Junkyard Find: 1997 Oldsmobile Bravada
The Olds Bravada started out as an Oldsmobized Chevy Blazer and ended (along with Oldsmobile itself) as an Oldsmobated Chevy Trailblazer. They show up in Colorado junkyards in startlingly large numbers. Who bought Bravadas? For that matter, who bought Isuzu Ascenders? Anyway, because the idea of an Oldsmobile-badged midsize SUV made about as much sense as an Oldsmobile-badged cruel-parody-of-a-luxury-car J-body and is thus sort of interesting, I’ve finally decided to do a Bravada Junkyard Find. We’ll return to the usual Pontiac-badged Daewoos soon enough.
Unlike its Blazer/Jimmy siblings, all Bravadas came with all-wheel-drive. SmartTrak is not to be confused with Versatrak.
The interior in this truck is fairly nice, but the different-color hood and left front fender didn’t do much for its real-world value. Next stop, junkyard!
Cash back and a 6-disc CD changer (just in time for the digital-media revolution of the early 21st century).
Murilee Martin is the pen name of Phil Greden, a writer who has lived in Minnesota, California, Georgia and (now) Colorado. He has toiled at copywriting, technical writing, junkmail writing, fiction writing and now automotive writing. He has owned many terrible vehicles and some good ones. He spends a great deal of time in self-service junkyards. These days, he writes for publications including Autoweek, Autoblog, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars and Capital One.
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When I was 16 I test drove a 1996 (I think???) Bravada. It was the old body style. Black with tan leather interior. I didn't buy it. I don't remember why. Then I test drove a 1995 Ford Taurus which I LOVED but my parents wouldn't let me buy because they said it was a piece of sh**. So, I ended up with a 1996 Jeep Cherokee that was green with grey cloth interior. The Cherokee ended up being a good car, but I still think of that Bravada. There was just SOMETHING about it. Something GM lost in, right around...1997 and is yet to really get back.
That person really needed 3 AAA stickers on the back...