Oldsmobile was a brand of automobile produced for most of its life by General Motors. It was established by Ransom Olds in 1897, the company produced automobiles in the United States until 2004. In its 107-year history, it produced 35.2 million cars, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan factory. When it was phased out, Oldsmobile was the oldest surviving American automobile marque, and one of the oldest in the world, after Daimler and Peugeot brands.

Oldsmobile's flagship sedan, the Aurora, offers elegant leather accommodations, a smooth, quiet ride, excellent stability, and lively handling. This model was completely redesigned for 2001 (and there was no 2000 model). Trimmer dimensions and redesigned suspensions, improved handling and stability, while new lightweight engines improved had fuel efficiency. The steering feels light and parking requires no effort. When you couple that behavior with the smaller size of the new Aurora, it makes you feel like you could thread a needle with this sedan.

While powering ahead, you hear nothing but exhaust noise. We think that is good, because it means all the extraneous noises from the suspension and drive train - everything from the tires to the gears - do not creep into the passenger compartment.

The Aurora V8 is the smaller-displacement adaptation of the Cadillac Northstar engine that appeared on the original Aurora, but it has been significantly refined and updated for the new car. Emissions have improved, fuel efficiency is improved, and it makes the same 250 horsepower on regular gas that the previous engine made on premium fuel. The Indy Racing League uses a modified version of this same engine to run in the Indy 500.

Tips for buying used Oldsmobile cars

You should never buy any car whether new or used without taking it for a test drive first. You should try to start the car from cold and make sure it ticks over happily. You should let it warm up and ensure the cooling fan cuts in before taking it for a decent run that will allow you to try out all the gears as well as the major controls, brakes, steering and suspension. When you are in the car, think about the following:

You should check whether the steering wheel and gear knob have been worn smooth. Does this tally with the recorded mileage, is the interior undamaged, along with all the glass, are there any stickers on the windows which may have been put on to cover an old registration number etched onto the glass, check for rust that has been painted over, plus filler in the wheel arches.

You can check some of the used Oldsmobile models at http://www.usedcarx.com.