Oldsmobile

Aurora is a decent buy, the second gen (01+) with the V8 Northstar is nice and cushy. Look for something with lower miles (75k or so) unless you want to get into transmission work anytime soon. The 4.0 is a bit torque challenged and will sip some oil occasionally but makes decent power when spun up and sounds bretty decent
Other failure point would be the rear air-ride auto leveling suspension. The pump is right behind the right rear wheel and pretty exposed to the elements, but rather than spending the money on a new system when it fails you can just pick up some conventional dampers on rockauto and call it good.
Don't have much experience with the first gen but they are very similar- just a bit quirkier styling wise. I'd say go for it if that's your thing.

>>17018846
Does the Aurora 4.0 have the same head gasket issues as the 4.6 N*?

>>17018891
yes. It's literally just a smaller N*.

>>17018778
>Tell me about Oldsmobile, /o/, especially the Aurora, Alero, and Intrigue.
I'll tell you all about them when I get back from running errands, so prepare for story time.

>>17019196
Then how can you recommend that engine in the second gen?

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>>17019311
The problem was fixed in 2001..

Anyways, as promised.
Oldsmobile was GM's technology division. Just about any new technology GM had usually showed up at Oldsmobile first. The conventional torque converter automatic transmission was invented at Oldsmobile and offered in the late 30's and early 40's under the name "Hydramatic". Hydramatic eventually became a separate division at GM that still makes all their automatic transmissions.
Oldsmobile had the world's first turbocharged production car (1962 F-85 Cutlass Jetfire. Had a turbocharged 215 cubic inch all aluminum Buick V8. The design to that V8 were later sold to Rover and became known as the Rover V8).
Oldsmobile made the world's first FWD V8 car, and GM's first FWD car (1966 Toronado)
Oldsmobile had numerous V8 engine projects that were killed to protect the Corvette, like a DOHC 32 valve variant of their 455 big block V8 which made over 700 HP N/A. And they experimented with turbos as well at the time and those were canceled too.
By-the mid-80's, Oldsmobile was selling talking cars that instead of flashing a light at you to tell you there was a problem would have a computerized voice tell you what was wrong via the stereo.
In 1988, Oldsmobile released another technological advancement, the Quad 4 engine. The DOHC 16 valve 2.3L Quad 4 engine was GM's first in-house designed DOHC engine, and the first engine to combat Honda's early Vtec cars on the same N/A playing field. The power output of the Quad 4 engines were often compared to V8 engines of the time. There were even homologation racing variants of the engine. A 250 HP turbo Quad 4 variant was also killed to protect the Corvette.
1/2

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>>17020116
2/2
Oldsmobile fell into dire times in the 90's with flailing sales despite still making advancements. Eventually in 1998, Olds came up with a plan to bring them back into relevancy. Oldsmobile planned to make hot-rodding available at the dealership, similar to how Scion did years later. They planned to launch a performance division called OSV (Oldsmobile Specialty Vehicles). They started by drumming up excitement for the new project with a number of OSV concept cars.
There was a red Alero OSV concept with a supercharged variant of the 2.4L Quad 4 engine (said supercharger kit eventually became available through GM Performance Parts for the Chevrolet Cavalier).
There was a green Alero OSV concept with a 3.5L DOHC Shortstar V6, which was green lit for production as a proper high performance trim level (it was green lit just 2 weeks before GM announced they were killing Oldsmobile)
There was an red Intrigue OSV concept (pictured) with a supercharged version of the 3.5L Shortstar V6. The 3.5L Shortstar was aimed to replace the GM 3800 V6 in everything. The engine was Oldsmobile's project so when GM killed Oldsmobile, that engine went with it.
There was a green Intrigue OSV concept (also green lit for production) that featured a 4.0L Northstar V8 from the Oldsmobile Aurora.
There was even an Silhouette OSV minivan concept powered by the Shortstar.
There was also an Intrigue 442 concept which had a production-ready Intrigue stuffed full of a 4.6L Cadillac Northstar V8. 442 in that case stood for 4 camshafts, 4 valves per cylinder, and dual exhaust.

With the killing of Oldsmobile, all those drool-worthy projects were killed as well.

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>>17020116
>>17020121
now, going on this, I would recommend any one of the 3 cars you're looking at OP.

But it really depends on what you're looking for.

Want something decently quick with aftermarket support?
Get an Alero with the 3400 V6.

Want a comfy luxo-barge?
Get the Aurora. Pick an engine. You can't really go wrong.

Want a comfy, reliable sedan you can have fun in, but have no plans of ever modifying?
Get an Intrigue with the 3.5L Short Star V6

Pic is the Silhouette OSV minivan concept

>>17020146
>>17020121
>>17020116
Different anon, but are we just in different threads? Or have you stopped posting on /o/ as much? You're GM history knowledge is great

>>17020172
I never stopped posting. I post all the time as an anon. I only trip up now when I feel it's relevent.

Who the fuck do you think did the 3400 shilling in the Pontiac thread?

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>Tell me about Oldsmobile, /o/,

>older than General Motors itself
>first assembly-line produced car
>first high compression OHV V8, put into the first muscle car
>first American turbocharged production car
>first FWD American car in decades
>Quadrajet
>Hydramatic
>OW43 DOHC 455
>Cutlass/442/H/O
>Quad-4
>Aurora
>managed to hold on to their proprietary Rocket V8 until fucking 1990

>everything really cool was either shitcanned or given to the Corvette
>suffered the same way Pontiac and Buick did because muh Corvette
>too much in-fighting between GM divisions meant they had no idea what spot Olds took in the heirarchy- entry level luxury? performance? everyman's car?
>wound up with nothing but a fleet of soulless shitbox rebadges
>atrocious "not your father's Oldsmobile" advertising campaign was another nail in the coffin
>eventually died a sad, painful death despite making a number of highly successful cars again at the end because GM claimed they weren't selling enough and the bean-counters finally had an opportunity to get those motherfuckers in Lansing to stop making shit that drew sales from other GM divisions

For more "fun" GM history, read Recaro's posts in this very thread or a longer, less-Olds-focused-but-more-about-how-GM-eats-glue storytime at http://archive.4plebs.org/o/thread/16507355/#16508572.

>especially the Aurora, Alero, and Intrigue.
Aurora = luxury sedan that at first lacked Oldsmobile badges, was meant to signify a new era for the company despite GM already planning on killing it. Has a Northstar V8 sourced from Cadillac, bored somewhat smaller, and stuck in the front in a transverse FWD configuration. Actually very good cars, people loved 'em when they were out but nowadays most of them have rotted away.
Intrigue = Baby Aurora, V6 version of the Northstar-derived engine (earning it the name "Shortstar"), nothing really bad to say about them?
Intrigue = it's a Grand Am with different lights. Quad 4 and 3400 are cool, Ecotec is less than cool.

>>17020197

How do you know so much?

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>>17020280
Autism.
I'll find something I think "hey I don't know much about this". Then I'll look on wikipedia for general info. Them I'll find a forum for that car, join, and just read through years and years of posts and things people have found out.

>>17020227
>Ecotec less than cool

In what fucking way? Those fuckers, especially the LAND and it's successors, handle a fuckton of power with a huge aftermarket

You're retarded when it comes to the Ecotec

>>17020317
*LNF

>>17020317
It's just lame, man, I'm sorry. Some boomer-esque part of me just isn't okay with standard-GM engines in Oldses, especially if the engine was meant to- and later did- directly replace another neat engine (in this case the Quad-4).

>>17020346
Who cares if it replaced the Quad4? Yes, the quad 4 was revolutionary, by GM standards, but it was a piece of shit reliability wise compared to the Japs and you damn well know GM didn't get their 4 banger game straightened out until the Ecotec line

And how in any way is a 2.2L DOHC 4 that can be built to 800+ HP in anyway lame? Take off the fucking nostalgia glasses cause it damn sure is better nowadays than back then

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>>17020121
>>17020146
>>17020146
>>17020227
OP here, thanks for the quick rundown.
I'll see if I can find an Aurora in my part of the state. Comfy + vee-ate sounds like a pretty good combo.
If I can't find one, there seems to be loads of the other two around at least.