I've got a 1993 SE with a little over 70,000 miles on it. Near as I can tell, it's been fed Castrol 5W-30 most of it's life, I've been considering going to Castrol Syntec or Syntec Blend in 5W-30 at its next oil change.

Any thoughts on going synthetic/synthetic blend, oil brand, etc?

 

I've got the 5W-30 Castrol Syntec Blend in right now. It starts right up with temps in the low 20's and runs fine.

 

There was an article in one of the recent car mags about the loosening of the "synthetic" term. Apparently one or 2 brands that aren't synthetic at all are calling themselves synthetic and they can get around it somehow. The folks that make Mobile 1 are a little ticked off. I've been trying to find it cuz it gave names.

 

The article appeared in Car & Driver, in either Sept. or Oct. Mobil sued Castrol over the use of the term "synthetic" in Castrol's advertising, and lost. The reason Mobil lost, is because the court found that it is less important what the oil is made from, than the final product. Castrol starts with petrolium based oil and then modifies the molecules to create a "synthetic" oil. What Mobil dislikes about this most is that Castrol's oil costs less to make than Mobil's, but can still command the same high price as Mobil's. None of the legalities has anything to do with the relative performance of the two oils.