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I have a 99 Intrigue GLS w/3.5 registering 38k miles of high end cruising and it has proven to be a blast---flawless; not a wrench has touched it other than for oil changes and air filter. This car is on the business end; so 400/500mi. days are common. It cruises easily between 2250/2500rpms and easy on gas.. The balance of the Intrigue sucks badly..Looks are great-I know for it's my second one and I thought they would improve it --they did with the 3.5; but the balance remains risky for trouble free motoring.
My Caddy/Olds dealer ordered me a 4.0 Aurora loaded and it is in; but due to enough Olds in my life; I passed.
I don't think anyone could logically second quess GM at this stage on what will happen with the 3.5; but the 4.0 is history..
GM is hurting in the multi-valve engine front because the motoring public is getting tired of the drone-prone 3800 and the other 2 valve V-6s..
The very talk of dropping the 3.5 bothers me for there may be a quality issue in the background. I can't picture this engine giving high mileage hurrahs as noted by the 3800 series..Let's face it; the 3800 is cheap to build.
The only saving part of Mazda is the Ford partnership; Acura is pricey and small resembles the Honda cult with an Ohio cornfield as its hertiage. Long haul Chrysler could have its problems..
If you have had good service from the Madza don't go for a new surprise..
I own a 99 Intrigue GLS and a 96 Caddy .. You ask and that is my opinion..
Once you own the Aurora or any Olds in this termination period I can forsee alot of games with the warranty aspect.
You might ponder this point; Olds has not sold enough 01 Auroras or will never sell enough of the restyled one to implement any needed changes..
Olds's famous phrase to stonewall a problem "it's the way the car was designed"/ "operating to factory specs".
I would certainly look at the aurora. Looks like you keep your cars for a while, so resale should not be a major concern for you.
After driving the Classic Aurora, the new Aurora, and a base Intrigue (all the dealer had), I like the Classic the best. I have a few questions for you "experts" out there:
First, the car I'm most interested in is a 98 w/27,000 miles on it. It's black, with the graphite interior, and all of the options (moonroof, Bose, CD changer, heated seats, Autobahn, chrome wheels). The dealer's got it listed for $19,900 (down from $24,525 - it's been on the dealer's lot since last June!). I was thinking of offering him $17k (no trade-in), going up as high as $18.5...
I've got the VIN number and done the CarFax report (it was a leased vehicle, titled in Michigan for 2 1/2 years). I understand that pretty much any GM dealer can get the service history of the car - is this true? I don't want to walk in and ask for this, since it kind of tips my hand/level of interest in the car. I do want to know its history (the 9+ months on the lot scares me) before even beginning to negotiate seriously...
Lastly, assuming that this dealer is willing to negotiate, I'm wondering if someone can recommend a good company for an extended warranty. I've heard almost universal kudos for WarrantyDirect, but they don't do business here in Wisconsin. What about Warranty Gold or WarrantyByNet? What's GM's own warranty cost? Given that the car is under the manufacturer's warranty until either 50,000 miles or the end of November, what's the urgency in purchasing the warranty now versus a couple of months before the end of the manufacturer's?
Thanks, in advance, for any advice,
--Robert
At those prices; you are into the Caddy range..
If you want an extended warranty; buy it through the dealer for you can negotiate the pricing. Some of the Olds dealers; the stand alone ones, will be checking out of business soon; so make sure there is a Caddy dealer around for somebody has to understand the 4.0 engine.. Deal with a Caddy guy and you are out of control..
a) why hasn't someone purchased it previously? (probably high price and low demand, my guess - the car appears and drives fine)
b) what can go wrong with it sitting this long (brake discs warping, flat spots on tires, seals/rubber/etc?). If I had only one complaint after driving the car, the brakes weren't great. I'd plan to get it inspected by an ASE-certified mechanic before actually pulling the deal.
Re: cars, I did look at Detroit for Auroras (as negotiation/ammunition):
I didn't see any as low as what you're quoting... any online sources (i.e. dealer web sites)?
This dealer's located about 12 miles away. I have another Olds dealer about a mile and a half from my house, and a Pontiac/Cadillac dealer about a mile away. They were "competent" with my old Grand Prix, but a bit on the expensive side...
Thanks for your comments,
--Robert
I think i should look into it further.
It's your money and your call--Good Luck!!!!
I know the thing to do is not to develop an "emotional attachment" to the vehicle, or tip your hand to the dealer too much. If he won't budge, I'm outta there.
I suspect you're right, that he paid $16-$17k for the vehicle at auction, and is now "stuck". Good for me is that the car ain't going to get more valuable as it sits there.
There's a friend of the family who has a used car business and travels to Detroit frequently for the auto auctions. I always have the option of spec'ing one out to him (including what I'll pay), and having him look for something...
Thanks again for your input,
--Robert
Around here (Louisiana), I see most of them going for 18 to 19, but sitting on the lots. Seems llike we are the few wanting to buy these guys.
BTW, there is nothing like having a V8 again :P I have not made it to the 139 club yet, but as soon as I get some open road.........
And chai, rodes dat go 'long da bayou is always reel twistie, yeah.
Truthfully, I was referring to how crowed I-10 always is. The corridor is favorite for the truckers and drug smugglers.
Anyone know of any good sites to buy (or just look at) quaility performance accessories for my olds. All I can find are coffee can exausts and kewl looking japenese characters.
Brett in Cajun Country
139 Club - The Club needs diversity. Zinc is the only memeber/president/CEO/chairman of the Board.
Aurora aftermarket - There is not a lot of stuff out there for the car. You can try visiting Zinc's Aurora Classic site. He has a lot of links to folks that sell aftermarket stuff for the car. You can probably scroll back a few postings and find the link to the site. Zinc has posted it on several occassions. If you can't find it, keep checking the site, I am sure he would be happy to post the link again for you.
Henry
bluefish and wingnut, I'd recommend checking out the links from zincster's Classic Aurora site:
http://members.fortunecity.com/zincster/links.htm
Hope this helps,
--Robert
1. 'Check engine soon' will light up but dissapear sometimes quickly, other times not as quickly. The message will not reappear after I stop the engine and restart the car. It only happens on a highway (not every time, but it has happened several times already) when I develop 55-65 mph. My local mechanic (a great guy, but he doesn't know much about Auroras, which he admits) told me there could be a problem with a computer. Sounds strange considering that it's supposed to be a new computer.
2. The oil leak icon in the right lower corner will come out and dissapear without a trace. I've been cheking the oil regularly for about a month now and it looks like it's still full. What is it trying to tell me?
3. Heat sometimes just starts blowing at will (its will, not mine).
4. Left back window won't open.
5. My remote stoped working today. I did replace the batteries with no results. Is there a way to reprogam the remote myself? I did have the same problem with my previous Cutlass Supreme.
6. 8-10 miles per gallon in New York everyday commute: is it normal?
7. Lastly, does anybody know of an insurance program that will take on a car with over 100,000 miles on it?
If some of these problems sound familiar, I would appreciate your insights very much. I just want to have some ideas before I bring it to the shop. I still remember how those so called 'specialists' told me day after day: "we are professionals, we know what we are doing." Try to listen to that for 2 months!
Thank you in advance.
Andy
If this is the case it is probably your EGR valve (emission system). First make sure your gas cap is on tight. If it still persists, the dealer can fix it.
I don't know where you are in New York, but if you have friends in New Jersey, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND thta you take your car to NORMAN GALE OLDS in Parsippany for service. One of the mechanics there (JERRY) is a true AURORIAN. Plus he has a 1995 Classic. Whatever the car is doing, chances are, he has fixed it before.
I just purchased a "98" Aurora!!! Finally a car I actually love... I paid $13,500 for it in Baltimore, with 32K on the odometer... Already at 34K after 3 weeks of ownership... I'm still having to much fun to leave it in the driveway... But with gas prices what they are that will change... I have hit the 140 mph mark on mine... I travel interstate 95 on a regular basis and at all hours of the day and night, so I have a lot of open road and no one else around so I can play!!!
I am just hoping that after the destruction of OldsMobile there will be enough parts for it to keep it running... My service warranty is in the works now... Just waiting for my tax refund to pay for it...
Mordecai
Good deal at 15?????
I just finally test drove an Aurora v8. This car is impressive. While the v6 (more on the intrigue) has too much torque steer, probably due to layout and tranny, the v8 feels much more european in it's civilised manners. Less bouncy front end too. In fact this is the exact balance of comfort and handling/responsiveness I was looking for.
How is it that this car is not selling like hot cakes? I have driven the Chrysler 300M, the Lincoln LS, the Lexus GS300, Audi A6, Volvo S80, Merc C320 and by far this is my favorite.
Fit and finish is also very good and interior space is excellent for the driver. Front passenger is a little cramped, but you can always slide the seat back a little more. In any case, this is larger than the 320 and the only car that really compares all round is the A6 2.7T.
To conclude, I have a few questions. Those of you with the 2001 model, any major gripe yet? How has been the reliability? How did it do at high speed? On long trips, how are the seats?
Last, I'm looking at buying one with the sunroof, bringing msrp very close to $36K. Invoice is at about $33K acording to edmunds, altough this car does not have the onstar system. What kind of prices have you seen out there? What price did you pay if I might ask?
I haven't driven the array of cars as mentioned but if you are willing to spend the bucks then I am sure there are better wheels for the same $$$ as the Aurora..
The low volume build of the Aurora series is distressing from the standpoint of correcting problems that will not be addressed strictly because of no volume--who cares--GM could care less.. They fight fixes on high volume cars so a car of low volume and no future is dead meat!!!!
Opinion only--it's your money..
For the 2k1 I would definitely lease. You may be able to buy it at the end of least for a song. Olds might even give you the car.
He has owned two intrigues, and has as much experience as any of us when it comes to dealing with olds.
Olds has some issues with their current line up which which they have not attempted to fix.
You may not like 1415's style, but he is more often right than wrong.
There are realities that all of us olds owners have to deal with. It is better to be forthright than to think that olds is the best thing since sliced bread.
Would i buy another olds? Probably. But, i think that we would be doing a disservice to those who come to townhall, buy a car, and find out later about these problems.
1415 can defend himself, but i personally don't have problem with the tone or content of what he has posted in townhall.
Well yes the deal was ~Sweet~, and there is a really good reason for that... At the same time I bought the Aurora I also bought my son a Mazda 626... I told them that for me to buy the Mazda they had to put me in the Aurora... No Aurora... No Mazda... I scared the salesman into buckling his seat belt on the test drive... Hehehehe... Also I have been dealing with the same dealership throughout my entire driving career... They know me and like me, but the service department hates dealing with me... I won't take their crap... I know what the problem is before I get there...
As for pegging the needle at 140... I could not tell you what the R's were to save my neck... Interstate 95 between Maryland and Virginia I have nicknamed "Pot Hole South" I was to busy trying to avoid the worst of the bumps... Aurora does not handle well on uneven pavement at that speed... But fear not... Summers Coming!!!
Mordecai
Just a thought...
Mordecai
Everybody here that thinks the entire rear end of the Classic should light up say "AI"!
:-)
Mordecai
The Classic as the diehards have labeled is a reasonable buy in the mid-teens and lower. It is a gas guzzler and could be prone to some heavy cost repairs like older Caddys..
The 01 model is not as eye-pleasing as the refined Classic model of
yore..Don't forget GM had 5 yrs to debug the old one; and they won't do any out of the way corrections on this dead horse..
The 4.0 and Northstar were cleaned up and tweaked for smoother performance as well as regular gas; so that's a plus. The body has been cheapened and has less room than the Intrigue.. However it has to be much quieter than an Intrigue.
If someone is buying the car for a ten yr. period; I sure won't pick the 01 Aurora.. The 3.5 isn't enough motor and 4.0 also falls short; however with all the rebates it looks like a bargain---wait and you will see some used 01 V-8s with low miles around $24k. The 3.5 should get to around $20k..
The market place does not like the Aurora for it's no longer the cross-over Caddy. It ain't classy any more!!!!! The quality of the product isn't there--go sit in a 99 and then find an 01.
I'm not looking to buy a used car. I'm not an Olds or Aurora person either. I want to buy a new sedan with automatic transmission that is comfortable for 2 adults and 2 children, fast and handles very well. A V6, or a V8 if within budget. Not an appliance. Having done my homeworks, I came up with a list of cars I had to drive. From these, I've decided to buy an Aurora V8. Runner up is A6 2.7T, third up is Lincoln LS V8.
So my question is, for 01 aurora V8 owners (and only those), now that you've had the car for a while, what do you think of it? What are your major gripes? May I ask how much you payed? (you could always email me if you dont want to post this).
The Audi I assume would be the high end of the price range; however hanging around a high priced Audi dealer for ten years is not much to look forward to--not much economy in that selection...
One thing is certain that they are all $3500 in ten years; however some get to that price quicker than others..
I sense that the Aurora is your favorite..
The Lincoln v6 is a good buy with manual tranny, the v6 with auto is not as interesting, again, family reality requires automatic. The v8 auto has similar performance to the aurora, but it's a little smaller. I've priced one at $39K, so that is also close to my $40K limit (that I set arbitrarily to a certain extent, but I just dont want to pay more than $40K for a car).
The Audi is a nice looking car and the 2.8 is a solid powerplant; but agree with what you think.
The BMW 4dr 325/328/330 is enticing to some people; but then you are married to the dealer without the benefits.. I could never see owning a BMW with 100k+miles for some reason; not a comfort feeling.
Tough call; but everybody's lifestyle varies; but 10 yrs is a long time to be married to one car.
Henry, the 'Check engine soon' light comes on under acceleration exactly like you describe. It doesn't come on every time, though. Sometimes it dissapears rather quickly, other times it stays on for a long time. But when I restart the car it's gone. And it never comes on while I drive in the city, only on highway.
Thanks a lot for a service referance. I live in Brooklyn, so driving to Parsippany is certainly doable.
Well I decided to talk this one over with my son... And "Lo and Behold" he came up with a good one... (Miracles Never Cease)... His suggestion was to find out how to take the plastic outer piece off the trunk lid and mount an after market neon tube up inside... So I will only have to hurt my baby just a tad drilling 2 small holes for the wiring for the neon... But with the neon idea there goes having it work with my turn signals... I want the world don't I.... I also know a gentleman who works in a sign shop and he could get the neon for me... Damn, still I still want the turn signal thing to work....
Upon further reflection toward the final goal in the affore mentioned project we have come to the following conclusions:
1. This is going to be rougher to do than previously planned...
2. The engineering department will need an "Ok" from corporate for the overtime involved...
3. Will have to make arrangements for other mode of travel due to test subject being out of commission for the time involved with project...
4. This project may require additional government funding... (Contacting Senator)...
Mordecai
Mordecai - LOL. Also, when is the panel going to light up? When you hit the breaks? All the time? Under hard accelaration? (my personal favorite.) Kind of like warp speed. Oh, excuse me, I meant Zinc Speed.)
Van Man - I think most folks thought the whole panel should light up (remember the front of the Mercury Sable?). Including me.
"She said it would hurt." <--- LOL