Pre-Purchase Questions

eranth

Hello, I am considering purchasing a 2001 Oldsmobile Aurora from a local dealership. After taking a look at the car and having it out for a test drive I have noticed a few problems:
1. Drivers side window does not go work, all others work.
2. Seems to be that the Head Gasket is leaking oil slowly.
3. The car currently has 156K thousand miles on it.

I have done some research and found that the windows not working is a normal thing for the car and that the mileage on it is not that large a problem. I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem with it and if it was an easy fix or if I would have to sink a large amount of money into it. The dealership is asking 3.3k for it. Anyone have any helpful advice?

neet49

In 1995 my mom moved to a retirement community. She announced in her mid 70's that she bought a beautiful car that looked like a Jaguar! It was an Aurora. She proudly drove it from her retirement community downtown and back. At 92 she gave up driving and gave me the car. It only has 48,839 miles on it and is truly a cream puff...beautiful. Only quirk is that the check engine and ABS light go on. I have had it thoroughly checked out and the mechanic says he cannot find a problem and that it is probably a computer issue. It needs it to go into "limp" mode for him to assess anything and it won't limp. Anyway, this is our 4th car and I have decided to sell it. I am thinking of asking $5500 only because it is in such nice condition. Any suggestions on pricing? Anyone interested?

Kirstie_H

Hi - your best bet is to post details in our Real-World Trade-In Values discussion to get an idea of what it's worth. However, we don't permit buy/sell offers in the forums, so please exclude that portion.

crazyboy

The window fix is not a huge problem I had a similar problem with my car and I ordered the window motor on ebay for around $50-70 and had it installed at a auto glass place for only $20, was a quick and easy job, so my total was under $100 for that. I also have some sort of an oil leak problem or engine is eating it. It was more severe before, and had a gasket changed, cost me under $400, but engine still ate/leaked oil slowly. But it is so slow that I don't worry about it. It seems there is no real fix as noone seems to be able to really fix it, or if there is a fix it would be too damn expensive as it would involve rebuilding an entire engine. The oldsmobile has an oil sensor so you would know when your oil is low. Best and cheapest thing to do is always have some oil in your trunk, to add when it is low. You will basically have to have more frequent oil changes probably every 2000-2500 miles instead of 3000. You may also wish to just add 4-5 qts of oil yourself and wait another 2000 miles to do an actual oil change to save money. I've been doing this for 5 years of ownership of my aurora and have had no problems. I also recommend using valvoline max high mileage oil, it some cases it is reported to seal up the leaks itself, results vary though.
This is a luxury car, such as an entry level mercedes so parts and such will cost as it would a car of that caliber for repairs. It is a GM car though and alot of parts are interchangeable so actually you should be able to save money and have no problem finding repairs parts for your car. Look at rockauto or other auto sights for good deals. Avoid dealer at all costs they will rape every penny out of you. For the problem you described I would not put 3.3K into it. Repairs I mentioned should only cost you $500, and any other wear and tear you should obviously replace that needs replacing. If there is alot of wear and tear expect to pay at least $1K that is normal if you needs new struts, bearings, or others parts. Just make sure you really need the repairs, some shops like to say you need way more than you actually do.