Newest car on that list was last produced over 40 years ago. That may have something to do with why the Oldsmobile brand name was due to die. The same could be said for Buick, too, though, and it still lives. Pontiac was arguably the least moribund of the brands that was killed off. Really, though, how many nameplates did GM need, especially when most of the cars were built on the same platforms?
I own a 1994 Olds Cutlass-Bought it for $300 in August 2012, had 108,000 miles. I’ve put less than 2,000 miles on it since. Purrs like a kitten. No mechanical issues at all but I believe the body is going to go before the mechanics do which is a bummer.
There was a very carefully considered hierarchy among the brands in the GM stable, intended to provide a sort of ladder for their customers as they came up in the world economically, Chevrolet as entry level, then Pontiac, then Olds, then Buick, then Cadillac. There was not always such parts sharing and commonality between the brands, that came in over time to aid profitability.
People once bought Oldsmobiles due to the legendary performance and reliability of the “Rocket” V-8 but GM began to use their standard 350 cubic inch engine in place of it, but still marketed as being a Rocket V-8. There was quite the controversy when this was discovered, I believe they were sued.
The platform sharing hit bottom in the eighties with forgettable vehicles such as the Cadillac Cimmaron, which was a Chevy Cavalier with a different front grille, different trim and a leather interior. All the “better” brands, previously so carefully considered and tiered with features and innovations that you could only get by going up the line flew out the window and it became purely aesthetic.
The reason to buy one over the other disappeared as did the rationale for a higher price point. Corporate bean counting ultimately ended up costing GM both sales volume and profit percentage because they either didn’t understand this or didn’t care.
The Chinese are keeping Buick alive.