Oldsmobile Aurora Owners: Photo Gallery

95mushroom · October 2003

Bronze mist is alomst orange in color. Saw it on ebay and though it was pretty odd for an Aurora lol.

bryanttarvin · October 2003

Hi everyone,

I'm chiming in to interject my comments on the color discussion currently taking place.

I have seen all the 2003 colors for the Aurora in person and the 2002 Cherry Metallic also. My thoughts about some of the colors are:

My selling dealer had a Bordeaux Red Aurora on the lot and I compared it to the Dark Cherry Metallic of the Collector's Edition that I have. The Bordeaux Red looked more like a dark plum metallic color. It was slightly brighter than the Dark Cherry and you have to be in bright sunlight to get the angle of the sun reflecting just right to see the metallic sparklies in the paint. The Dark Cherry is like that too. I obviously preferred the Dark Cherry more. I think that it is prettier and the more dramatic of the two.

The Steel Blue Metallic looks like a baby blue metallic as best as I can describe it. The picture in the 2003 Oldsmobile brochure for the Aurora is pretty true to the actual color. I thought that it was the only one that was of all the colors in the brochure samples. This same color was also available on the Bonneville for 2003.

My selling dealer had one last 2002 model on the lot for a long time and it was a Cherry Metallic 3.5. The Cherry Metallic is definitely brighter than the Dark Cherry and can be a little dark looking too when not in direct sunlight. The sunlight brings out the color and the sparklies in it as well. It liked it better than the Bordeaux Red, but still am hooked on the Dark Cherry.

If I had not bought a Final 500, I would have bought a White Diamond as a regular model. It is my all-time favorite for the Aurora. It seems to be such as thick paint color.

I think that the Aurora was the best value Luxury car that GM offered for 2003 in terms of luxury, performance, features, warranty, and price. A Park Avenue Ultra costing over $42,000 fully loaded and FAUX (fake plastic) wood trim instead of REAL wood trim like the Aurora and NO BOSE radio option like the Aurora is an IMMEDIATELY turnoff to me. What is Buick thinking? I thought that they were supposed to be the Cadillac wannabee division. Looks like Oldsmobile beat them every time with the Aurora.

O.K. My 2 cents is over(probably not worth one). Continue the discussions! ;-)

Bryant

javidogg · October 2003

Here you can see the HELLA ballast on the far lower right corner of the engine area.

Here is a front shot, lights on.

Side shot.

http://www.cardomain.com/id/javidogg

Peace.

mrn8 · October 2003

garnes · November 2003

Your car looks great. Looks like you did some exhaust work - maybe?? Tips look good. You should tell us what you did on the mod board.

rjs200240 · November 2003

There was a guy on Autopia who posted up a shot of his 911 being jacked from the rear point. The whole side was lifted up, and everyone was all aflutter about the impressiveness of anything Porsche... The idea being that Porsches are so infinitely superior in chasis structure that the whole side can be lifted from one jacking point.

It was a neat shot, but I can do it too with the Aurora. Unfortunately I can't capture the picture as well since my garage is small (and the photo never seems to show it lifted as well). The back tire doesn't come off the ground, but that's mainly because my car has substantially more suspension travel than a 911, and the rear seems to have more than the front. The tire is barely touching, though. If the front jack had like an inch more travel, both tires would be off the ground (the front gets raised just enough to pull the wheel off, but it isn't much further off the pavement than that.

Just thought you guys might find it cool. In this shot, my car is jacked up from the front driver's side jacking point:

stickking1 · November 2003

Loved that thread...thanks for posting the pics and reminding me of it again. I was thinking of changing my signature line to: "It sure does burn evenly", but I thought only you and I would get that. Great stuff!

95mushroom · November 2003

yea, he has a complete flowmaster system he's had for 3 years :O I found him trying to search for Bose help.

rjs200240 · November 2003

LOL!!!

spikepc · November 2003

rjs200240 · November 2003

And apparently in need of some photo editing software...

javidogg · November 2003

Nice pearl white Aurora,

Hey do you have your Aurora also listed on cardomain.com?

Peace.

Http://www.cardomain.com/id/javidogg

Henry · November 2003

Just my humble opinion. To each his own and its YOUR Aurora.

I come from the school of thought that says the Classic needs no body mods to look good.

I do like your wheels.

LOL to rjs200240

Henri

95mushroom · November 2003

I feel just the opposite as henry.

I really dont the wheels, (way to busy for me)

And the body kit is nice, but you should have a shop make it smoother. Get the area where the kit meets the orginal body shaved. (The area that looks like a rope going across.)

stickking1 · January 2004

Not Aurora pics, but these were from a 2003 Grand Prix that I detailed earlier this year. I stumbled upon them and wanted to share them, I was very happy with the way this one turned out and couldn't remember if I had shown them to you guys yet.

The whole car:

This was a rather quick job..maybe about 2 hours for the whole car, just an exterior detail done with Meguiar's Swirl-Free Polish and 1 coat of Souveran (which is what is sitting on the hood in the first pic). Sorry to go off-topic and thanks for indulging me guys!

rjs200240 · January 2004

Gotta love Souveran! I did my sister's 1995 Bonneville with some DACP (maybe it was SFP, but I think it was DACP), some 3M Tar Remover, and some Souveran. It is garaged, but very neglected. I was amazed by how good it looked. Souveran is pretty awesome! That hood shot with the tin on it is great, very deep/glossy.

stickking1 · January 2004

Those are great pics!

rjs200240 · March 2004

Well, I got a product called Wolfgang to try out, and finally got a chance to do so. It worked very nicely. Since those of you interested in yet another detailing product will probably have read my review on Autopia, I'll spare you the details. Here's the good stuff. Note my side grill inlets are removed as I am going to super weatherstrip adhesive that foam that directs air into the radiator. They are all loose and get moved off to the side.

Henry · March 2004

Clean car!

stickking1 · March 2004

Beauty. How you like the new place? Where did you order the Wolfgang stuff and what other products do they have?...I have never heard of them. Been a few since I browsed Autopia, so maybe I just missed the boat.

rjs200240 · March 2004

You did miss the boat. Jason from Autogeek was giving out free evaluation samples that includes the polish, QD, and sealant. It was free with any order, or with a $10 shipping payment. I ordered up some 303 stuff to try (protectant, shower guard, and wiper treatment).

You can buy it from Autogeek or from I think premiumautocare.com? So far it seems like an easier-to-apply Blackfire. But we'll see.

I love the new house!

I still have to get some lights up in the garage. I ordered a ladder from Amazon.com because it collapses down to a 5' A-frame but can be stretched up to a 9' A-frame. We have about 9' ceilings, but this way I don't have to store a 9' ladder... Should be in the next week or so it arrives.

stickking1 · March 2004

Jeez, I miss all the free stuff.

Well, it is really starting to turn into spring around here, so I'll have a chance to order some and give it a whirl.

I am really ticked at myself for forgetting the camera. I worked on a 2003 Yukon for a friend of my parents the other day. Seems the wife had tried to take down the garage with the front bumper, so I spent an hour removing the paint trade with the house and taking care of the scratches that the brick caused...then spent another 2 hours working the entire thing over. They were so excited about how it looked that I'll be stopping by to chat with them about a regular maintenance schedule for their two SUV's (a Lexus too). Should be very interesting.

P.S. 303 Rocks! It's my preferred tire dressing now, even if it is a bit pricey.

rjs200240 · April 2004

Ok, here are two more pictures. They are kinda big, but not crazy big. Under 1000 pixels, so the whole thing should fit on your screen (except those of you who still have 14" monitors and vacuum tube computers).

Brian, I haven't tried the 303 yet, but I'll probably use it on the interior first. I really like Endurance (non high-gloss) on tires and it lasts very well. I'm really liking #38 on exterior trim too. It has a nice clean look (a tad shiny but I think it could be buffed to less shine) and seems to last very well. Doing exterior trim is a pain and it's hard to keep it off glass and such, so the longer it lasts the better...

Anyway, on to the pictures:

mike98c · April 2004

Veery nice! I don't like tires that are shiny instead of glossy.
Now where can I pick up a cutting edge vacuum tube computer.

aurorav8 · April 2004

rjs200240 · April 2004

Glad to see you found Edmund's (I'm Aurora40 on Autopia)... The car is looking nice! I see you totally debadged it. Are those wheels the hub-nut kind vs the 5 lug nuts? That's what they look like. I'm not a huge fan of the wheels, but the car looks good!

Mike98, that's about as shiny as I like the tires to get. Sometimes I go with the more matte #40, but it's just that Endurance lasts so well. I could probably buff them to be a bit more matte than that, though. I don't usually buff tires because it ruins the towel.

Question: I've never noticed this before, but is that textured plastic trim at the bottom of the doors? My car is painted bodywork all the way to the unibody seam.

stickking1 · April 2004

Glad to see you here! (I'm StickKing1 on Autopia as well). Car is looking great, it's nice to have another beautiful Classic represented.

To answer Bob's question....you talking about the classics, right? Yep, they have a thin strip of plastic trim right at the bottom. Perhaps 2 inches wide.

aurorav8 · April 2004

Yeah, I totally debadged it last summer. The rims are the typical 5 lug, but the center cap fell off one and I couldn't find it, so I just took all the other ones off.

rjs200240 · April 2004

Man, I thought the CORSA was the ultimate exhaust, but no way! I got the phattest exhaust tip ever now on the 200SX!

Ha ha ha!! The exhaust broke on the Nissan several weeks back, as you may recall... It was incredibly loud. This exhaust from Pacesetter was the cheapest cat-back I could find. It's actually a nice piece with mandrel-bending and all the hardware included. It's funny, it seemed so quiet since the exhaust was so loud before. I haven't really heard it under heavy gas (like when trying to pass commuter buses, cement mixers, or other 3 or 4-banger rolling coffins).

I'm having sort of a dilema in that the yellow stripe around the outside of the tip can be removed, and the inner yellow could probably be turned black from exhaust if I don't clean it. But then, I kind of think I should go all out and attach this sticker that came with it to the passenger side of the tip (that's my Palm for size reference):

I'm not sure which to do... I guess if I put the sticker on, maybe I should pick up a roll of puffy chrome pinstriping at the local AdvanceAuto and roll it down all the seams in the body... But then I'd have to listen to music loud with the windows down and stuff... I rarely use the radio when driving. I also have a K&N sticker, maybe I should put that on the other side of the exhaust tip just to even the stickers out?

I don't know why the exhaust tip sticks out like an inch past the bumper. It's made specifically for this car, not some big-mouthed universal muffler. I think that it might actually look attractive on a black 200SX, or maybe if they made a yellow one (they didn't to my knowledge, but it wouldn't be a stretch from the jelly-bean green they painted this car).

rjs200240 · April 2004

Oh yeah, my Aurora ain't jealous no more! It was upset about not being the sweetest thing on the block now that the Nissan upped the game, but no more! I fixed that Aurora right up so it's the #1 stunner again!

mike98c · April 2004

No No No. What are you thinking! You need to get the industrial sewer pipe size expander and EXPAAAND the Auroras exhaust tip outlets to at least six inches! Then comes the door edge and fender chrome to put the 200SX in its place.

kayaman420 · April 2004

Actually to really top it off. You MUST get a 6 foot drag strip wing installed. And last ,but not least for the added Horsepower you have to put on a "Type R" sticker.

Henry · April 2004

"And last ,but not least for the added Horsepower you have to put on a "Type R" sticker."

That was priceless! LOL

sda · April 2004

RJS, what a hoot. Your Aurora is beautiful. I really like the color, and you've managed to keep it looking better than new! Does my heart good! Did you remove the Oldsmobile script on your trunk?

rjs200240 · April 2004

Thanks for the compliments! Yeah, I removed the Oldsmobile badge a long time ago. It wasn't that I don't want people to know it's an Olds, it's that the badge looked so out of place. It was in lettering that was too small compared to the rest of the badging, and the font they use looks out of place with the "AURORA 4.0" lettering. And it was off to the side, and not even centered on the side. To me it just looked so tacked-on like a dealership badge.

stickking1 · April 2004

I guess I never noticed it....hmmm, time to check out the pics again :-)

How did the removal process go? What'd you use to take it off and clean up the gunk?

rjs200240 · April 2004

Hey Brian, I used some 3M release agent and sprayed it on the foam a bit. I had a towel under the badge to keep any from running down the paint. Then I took some dental floss and cut through the foam. Then I used a hair dryer and more release agent to gently work the foam off the paint. I followed it up with some QD, some paint cleaner (probably Medallion Premium Paint Cleaner) and some wax. It was pretty easy and you can't tell it was there.

stickking1 · April 2004

Well, went downtown yesterday between classes to get a look at the Final Olds and was really surprised by the setup they had there. GM had each of the Final Builds for all of the Olds models there lined up and had spruced up the inside of the R.E. Olds Museum for the event. I have a load of pictures to post and have made them as download friendly as possible, but sorry to the 56k folks...it might take just a sec to load them all.

Here's the line up, minus the Alero...she is under the tent behind me. Each of the cars is the final build of their particular model and have the decal on the bottom-left of the windshield to reflect that.

Here is the underside of the Alero's hood. You can see the signatures of the line workers coating the entire surface. The same goes for the trunk lid in the next picture.

Here you can see the window decal. All of the cars got the "last built" for each of their models, but only the Alero got the "Final Oldsmobile" tag.

Beauty shot of the best looking car there. Hands down. After looking at it, my brother calmly informed me that the next Aurora I get has to be a Final 500.

Now we know where the 2001+ Aurora wheels are going! This was the first time I had seen a Final Intrigue, and I think the wheels look awesome. Another great looking car with really sharp lines to her.

There's my girl. The sign you see next to the car is some info on the build...you see, this is the first Aurora ever built. This one has a permanent home inside the museum. Right next to this!

The flash on my camera made the chrome look funny...not sure why, but it was in pristine shape, even though the camera would have you believe otherwise.

And what would Olds be without a 442? What a sweet car!

stickking1 · April 2004

I was really happy that we got a chance to go down there for the event. There were some big name GM and Olds people there, none that I recognized right off...but they were signing autographs, so I have to assume someone did.

I did get to make a stop into the Gift shop and got some great deals. Posters for $1, booklets for $1, patches for $1...it was a steal!

rjs200240 · April 2004

Thanks so much Brian! Those are incredible. It makes me want to drive up to MI and see it all! And here I thought Lansing was just where toilets emptied out (I was born in Ann Arbor)...

That museum really looks great, and the Final 500 display is excellent! I've only ever seen the Intrigue and Aurora Final 500s.

I hear you on buying a Final 500 4.0. I really thought it would be cool, but I just love my color so much better. And I wish they had left the Aurora "A" on the trunk instead of the heritage badge. I'm curious as to what my car would look like with those STS wheels, but I think the Aurora wheel is a bit more stylish.

Is that an IMSA Aurora V8? It's definitely not the IRL Aurora V8, and I don't think individual intake trumpets was an option on the classic... The Aurora GTS-1 had a 4.5L version of the motor, while the R&S Aurora-powered WSC car had a 4.0L motor. I wonder which one that is?

javidogg · April 2004

Awesome pictures there of the Final 500 Oldsmobile cars.

Thank you for the memories OLDs.

and thank you for the photos Brian, I live in the Chicagoland Area and would have never been able to see a beautiful display like that.

Javi.

stickking1 · April 2004

To solve this mystery of which engine we're looking at. I forgot to take a pic of the sign next to it, so I'll just drop by there later this weekend and find out. I will also stop by the gift shop to see if they repleneshed their poster supply. For 1.00 a piece, I'll take everything they got, and take your addresses to send some out to you guys.

dred98 · April 2004

I'm way too far away to visit - but I discovered they have a website at http://www.reoldsmuseum.org/ unfortunately not much there, very few pictures.

Howard

javidogg · May 2004

Hook me up with one or two,
what do the poster show, Auroras, Oldsmobile cars?

I'll reimburse you, do they have any Olds/Aurora badges of some sort?

Let me know.

Peace
Javi.

stickking1 · May 2004

Henri beat ya to the punch, Javi. Sorry bro. I'll give you guys a holler if I can score any more good deals this weekend.

-Brian

rjs200240 · May 2004

Well, I went over to help my dad once-over his Aurora. He's had it a few months now and he really likes it. He isn't the kind to gush over a car, so when he gushes about the Aurora, it's really something. Anyway, the car was in nice shape, some swirls and a few scratches. I went over it with DACP by Porter-Cable with a polishing pad, I was gonna then #7 it but he didn't want to take that long. Then I topped it with #16. The pictures aren't the best, my camera was dying, I was a dope about focusing on a few shots (that didn't make the cut), and the light wasn't the best. But here goes:

I used Meguiar's Gold Class Rubber/Trim Protectant on the tires after cleaning with APC+ and a stiff brush.

You can see a few chips in the hood, but the rock chips for the most part aren't bad on the front.

I had a better shot of this from sort of high-up, but I stupidly focused on the space between them...

My car was pretty polleny and had some bugs, but you can't tell in the photo. I just Souveran'd it last weekend.

stickking1 · May 2004

Great pics, Bob. Your Dad's car looks great! I remember you mentioning the blue when you were picking it out, and it really looks sharp with the chrome wheels. Now you just have to talk him into the Corsa.

...not to mention throwing out the U of M plate :-P

GO GREEN!!

rjs200240 · May 2004

I'm working on it (the Corsa part... :P) but he's not really that interested in spending $1000 to replace something that currently works fine. Even the fact that it is made in Cleveland isn't convincing him (he grew up in Shaker Heights by Cleveland)... That was the real trump card, well that and him hearing my car every time I'm over there. He loves the sound, but I doubt he'll spend the green (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). He wasn't even very interested in trying to fit my stock chromes on his car.

I do think the chrome looks sharp on blue. I kind of wonder if it would look better with non-gold badges, but maybe not (they'd match the wheels then, though). I still like the look of aluminum on my car better, though. I just think red is awesome, and I love seeing aluminum... I dunno, I guess I'm weird.

stickking1 · May 2004

I hear ya....there are about three colors that I would want chrome wheels with. Black, white...and probably a deep blue, but that's it. I love the aluminum.

mike98c · May 2004

Saw a champagne color Classic like mine the other day with chrome stock wheels. It looked a lot better than I thought it would with that color.

Oldsmobile Aurora Owners: Photo Gallery

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