This hearing aid-colored 1992 Oldsmobile silhouette is so bad it’s good – Jalopnik

I’m usually a big fan of polarizing, wacky cars that are otherwise widely regarded as ugly, funky, or downright horrible. This 1992 Oldsmobile Silhouette is a good example of this and is currently listed auction on Cars & Bids. Yes, it’s blessed with one of the most polarizing styles of the past 40 years, but I love it. This particular Silhouette is finished in a strange, buttery shade of hearing aid beige called Canyon Yellow, which, when combined with the body-length contrasting black decals and 15-inch basketweave wheels, come together to form something truly unique.

Why anyone would keep a pale yellow Dustbuster minivan is beyond me, but I’m so glad to see someone did. The Silhouette was the most luxury-oriented GM APV van, in case you didn’t get a luxurious vibe from the sumptuous Camel Beige leather interior. This particular Silhouette is being auctioned at no reserve, with a low mileage for its age of 94,800 and an accident-free CarFax report. If you’re looking for a car that will impress your friends and neighbors, you should look elsewhere. If you’re looking for a car that can impress the most annoying people at Radwood (like me), then you need to buy this van.

Often we Jalopnik staff writers toil hundreds of words to convince you that a notoriously unreliable car is a smart purchase, but this Silhouette should actually be a fairly safe purchase thanks to its 3800 drivetrain. The 3.8-liter V6 and four-speed automatic transmission hiding beneath the Silhouette’s cheese-wedge body are well known and reliable. It’s not going to be a stoplight-dash hero, but it’s a leather-lined beige minivan, so that’s not the point.

The new owner of this immaculate Dustbuster Silhouette can be proud to drive such a well-maintained family transport icon from the 1990s. The alarmingly well-preserved condition of this Silhouette, combined with the painfully ’90s color, wheel and decal combination, make it a wedge-shaped time capsule. They just don’t make cars like this anymore; Modern minivans are burdened with tons of ridiculous and unnecessary features, like airbags and rear seat headrests. Luckily, there’s none of that crazy stuff on the majestic Oldsmobile Silhouette.

Pristine examples of old, otherwise mundane models always bring me immense joy, but a pristine example of a first-generation Oldsmobile Silhouette is truly something special. Whoever ends up winning this auction with no reserve is a hero, and an even bigger hero if he actually uses it to transport his kids around.