Post by ITGeek on Mar 31, 2005 14:39:49 GMT -6
This is not my first post. But I haven't really introduced myself yet. I post here and at the Aurora forum over at Automotive Forums. So, the rest of this message will be found on that message board as well.
I've been poking around on a couple of these forums lately. I recently purchased a 95 with 152K miles from a friend of my mom's. The information that I found in this forum was especially helpful in making my decision because I'm a real DIY mechanic and felt confident that I could tackle just about everything that one deals with on this car. I was also able to do an extended test drive (a couple of days), and really checked the car out in advance.
Anyway, I only paid $2000 for the car and have put about $1000 in parts into it. The labor was free, of course. I'm now down to look and feel stuff for the most part, so I'd say I've gotten a great deal for about $3000. For a guy of my means, and four kids, the Aurora is about the only way for me to have a luxury vehicle. Here is a quick laundry list of things that I have done:
- Both front wheel hub assemblies
- Both front swaybar links (when doing the hubs)
- Radiator inlet tank
- Alternator
- Power steering pump
- Serpentine belt
- Throttle body vacuum line assembly
- PCV bushing
- Front control arm bushings
- Idler and tensioner pulleys
- Plugs and wires
- Fixed broken rear door handle
- Fixed driver's lumbar seat
- Fixed broken wires in driver's door
That's about it at this point. The only other mechanical issue is the ELC compressor not shutting off. There is probably a leak in one of the air lines, but the weather around here has not gotten decent enough for me to get under the car and really diagnose things.
So, when you add up the repairs, it would have cost a small fortune at the dealer. I've been able to do everything listed for under $1000. Now I've got a car that runs great, rides great, and looks pretty good.
I'm starting to work on undercarriage items like the wheel wells. I've been cleaning them one at a time, priming where necessary, and applying new undercoating. It makes sense to keep this beauty from rusting out. When I worked on the radiator, I took the extra time to clean, prime and paint the body structure under the radiator, as well as the front part of the powertrain cradle. It's not a lot of extra work to do this sort of this thing, doesn't cost a lot, and helps to keep the car from rusting.
I'm starting to work on the paint to deal with chips and scratches. This car was driven quite a bit, and the body is showing it in places. If I can get the paint looking good, then I will have a car that looks and drives almost like new.
I enjoy passing on tidbits that I have found in doing my own repairs for those who are up to doing some of their own repairs instead of going through the dealer. In some cases, you need a pretty complete set of tools to do the work. But you can rent some of the really exotic numbers for free at some auto parts stores. Having the factory service manual is also really important for the DIY mechanic. I was lucky, because the manual set for the 95 can be gotten for $30. Once you get into 96 and up, you're looking at over $100.
I've posted a pretty extensive write-up on replacing the radiator tank. And will continue to post these kinds of things when doing repairs that other DIY guys might find helpful. The parts costs for this car can definitely be higher, but it is still the labor that kills you.
I think that the Aurora can be a great vehicle. Unfortunately, there are some common issues with these cars that can be very costly. But you don't get something for nothing. If you are buying a car that cost $30K to $40K for $2K to $5K, then you should be prepared to pony up the money and the time because you will spend it for a car that looks this good, but has this kind of depreciation. I think that GM rushed this one, got kind of cheap on some of the materials, maybe a little of both. It is a great deal for those of us that can do alot of the work ourselves. For a car that performs like this, I'd wouldn't even thing of doing anything differently.
I've been poking around on a couple of these forums lately. I recently purchased a 95 with 152K miles from a friend of my mom's. The information that I found in this forum was especially helpful in making my decision because I'm a real DIY mechanic and felt confident that I could tackle just about everything that one deals with on this car. I was also able to do an extended test drive (a couple of days), and really checked the car out in advance.
Anyway, I only paid $2000 for the car and have put about $1000 in parts into it. The labor was free, of course. I'm now down to look and feel stuff for the most part, so I'd say I've gotten a great deal for about $3000. For a guy of my means, and four kids, the Aurora is about the only way for me to have a luxury vehicle. Here is a quick laundry list of things that I have done:
- Both front wheel hub assemblies
- Both front swaybar links (when doing the hubs)
- Radiator inlet tank
- Alternator
- Power steering pump
- Serpentine belt
- Throttle body vacuum line assembly
- PCV bushing
- Front control arm bushings
- Idler and tensioner pulleys
- Plugs and wires
- Fixed broken rear door handle
- Fixed driver's lumbar seat
- Fixed broken wires in driver's door
That's about it at this point. The only other mechanical issue is the ELC compressor not shutting off. There is probably a leak in one of the air lines, but the weather around here has not gotten decent enough for me to get under the car and really diagnose things.
So, when you add up the repairs, it would have cost a small fortune at the dealer. I've been able to do everything listed for under $1000. Now I've got a car that runs great, rides great, and looks pretty good.
I'm starting to work on undercarriage items like the wheel wells. I've been cleaning them one at a time, priming where necessary, and applying new undercoating. It makes sense to keep this beauty from rusting out. When I worked on the radiator, I took the extra time to clean, prime and paint the body structure under the radiator, as well as the front part of the powertrain cradle. It's not a lot of extra work to do this sort of this thing, doesn't cost a lot, and helps to keep the car from rusting.
I'm starting to work on the paint to deal with chips and scratches. This car was driven quite a bit, and the body is showing it in places. If I can get the paint looking good, then I will have a car that looks and drives almost like new.
I enjoy passing on tidbits that I have found in doing my own repairs for those who are up to doing some of their own repairs instead of going through the dealer. In some cases, you need a pretty complete set of tools to do the work. But you can rent some of the really exotic numbers for free at some auto parts stores. Having the factory service manual is also really important for the DIY mechanic. I was lucky, because the manual set for the 95 can be gotten for $30. Once you get into 96 and up, you're looking at over $100.
I've posted a pretty extensive write-up on replacing the radiator tank. And will continue to post these kinds of things when doing repairs that other DIY guys might find helpful. The parts costs for this car can definitely be higher, but it is still the labor that kills you.
I think that the Aurora can be a great vehicle. Unfortunately, there are some common issues with these cars that can be very costly. But you don't get something for nothing. If you are buying a car that cost $30K to $40K for $2K to $5K, then you should be prepared to pony up the money and the time because you will spend it for a car that looks this good, but has this kind of depreciation. I think that GM rushed this one, got kind of cheap on some of the materials, maybe a little of both. It is a great deal for those of us that can do alot of the work ourselves. For a car that performs like this, I'd wouldn't even thing of doing anything differently.
Great Post! Great to have you with us ;D
It is good to know that many repairs can be done on your own as you have proved. 
