Oldsmobile Aurora (1996)
We've had the opportunity to drive the Aurora back and forth from Boston to New Hampshire several times in the last few weeks. Our overall feeling? We have to say, we still like the Aurora. It's very smooth, has lots of power, and still looks great.
However, the Aurora didn't seem to be as plush as we remembered it. Other cars have gotten much nicer in the last few years, but we're not sure the Aurora has kept up. But it has gotten more expensive! We talked to Frank down at the parking lot in the North End this morning. His wife bought an Aurora (Goddess of the Dawn--for all you trivia freaks) a few years ago at which time the sticker price was around $33,000. The one I drove last week had a sticker price of $37,000.
While we were test driving the Aurora, we asked Tommy's wife, "Do you like this car?" To which she answered, "No." She's a woman of few words (Yeah,right!) but knowing her intimately, as Tommy does, he thinks she meant that it's "too American"-- that is, the suspension is too soft. It's certainly true that this car has a softer suspension than most foreign cars, particularly if you compare it to something like a BMW. But compared to most Buicks and Fords, we think it's pretty darn good. But, she's right in that it looks sportier than it drives.
We asked her if she had any idea how much it costs. She didn't. When we told her, "$37,000 dollars," well, all we can say is it's a good thing that the execs from Olds weren't around to see her face get all contorted like that. In her own inimitably terse fashion, she simply said, "That's ridiculous!" She did admit, though, that she thought it was great on the highway.
View cars.com model report on this vehicle.