Pity poor Oldsmobile. They went from having the number-one-selling model in 1977 to nonexistence in 2004. And it’s not like they didn’t try. Change came in 1995 with the new Aurora sedan – Oldsmobile didn’t even want to call it an Oldsmobile! But by the time this 2001 model was released, the handwriting was on the wall; something had to give, and by 2004 it did: Oldsmobile was defunct. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself, so let’s give this sedan its due. Found in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Curvette, this second-gen Aurora is listed here on craigslist for $2,950.
The Aurora was meant to reinvent Oldsmobile and replace a brand image that had become strictly associated with an older generation. Introduced in 1995, the Aurora’s first gen ran through 1999, then was replaced by the second gen (2001-2003). Sales started off reasonably well, with 46K units assembled in its inaugural year, but by 2001, volume had dropped to 28K copies. The seller states, “This is a rare GM sedan and well known; it does have a few 25-year-old normal wear and tear but overall above average condition for the age…,” and from what can be seen, it still presents well despite its 100K miles of use. I particularly noticed the wheels, which don’t show evidence of brake dust corrosion – a problem that seems to afflict GM chrome-plated alloys from this era. The finish is still deep, and the soft bumpers appear to be free of the foibles caused by parking by ear. As for styling, well, as I always say, it’s subjective, and I’ll leave it at that.
The seller proclaims, “they ride and drive very, very well while still getting very good mpg, even with the North Star 4.0 V8 that was also used in the Shelby series 1…” Well, not exactly; this version of the Northstar 4.0-liter V8 generates 250 net HP; the limited-production Shelby unit was in excess of 300. A four-speed automatic transaxle puts momentum to the front wheels.
The leather upholstery is in surprisingly good nick! I say that because leather, by the time it has accumulated the age and mileage of this car, usually shows creases and cracks, but I’m not seeing any significant problem of that nature. The features include those that you would expect to find in a sedan of this bearing, including a Bose sound system and a power sunroof. I’d say the interior environment is sound and needs no attention.
The seller suggests, “These cars were built as a sports sedan to keep up with BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class!” If that’s the case, I’d say that Oldsmobile missed the mark. It’s not a snarky comment, just the reality of what happened in the marketplace. The seller concludes with, “Come grab it and own a piece of Oldsmobile GM History.” OK, fair enough, any takers out there?
I owned 2 2001 Auroras and both had the same problems. The power steering lines wore out leaving arterial spray on the street. Also the windows wouldn’t go up. Next time I will buy the 3.8. they don’t have as many issues.
I remember Olds pitching these in car magazines. The DOHC cylinder heads seemed exotic to me, I had visions of 9000RPM shifts and Indycar noises through a tunnel. Built right, these would’ve been pretty cool in, say, a 3rd gen Fiero.
pass
As an Olds enthusiasts I bought a 1998 looking for an executive, modern TORONADO. The ride, economy and performance was good for the time. It was really a Cadillac derivative. It had, had a lot of bugs when I sold it at 60,000 miles. I would have tolerated a lot, if only Olds had been allowed to keep marching to their own drum. Shame on you GM.
Should have ditched BUICK…
The minute Oldsmobile went to the “Jellybean” design shape, it
felt like the “Substantial” mode immediately left Oldsmobile. It’s like
they rummaged through the parts bin and tried to pass it off as their own
design house success. There was no feeling of status when you drove the
Aurora, it was just an overrated automobile… Spent good hard-earned money
for what?!?
priced right but these were loaded with issues. not fan of the motor either. give me a good old 3800v6. buy drive till it drops.
We had a 2001 for 20 years. Great handling-for a BIG car. Very comfortable! Lots of power with the 4 cams. I believe the HP figure of the 2nd gen Auroras was 275.
I’d daily that.
For the shape it appears to be in, this is a bargain. Of course, I’d be interested in maintenance records, & pics of the underside, trunk & a couple of the dash. All in all, like I said, this looks like a good buy, if you like the Northstar.
It’s not as if Oldsmobile didn’t try. The Aurora was a good attempt of reimagining it’s self. I was an Oldsmobile service manager when these came out and had very few issues with the car. I appreciated the ride and handling of the car and the horsepower under the hood. I had a GM service engineer in my dealership that had some very sophisticated testing equipment that measured and located vibrations and chassis stiffness. We wired up an Aurora and recorded all the readings. And since that hadn’t taken long. We were also a BMW dealer. We wired up a new 5 series BMW. The Aurora was in every way better as far as chassis stiffness and tortional harmonics. The GM rep was astounded! And I felt vindicated in my appreciation for the Aurora. I prefer the original design. But I consider this a very good deal. As is usually the case. GM in it’s often (more than not) decision making “screwed the pouch” axing Oldsmobile. As said previously Buick should have been axed and Oldsmobile and Pontiac should have been kept. With a general manager of each equal to John Z DeLorean. But instead they decided to have a token woman at the head of GM. And I say that as someone who was privey to a lot of GM employees on the inside. She is no different that the “usual GM guard” other than she uses a different restroom. She came up through the usual ranks and has all the “in breeding’ as the rest of the gang at the top. All GM decisions appear to be knee jerk reactions with no common sense.
I prefer this design, too. The 2nd generation is a loaded up Intrigue GLS.
If I had $2,950 I would take a chance on this car! I like the style, exterior color, and interior color.
I agree with Mike if it was close ,I would take a chance because the history is worth the price of admission.
I like it. Too bad all the “good” cars yal show here are from the far west side of the country. How about more from the east/south east. I’m sure you’ve shown plenty of vehicles from this area, just none that I would be interested in. Haha!