From 1995 to 2003, the Oldsmobile Aurora was a top-of-the-line luxury sedan. It would later supersede both the Toronado and Ninety-Eight in the lineup. Two generations were in production, resulting in sales of more than 213,000 units. This beautiful example from 2002 is a one-owner car with 72,000 miles and is priced at just $4,999 by a dealer in Lynnwood, Washington. If you’re looking for a nice second car that isn’t bare-bones transportation, this one could be viewed here on craigslist.
Times had changed beginning in the 1970s, so larger-than-life rear-wheel-drive automobiles began to fade from being in vogue. The Aurora was sensibly sized, using a Buick Riviera base that was developed from the Cadillac G-body platform. V6 and V8 engines were offered, paired with a 4-speed automatic transmission. Demand for the car tapered over time from a peak of around 50,000 annual units to less than 11,000 in 2002.
We don’t know if this car was “not your father’s Oldsmobile”, but it could still be yours if you’re in the market. It’s clearly been babied by its owners of 24 years and likely has recently landed on this dealer’s lot. With FWD, this Olds has the 3.5-liter V6 engine, which should be tolerable on gasoline consumption, at least according to the standards of its era. The seller isn’t going to dicker on price, so bring five crisp $1,000 bills, and he’ll give you a dollar in change.
From what we can tell, everything seems original, from the sheet metal to the paint and leather interior. It’s said to have been well serviced, and we hope the seller was presented with copies of the car’s records since the day it was first delivered. If you were to run a CarFax on this Olds, it is not going to turn up any accident reports, per the dealer. And thanks for the tip, “Curvette.”
These were great cars. I had the opportunity for a free week rental of a slightly older version. Later found out that my brother’s girlfriend was hiding it from repo men. I had a car but she was weirdly insistent that I take it out of town.
That v6 is a ripper. Two of my sisters had that engine in Acheivas and it was properly quick. This will make someone a nice daily or a weekend cruiser.
The V6 available in the Achieva was the 3.1-liter. Other than the Aurora, the 3.5-liter was also offered in the Intrigue.
That’s what they were, I wasn’t sure on the model, but I remember the engine. Thanks for correcting that.
Intrigued had the awesome 3.8 first 2 years, easy car to build alongside the grand prix.
My late wife briefly had one of these…. great motor but leaked oil and coolant constantly, the rest of the car MEH…..got rid of it asap.
The 2nd gen was a good looking car. An old friend from Okemos, MI. had custom deep burgundy wet look with the “ivory” leather pictured here…
It was gorgeous.
I had a 4.0 version for 23 years. Nice car. Comfortable(air bladders on the front seat) decent gas mileage(17/25), and handled really well for a car that big. Ohhhh-if Oldsmobile had only changed the name from Aurora to Cutlass…they could have had a 442(four valves, four speed, dual exhaust!
Later Auroras not quite the statement of the earlier models. Nonetheless, comfortable and competent and with the reduced exclusivity got used up and tossed aside. This one is exceptional. Tone-on-tone colors work well. Lotta pleasurable miles to go. Surprised it hasn’t been snapped up.
I sold Auroras and loved driving them. The V6 handled better. But the V8 was no slouch. Living in Nevada where there are lots of open road and minimal patrol. Many of my customers had stories of high speed, enjoyable rides. My now ex had a turbo Volvo that I had hopped up and was REALLY FAST! We came across an 18 wheeler on it’s side blocking I 80. We both came to a stop just as the driver was exiting the high side/right hand side of the tractor. There was fresh vegetables and crushed ice everywhere. Once convinced that there were no injuries and the proper authorities had been notified. The driver of the V8 Aurora and I moved enough boxes of produce to let us squeak by. Since we were both convinced that the highway patrol would be otherwise busy. We both took off eastbound as fast as our cars would go. (Have to make up for the lost time at the scene of the accident and there were no other vehicles on the interstate.) I called it quits at 135, and he just motored away. Service wise, we had no issues with the Aurora and If I ran across a V8 version in this condition, I would be hard pressed not to buy it.
At least this is a V6. The 4.0L Northstar was a slug.
I texted the dealer about doing a pre-purchase inspection; his comment was “Not on old cheap cars. We don’t waste time with the inspections.” So expect that cheap car to end up expensive.
its clean and price seems fair, but it is 1 ugly looking car. those engines weren’t the best either.
I’ve always looked at these as glorified Intrigue GLSs.