Gary and Helen Smith's
2003 Aurora
Well, we’re now two-Oldsmobile family… In March we decided that the 160,000 miles on the Taurus was about 60,000 more than they were designed to go and that we better start looking. The last great moment for the Taurus was when Helen and I used it as a pattern for the 25th Anniversary water balloon game.
Most of the folks in the club probably understand why we went for an Aurora for a daily driver, but our friends were definitely wondering. So was the auto broker we were dealing with – he didn’t quite get why we just didn’t go for a Grand Prix, 300 or something equivalent. We added to their curiosity when we ended up finding one in Green Bay, having it shipped out and seeing it for the first time in our driveway (after we bought it!). This is definitely out of character for us!!
My answer – Olds gets in your blood and you have to do something a little crazy once in a while to stay sane, right? We knew this would be pretty much our last chance to have a late model Olds for a daily driver, we couldn’t afford a new car right now, and - it’s a great car anyhow! So we looked around and got lucky enough to find a beautiful black ’03 with 20K miles and still under warranty. The thing came loaded; 4.0 V8, sunroof, Bose sound, heated seats, memory stuff, etc. What a great ride; and at a not too bad 26-27 MPG highway (Kansas trip on a 1060 day with A/C going all the way, the trunk loaded and grandkids in the back).
To add to the craziness, we decided to have it pinstriped down the side of the car, ending in the back with a little rocket with flames. It’s still an Olds Rocket, ain’t it?
Dad and Grandpa would be proud…