2001 OLDSMOBILE Aurora

There ain't nah-thing ordinary about this car.

Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5 Safety Rating: 5 Technology Rating: 4 Value Rating: 4

Perhaps I should say that everything about this car is ordinary. That is if you're comparing it to a BRAND NEW Japanese Luxury Sport Sedan! It seems like every new Maxima, Accura, Camry, Infinity, and even BMW is trying to BE this car! This does have the negative effect of driving a classic while looking like everything else out there. That's how far ahead of it's time it was. It's BIG. Not as wide as most full-size luxury sedans, but that's actually an advantage. It has a big car ride, but doesn't give a big car driving experience. You know... boring. With it's speed-sensitive steering, it feels more like a Firebird on the open road. You know... exciting! It's a real solid build. Simply stated, check out Wikipedia, who says that it broke GM's frame-crush tester. Then go online and look at some pix. See how much rust, and how many dents you see on these classics. And with that solid build, you're nearly guaranteed a quiet interior. Let's talk about that quiet interior. The first time I got into mine, if I had gone in blindfolded, when it was removed, I would have thought I was in a European exotic. Most comfortable driver's seat I've ever parked my butt in. High-backed leather bucket. Look at the pix again. See how many cracked seats, dashboards, and door panels you see. Mine doesn't have any. The instrumentation has an understated elegance. The cockpit is completely driver oriented, with a split dashboard that cries out, "Hands off my controls!" As a matter of fact, the ashtray is actually quite inconvenient for the front passenger, who actually needs to do a 'reach-around'. CONSIDERING it's size, the gas mileage is GREAT! Out on the highway at 65, I get THIRTY-TWO miles to a gallon. A/C or not. With the unspeakably comfortable climate control off, I get around 23 in ordinary conditions. And, (groan) about 15 if I do run the EIGHT speed blower fan. But it is absolutely the best A/C I've ever seen in a car. Those are deadly accurate readings. It has a Driver Information Center that tells you virtually EVERY stat you would want to know about fuel. You know... just like a new car. But it does have it's limits! Once it reads that you have a fuel range of 45 miles, it says 'low fuel', and it won't let you reset it. It's like it's saying, "Look, a-hole, I said you're REAL low! You ain't holding me to a critical prediction!" All this, while cranking 215 hp out of a 3.5 V6. Now the bad. I'm a member of the Aurora Club of North America, which is a good thing, for a BAD reason. Some mechanics refuse to work on these. There are no Chilton's or Haynes manual available. There are very few in the junk yards, some small parts are non-existent, (in my case, window retaining clips), and they don't generally match up with other GM cars. You-Tube videos showing guys doing repairs on them are non-existent as well. The trunk tends to leak, and the window switches are not switches at all, they are 'triggers', and every time you touch one, you're playing Russian Roulette. You WILL spend some time messing with windows. My driver's window goes about 3/4 of the way down IF you help guide it both up and down. It operates on zip-ties, despite the fact that we did everything we could to get a better fix. I've owned 20 cars in my life, and I've only truly loved three of them. This one, is my all-time favorite. Let's wrap it all up like this. If you asked me to trade my Aurora, for ANY other car, and I couldn't sell it, I could only drive it.... I'd tell you to shove your Jaguar!