2002 Aurora - Purchased! Pics coming soon.

[RJGill84]

I'm purchasing a 2002 Aurora 4.0 with 81k on it tomorrow. Driving out to Pittsburgh area to get it. Price is $4,500. Thoughts?

[00Beast]

Make sure it's not burning coolant. Those things love eating head gaskets...

[Jrs3800]

The 00+ Bonneville is based on that, just in a pontiac skin...

The later 4.0's should be ok, remember to use the GM seal tabs and never ever run the motor hot... Should run for a long time to come..

[spidey3479]

Not that familiar with the later models of ths car, but at a glance, i m not fond of the body being shaved from the earlier style . I'm sure that the engine (4.0) and the interior accutrements more than make up for that. I've enjoyed the 2 oldsmobiles I've had in my time.

[RJGill84]

Made the purchase today, and just got home from a great, relaxing drive through the tri-state area (Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio). Took about 2 hours to get to Pittsburgh from Canton...went a more scenic route, and then got trapped in traffic at the Fort Pitt Tunnel.

Pics to come...

Man, I love that 4 litre V8...

[Jrs3800]

Sure is fun to get that 4.0 to run out ain't it...LOL

[RJGill84]

Pics are here: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=21652

[human]

I miss my 'Rora!!! I had a beautiful 1998 model until I wrecked it a little over a year ago. I got the car early in 2007 with 43,000 miles on it and had to say goodbye to it with just over 75,000 miles on the odometer. Of all the cars I've ever owned, that was my hands-down favorite. I still get wistful when I see one going down the road and I'm determined to own one again someday. I have to agree with Spidey that I'm not as fond of the second generation (2001-2003 models) Auroras as I am the Classics (1995-1999 models).

The 4.0 engine is super reliable and surprisingly fuel efficient. There are guys over on the ACNA board (http://aurorah.proboards.com/index.cgi?) who have Auroras with over 300,000 miles on the original drivetrain. Wish I had been able to keep mine that long.

I found the fuel economy to be comparable to the 3800. I got about 30 on the highway and 18 around town on premium or mid-grade gas. I took a pretty significant hit on regular (23 hwy / 15 city) and could feel a difference in performance. When gas topped $4 a gallon a couple of summers ago, I ran regular with a bottle of octane booster from the dollar store in every tank and regained most of the mileage and performance for less than the net cost of mid-grade.

When I was shopping for a car last month, I seriously considered two Auroras--a 2001 model with a 3.5L engine and a 1996 model. I passed them both up in favor of the Bonneville because it was about two/thirds the price of either of the Auroras and had the same number of miles on it as the 2001 and far less than the 1996. So far, I'm pleased with my decision, considering what I paid.

Auroras are special cars. Enjoy yours...