-11-20, 04:06 PM
#8
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
LOL that is exactly like the one my Mom had, down to the color.
Hers had every option though, and I can't believe this one he tested didn't have the 3800.
That thing was a hotrod for its time when they dropped the 3800 in it. She wanted a Bravada of the day and it didn't have the pickup of this van so she got the van instead.
Power door was a GM first, and it was pretty cool. It would make this GOD AWFUL buzz if you put it in gear while the door was closing. (Which happened all the time being picked up from school as I would just throw my bag in the side and get in the front seat lol.)
Hers had every option though, and I can't believe this one he tested didn't have the 3800.
That thing was a hotrod for its time when they dropped the 3800 in it. She wanted a Bravada of the day and it didn't have the pickup of this van so she got the van instead.
Power door was a GM first, and it was pretty cool. It would make this GOD AWFUL buzz if you put it in gear while the door was closing. (Which happened all the time being picked up from school as I would just throw my bag in the side and get in the front seat lol.)
02-11-20, 04:28 PM
#9
Lexus Fanatic
Thoroughly enjoyable!
I remember when my parents got rid of that Aerostar. My mom gets very attached to things. My dad was more lIke me, on to the next better thing. That old Aerostar was 8 years old, 150k miles, and that was extremely well used for one of those. Very little
on it worked, it had fired spark plugs out of the block on two separate road trips, power windows and locks didn’t work, it was a mess. My dad and I had our eyes on a new 95 Explorer Limited which was awesome, and I was going to be 16 in a couple years.
We came so close a couple of times, but she wouldn’t let the ol Aerostar go. Finally, one day he “took it to get it washed” and it was gone lol. He came back in that new Explorer and begged for forgiveness. She came around to it but she was NOT happy at first lol
No idea how he traded it in, it was in both of their names he must have forged her signature.
I remember when my parents got rid of that Aerostar. My mom gets very attached to things. My dad was more lIke me, on to the next better thing. That old Aerostar was 8 years old, 150k miles, and that was extremely well used for one of those. Very little
on it worked, it had fired spark plugs out of the block on two separate road trips, power windows and locks didn’t work, it was a mess. My dad and I had our eyes on a new 95 Explorer Limited which was awesome, and I was going to be 16 in a couple years.
We came so close a couple of times, but she wouldn’t let the ol Aerostar go. Finally, one day he “took it to get it washed” and it was gone lol. He came back in that new Explorer and begged for forgiveness. She came around to it but she was NOT happy at first lol
No idea how he traded it in, it was in both of their names he must have forged her signature.
02-11-20, 05:24 PM
#10
Lexus Fanatic
Originally Posted by tex2670
Car seats--no way. Doesn't comply with any current safety regulations. Kinda like saying "They should bring back letting your kids and all their friends ride unbelted in the way-back".
I know there is a (possible) safety issue involved.....I've brought up the idea of bringing back those type of seats myself, more than once. But the consensus on most of the replies, here on Car Chat, was that they would not meet current DOT safety rules. Doug didn't come right out and say it, but he seems (by inference) to think that the engineers, by now, should have thought of a way to update the built-in seats to current needs and regulations..
As for the power-sliding door, which was a new and cutting-edge convenience feature at the time, what Doug forgot to mention was that it was unreliable as hell. Honda, perhaps mistakenly, bought the hardware and rights to use it on their 2Gen Odyssey (their first regular-size minivan...the first Odyssey was smaller and was shared with Isuzu), and the resulting problems with it stained the Odyssey's (and Honda's) reputation.
Something else I don't think Doug mentioned (though I could have just missed it) is that the Dustbuster Triplets were the first minivans to use plastic body panels. GM, of course, had already had experience with plastic panels in the Pontiac Fiero and the S-series Saturn compacts.
02-11-20, 05:45 PM
#11
Lexus Fanatic
Doug isn’t thinking the whole situation through, and I don’t believe he has any children, and no children means you have no experience with car seats or car seat safety unless you are in that industry or are a firefighter or EMT or something. Of course we all would like them to be built in, but when you step back and think about it it just doesn’t make sense.
there is just no way to install a modern car seat into a car’s seat and have that seat also function as a seat for an adult. Car seats have head and neck protection, alignment has to be right, adjustable harness systems that are also adjustable for height. Kids are in rear facing car seats for longer than ever and that’s just going to get longer, kids are in 5 point harness seats for longer than ever and that’s just going to get longer.
When you look at the size and scope of a modern car seat, they are serious pieces of hardware, adjustable for height with huge impact absorbant foam side protective wings and so on. How do you engineer all of that into a flap that will open and close out of a seat back and bottom? It just isn’t possible.
Booster seats are a whole other story.
Doug says it himself “why don’t they do this anymore?!” All of this is why. If they could do it and sell it as a feature, they would.
It’s even hard for car seat companies to design one car seat that can do all of this. My kids have been through 3 sets of car seats since they were born and they’re 5. Using “one size fits all” seats compromises safety.
As for power sliding doors. They are still really unreliable.
there is just no way to install a modern car seat into a car’s seat and have that seat also function as a seat for an adult. Car seats have head and neck protection, alignment has to be right, adjustable harness systems that are also adjustable for height. Kids are in rear facing car seats for longer than ever and that’s just going to get longer, kids are in 5 point harness seats for longer than ever and that’s just going to get longer.
When you look at the size and scope of a modern car seat, they are serious pieces of hardware, adjustable for height with huge impact absorbant foam side protective wings and so on. How do you engineer all of that into a flap that will open and close out of a seat back and bottom? It just isn’t possible.
Booster seats are a whole other story.
Doug says it himself “why don’t they do this anymore?!” All of this is why. If they could do it and sell it as a feature, they would.
It’s even hard for car seat companies to design one car seat that can do all of this. My kids have been through 3 sets of car seats since they were born and they’re 5. Using “one size fits all” seats compromises safety.
As for power sliding doors. They are still really unreliable.
Last edited by SW17LS; 02-11-20 at 05:51 PM.
02-11-20, 06:36 PM
#12
Lexus Champion
I have no kids but I have nephews/friends with kids.
Car seats look INSANE now compared to how they did in the old days.
My god, they must charge a fortune for these things.
Car seats look INSANE now compared to how they did in the old days.
My god, they must charge a fortune for these things.
02-11-20, 06:46 PM
#13
Lexus Fanatic
We own no kidding well over $1,200 in car seats right now. 2 in each car, $300 or so each, we have travel booster seats too.
02-11-20, 07:27 PM
#14
Lexus Champion
They just look humongous and very lavish compared to the more basic stuff we had. I guess we didn't have 20 airbags to dodge back then, lol.
02-11-20, 07:33 PM
#15
Lexus Fanatic
Oh yeah. And to think I have no memory of even sitting in a car seat! Now kids do until they’re 12