makfu

Sometimes I feel like the last of a breed. I believe in the nobility of creating things. Whether it be steel, cars, semiconductors, airplanes or great skyscrapers the engineers, workers and companies that produce such things are still the real engines of the world’s economy. And yet, today we are taught that the development and manufacturing of “things”, especially American things, is bad. Many Americans have been conditioned to believe that thier fellow countrymen who still “make things” are the incompetent, lazy, underproductive legacy of a manufacturing base this country no longer needs. A never ending war is waged by many Americans, against the manufacturing base of this country, in some bizarre belief that if we could just make it so nothing was made here, or by American companies, then the whole country could be become a bright happy, clean services economy. I am not saying people should blindly buy American, or that we should have protectionist policies or any of that nonsense. However, I am sick to death of people who think we should just be a nation of Starbucks, Jacoby & Myers and CitiGroup.

Little Red Corvette

Beret

That is a bad idea for so many reasons that I can't even think of them all.

Well, that is easier said than done. I looked at a number of e-bay and local cars, and, well, many of them were in pretty rough shape. I found one that was low mileage, but the exterior looked like it had been driven in Baghdad, all the others were between 130,000 and 220,000 miles. My favorite was a PA car that had a description of "Runs good, needs motor". Basically, most 1st gen Aurora's have been driven long, and in many cases, pretty hard. The ones that are in good shape are generally not the ones for sale at this point. That said, this particular car is actually in pretty damn good condition. It has one small dent just below the passenger side mirror and, of course, a few (though surprisingly few) door dings and paint chips. All in all though, this car must have spent a good chunk of the last 10 years in a garage, as the clear coat is still in excellent condition. The interior, outside of some normal wear and tear is also in remarkably good shape. So, it will need some TLC, but by and large, we are not talking about a car with faded paint, splotchy clear coat or serious body problems.

Yeah, I am fairly aware that I am blowing wads of cash for the hell of it, the poll is just to validate how many other people here on C&G are also looped. As for those other cars, sure they are true classics (especially the original Toronado, which is one of my favorite cars of all time) but, frankly, they don't hold any emotional context for me. I had a lot of good times in my Aurora back in the day so that is part of the appeal of this project. I should make it clear; I am not "hot-rodding" the Aurora. The Shelby modified Aurora V8 only makes about an extra 20HP (at higher revs) when paired with the stock PCM and exhaust. My reason for buying one of these motors is it's the best source for a shiny 0 mile engine that is a plug-in replacement. Ultimately, this is really about saving a deserving old car from the crusher and having some fun with it.

uhh huh huh huh FIRE FIRE FIRE!

I love the Aurora. As in the original, tube car, 1995-1999 Aurora. To my eyes, it is still the best piece of production sheetmetal to come out of General Motors in the 1990’s and is still singularly distinctive. I bought one in the early summer of 1994 and lived with it for 3 years. I loved the car, despite its flaws and have missed it ever since. Recently, I decided to pick one up on E-Bay. Given that all the examples of first gen Aurora’s that were within reasonable distance were all high-mileage vehicles, I chose the one with the best body and interior, not sure of what to expect from a mechanical standpoint. Once I had the car, a 99 with 170,000 miles, I found that the head-gasket was shot on the still smooth, but obviously sick, 4.0l V8. Thus began the project. With the help of the fine folks over at the online “Aurora Club of North America” (http://aurorah.proboards47.com/index.cgi) I have acquired a brand new L47 4.0L Shelby tweaked motor that is a plug’n’play replacement for the old motor. I will be replacing the entire cooling system, pan-dropping the trans and replacing the rear fuel pump. When all is said and done, this Aurora should be in good mechanical shape and from there I plan on getting the interior and exterior in back into equally good condition. So am I totally crazy? Probably. Is it worth it to put more money into a car than it might ever be valued at? It is if it’s an Aurora.

Well, I hope that was said in jest. The Germans, including GM’s excellent Adam Open, A.G. folks can certainly build a fine, low-cost, efficient price targeted automobile. The real problem is that Jürgen Schrempp’s American imperial outpost was run into the ground by Stuttgart’s incompetent bureaucratic management culture. A stifling culture that was entirely incompatible and highly hostile to Chrysler’s Lutz/Gale era management and development systems. It really is that simple. Everyone with half a clue looked at this merger in 1998 and knew this train wreck was going to happen. Jürgen Schrempp is an egomaniacal ass who wanted to build an auto empire that would span the globe. The end result is a badly damaged Mercedes-Benz, a crippled Mitsubishi and an “operationally bankrupt” Chrysler. As for rescuing the awful JS platform vehicles, Chrysler will need to do a lot more than interiors. Significant suspension tuning, NVH and exterior fit and finish work will need to be done to get these vehicles even remotely competitive. Sadly, for Chrysler’s product, all that work really wouldn’t address the most fundamental problem with the Sebring, which is its weird and incoherent styling. Frankly, Bob Nardelli just needs to bite the bullet and bet the farm on a completely new, ground-up vehicle. Obviously though, it would have to be something so good that it would single handedly vault Chrysler back into the running, like the 93 LH cars. I don’t know if the Chrysler of today has the resources, or more importantly, the talent to produce such a car.

Wilma?

So, from years of making big mistakes, I have learned that you should always do everything you can to get the vehicle you really want. If you possibly can wait it out, do it. It might be a pain, but it will be worth it in the end.

Wow, that is just incredible that they behaved so badly when they were straight up sober. That requires a remarkable level of selfishness that, frankly, I can’t say I have ever witnessed firsthand. Don’t get me wrong, my family is full of poorly behaved individuals, but what you describe is pretty astounding. Frankly, you did the right thing – there is just no excuse for that kind of behavior. As for my CTS, I have to say that I adore the car. I haven’t be this smitten with an automobile since the E39 540i. There are a couple of things you should know though: 1. The Asin manual is not the perfect synergistic engine-transmission combo that the 6L50-E is. I assume, because of emissions management be forced upon engine management alone, there is more induction noise at lower-mid-revs (this is the distant whooshing NVH Car & Driver noted). Doesn’t bother me, but it might bug some. 2. While I think the shift action is very good, the clutch is a tad heavy and has VERY abrupt engagement that tends to make me think the engineers listened a little too closely to the professional track drivers. That said, pedal placement is perfect for heel-toe and the quick clutch really rewards proper rev-matching. Just keep this in mind because, while it didn’t bother me, my friend had a hard time adapting to the clutch because he was used to the ultra-light and very forgiving clutch in his Audi. I would recommend test driving a manual transmission car (if you can find one) before you buy it, to make sure you like the setup. Personally, I wouldn’t have it any other way as it lets you really work the top-end of the 3.6DI motor which is just glorious. There is also something just plain cool about a manual shifter in a fully optioned Cadillac – it makes more of a statement about your taste in cars than any aftermarket effects kit or rims. However, it is definitely not for everyone.

Decades from now, when we look back on the hysteria surrounding anthropogenic CO2 as the supposed cause of climate change, everyone will wonder how the vast majority (86%) of American’s were duped into believing this stuff. No correlation between CO2 and climate (as the catalyst for temperature change) has been proven to date. Data regarding CO2 and climate change actually shows that the historical relationship between temperature and CO2 is the exact inverse of what climate alarmists claim, namely temperature rising is the catalyst for an increase in CO2, not the other way around. Regardless of the causes of climate change, the predictions of gloom and doom bandied about by the likes of Al Gore are simply ludicrous and even conflict with the IPCC’s own predictions (example: 20 foot rise in sea-levels by Al Gore in 100 years is in direct conflict with the IPCC’s own 7-24inch prediction, not to mention the laws of physics and basic thermodynamics). There is no real consensus on this discussion. However, there is a large, well funded high-visibility effort to make it appear that all debate and discussion regarding anthropogenic CO2 based climate change is over. Anyone who is a “climate change denier” is on the take from big oil and Detroit and thus their data, theories and opinions are just bunk – at least that is how such people are portrayed. This is a sorry state of affairs and should be a lesson in how politics can dangerously co-opt the scientific process. What saddens me the most is that we are ignoring real ecological, sociological and economic plights in favor of this “phantom menace”. As for cars and fuel economy, one should endeavor to conserve resources because they are finite and because, as a nation, it is not in our best interest to continue dependence on foreign oil, though CAFE is about the worst way of actually achieving that goal (God forbid we raise gasoline taxes, which might actually drive consumers to want smaller vehicles). Oh well, just my 2cents.

I am not trying to make light of the events that transpired in your household over Christmas, but I do have to ask, were they drunk (loaded, high, stoned)? How defective must someone’s state of mind be to accept an invitation, travel to another person’s house (during a holiday) and then proceed to act like such interminable pricks? As a centrist conservative, stories like this make me really angry. These Bush humping, neo-Christian ultra-right morons have all but destroyed conservatism in this country. Simply disgraceful.

Front-end is fine and I actually like that the grille follows the earlier Art & Science proportions in this execution as it's consistent with earlier A&S Cadillac’s (such as the XLR). It also leaves room for the GIANT AL GORE HEAD EATING air dam. Also how awesome are the Peter-Built sized exhaust pipes and HOLY CRAP, the Brembo's are bigger than the rims on my Mini! -Mak 08 CTS FE3 with six on the floor.

So there is good news and bad news. On the coasts, especially in NY Metro, there has been a noticeable uptick in GM product visibility, especially new products. Whereas about 2 years, all we saw was rental grade hardware, we now see considerably more retail vehicles. I have been especially surprised by penetration of the lambda vehicles (notably the Enclave), the new CTS and in the last week, a number of Malibu’s. Right now, I would say GM (in a purely unscientific guess) is operating at about 15% of the retail market in my area, which (again, unscientifically) seems to a big improvement. The bad news is that in the traditional markets, GM (and the other two Detroit manufacturers) are still losing share at a pretty frightening rate. In your market, GM probably only has about 20% of the retail market, way down from 5 or 6 years ago. For GM, a best case scenario is US retail market share stabilizes in former strongholds and they start regaining ground on the coasts whiles continuing their strong international performance. The most important thing is not a return to 60% market share but a return to having the best vehicles on the market. It is that latter point that GM appears to have finally figured out. -Mak 08 CTS FE3 with 6 on the floor.

I don't know if anyone has seen this internal GM promo before - but I thought it was simply brilliant. -Mak 08 CTS FE3 with six on the floor.

If you do decide to sell your Aurora, let me know as I will give it a good home (where it will never be subject to the horrible abuse revealed by the OP). I have a 99 Aurora (170k miles) as my "second" car right now and I am in the process of sinking money into getting the cooling system stable and while it has never overheated, it appears the aux cooling fan is on the fritz so the temp varies widely (and pushes coolant through the coolant reservoir pressure cap). Other than that and a smallish dent right below the passenger mirror, the car is in pretty nifty shape. I don't know why, but I just love classic Aurora's. I will probably spend myself into the poor house on this "second" car. -Mak 08 CTS FE3 with six on the floor.

Yep, that would be the car. -Mak 08 CTS FE3 with six on the floor.

Indeed. -Mak 08 CTS FE3 with six on the floor.

The manual in this iteration of the CTS "feels" much more thoroughly integrated, right down to the little shift notification light (small enough not to be annoying, large enough to remind you that you that maybe you want to go to 6th). The fact that keyless ignition has the requisite manual interlock, is a good example that the manual was as much a first class citizen as the automatic, much more so than in the previous CTS. If you like shifting your own gears then I would go for it. You won't be alone, as my dealer has sold (including mine) 3 08's with manuals - all special orders and all with the FE3 package (though only mine had all the luxo stuff too ). Pretty remarkable given that it's supposed to snow on Sunday . -Mak 08 CTS FE3 with six on the floor.

Yeah, there is no prescribed break-in period. There wasn't one on my last Cadillac; there isn't one for this new one (at least not anywhere in the manual or according to the dealer techs). That said, I still follow the old rules during the first 500 miles of varying engine speeds, just out of habit. Also, 120MPH is no big thing for this motor in 6th gear. Seriously, you will hit 100 and not even realize it. My only real complaint about the car, so far, is that there is some noticeable induction noise when accelerating in a high gear (e.g. low RPM's). Other than that, the 3.6 DI is a pretty sweet motor and makes great upper-end noises. -Mak 08 CTS FE3 with six on the floor.

No. But I saw a silver 08 CTS pulled over, so I know it looks pretty good in front of a Crown Vic Interceptor . :AH-HA_wink: -Mak 08 CTS FE3 with 6 on the floor.

Okay, so I have had my new CTS for a few days (sorry, no new pictures yet) and I can make some general observations about the car: 1. If you are sport inclined, get the FE3 package. Don't be afraid of what some (MotorWeek) say about it being too rough as it isn't. Yes, it is fairly taut, roughly equivalent to the V-Series and a just a tad bit stiffer than the first year 03 CTS's sport suspension (though quite a bit stiffer than the 04 and later sport suspension, which I felt was overly soft). However, it is almost never harsh or jarring and is, IMHO, a fabulous balance between imparting luxury and still being seriously aggressive. It easily trumps the BMW 5 series sport suspension option in the NVH department and anything Mercedes has. It is a marvel of chassis tuning and engineering. 2. I don't know what the auto "Journalists" issues were with the manual trans, but the Asin-Warner 6 speed is light-years better than the Gutwrench (Getrag) and, frankly, is better than any Tremeck 6 speed. No, it isn't a short-throw toggle switch like in the Honda's, but it feels on-par with BMW's 6speed manuals, so if you like shifting your own gears, this is a fine transmission to do it with. The only thing to be aware of is that the clutch is fairly heavy compared to some of the featherweight clutches you run into on today’s manuals and, like all modern sticks, the clutch engagement is abrupt (this is true on virtually every BMW, Cadillac, Audi and Honda manual I have driven in the last 6 years). As with every CTS, pedal placement is excellent. 3. Get the DI 3.6 if you can swing it. While the regular 3.6 is a great engine, the extra power of the DI 3.6 really makes the car move with authority. The injector clicking is only audible from outside the vehicle and really is a complete non-issue (and is actually kind of neat when you realize what is actually going on under the hood). This engine has power virtually everywhere in the rev band. On the highway, you can pretty much stick to 6th for lazy passing. That said, get her up into the higher revs, and she pulls hard. At 120MPH, this car has lots of reserve power. Hitting 150+ seems fully plausible. Overall, this is one very entertaining automobile. As with all Sigma architecture cars, it feels remarkably solid. As with each successive product built on Sigma, the chassis tuning and suspension setup has become ever more sophisticated. Oh yeah, and you will look great, even when sitting in the shoulder in front of the police car that just pulled you over. -Mak 08 CTS FE3 with 6 on the floor.

When I say fully loaded sans AWD, I mean fully loaded (Yeah, it's a DI V6) -Mak 08 CTS FE3 with 6 on the floor.