Oldsmobile died in it's prime.

"not for canada - australian in disguise" (for-canada) 04/14/2016 at 11:38 • Filed to: None

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The Aurora was probably the best thing they ever made since about 1973.

Shame they had to make so much crap that people gave up on the brand and stopped buying cars, making it a wart on GM’s portfolio.

RIP Oldsmobile, 1897-2004.

Noah - Now with more boost. > not for canada - australian in disguise 04/14/2016 at 11:41

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Absolutely, these things are a blast and one of the best values on the used car market right now - I drove a friend’s through NYC once and it was PERFECT for the job. You can pick up a mint condition example for like $3000

Trunk Impaired 318 > not for canada - australian in disguise 04/14/2016 at 11:45

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The Achieva SCX was pretty cool by Olds standards

Pickup_man > not for canada - australian in disguise 04/14/2016 at 11:48

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My first car was a 95 Aurora, it was a great car. I was pretty hard on it though (stupid teenagers) and blew the trans at about 85K, so we traded it off. My only complaints about the car would be that’s it’s FWD, it under-steered something fierce, and the trunk was really little.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > not for canada - australian in disguise 04/14/2016 at 11:48

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Despite front-wheel drive, it was noted for competent handling.

I’m sold. Thanks for the tip.

vondon302 > not for canada - australian in disguise 04/14/2016 at 11:51

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RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > not for canada - australian in disguise 04/14/2016 at 11:53

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On the topic of V8 FWD Olds, the restoration on this one’s only half done .

not for canada - australian in disguise > Trunk Impaired 318 04/14/2016 at 11:59

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I really like the Achieva too, and it’s Skylark stablemate.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > not for canada - australian in disguise 04/14/2016 at 11:59

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I actually agree. Mmm, small displacement N*...

Rust and Dust - Oppositelock Forever > not for canada - australian in disguise 04/14/2016 at 12:01

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Until the starter died, at which point it generally became a target for the owners hatred.

I do miss Oldsmobile, though. Learned to drive in an ‘87 Olds Cutlass Ciera Brougham edition. Poor GM, the only part of that car that was still black 10 years after production was the vinyl roof (yay delamination).

Trunk Impaired 318 > not for canada - australian in disguise 04/14/2016 at 12:01

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Cars like the Achieva are why I really can’t stand GM. They come out and show that they can make cool/good cars but then the other 90% of cars they make are complete shit.

Party-vi > not for canada - australian in disguise 04/14/2016 at 12:01

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Oldsmobile cannibalized other GM sales to old people that remembered Oldsmobile when they were kids. Oldsmobile/buick/Pontiac should have been smooshed together into one sporty upscale brand for GM

Arrivederci > not for canada - australian in disguise 04/14/2016 at 12:08

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The original Aurora was awesome, but the follow-up was lame:

Mercedes Streeter > not for canada - australian in disguise 04/14/2016 at 12:09

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I really miss 90s GM, they really knew what they were doing. Saturn was the American “cheap car” that was arguably better than Japan’s “cheap car”. I mean, bare bones simplicity, plastic panels, and flip up headlamps? AND the EV1 (which would have been sold through Saturn)?

Kid me always saw 90s/early 2000s Saturns to look like little spaceships...and to this day I’m blown away at how spartan the things were inside. I swear, if you look up “no gimmicks” in the dictionary, there should be a picture of an old Saturn.

Plus, they’re like roaches. I regularly see 200+k Saturns rolling around in surprisingly okay condition (*sigh* underbody rust)...while their Honda/Toyota/Mazda counterparts have either completely rusted out, been crashed, or been modified to an inch of their lives.

Then, GM had Olds...and that sweet sweet Aurora...Take Saturn spaceship styling, go crazy with it, then add gobs of power, dabs of luxury, refinement, and some tech. Boom, Aurora. :D

Arrivederci > Party-vi 04/14/2016 at 12:14

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Agree. Of the three, I wish they had kept Pontiac and gradually brought it up-market. Oldsmobile and Buick were sort of mired in the geriatric crowd, but Pontiac could have started establishing products that were more luxurious while retaining their sporty heritage.

Of course, in actuality, what we were left with is Buick. Understandably so - GM didn’t want to eschew the Chinese market where Buick is absolutely huge. Now they’re facing the domestic struggle of infusing Buick with youthful product.

not for canada - australian in disguise > Mercedes Streeter 04/14/2016 at 12:15

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I agree, my family had 2 saturns. Both the same colour, both first gen SL1s. One automatic, one standard. I liked Saturn. Especially 90s Saturn.

AMC/Renauledge > not for canada - australian in disguise 04/14/2016 at 12:33

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They died in their product portfolio prime, for sure. GM had poured money into Olds to get them back up in the sales charts. All-new names, new (albeit terrible) marketing, new product niches, unique V6 and V8 engines, unique bodies and interiors, etc.

But once the brand got off-message in the ‘80s, it never reestablished a credible identity. By the ‘90s, most people had moved on to Toyota and Honda.

shop-teacher > not for canada - australian in disguise 04/14/2016 at 12:37

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I loved Oldsmobile, my first car was an ‘89 Olds Toronado Trofeo. My family also had a ‘95 Aurora. It was, quite frankly, a pile of shit.

Chariotoflove > not for canada - australian in disguise 04/14/2016 at 12:37

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We were an Olds family for a long time. My first car was an ‘89 Cutlass Supreme. My Dad’s Trofeo was fantastic. He drove that thing until it wasn’t safe, and then he drove it some more. But, as the ‘90s wore on, they lost their edge as a tech leader, and their positioning between Buick and Cadillac got squished. Their design, to my eyes, got really meh, and became even more solidified as a geriatric chariot.

shop-teacher > Mercedes Streeter 04/14/2016 at 12:38

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We had a ‘95 Aurora, in emerald green with the Autobahn package. That’s what my dad bought for my mom when he made me buy her ‘89 Olds as my first car. As cool as it was, it was giant hunk of crap.

I do have a bit of a thing for 90's Saturns though.

Mercedes Streeter > shop-teacher 04/14/2016 at 12:49

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I don’t doubt that, actually. lol 90s GM cars were either cockroaches or lemons, nothing really in-between. :D

AMC/Renauledge > Mercedes Streeter 04/14/2016 at 13:05

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I always thought that GM should have given new Oldsmobile franchises to Saturn dealers, but with a select set of models. Saturn needed to give buyers a product line to trade up to. After about 1994, they desperately needed new product. Olds had just killed off the Firenza after 1988, so they lacked a compact.

The SL already looked like a shrunken Cutlass Supreme sedan. The Silhouette was already made of plastic. The Bravada, Achieva/Alero, LSS/Aurora, and Cutlass Supreme/Intrigue would have looked and performed well enough to give SL/SC buyers a place to move up to and would have fit the “import intender” market just as well as Saturn did.

They could have let the existing Olds dealers figure out how to sell Custom Cruisers, 88s, Ninety-Eights, Toronados, Cieras, Regencys, and Cutlasses until they closed or switched to the Saturn business model.

Even the brands would have worked together. Olds was the Rocket division. Saturn was a type of rocket and a planet one might rocket to.

BJ > not for canada - australian in disguise 04/14/2016 at 13:22

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I don’t know how reliable it was (probably so-so) but I test-drove one many years ago and it was pretty fine. It had a comfortable ride like a big Olds should, and plenty of power. And it was/is a good-looking car.

In the end, I ended up buying a Mercury Grand Marquis because I got a real good deal from a family friend. No regrets!

Mercedes Streeter > AMC/Renauledge 04/14/2016 at 13:23

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I agree entirely!! Olds of late had always seemed to be the brand Saturn buyers grow into. Start in a tiny Saturn, upgrade to the Olds...But, both fell to the early 2000s antics of GM. Instead of updating their models and further developing Saturn’s ideas, they sold out and imported Opels...which as we learned, will only work if you import then sell them upmarket (Buick of today).

And Olds became like Mercury, not unique enough to justify keeping it...because good ol’ 2000s GM. :(

shop-teacher > Mercedes Streeter 04/14/2016 at 14:04

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Fortunately my ‘94 Roadmaster wagon is proving to be of the cockroach variety :)

Schaefft > not for canada - australian in disguise 04/14/2016 at 17:16

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As the UK’s (and most of Europe’s) only Olds Aurora owner , I approve of this post. While it’s not too hard to find areas where nineties GM cost cutting and quality control standards shine through (mostly hidden), there’s also a lot to be found where you instantly recognize that Oldsmobile tried hard to build a high quality luxury car. Its a very distinctive design as well (which is the main reason I wanted one), so your are definitely standing out driving one of them, especially back when they new. I hope I have mine on the road soon.

Schaefft > Chariotoflove 04/14/2016 at 17:18

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Love the last years of the Olds Toronado Trofeo. Nothing like it on the road!

Schaefft > Arrivederci 04/14/2016 at 17:21

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Love the first gen, but the second gen got its own appeal. The front fascia is a bit unusual but Im sure it would grow on most eventually.

ranwhenparked > not for canada - australian in disguise 04/14/2016 at 23:53

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The Aurora was the only decent car they were selling though. The Intrigue, Alero, Bravada, and Silhouette were all pretty mediocre. Tough to build a brand around one strong nameplate, though, they already tried that with Cutlass.