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Oldsmobile Aurora

17980828485112

Comments

  • garnesgarnes Member Posts: 950
    Driving around town yesterday, I slowly rolled past an Infinity (not sure of model as it was a bit older) with the coffee can muffler. I glanced at the driver (window down) and after I was past him, he revved his car several times. This was at an underpass where you get that nice echo. Anyway, it still sounded like a well executed fart. I couldn't resist dropping into neutral to let the Aurora V8 roar through the Corsa exhaust. The Infinity was humiliated. Taylor is right - the underpass is a good place to let that thing sound off. I guess I'll never grow up.
  • blk97aurorablk97aurora Member Posts: 573
  • rjs200240rjs200240 Member Posts: 1,277
    Awesome! It's like your recreation of 5 Indy 500's in a row... Olds stomping an Infiniti... I've given it a little gas in park/neutral but it never sounded loud. I got the impression it had to have a little load on the engine to get the Corsa's gurgling. Maybe I just need to punch it a bit harder. I've probably only revved it up to like 1600 rpm or so...

    We've all got to get together some time with the Corsas and drive around with each other. That way we can all experience the thrill of getting passed by a screaming Aurora...

    Now that the weather is warm enough to have the windows down, but not so hot that you need the air, I'm loving the Corsa even more. With the windows down you really get to hear that gurgle.
  • blk97aurorablk97aurora Member Posts: 573
    mtpockets1:
    I, too, read somewhere that the autobahn package came with chrome wheels, but found later that was not accurate. I would give more credence to the door sticker than an email from Oldsmobile, especially with Olds division being closed down. However, doors can be replaced for collision repair; so check the VIN on the door sticker against the VIN under the windshield. Autobahn95's suggestions to check the option code sticker for codes FV4 and QQX is probably foolproof. Garnes' suggestion to determine by road speed at steady 2000 RPM is also good IF your Aurora has the stock 235/60-16 tire size. The trick Garnes alluded to it that you have to be driving steady on level pavement with the transmission locked up so that there is no slippage in the transmission.
  • garnesgarnes Member Posts: 950
    Like Taylor said - find an underpass/bridge. Big echo. Way cool. It is totally different to hear someone else drive your car away. From the drivers seat you miss out.
  • mike98cmike98c Member Posts: 293
    The remnants of a division that doesn't even no what engine their car comes with if you go by their old website that has the wrong engine (6 cyl. 3800) listed in the powertrain.
  • fjk57702fjk57702 Member Posts: 539
    It is easier to get the torque converter locked up in normal mode rather than power mode. For the speeds indicated you need the standard size tires - 235/60-16's. Or you could see if you can go well beyond the 110 MPH limiter that the non-autobahn's have. This is somewhat dangerous however and I would not recomend it.
  • mike98cmike98c Member Posts: 293
    trust My spelling!!! You know.
  • aurora5000aurora5000 Member Posts: 168
    It seems that GM is having its share of problems at the Indy 500. Most of the drivers interveiwed, six if your counting, said that they were doing the best that the could with what they had. Word on the IRL street is that GM is redesigning the engine and it will be another year before it is ready to go. I am not exactly sure what engine Chevy is using at Indy, but the drivers are not pleased with the results.
  • fjk57702fjk57702 Member Posts: 539
    I think that some 3800's were used at Indy in the past.
  • rjs200240rjs200240 Member Posts: 1,277
    It's a 3.5L V8. The same basic engine Olds used. Part of the problem is that the Olds design appeared in 1997. The Toyota/Honda's were designed for 2003. There is also the fact that in other racing, Honda and Toyota have well-deserved reputations for doing anything and spending anything to win. The IRL has limits on what an engine can sell for, but if Honda or Toyota are willing to sell an engine at a loss in order to win, there isn't much to prevent them from violating the intent of the rules. If they want to sell an engine that costs them $500,000 to produce at a price of $90,500, who would ever know? The IRL couldn't possibly know how much the manufacturing or development of their engines cost. You don't have to look any further than CART to see this. That series got more and more costly until it collapsed (and that's why so many CART defectors went with an unproven Honda or Toyota. They know how they work)... Just my opinion, though.

    Give Chevy some time, though. I think they will be back in the hunt soon. I don't know what's with all the nay-saying (I mean the media, not you Steve). GM dominates IRL for 6 straight years, and now they have lost 3 races... Oh no! There was a bunch of talk about the IRL considering helping GM out or maybe changing some rules to help GM. However, Chevy hadn't said one thing about not being able to compete or about needing help. So I don't know where the media gets all that crap from.

    Back in the 80's Chevy competed quite successfully at Indy (back when it was CART and there was no IRL).
  • aurora5000aurora5000 Member Posts: 168
    The 3.5 V-8, is that the 214 c.i.d Olds had?
    Word on the street is that GM is looking at the Variable Valve Timing Teconology also some camshaft redesign and even some talk of direct fuel injection to cylinders like a diesel engine, (poor example) but you get the idea.
    Steve
  • garnesgarnes Member Posts: 950
    The new northstar already has VVT. I think the big 6 in the Trailblazer uses it too - or at least it is somewhat variable with just the intake or something. Sorry, I may not know all the details there.
  • fjk57702fjk57702 Member Posts: 539
    Exhaust actually on the inline 6. The V16 has VVT on the single cam in the crankcase and is said to get 80% of the what an OHC VVT would do.
  • garnesgarnes Member Posts: 950
    Thanks. I knew it was a "partial" application.

    The new Northstar varies both - right?
  • fjk57702fjk57702 Member Posts: 539
    Yes, the RWD northstar varies both intake and exhaust timing independently and continuously. Some engines have a high speed "shift" to get a bump in horsepower. There has not been any details on the torque curve for the northstar except that the peak torque is at 4400 RPMs and is 310 ft-lbs. The peak horsepower is at 6400 RPMs and is 320 (last I saw). I would guess that the torque falls off more like the 275 horsepower FWD northstar at lower RPMs.
  • fjk57702fjk57702 Member Posts: 539
    The VVT allowed them to eliminate the Exhaust Gas Recirculation valve. The VVT does this by varing the exhaust timing (this is why the VVT on the trailblazer is on the exhaust side).
  • pizza442pizza442 Member Posts: 110
    Thought I would share this with everyone. We all know that if you use your fog lights, they burn out often. I have replaced the pass side twice in the 2 years I've had my 95 (with Sylvanias) before finally having to replace the driver's, only to find it had a GE bulb. It so happens that I had bought a GE this time (from Walmart, $6.99 I think) to replace it. Moral of the story: GE's might be longer lasting than Sylvanias, or am I the last to find this out anyway? :-)
    Side note: the driver' fog beam always shot up high. When I pulled the GE out, I noticed that the metal prongs that the bulb is attached to, were slightly bent. Guess that explains the misaiming.
    Jay
  • rjs200240rjs200240 Member Posts: 1,277
    Well, on a weekend trip to Cedar Point, I stopped off at Corsa to have my exhaust adjusted (the resonator and cat were sagging where they overlapped). It was a neat place with tons of framed Corvette posters up. I met Jim Browning, Jr. and he gave me a tour of the plant. It was quite enjoyable. I saw a new Viper up on a lift, and got to see a CTS with a Corsa system, a Z06, and a 490+hp C5 with a Wheel to Wheel body kit.

    On a 400 mile trip, I managed 24mpg on the way up and 23 on the way back. But I averaged 70mph on the way up and 71mph on the way back... A fair amount of the way I was cruising at 90+. Even at those speeds the exhaust was silent. It sounds exactly like the stock system. All you hear is some wind and a tiny bit of road noise. Nothing from the exhaust. I also punched the car up to about 123mph at one point, and it felt just like going 90 except with more wind noise. Very stable. I continue to be impressed with the Corsa system, and I really can't imagine buying anything else for any other cars we may get.
  • garnesgarnes Member Posts: 950
    Cool!!!!

    123 - crap. I guess the new ones don't have a speed limiter. I thought they did.

    Your mileage is incredible for a trip that included sustained 90 stuff.
  • rjs200240rjs200240 Member Posts: 1,277
    The new Aurora has a limiter set at around 136 mph. I haven't verified that, though... The tires are H-rated, not V-rated like the autobahn. Yeah, I was pretty impressed with the mileage considering the cruising speed. I took a shot of the outside of Corsa and one of these days I'll get around to posting it up.

    I saw a lot of new and old Aurora's on the way to Ohio and once there. I rarely see any around here. I think the Washington, DC area is bad as far as seeing domestics goes. 3-series' are pretty ubiquitous here, though.
  • fdion1fdion1 Member Posts: 28
    While on the subject of tires, I just bought 4 Michelin Pilot Sport AS, W rated in 235-55-17, to replace the MXV4+ currently on the vehicule (2001 Aurora V8).

    I ordered those from Tire Rack, had them installed/balanced and noticed some pretty bad vibrations. My AC stopped working at about the same time, so I went by the dealer. Dealer didn't fix the AC even tough said they did, and changed the front tie rods and said everything was ok.

    Of course nothing was ok. Every time I go to that dealer, it's the same.

    This time, vibrations were still there and AC still didn't work.

    So I went to a second dealer, for the exact same thing. Looked promising as they actually had several new Aurora in stock. They in fact fixed the AC and as far as the tires, they put them on a Hunter machine and 3 out of 4 tires were declared bad. Service manager questionned the tie rod replacement that the other dealer did. Said the tires were the cause, and he couldn't help on that.

    Went for a second opinion at a Merchant tires, and they said that it looked like they might be bad. They called Michelin which said they would gladly swap them (there is a catch, read on). But of course I had bought them at Tire rack.

    So I contacted Tire rack and started the fax/email ping pong game sending them the info from the Hunter machine. To make a long story short they said they would replace the 3 out of round tires.

    Then I receive an email from Tire rack stating that Michelin would only replace 2 out of round tires on a vehicule, at most. But, they also said that they were having a bunch of problems with these tires being out of round and they would take them all back if I wanted to get a different type of michelin.

    So the ball is now back in my court, and I'm growing real tired of the whole thing. I like the MXV4+ in 205 wide on another car I have, but I dont think they are as good in a 235, particularly on 17". Plus they are H rated and are not that grippy. I dont think they make the V rated in the size that the aurora requires.

    The Pilot Sport AS looked like the perfect tire, but alas it's turning out to be a nightmare.

    What would you do if you were in my shoes? Should I cut my losses and get some MXV4+? What about the Pilot HX MXM4+?

    Francois (frustrated)
  • garnesgarnes Member Posts: 950
    Good to hear from you - although sorry about the circumstances. Hey, you still owe us that explanation of acceleration calculations and such.

    I have the new Aurora 17's on my 98 and put the MXV4+ tires on. I really like them. 235/55/17. I think they are good tires.

    I've seen a lot of posts about new tires being faulty. Seems like the Dunlops Sport A2's or whatever have had similar problems. I'm grateful for the force balance machines that can detect this stuff.

    I have no idea why they would try to get cute about not replacing all the tires. Also, I can't believe there isn't some way to QC these tires before they leave the factory. That's shameful.

    In the future, I'll always buy my tires from a place that has force balancing and I'll insist that they be mounted in the optimal location from the beginning. That way you know immediately if there is a bad tire and you know you won't drive away with a tire/rim mounting that produces too much up-force.
  • rjs200240rjs200240 Member Posts: 1,277
    Man, what a nightmare... So you can either get only two of your Sport A/S's replaced, or you can get a totally different Michelin tire? That's crazy... Can you just return them and get your money back? Maybe just find a local place that can get you tires like Greg said? I know they don't tend to be as cheap, but it seems like unles everything is perfect, mail-order can be a real pain... I guess if you can't I'd probably go with the MXV4+'s. But then I like them on the car. I thought they were a pretty good all-around tire. Keep us updated about what happens. Oh, and the new Aurora only needs H-rated tires, not V-rated. I suspect if the new Aurora had V-rated tires, the speed limiter would be in the 140's. I think the classic had a 139 mph limiter with V's because it had more weight on each front tire. The mph a speed rating is good for will decrease with a heavier load.
  • rjs200240rjs200240 Member Posts: 1,277
    I just thought I'd toss up a shot of Corsa in Berea, Ohio. It was a real neat place, and if you own a Corsa system and are in the area, it's worth a visit.

    image
  • garnesgarnes Member Posts: 950
    - and to think I drove all the way there only to wimp out and then have the system installed a year later anyway. I did not do the tour. If I'm ever back in the area, I'll do it.
  • fdion1fdion1 Member Posts: 28
    Well, after many emails, fax, phone calls to various people, I received 3 new Pilot sport and will be having them installed tomorrow. Hopefully everything is going to go well.

    Francois
  • larryfllarryfl Member Posts: 214
    Just hit it today in my '95. She had only 50,145 on her when I bought her 2 years and 2 weeks ago.

    Time travels fast and smoothly in the aROARa.
  • garnesgarnes Member Posts: 950
    I just saw the Honda commercial with Michael Andretti. I knew it would be like this. Toyota and Honda thumping their chest over Indy. Did GM/Oldsmobile capitalize on their overwhelming domination for ALL those years? I hope GM takes notice, but I don't expect them to. From a marketing standpoint, they are absolutely clueless.

    They're probably figuring how much to down-rate one of their cars so as to not compete too much with another.
  • musclecar97musclecar97 Member Posts: 111
    Anyone up for a get together at the World of Speed event in September? Checkout the info on the 130mph club at the Bonneville Salt flats in the Acceleration board.
  • aurora5000aurora5000 Member Posts: 168
    Why didn't GM just put a piece of tape over the Aurora ID on the engines,put Chevy on it and go on down the road ??
  • aurora5000aurora5000 Member Posts: 168
    It was dissapointing to see 3 out of 9 GM cars finish the Indy 500. Only 2 were on the same lap as winner, Buddy Rice, Vitor Meira. Kite was on 197. Hornish, Boat, Fisher, Lazier, McGehee, Buhl- DNF. Rice was the closest to lead but mostly by all of the caution laps they had and smart pit stops not by the machine he was driving. Where is GM and their common sense ? I guess those 2 words don't collide much in the same sentence.
  • garnesgarnes Member Posts: 950
    I don't really know a lot about the Indy engines. I think they are changing. I'm pretty sure in 97 or so they were 4.0 liters. I think this year's race was with 3.5 liter engines.

    Hornish was right there - what only a couple seconds behind, but died at the very end. As bad as it looked for GM this year, there is reason for hope. I don't think they were really out classed.

    I too hope that GM gets a clue. Maybe the Honda/Andretti commercial will wake them up. Maybe they will think "gee look at the asset we had with Oldsmobile and didn't realize it - let's get that back".

    RJS knows more about the engines though.
  • fdion1fdion1 Member Posts: 28
    Well, I have my Aurora back, with the replacement Michelin Pilot Sport AS, and they ride great. I'm happy again. I tought for a little while that I had made a bad call by getting the Sport AS instead of the MXV4+. Not anymore. They ride no harsher than the MXV4+ IMHO, but they grip much better.

    What a fine vehicule the 01 Aurora prooves to be again.

    Francois
  • rjs200240rjs200240 Member Posts: 1,277
    Well, the Aurora took the top spot for Larger Car, tied with the Bonneville. The Aurora took the top spot last year as well (no tie that time). I believe the Aurora also topped Strategic Vision's "Most Delightful" award last year. I haven't seen this year's results. Too bad it won't be in the running next year...
  • 53rocket53rocket Member Posts: 65
    I was hoping to buy one of the final 500s this year to go with my 2001 4.0 but the economy and business climate killed that one.

    I will look for one next year and wanted to start researching resale figures now. Is there a VIN sequence that has been published for these cars or can you suggest a way to obtain them?

    RJS, sounds like your calling...........

    I'm going to try OCA, of which I am a member for my '53 rocket 88. Getting the 500 will fill the stable completely with Oldsmobiles. Probably be the only one in the state with that claim!

    Thanks
  • b4zb4z Member Posts: 3,372
    There is a new Final 500 Aurora at Miller Cadillac Oldsmobile in Mt. Pleasant, SC. A few miles from Charleston, SC.
    I think the sticker is around 37K, but I know for a fact they will sell it for much less than that.
    Good looking car.
  • rjs200240rjs200240 Member Posts: 1,277
    Hey rocket, I don't know any definitive way to find out the sequence of numbers, but I do know how you can sort of interpolate them. Go to GMBuypower.com and you can get the VIN's of cars right there. Search for 2003's and when one has the "Final 500" package, note the VIN. Maybe after a few of them you will note a pattern. I would imagine that the VIN's are sequential as they were the last 500 off the line. But it is quite possible that VIN's are no longer that straight-forward.
  • bryanttarvinbryanttarvin Member Posts: 23
    Hi Everyone,

    I thought that the last three posts regarding the Collector's Edition Aurora were a great time for me to share some great news with you. As of May 10th, I am the proud owner of a new Final 500 Aurora. I'll give you some history of my experience in purchasing it.

    I originally did not think too much about the Aurora because I have been dreaming of the day that I would be able to buy a Bonneville SSEi. I have always loved it even from the original ones back in 1988. In Oct. 2002, I started doing my own comparisons and on-line research about the two cars since they were similar in price, creature comforts, performance, and that it was the last year for the Aurora. I quickly decided that the Aurora would probably be the better car for me because it had more luxury features than the SSEi such as real burl wood, was the last luxury car of the oldest car brand in existence, came with a extended warranty as standard, could be ordered with a special Collector's Edition package that may make it collectible one day, already owned a used 1990 Touring Sedan and still love it, and many other pros that quicklyoutweighed the pros of the SSEi.

    I decided to buy a Final 500 if I was going to get one, so I researched dealers that still sold Oldsmobiles and had several new ones on their lots through the BuyPower website. I found a dealer in the next major city from me that had them and turned out to be the largest Olds dealer in the state.

    In Nov. 2002, I went to test drive each car to see which I truly would like with actual 'seat time, interior ambiance, and performance'. I was wowed by the Aurora because my first impression was that it felt, smelled, and performed to me like a Cadillac Seville. I had to have it now! The SSEi was left in the dust.

    I was told by the dealer that they were allocated two of the Final 500s and should get my name on their list early to be certain I would get one. On Jan. 3, I put in my order and deposit for one. I was the first person to be on their list. I told the salesman that I wanted every option that it came with except the Navigation radio. I wanted the cassette player radio instead because I have many cassettes that I want to be able to continue to listen to in style. My salesman later sent me a monthly newsletter that Oldsmobile sends to the dealers that had a writeup about the Final 500s and told what options could be ordered on it. I'm also collecting all stuff like this that I can get as collectible memorabilia. I could not wait to get it!!

    My salesman called me on March 31st to tell me that the car had arrived. GM made the Final 500s earlier that they originally announced to everyone. The last one was made on March 28th. I wish that I could have been at the Orion plant for the celebration.

    My salesman faxed me a copy of the window sticker and the dealer invoice for me to look at because I saw that the car had popped up on the BuyPower site but didn't have all the options on it that I ordered. I found out that this first one that popped up was the other Final 500 that someone else ordered. Mine popped up a few days later. I could not believe that he actually sent me the sacred invoice because we had not even talked numbers yet. I knew exactly what they paid for it and that they could not pull any funny business now. I told them that the car they ordered for me was missing the engine block heater only. Everything else was there. The salesman offered to put it on the car at no extra charge since they didn't order it like I wanted. I was shocked because I didn't even have to ask him to later in the negotiations.

    On April 12th, I went to negotiate the price of the car. I wound up negotiating with one of the owners of the dealership working that day also because I intentionally got there 1.5 hours before closing to try to get a better deal by making them stay after closing. I had to wait for a while because my salesman was delivering another car at the time. We did not start until after closing.

    In a short amount of time, I negotiated a price of $38,000 for the car with an extra set of Final 500 floormats and some wheel locks for the chrome STS wheels thrown in at my prompting. My final total later with tax, tag and license, extended warranty, and $3,000 cash back was $41,545.85. Sticker price was $39,955 including destination charge. Oldsmobile has a special deal that new buyers can extend the 5/60 extended GMPP a little further to either 5/75 or 6/60 for $395 more. I took the 6/60 extention and thought that was an excellent deal. Kudos to Olds for treated the last new owners of their cars right! I picked up the car on May 10th and paid a guy that the dealer uses to pick up cars from and take car to other dealers to trailer my car home. I did not want to drive it and have over 128 miles on it right off the bat just to bring it home. I bought it with 28 miles on it.

    On all Final 500s, all come with these required options:

    * Standard Aurora features
    * Passenger Comfort Package
    * Convenience Package
    * Heated Seats
    * Collector Edition Package

    These options are the only 'free-flow' options:

    * Power Sunroof
    * Bose CD/Cassette radio system
    * Navigation Radio w/Bose sound system
    * 12-Disc Trunk Mounted CD Changer
    * Engine Block Heater

    I have all except the NAV radio and still need to have the block heater put in. They ordered the parts but the service guy had not done this install before and did not want to mess up the car. They gave me the parts to have another dealer more experienced with the install to put it on and they will pay for it.

    Sorry about writing a book, but I thought that everyone here might enjoy a little 'glimpse' of my experience and know that someone in the group finally owns a Collector's Edition. I love the car thus far and I fight myself every time I have driven it to not floor the excellent and unique V8 engine. She has only 58 miles on her still and I am trying really hard to keep her in collectable status. That means very little driving and meticulous upkeep. I have it stored in a storage unit to keep it safe and out of my hands each day.

    As for the VIN number question that '53rocket' had about the Final 500, I can answer this one. The VINs of the Final 500 will be in the 1G3GS64Cx3417nnnn to 1G3GS64Cx3418nnnn range. The 'x' is the unique check sum digit of the car and the 'n' is the last 4 unique identifying numbers of each car. I have been watching the VINs of other Final 500s left in my area of the country and this seems to be the range for them. Mine is in the 3417xxxx range, which seems to be the range of the first 100.

    Thanks for reading my 'book' and indulging me the pleasure of talking about my new wheels. Let me know what your thoughts are about it and ask me any questions you may have about the car. I will answer all.

    B.O.T.
  • 53rocket53rocket Member Posts: 65
    RJS, BRYAN.....

    Thanks for the follow-up. I really appreciate it. I've saved a copy on the pc with all of the details. My only wish would have been to have my name and not someone else's on the documentation. That's the trade off for not having the cash now.I'm sure I'll kick myself for many years to come but such is life (I think I hear the "Married with Children" theme in the background).
  • ontonagonontonagon Member Posts: 4
    I am interested in purchasing a 2003 Aurora. I live in the western suburbs of Chicago. I would appreciate any information regarding readers perception of reliability, long term comfort and performance. Would anyone buy another today if theirs was lost? Any recommendations on Foley Rice or any other metro Chicago Dealership? Is there any "dealer cash" from GM above the $3,000. national rebate? Thanks
  • musclecar97musclecar97 Member Posts: 111
    Welcome to the club! You're now the envy of all of us, though some of us Classic owners would need two cars as we could never part with our 95-99 models. Sounds like you need another 03, one to store and one to drive. Thanks for all the information.
  • uniguy82uniguy82 Member Posts: 2
    Hi,

    I'm a 21 year old college student in search of a new(er) car. I currently drive a 1988 Olds Delta 88, which is a nice dependable car, but it sure doesn't get the chicks. I have always really liked the Aurora and have one in mind. It's a 1997 with about 80,000 miles for $5995, BUT it will need a new crankshaft right away. It is for sale at an Oldsmobile dealer. It is discounted about $2000 because of the need for repair. I am a little wary of it because it needs a new crankshaft, but it is a very clean car. I don't even know how much it will cost to replace the crankshaft, but I am betting between $500-$1000. It seems strange that it would need a crankshaft at that mileage. Maybe it indicated the car was driven hard? I have heard the Aurora is prone to some expensive repairs. My Grandma-mobile may be boring, but it is fairly cheap to operate. I need your advice, is this car worth considering or should I look for another Aurora?

    Thanks,
    Bret
  • larryfllarryfl Member Posts: 214
    I think that price is too high for an Aurora with major engine problems. These cars are very sophisticated (read: 'Can Be Expensive to Fix') and I think you are looking closer to the $2000 or better to repair it. And yes, I would be very suspicious about it needing a crankshaft so early. My '95 has 100k miles... some on this board have more than 200K and I have NEVER heard of one needing a crankshaft.

    Having said that, I love my '95 Aurora and I would certainly recommend one. The '97 and newer are probably better than the '95 and '96s (there were some potenially expensive issues fixed after 96). But if you look around a little, you should easily find one in very good shape for less money than that car and repairs would cost. Make sure any Aurora you look at (and any other used car, for that matter) has service records showing frequent oil / trans changes and servicing. Maintenance is the key when it comes to avoiding major repairs in high mileage used cars.

    Good Luck!
  • fdion1fdion1 Member Posts: 28
    Bryan,

    You have a prized possesion now. The 2001-2003 aurora handle great, look great, are well built, and with your 6 year warranty, you dont have to worry about a thing. I wish I had known about that warranty extension. Can you get that later on? I just hit 40K on my 2K1. I cant help it, it is so much fun driving this car.

    BTW, what tires came with the caddy rims? And last, what are the trims for the 500? I know the embroidery on the seats and the caddy wheels, what else? Looks like stainless or chrome air intake vents in the front bumper?

    Ciao,
    Francois
  • fdion1fdion1 Member Posts: 28
    Now that I've had the replacement tires for a few days (thank god that whole ordeal of out of round tires is behind), I think they are worth the extra cost. Just make sure you get them at the dealer and they test it on a Hunter...

    These tires are the best thing since sliced bread. They are way better in the rain than the MXV4+. Slighlty more noise with the windows down, but it's a cool sound. RJS wouldn't be able to hear the difference with the Corsa exhaust :)

    How good in the rain? yesterday we had a flash flood on highway 52 (north carolina) and I was on it when it happened. I couldn't tell, never aquaplaned or anything. I was northbound. Southbound I saw a flipped 2003 nissan altima (i think a 3.5). Looked like a nice pancake.

    When I drive around the backroads, I usually cruise at a speed i'm comfortable with, based on the car feedback and other factors. I noticed that I seemed to be driving about 8 mph faster on the Pilot Sport AS. The steering feel is much more responsive, less "float".

    Flooring it on the dry, from a standstill, the traction control never kicked in. I tried a few times. It usually did with the mxv4+.

    They ride a little stiffer than the mxv4+ but you gotta pay attention to that to notice. Changing lane in an emergency is much tighter too. At any rate, I think this is a much better upgrade than going to 18", with more ride comfort, equal performance in lane changing ability (sidewall flex) and less risk of wheel damage.

    There is one down side.

    Mileage is going to go up more quickly...

    Ciao,
    Francois
  • rjs200240rjs200240 Member Posts: 1,277
    The Final 500 is pretty cool. Question, how do you like the color? The Aurora is a lot more car for the money than the SSEi in my opinion.

    Fdion, those STS wheels on the CE come with the same 235/55-17 Michelin MXV4+'s. Those tires are actually an extra cost option on the STS...

    Glad to hear you like the Sport A/S's. I'll have to keep them in mind when it's time for new tires. Though I wish there were some decent Goodyears or Dunlops I could get... I imagine snow isn't a concern down there in Carolina?

    Bret, I wouldn't buy that car unless you are prepared to possibly spend a lot. Question: How does the dealer know it needs a new crank? What's wrong with the current one? How did they pinpoint it was the crank without taking it apart? And if they took it apart, why not replace the dang thing?
  • garnesgarnes Member Posts: 950
    ontonagon - I have a 98 with 41k. I love it and would buy another Aurora to replace it if something happened. The new ones have a pretty strong warranty.

    uniguy - I wouldn't touch it. RJS is right, what IS the truth about that car? What else is goofed up that is related to this problem? Why don't they fix the car and then sell it for an appropriate price? There has to be some reason they don't want to touch it, but want you to pay them for the privilege of fixing it.
  • kayaman420kayaman420 Member Posts: 207
    Definately do not buy that car. You can find a better deal on a fully operational Aurora without even trying hard. My suggestion is to look for a 95 or 96 with around the same milage. You'll save more money and its the same car. Some things will breakdown and it will cost you a heck of a lot more to repair than your Delta, but we all know that performance and luxury arent cheap. When you are shopping make sure to get a repair history from the dealer for the car you are looking at. My dealer gave me one for free. To me it seems with the Aurora you either get a lemon or a gem. If one your looking at has a long repair history, stay away. But if its clean its probably a solid car. I bought a 95 in 2001 and have been realativly problem free. I did have a major tranny repair though, but something has to break sometime. Once you own an Aurora you will fall in love for sure. It is a bit costly to maintain though, but if you know this going in you will not be dissapointed. All in all the AURORA is a spectacular car.

    Good luck shopping
  • HenryHenry Member Posts: 1,106
    Okay, for me, I love my car as much as a man can "love" a thing. However, I would not advise a young person to buy the car unless they are ready for the repair bills. Like any luxury performance car, it costs to maintain it. Sometimes more sometimes less depending on the actual car you get.
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