Bring A Trailer is known for its auctions of outrageously expensive poster cars. Flip through its pages and you’ll find American classics and rare European enthusiast cars. So you’ll probably be baffled to see one of the platform’s latest auctions, a crash-repaired 1997 Oldsmobile Bravada.
I probably spend way too much time on Bring A Trailer. Despite the prices, it’s easy to get lost staring at dream cars and stuff you never see in the real world. I mean, check out the sweet Jaguar E-Type that recently sold.
Let’s get back to the Bravada. Can you believe this thing is on Bring A Trailer?
The Bravada’s history is pretty short. It was a product of that time when GM’s brands all had essentially the same cars, but different badges. In the Bravada’s case, it was introduced for the 1991 model year riding on the GMT330 platform.
Its differences from its Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Jimmy identical siblings were skin deep, with the Olds sporting a different fascia and a more upscale interior. The SUV would be Oldsmobile’s first SUV and first truck-based vehicle since the 1920s.
This 1997 Oldsmobile Bravada is a second-generation example. It’s still riding on the GMT330 platform, but features a more rounded body. The design is forgettable in four door form.
It’s a similar story inside, where the Bravada’s interior is a sea of beige surfaces. It has some pretty comfy-looking leather seats and there are dashes of fake wood trim here and there.
Under the hood is a 4.3-liter Vortec V6 making 191 horsepower and 250 lb-ft torque. It sends that power to a four-speed 4L60E that spins all four wheels through “SmartTrak AWD.”
In total it makes for a pretty generic SUV. If you saw one on the street you’d probably forget it the moment you turned your head.
The selling dealership says that it got it from the original owner, who managed to put only 51,000 miles on it in 24 years. Normally, mileage this low would be noteworthy, but the SUV hasn’t had the easiest life.
The Bravada was involved in a crash with another car in 2006 and details about the damage aren’t noted. That’s bad enough, but the previous owner also replaced the driver side door and the trim for the right rear wheel arch. At least the underside looks clean.
The bizarre thing is how this is even on Bring A Trailer at all. You’d expect to see a Bravada for $1,200 or trade for a fishing boat on Craigslist, but here it is among the dream cars. I’ll be watching this one because I’m curious about what it’ll sell for. But for now, it’s $1,500 on Bring A Trailer in Washington with 7 days to go.
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