Eureka ended her 27 year run today

M

Mitch Fiandt

Bittersweet day today. After 27 years almost to the day. Our 1987 Olds Eureka left for her new home. The coach Saw frontline service from 1988 to 2004 and than backup until today. The olds has been a good car even though I am the only staff member who likes it. But even as busy as we have been it didn't seem cost effective to maintain two coaches. When it was decided to sell it I was worried about her fate. But I am happy to announce that it did go to a member of the PCS. I will let him make that announcement. But I am pleased to know it went to somebody who will preserve and care for it. Good luck with your new car TF.
 
1987 eureka retired today

I can not post picture it is on the eureka page. You can go on face book to Brazzell funeral homes and see those pictures an one of the 99 eagle that was replaced last year
 
here is a picture of Mitch's 1987 Eureka

glad to hear she is staying in the PCS family
 

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Thanks, Mike. Nice looking unit. I assume it was purchased through Charlie Butler when new. There wern't a whole lot of these Oldsmobile-based units sold and built and a fair number of them went to Indiana and Illinois and other points in the mid-west. Both Butler in Indiana and Foster in Illinois had quite a few customers that really liked Oldsmobiles....and Eureka had no competition at the time for Olds-based hearses and limousines.
 
I had only been after this car for about eight years now! It's hard to think this coach is 28 years old ! I remember a lot of these cars in service here in Indiana back in the day as well as just over the line in Illinois. As a matter of fact there were three in just a block of each other in Chicago Heights. Hub funeral chapel had a dark blue one (later sold to Noel Schiff) and West End funeral home had a pair of grey ones. Kuiper funeral home in Highland also had a pair and Moeller funeral home in Valparasio, Indiana had a dark grey one. They were interesting looking cars as well. Seemed very modern at the time and easy to drive. I remember Charlie Butler couldn't say enough about them. He must of liked this one as well as he put over 2000 miles on it until he sold it to Brazzell's in March of '88!
 
Although few customers availed themselves of the opportunity, at extra cost, these FWD Eureka Oldsmobiles (and Buicks) were available with four-wheel-disc brakes.....something even the passenger cars on which they were based did not offer at the time. The FWD Eureka Cadillacs had these as standard equipment...again before they were available on the Cadillac passenger cars. From a number of perspectives, these FWD Eureka professional cars were real technological tour de forces within the industry at the time. Charlie Butler liked Oldsmobiles and may well have used this one as a demonstrator for awhile before delivering it.
 
Eureka Olds at Great Country Motors

This one is sitting at Great Country Motors in Mason City, IA. It is in very nice condition(once the dust and bird poop is washed off) and can be had very inexpensively! I believe that it is a North Dakota coach.
 

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I'm given to understand that Bib Dietz - who was a Eureka dealer out of Wichita, Kansas for a few years - sold quite a few of the earlier RWD Oldsmobile coaches as well. In fact, he bought a white, RWD, Eureka Regent Tiara Landaulet that was built on the 98 platform as well as a white, RWD, Carlton Landaulet (Delta 88 platform) which he once fixed-up and photographed to look like a combination car - complete with tunnel lights and a beacon ray. Of course, these were only set on the car, not installed but, it looked neat anyway.
 
I've been told that Great Country Motors in Mason City, IA. has quite a few really good old Eurekas as well as other brands but, don't make any real attempt to sell them. What's the story behind this operation anyhow?
 
They do have quite a few '80s Eurekas in their inventory with almost all of them stored inside. Jeff is a great guy to deal with and he is very reasonable on his pricing, but they don't really advertise their older coach inventory, even locally, so it is somewhat a "word of mouth" situation. Unfortunately, the '80s coaches still have a somewhat limited appeal to true coach collectors and they usually end up in the hands of some knuckle-head who just messes them up.
 
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