Aero's Car Thread: From the East

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United States
America's Land of Dairy
ShobTheGrob
Shob The Grob
I know I'm a bit behind on this, but better late than never, right? Anyways, this thread will mainly pertain to my 1992 Buick Skylark GS, but also some stuff on other cars that I have a hand in working on from time to time.
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It's not perfect, but it runs, drives, and generally gets me where I need to go. However, I do plan on gradually improving it. Here's what I've done to it thus far:
  • Replaced wiper blades
  • Replaced serpentine belt
  • Replaced front brake rotors and pads
  • Replaced air filter
  • Replaced coil pack
  • Welded holes in catalytic converter
  • Cleaned out idle air control valve
  • And gave it an oil change
This is what I plan on doing next:
  • Install new headliner
  • Replace aftermarket head unit with factory one
  • Cut clear coat in spotty places
  • Fix up the interior somewhat
  • And general maintenance as needed
So yeah, that's about it really. It's unique, but not really special or valuable, and as I said earlier, it does its job perfectly fine. I'll try to keep this thread updated as much as possible, and feel free to ask anything about it or any other stuff I post here! :)

EDIT 6/8/2019
Buick is up for sale, and I never really got around to much of what I said I would with it, heh. Current resident: 1999 Oldsmobile Aurora "Borealis"
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Yeah, they were trying to mime the late 30s Buick Special, but it ended up being more of a love it or hate it situation (as most every Wayne Kady design was, really). The greenhouse and a few other design elements however was inspired by the Bolero concept car from a few years prior:
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I figured since all I've shared are exterior pics, I may as well show off the interior.
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As you can see, the seats have seen better days. Shame that they're also GS specific, which at this point may as well be made of unobtainium.
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The car also originally came with the 'Gran Touring Suspension' that could be adjusted with these little buttons here. However, the original struts were replaced at some point, and whoever did it just used normal Skylark ones (and, of course, those are impossible to find as well, mostly because they don't make replacements anymore). So now I just have some buttons that do nothing aside from making a satisfying clicking noise. :lol:
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And finally the cramped as hell engine bay. This is probably my sole complaint with this car, as, with the exception of the coil packs and air filter, everything is a pain to access. To replace the belt we had to un bolt the engine mount and jack the engine up from the bottom, and don't even get me started on the annoyingly placed oil filter. But, I digress, at least it's reliable, so I (hopefully) won't need to deal with it outside of replacing old or worn parts.
 
I think I'd rather not blow up my transmission. Or give myself a heart attack trying to figure out how to shoehorn a supercharged 3800 in there.
 
That's not a very can-do attitude.


Plus the biggest problem would probably be hood clearance. Everything else would likely just be picking and choosing engine mounts. The great thing about GM FWD cars (and the Fiero) from the Citation until the W Body was discontinued is that they all share about half of their parts with each other.
 
Didn't the 3800 S2 have a shorter deck anyway? Obviously sticking a supercharger on any variant of the 3300/3800 family would make it taller...or I could just skip that and go straight for a turbo instead and not need to worry about clearance issues. :mischievous:
 
Been a while since I've updated anything here, but progress is finally being made on the headliner. Just earlier we cut up a headliner from a later Grand Am sedan that was procured from a junk yard a few months ago. Of course, with my car being a coupe, we had to shorten it to fit, as well as cutting out holes for the courtesy lights in the cabin.

Here's the final product (mostly):
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The reason I had to ditch the original one was because for whatever reason the hole for the sunroof was far too wide, which would have meant some fabric dangling in open space.

So, all we need to do now is get the new pad into the car so that we can trace the sunroof outline onto the headliner properly, cut the hole out and cover some fabric on it and we should be good to install it.
 
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It's done! Well, mostly, as there are still a few places to nip and tuck, and there's the sagging rear section, but it's miles better than what it was. Next will be correcting the grill with body color paint and a new badge, but otherwise the biggest project with this thing is done.
 
Well damn. Got in it after school, started it up, and the button on the shifter won't go in all the way. It's happened before on cold mornings, but usually it frees up after trying it a few times. This time, it won't budge; my guess is that one of the solenoids that lock the transmission in park is either really stuck or has just crapped out completely.
 
[Insert obligatory "It's been a while" here]
Anyway, finally got the grill installed. It looks so much better now, if I do say so myself.

Before:
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After:
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After taking the old one off we discovered that it had come from a junk yard, meaning that it was an OEM part, but not original to this particular car.

Also, there's a few other things that will be happening (hopefully) within the next few months. They include:

'93 Grand Am engine rebuild
The car in question is my dad's 1993 Grand Am SE with the SOHC version of the Quad 4. It's his winter beater that was in a minor accident and was on its way to the scrap yard, but he paid the kid $300 and replaced the broken oil pan and dented fender (to the cars credit, it hasn't failed him once yet, even if it is loud and looks kinda junky). This isn't a full tear down that goes to a bare block, but we're replacing the head gasket, and since we have to take the timing system off anyway, the timing chain, water pump, and a tensioners are getting replaced, as well as fixing the seal on the timing cover. That will have to wait until late April at the earliest as that will be when he can drive his Camaro instead.

'98 Grand Prix GTP engine assembly
Another one of my dad's cars, this one has been sitting for a while and is slowly edging towards completion. He modified it some years back, but didn't upgrade the valve Springs, and one of them fell off and nicked a piston. The heads are almost done, and actual assembly of the engine should start in the next few weeks after he gets back from a business trip.

'83 Camaro restoration
Okay, last one, I promise :P. This was actually my dad's first car that he's kept after all these years. It was originally an Iron Duke car, but him and his dad put a home brew 302 in it with a Muncie 4-Speed (that power train is supposedly buried in the hoarded depths of his parents garage somewhere). For now it sits at his house on Jack's with plenty of rust, rot, and faded paint. Plans are to restore it visually to factory condition (including 14" rally wheels and radio/AC delete plates) and stuff an LS under the hood (haven't yet decided on transmission or suspension). We'll try to get it running with its original engine and make sure it's safe to drive before moving it over to our house, but it's going to be awhile before then.
 
See, you already have an L67.
I wish it could go in my car. I paged through a Summit catalog the other day and saw a set of wheels that looked like the ones used on NASCARs, and suddenly I began to envision something I may be just crazy enough to do down the line. A set of the aforementioned wheels, white letter Goodyears, a turbo L67, and a beefed up F23 out of a J-body (and maybe a set of adjustable shocks/coil-overs that worked with the original suspension mode system). If only I had the time, skill and money to do it...
 
So this showed up in the driveway today
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2002 Cadillac STS. My dad got it from a coworker who didn't want to go through the hassle of selling it so she just...gave it to him, after he did some maintenance on it. Funnily enough, this was what was supposed to be my car, but she decided to take a few months to sign the title over. It definitely needs a little TLC.
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(Big dents in the door, if you can't tell)
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Just sitting in the front seat it feels huge in comparison to my Buick.
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Also, the glove box doesn't close.
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The only thing wrong mechanically is that it needs new power steering lines, but otherwise it runs great. Plan is to get the power steering sorted, maybe touch up the exterior, and sell it off. Otherwise, nothing new going on with my car, which is probably a good thing.
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Little update on the Caddy.
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Changed the oil, oiled the hood latch, and located the power steering leak on the pressure side (which sadly is the more expensive of the two steering lines). Also, this thing might stick around a little longer than originally planned. My mom currently hates her Sonata (it's an '05, from before the time when Hyundai figured out how to make good cars), so if me and dad can fix it up and make it look nice, we may keep this for a year or two and dump the Hyundai.

Side note(s): This thing is an oil hog :lol:; it drank 8 quarts of 5W-30 before it was satisfied. Also, I played around with the buttons in the cabin, and it honestly feels like a spaceship with all the ways you can adjust your seat and everything else. It really is starting to grow on me a little bit.
 
After an evening of detailing, the car looks a lot better. I'm not fully done yet, but it's definitely better.
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Pulled out the floor mats and gave them a good shampooing.
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The interior in this thing was absolutely disgusting. It looked as though a Coke or Pepsi had exploded and gone everywhere.
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(I've just realized I neglected to take some after pictures :dunce:. I'll take and post them tomorrow.)

The cubby in the dash got the worst of it, as all the coins became a gross mess of sticky metal. But, because money is money, I took the liberty of soaking them until they were less repulsive to touch.
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Also, the driver's side footwell was full of rocks and crap.
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Nothing a shop vac can't fix though.
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It's pretty obvious the chick that owned it before did not care for this poor thing at all. Her dad kept it immaculate before, but she just trashed it (dad always has to remind her of basic maintenance all the time too). Hell, she didn't even clean the trunk out prior to getting rid of the car. However, amongst the crushed beer cans and discarded Jay-Z CDs, we found this:
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A vintage Pontiac Accessory Kit, presumably from the 1980s. What it's doing in a 2002 Cadillac I don't know, but it still had some original components intact.
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There was even a pair of wool gloves that were a part of the set, and a first aid kit, still in the seal, from 1985, which also seems tied to the kit.
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Brake pads and rotors also just came in, so that'll be the next job after the detailing is all done.
 
After waiting for a nice day, we were finally able to get the brakes done. The hubs were pretty nasty, so I used a grinder to clean them up as to keep rotors from being difficult to take off in the future.
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New pads and rotors ready to go.
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Also, I gave my car a little love and waxed for the first time since I've owned it.
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Lots of little circles later...
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It really does shine, which makes me glad it's not some boring color like silver or white (the wax also helped cut down a few scratches which is nice). My wrist was aching after all that, but it was worth it I think.

Anyways, next up is an inner tie rod on the Seville (likely caused by whatever crumpled the front fender) and cutting out the rusted skin on the rear quarters and replacing it with fresh metal. Should be fun.
 
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Alrighty, it's update time. The Seville is...getting there. The tie rod has been done, and currently the rear quarters are in progress and are looking better. We still need to finish the driver's side bondo job and get both sides painted, but it's a step up from the horrid rust.

Passenger side:
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Driver side:
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In other news, I will be attending the National Buick Club car show and swap meet this Saturday. Me and dad took a ride down to the place where the event is being held, and found there were barely any cars there. We stopped and asked some photographers where we could park. There was another guy (just another spectator looking around at what few cars were there, presumably), and he was drawn to my car. He walked around it, seemingly intrigued by what he saw, and snapped a photo of my dinky little N-body; the guy must've been a hardcore Buick fan to be impressed by that. :lol: I must say it was weird but also pleasing to see that no matter what kind of Buick you drove, it was welcome and appreciated to take part in the event.

We spoke with the event registration people (who perked up at the mention of a '92 Skylark GS) and found that there aren't any other Skylarks on the list like mine, which would make it the only one at the show. However, the fees to participate hovered around $100, which for me is way too much just for a car show. I will still take my car, but I'll just spectate instead.

Stories aside, I managed to find some cool literature from the vendors there.

1992 Buick color chart/sample piece. Features exterior/interior/vinyl roof color options for all 1992 Buick models, as well as samples of each.
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1989 Buick engine display. Includes 3800 V6, 3300 V6, Quad-4, Tech IV (Iron Duke), and 2.0L SOHC I4.
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Various pieces of dealer literature (note that the Skylark brochure was bought awhile ago).
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That's all for today, and expect the next installment to come post-show sometime Saturday or Sunday.
 
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After an evening of detailing, the car looks a lot better. I'm not fully done yet, but it's definitely better.
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Pulled out the floor mats and gave them a good shampooing.
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The interior in this thing was absolutely disgusting. It looked as though a Coke or Pepsi had exploded and gone everywhere.
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(I've just realized I neglected to take some after pictures :dunce:. I'll take and post them tomorrow.)

The cubby in the dash got the worst of it, as all the coins became a gross mess of sticky metal. But, because money is money, I took the liberty of soaking them until they were less repulsive to touch.
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Also, the driver's side footwell was full of rocks and crap.
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Nothing a shop vac can't fix though.
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It's pretty obvious the chick that owned it before did not care for this poor thing at all. Her dad kept it immaculate before, but she just trashed it (dad always has to remind her of basic maintenance all the time too). Hell, she didn't even clean the trunk out prior to getting rid of the car. However, amongst the crushed beer cans and discarded Jay-Z CDs, we found this:
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A vintage Pontiac Accessory Kit, presumably from the 1980s. What it's doing in a 2002 Cadillac I don't know, but it still had some original components intact.
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There was even a pair of wool gloves that were a part of the set, and a first aid kit, still in the seal, from 1985, which also seems tied to the kit.
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Brake pads and rotors also just came in, so that'll be the next job after the detailing is all done.
Those stock floormats are exactly why I bought rubber ones for my car. The cloth ones got really nasty after a while :crazy:
 
Good lord, I'm so sorry for you.
Yeah, it's presence will ultimately be temporary. One of the head gaskets is leaking a bit, and neither me nor dad want to go about tearing the head apart to fix it, so this particular Northstar is destined to give at some point. I'm just crossing my fingers it holds until we eventually sell it off.
 
Overall, the show was pretty great. There were Buicks of all shapes, sizes, and ages to see. Here's a few of my favorites.

Not one, but two Century Turbos.
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Of all the models on display, Reattas were easily the most represented there.
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There were a few rare LeSabres too.
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This Grand National version is a genuine thing Buick did. It was made for homoligation purposes to participate in the NASCAR series that gives it it's namesake. A total of 117 were built.
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And of course there was plenty of classic metal there too.
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Original 'three on the tree' Skylark.
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The show as a whole had great stuff, and in the end was pretty large.
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There were a few rare LeSabres too.
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This Grand National version is a genuine thing Buick did. It was made for homoligation purposes to participate in the NASCAR series that gives it it's namesake. A total of 117 were built.
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I just recently found out these exist. What I also find interesting is that the exact same (same part number and all) flat hood ornament was also used on European-spec Park Avenues. GM just raided the parts bin. But it's alright, makes it easier for me to source parts.

PS. your Skylark is cool, though for me personally the design is a bit too out-there. But it's great that someone is taking care of it, they deserve love too.
 
Forgot about this thing. Glad to see it's still going well. Really like the way it looks - there's something really intriguing about the 1990s American stuff, particularly in the variety of different shapes off relatively few platforms. The Skylark has a unique look to it.
 
Hard to believe it's already been a year with this car, and so I felt I should make the obligatory "year in review" about it.

Finding this car was a complete accident. I was browsing my local Craigslist under a general search for Buick, with the hope of stumbling upon a Regal GS or a Roadmaster wagon that was within my budget and wasn't beaten to hell and back. Then, I saw the Skylark. The bright teal stood out, the price was affordable, and it was old just like I wanted. I showed it to dad, he gave it the ok, and we got in contact with the owner who was able to meet with us the same day. The rest, as they say, is history.

Fast forward to today, and she's still chugging along. Besides the little things it had when I bought it, the battery dying once, and the park-interlock solenoid giving out, it's been trouble free. It gets mid-20s for gas mileage, which considering it has a big V6 with port-fuel injection and a 3-speed auto with no overdrive, it ain't half bad. The interior and exterior are holding up okay, but looks wise it's seen better days. The seats are comfortable, and the gauges are clear in their display. Visibility is also very good. Sure, it may be a fossil in terms of technology, but I kinda prefer it that way; it's such a totally analog experience to operate. You are responsible for all of the vehicle's controls, as it doesn't have any fancy sensors to do everything for you, much less any electronic nannies to keep you in check. Driving it is inoffensive; the engine and transmission don't get into arguments, it never feels dangerously slow, the steering feels weighted just right IMO, and it's small size makes it easy to maneuver. As a whole, I love this old Buick, even with all of its blemishes. She's made it 25 years (26 if you count the 1991 build date), so here's to 25 more :cheers:.
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Well, now that it's been almost two years since I've bothered to touch this, might as well start with this:
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As of this past Sunday I became the proud second(!) owner of this lovely Dark Toreador Metallic 1999 Oldsmobile Aurora. The past few winters have taken their toll on the old Buick, and the rust was just getting worse and worse. Even looking back at pictures from when I first bought it, the section above the passenger rear tire didn't look nearly as bad as it does now. And the exhaust fell apart twice (to be fair it was all original). And both the valve cover and intake gaskets started leaking. But the main reason I began looking for something new was this:
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That's what's left of the rear bumper support and end of the trunk floor. As a matter of fact, if you look underneath the spare tire cover you can see what looks like a crack going straight to the ground. Keep in mind that this photo is from last August too. This also means the rear bumper will more or less inevitably fall off; the Swiss cheese support also causes the sagging visible on the exterior. (For reference, the chrome trim should be more or less flush with the taillight).
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So, over the past few months I've been searching high and low for something within my budget afforded by my job, but also tickled my fancy. Let me tell you, finding a cheap Wisconsin car that isn't rusted to hell and/or beaten within an inch of it's life proved near impossible, almost to the point of giving up. Here's a rundown of the vehicles I looked at:

1990 Ford Thunderbird SC (January)-The first car I seriously looked at. Located an hour away in Illinois, ended up being a waste of time with hacked up wiring and rust bad enough poke the carpets through the floor pan.

1996 Buick Park Avenue Ultra (March)- Waited a while to save up some more to buy something nicer. Found at a local used car lot, ended up having a spot of rust just starting to go bad, and the awful practice of not allowing us to test drive unless we were in "Shut up and take my money!" mode.

1996 Buick Park Avenue/2002 Pontiac Grand Prix GT (April)- Both were trade-ins at a local dealer, and I went with the intention to only see the Buick. Even though it was listed at $3,000 on their website, I couldn't test drive it due to major frame rust, along with completely shot rockers not shown in the ad. The Grand Prix happened to be sitting nearby, and after chasing some aggressive geese away, got the chance to drive THE. WORST. GRAND PRIX. EVER. It had 208,000 miles, rust galore, trashed interior, an exhaust leak, ABS light, and an awful whining sound that I assume was the transmission on it's last legs. I was shocked it made the five mile test drive, but overall it was a waste of my time. The best part is that they eventually listed (it wasn't when I drove it) the Pontiac for $2,400, and there is no possible way someone couldn't see major mechanical faults with that car. /rant

2003 Buick Regal GS (April)- Found on Craigslist by dad. Car turns out to be almost as bad as the Grand Prix, with a dim digital dash display, misfire that made it sound more like a P51 Mustang, leaking intake manifold gasket, and atrocious rust.

2001 Volvo C70 (April)- Back to another used lot, and overall it was OK. Mechanically and structurally healthy, though there was a shake in the wheel under acceleration, and the radio was on the fritz. Didn't care for the terrible rear visibility and non-existent trunk space.

2005 Pontiac Grand Prixs (May)-Drove two different third-gen W-body Grand Prixs, one a base model and the other a GTP. They were nice enough, but the seat bottom on both was annoyingly hard, and honestly prevented me from enjoying them fully. The GTP also had broken A/C, which was a must-have item for me, coupled with the seat and I didn't really want it anymore. It seems like there's a cosmic force telling me to stay away from W-Bodies. :lol:

1998 Oldsmobile 88 (May)- I was head over heels for this one initially, truth be told. It was like riding in a V6 powered La-Z-Boy, and there was absolutely no rust on it. Once again, the A/C didn't work, it needed new tires, the trunk release worked intermittently, the power antenna didn't work, and there was a vibration in the steering rack likely caused by dried seals from the vehicle sitting on the lot for a while. I was mostly turned off after considering all the issues, and moved on from it after I couldn't get the dealer to come down $100 to my bottom line price. Honestly happy I moved on from it, looking back now. :)

2006 Buick Lacrosse/Mazda5/Mazda6/Kia Forte(May)- You would think I'd have learned my lesson in looking at cheap, older trade-ins at dealers after the previous time, but I fell for it once more. It was almost an exact repeat of the Park Avenue: navy blue Buick looks OK in the ad, turns out to have a major issue that prevents a test drive (in this case a failed power steering system that they quoted $3,000 to fix, on top of the $4,000 for the car), not to mention the beginning of rocker rust, a number of clear coat cracks, and a nasty residue from a botched repair for the driver's door weather stripping. Test drive a few more expensive cars on the lot that I would've had to finance (which I was willing to do), and only found interest in the 6, which was a 2011 model. However, I found that I couldn't afford to do both the monthly payments and full-coverage insurance, so financing was a no-go (I was quoted at ~$1,000 for six months on the 6, a 2.5i auto no less; oh the fun of being a 19 year-old male).

1998 Buick LeSabre (May)- The final car I looked at prior to the Aurora. I was initially all about it, however I saw the ad for the Aurora before I looked at the Buick, so I went in already itching for something else. It was an incredibly clean car, no rust (was sold new in Wisconsin and then driven in Florida most of it's life), everything working, and the only blemish being matching dents on the hood from when it flew open on the freeway after not being latched properly. And, just like the 88, I walked from the deal over $150 difference from what I was willing to pay. Which leads us to my new toy...that I'll properly introduce in my next post here since this wall of text is big enough as it is.

Anyways, thanks for reading all of this if you did. More to come very soon.:cheers:
 
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And here it is! A proper introduction to the Aurora that I've decided to call Borealis. When I was still looking for a car, I had the Aurora on my shortlist of models I was interested in. More specifically, I was on the lookout for a first generation version, which ran from the 1995-1999 model year with production kicking off in 1994. This example is a '99 model; with a hair under 19,000 units being built, it's the lowest production year of the '95-'99 run. What attracts me most to them is how it was supposed to kick off Oldsmobile's comeback story, being the first step in reviving the slipping division. And, in fairness, it was a pretty good first step. It looked like nothing else Olds or the competition was selling at the time, owing it's looks to the 1989 Tube Car and 1992 Anthem concepts.

Frameless doors are the best.
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Tube Car:
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Anthem:
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Both of these displayed flowing and aerodynamic shapes that were a radical departure from what was sitting in Olds' showrooms at the time. Like this:
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While there's nothing inherently wrong about a Ninety-Eight Regency, it looked dated compared to the imports starting to crowd the luxury sedan segment. To compound the issue, Oldsmobile had been losing it's identity among the GM divisions over the years. Was it the sporty brand? No, Pontiac had that covered. What about luxury? You've already got Cadillac and Buick for that. Cheap volume seller? That's Chevrolet's bread and butter. With this in mind, the goal of the Aurora was to take the "Not Your Father's Oldsmobile" tagline to heart. In fact, it wouldn't even identify as an Olds on the exterior, opting to make Aurora it's own brand with unique badges replacing the traditional rocket.
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And, as every article on the Aurora will regurgitate, the only place on the entire car that displays the Oldsmobile name is on the radio faceplate. Speaking of the interior...
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The inside of the Aurora is as distinct as the outside. The driver centered cockpit gives off an air of performance and sophistication, along with genuine burled walnut accents for a touch of class. There's controls on the steering wheel for both the radio and climate control which I've become very fond of due to their convenience, and the nifty Driver Information Center mounted at the top of the center stack. The DIC is more or less a simplified version of the Visual Information Center used on the Toronado, able to display things like fluid life, oil pressure, battery voltage, current date, and fuel economy (current and average). The seats are as comfy as they are adjustable, being able move every which way with the Mercedes-esque door mounted seat controls. But what about the performance? Oldsmobile evolved on that front too.
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Motivating the Aurora is the L47... Aurora V8. That may sound fancy, but it's really just a 4.0L version of the Northstar with port fuel injection and a unique light-weight intake manifold, used due to the imcreased heft from the smaller bore leaving more metal on the block. There's also a baffled oil pan to prevent starvation in high speed corners, a feature that's entirely unique to the L47. It comes paired with the 4T80E which thus far had been smooth and quiet, as it should be in a luxury car. The Aurora, unlike the Cadillac Seville/Eldorado and the Buick Riviera, came with a button on the shifter for a selectable 'Power' mode that queued the transmission to kick down more eagerly and hold gears out. It works as advertised, and it's nice for when you want to have those quick squirts of speed. Then there's the innovative Magnasteer system that adjusts the assist provided by the power steering based on speed using a combination of magnets and traditional hydraulics. It mostly works, though sometimes it feels like there's an imp living in there that decides it wants to kill all of the assist when I'm in a parking lot at random. The other great thing about this particular example is that all of the stupid power features that like to go put over time still work. The A/C, power antenna, power mirrors, power seats, trunk and fuel door releases, everything. Overall, it genuinely feels like they went the extra mile with details on the Aurora, and I couldn't be happier with it. :)
 
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