1980 cutlass questions/what to look for

the 350 wasnt an option in '80, they either came with the 260 or the 307.

I think te 350 was available for 80 in the "performance" models. Casting #'s on the front of the block and heads would be good to look for if you go look at it.

Idk, some 80s are weird. Like mine has an 80 front end and a 79 rear end so its tough to find parts thatll match up. If its a solid car jump on it anyways cause theyre only getting harder to find in good shape

886 442's were made in 1980 and came with an Olds 350.
It should have an R as the 8th digit in the vin and the trans tag should read LJ
It should also have a bucket seat interior either vinyl black or cloth camel tan.
You can also verify the firewall body tag for the black/gold or white/gold paint codes and interior options (buckets).

The 350 Olds was used in more than just the 442. I had 1980 R vin Cutlass Supreme with the Olds 350. Dark blue interior, 60/40 split bench, white exterior with dark blue pin stripe and white landau top, and White rally wheels. The car for sure wasn't a 442.

How rare are 350s/olds 350s getting?

350s are not rare at all, and b.o.p. 350s are still around if you look

It's too good to be true. 'Things to look for' includes stolen - so consider saying "Ill think about it" taking down the vin#'s and doing a vehicle history report. Nothing more irritating than getting a car and finding out you'll never be able to put plates on it. Also the car probably isn't stolen anyway but it could have a lien, or the 350 could really be a 307 or 305 and the seller is just playing dumb. Another thing to look for would be like the door seals. You said it was just repainted so if the door seals look really old that's a sign of a really bad paintjob. Not replacing the door seals can cause the car to rust at the edges of the door seals 2-5 years down the road and suddenly the paint job looks terrible b/c peeling at the edges.