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Jenishcr@aol.com
Would that sway you one way or the other?
Thanks.
ZINC - What little red light on the roof above the mirror? I know about the gree light below the mirror (auto dimming switch) but no light on the roof in my 1995.
Also as I tell anybody getting a 1995, be sure to investin a new cupholder with the double rubber lip design. Just ask the parts department for a new cup holder for the 1995. Its about $50.00 and will make the cupholder actually work.
Also the 1995's are well under $10,000 as a selling price at the curret time.
P.S. Don't let Zinc's Classic page scare you. Its a good car. If anything, watch out for the 97's.
Joe - Got the package. It will be awhile before I mail it out, having a little knee surgery tomorrow. One of the benefits of being a true Aurorite is that I have a GREAT relationship with my dealer. I Will be able to drive the Classic to the dealer and leave it there until the surgery is over.
ONE LAST DRIVE IN THE CLASSIC.
Henry: Good luck with the surgery, but beware of crazy anesthesiologist. I Do not have dealer I've developed a "good" relationship with yet(Thankfully). When I do need dealer warranty work I will probably use a local dealer that sells both Olds and Cadillac, especially if its engine related. Dealer we bought car from is a Chevy dealer and 30 miles out of town. I think a dealer that services Caddys may have a better understanding of the northstar engine.
On a side note the Olds Club of America National show is in Denver this summer. They even have a class for Auroras. Must be a member of OCA to show, but anybody is welcome to show up and check outg the Olds iron. Originally I was going to show my 73 Cutlass Supreme, and 4 speed 71 442. The 442 will probably stay at home now, since it is non a/c, and starting to show a little wear (it was restored in 1989). Besides that I love the Aurora-So Far.
My dad had a 95 and a 97. the 95 had a cubby for the opener and the programmable buttons in the 97. so maybe the one you are looking at is mislabeled as a 95.
evilgreco, the buttons and light is for the programmable garage door opener. My father's has this feature and it's very nice as it eliminates the clip on opener remote.
Zinc has the 1995 and he has the programmable garage door opener installed and he has the sunroof. I think therefore the two were a package deal. I would have to check the options packages in the sales brochures to see what other option came with the Astro roof.
(with the surgery, what else do I have time to do?)
In any event I don't have a sunroof and just a cubbyhole for an opener. The lack of a sunroof is something I lamented at first, but since I plan on keeping the car until my son inherits it. It is probably best that I do not have one since the rubber seals will become an issue over time.
VWBUS1979 _ My comment about the 1997 comes from three sources. 1) a guy posting on here that was ALWAYS b*tching about how much time his spent in the shop. 2) I meet a guy with a 97 that said one side of his engine (4 cylinders) had failed and extensive work had to be done to fix it. 3) When I investigated the suspension system on the on the car throughout it production (95-99) the 97 model year had a different suspension for that year only. I therefore ASSUMED that the 97 change was an attempt to fix the body roll that did not work well so GM changed it again for 98 and 99 (granted this is speculation).
Not trying to insult a fellow Aurorite. I was thinking about getting another Classic (in black) and was avoiding the 97's for the above reasons.
VWBUS, your reasons for avoiding the 95 are valid as a general course of action. However, my 95 has not been a huge pain as far as repairs. The radio (CD player skipping), bad ignition wire, update of cupholder, vent motor (my lack of heat problem), stepper motor (stalling problem). Considering my 4 years of ownership, not a bad history.
I have a good relationship with the dealership because I work a lot with their mechanic on possible upgrades to the car and my inital problem with the check engine light that took forever to diagnose and fix (Software glitch = no problem at all). Apprantly, the sofeware was not designed for my then over 100mph commutes. I have since calmed down on the speed.
I also brought them a 6 foot sub for lunch in appreciation of their excellent service. Because of their service, I was considering buying another Olds. I still want my 2002 TransAm. If they become a Pontiac dealer, I would be real happy.
Henry
Glad to hear surgery went OK. I did not mean to imply anything negative about "having a good relationship with a dealership", only that I have yet to need any repair work. We've only had the car for 4 weeks!
Actually when I run out of warranty and extended service contract I would be very interested in picking your brain on suggestions for performance upgrades.
Finally, at the risk of sounding entirely ignorant: What is the Aurora "ATS"?
My newest problem is occasional backfiring why decelerating on the highway. It is a somewhat mild “pop, pop, pop” sound. Acceleration is not as smooth as it used to be as well. The “backfiring” occurs most often when backing off from 60 – 70 mph to slow to a highway off ramp. The problem has become apparent with my latest fill-up – no evidence before that. The car idles just fine and for most driving around –no problem. I hate to take it to my mechanic for the $1,000 “look around” I’m afraid to expect.
I have not yet had my repair guy clean the injectors, throttle body, etc. The fuel filter has also never been changed. Are spark plug wires a possibility? Ideas and thoughts are appreciated.
Also, I just replaced my original MXV4s with a new set of Energy MXV4s – awesome!
Thanks.
LoveOlds 1
My new question (sort of of subject) is:
This is my first car in a LONG time that wasn't a P.O.S. that I beat on unmercifully, and I wanted to know if anbody uses any additives, or special fluids. I remember when I had my '87 IROC-Z I used Slick 50, and Mobil 1 oil. What are the suggetions for the Aurora, and does anybody still use Slick 50? Thanks for all the help!
- Evil (But in a good way! Heh Heh)
Additives - The manual for the Classic does not recommend the use of any additives in the engine.
Traction Control - I have not had a problem with the traction control system. However, I have learned that there are times that I need to turn it off. Those times are when I rock the car to get it out of the snow and when I need to "power my way" into a space over a snow mound. In these instances the traction control works against me and had started to smell from all the times it was kicking in.
99 weaker than 95 supercharger - This is news to me. I have not heard anything about a supercharged engine in the 1995. Zinc & VWBUS you guys know anything about this??
Litttle Red Light - Guys this topic is starting to sound like a Seinfield skit.
New Tires - I have the Toyo Z rated tires on my car. Oh What a Feeling!
Aftermarket Items - I have added KYB shochs in the front, put in the Caddy sway bars to reduce body roll, and the Caddie STS performance chip. there is also a guy that put in a Borla or Bilsten performance Cat-back system. I am also assuming that you can put in a cold air induction system on the car. My mechanic told me that the K&N air filter for a Northstar engine is a waste of time and money. Also, got the better cupholder from Olds (double-lip design).
Back to the Aurora: mine is/was a silvermist V8 with heated seats, Bose, 12 disc and chrome wheels. Seeing the car for the first time after it was delivered from the factory (special order because I didn't want a sunroof) was the cat's meow. After driving the car I knew I had made the right decision. But then a seemingly minor problem turned into a major one.
What was happening almost from day one was that when the engine was cold and I would step on the gas in drive then let off- the whole car would surge and buck like it was going to stall but never did. The oscillations would last about 6 or so times then the car would even out and return to a normal idle. I could not dplicate this with a fully warmed engine although the service department at my dealership said they could. This surging was unnoticeable if I accelerated with an even pedal- only when I stepped on the gas then quickly let off. I noticed this first while at a light and starting off; only to quickly back off the gas with someone coming the other way. Then, I could duplicate this everytime because I knew how. Mind you, I wasn't looking for trouble but found it nonetheless in these circumstances.
A couple of trips to the dealer netted the following. The first trip was a diagnosis in which they could easily duplicate the problem but could not fix it. The second trip involved an upper tier technician who came in and couldn't fix the problem either. The car has the latest software download as it was made in October and all looked OK on the computer diagnostics. I brought the car in for checking on the 13th of Dec. and on the 15th a decision was made to stop work as no positive results were achieved. Within a few short days of this, I was informed that GM was buying back the car and getting me a new duplicate. A nationwide locate produced 2 cars the same as mine but they were in the south and midwest and because I live in the northeast, a fresh vehicle was ordered from the factory. I should get it in the next 2 or 3 weeks.
Some observations: My service rep reported that GM had 2 other cars with my symptoms and they could also not be fixed. I never lost my cool or ranted and raved with frustration but I didn't want to be 'deadended' in a long drawn out ordeal so I kept pressuring the dealer and service department for a solution. As it turns out, not much pressure was needed. I'm surprised that GM didn't offer to replace the engine as I'm sure that's what Chrysler would have done in the same situation (after having had 4 problematic Jeep Grand Cherokees). Supposedly GM plans to take my car and tear it apart to find the problem but the good news is that I don't have to make payments on it while they do. As well, GM is footing the bill for an '00 Deville while my new car is coming- they offered a Grand AM but I wanted something comparable. The response to my request for the Deville was a quick yes.
The long and short is that although my 'dream car' had a major problem, along with a few other minor fit and finish issues, GM is absolutely supporting and backing their product. I understand that my new car will automatically come with th 5/60 warranty so thats a nice little bonus also. Believe it or not, I look forward to getting out of the Deville and into my AV8 when it comes. The Deville is a super car but a little too big and boaty for my tastes. Will post with updates or more info as I remember.
zinc1: Yeah, its Purple. Very slick looking.
To All: Not sure if the car has the owners manual, so if anyone can tell me, what does GM suggest for oil?
evilgreco, that price seems too high for a 95, even with an extended warranty. Ask some questions about the warranty too, like does it cover EVERYTHING or just major mechanical components and is there a deductible? The Aurora is a great car, but they haven't held their value all that well so a 95 should be able to be had for less than that.
TRUST ME ON THIS!
www.oldsmobile.com
Joe - Got my son to mail out the stuff to you yesterday, you should get it in a few days. You're in Kansas? Hmm, open road, no cops and a Classic (with Autobahn), life just doesn't get much better. ;-)
Market Value on 1995 Classic - Yes, the price will change based on local market conditions. So I guess I should I should limit my market price of $7,500 to the New Jersey/New York area. I had spoken with an independant car dealer and he told me that the 95's are cheap in this market because it was the first year for the car and there is not a huge demand for Auroras overall.
There was one guy in here that had found a 1998 (45k miles) for around $13,500 at his local dealer. Prices do vary by market, I wish I could get a loaded 98 for $13,500. Talk about a no brainer.
To other readers: I also put in polyurathane end links and center bushings on my sway bars F & R and you could tell an immediate difference. Also KYB struts up front. Would recommend both the struts and bushings to anyone who wants to tighten up his classic Aurora.
The prices i quoted were retail value, not trade in. Retail value as defined by Kelley's and NADA is " a price you would expect to pay while shopping for this vehicle at the dealer".
ZINC1 - Duh
Henry-The package arrived today. Very Cool. I have not had a chance to examine in detail, but thank you very much, I really appreciate it.
Evilgreco - I did not realize the price for the car varied so much across the different markets.
Etharman - I don't have numbers on how many purple cars GM made but judging from what I have seen on the road, it is VERY RARE. I have only seen two. The only color that is rarer ((<--is that a word??)) is that teal or iced green. I have only seen the iced green car once.
Have a great day
Ken
Thanks for any help, my e-mail is jwadle@snet.net
Now, for my question. The cross-town dealer that has a car I had my eye on wouldn't trade so my dealer is still searching for a car. One possibility is an earlier build car (June, I think) that lacks OnStar. Aside from not having On-Star, has anyone heard of problems with earlier build, pre-OnStar cars? Any opinions whether such cars should be avoided? The base price of this earlier car is $30,800 vs. $31,139 on newer cars. It has $1065 in options on it. Dealer offered to add only $200 to my $25,895 deal for the car. Deal looks good other than not having OnStar - except for my concerns about it being an "early" car. Any opinions on early build cars?