The Aurora was a 4-door, V8-powered luxury car produced by Oldsmobile from 1995 to 2003. It was on par with the Buick Riviera using the G-platform developed by Cadillac. The seller’s 1999 looks to be a very nice first-generation example with 79,000 miles and is being sold by a dealer with no history provided. Located in Burlington, New Jersey, this decked-out survivor is offered here on MotorHub for a reasonable $3,995. Thanks for the tip, Henry Reining!
While in production, the Aurora was Oldsmobile’s top-of-the-line vehicle, replacing the Toronado in the portfolio. The cars were proposed by a 244 cubic inch DOHC V8 derived from Cadillac’s Northstar motor. It was rated at 250 hp and paired with a 4-speed 4T80-E automatic transmission. In their time, these were well-built cars so the seller’s version should have plenty of life left (shame on the dealer for not including under-the-hood pics).
We wish we knew more about this vehicle. The seller provides an extensive list of features (which are impressive) but nothing about its ownership saga. But, at less than $4,000, maybe you can expect only so much. The body, paint, and interior all look up to snuff, though if you’re looking for economy, don’t expect much. City MPG is 15 and highway MPG is 23, so you’re not going to save anything at the pump. Have any of our readers owned one of these cars and – if so – what was your experience?
Thanks Dixon. Dr Olds final hot rod.. Aurora 🏁
I’ve always been intrigued by the Aurora V8 motor. I have imagined it in a number of different project possibilities. It would satisfy my need to build something different while having good performance
Seems like a dealer where hi-mileage cars go to die.
Not only was the Aurora built on a platform designed for Cadillac, the entire design originated from a rejected proposal for the 1992 Cadillac Seville.
244 cubic inch making 250hp. That’s kind of rare ?
The 4 litre Oldsmobile Aurora engine set the world 24 hour speed record. That’s the highest average speed maintained over 24 straight hours on a track. I believe this was done at Daytona but it might have been Michigan International. Also it was the basis for the dominant Indycar engine for most of a decade.
Had,love it,however they are famous for water channeling down to fuel sending cover and penetrating cause some fun issues
We had 2, a ’99 twin to this one and a ’97. We loved them. The only negative driving experience was that they needed to keep the RPM up a little as the power comes on higher in the power band. As I recall the ’99 was better in this respect. They were both bought used with 30K+ miles on them and both developed engine oil leaks from the pan area. The ’99 was kind enough to do this 500 miles before the warrantee expiration. the engine needed to be removed to effect the repair.
Northstar engine + low miles + low price + too much lipstick on that there pig = I’m suspicious.
Check it over carefully for signs of head bolt/head gasket issues.
There’s a reason many dealers didn’t want to touch these 15-ish years ago when they were common in the used car market.
Take it from someone who rolled the dice on a few of these back in the day: you could get lucky… or you could get burned.
I owned a ’96 Aurora. To this day I miss that car. It has a timeless styling & exudes a refined sophisticated look & driving experience. The Aurora is exhilarating & the subtle exhaust note hints at that breakthrough V8! I received many compliments on that car & it still stands as a polished, cultured, & unique car.
Notwithstanding all of the aforementioned, this model is flawed with numerous reliability issues as more data emerged in the years following there original release. While I can be very tempted here to go after a clean example to recapture that fun feeling of driving one, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say have your local tech on speed dial as well!
Nice when they were new,( I was a tech at an Olds dealer then) This car is most likely loaded with issues at this point.