1988 Oldsmobile Ciera review from North America
"Handyman's secret weapon"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
I bought the car for $700. It had a bad radiator, but the dealer gave me a new one to put in. It takes about 15 minutes to change.
Two months later the alternator went bad. That cost about $70 and took maybe 10 minutes to replace.
Other than general maintenance, I'm driving for free.
The air conditioner still works even.
General comments?
I have owned every variation of the GM A-body sedan, but this one is my favorite. It seems to ride a little better than the others and the interior, ie, the dash layout is better suited to me.
I have owned both 4 cylinders and V6 powered cars but the 2.5 Iron Duke seems the most reliable. Parts are cheap and it's an easy engine to work on. True, you don't win many races with it, but I can carry 5 passengers with lots of luggage in complete comfort and get 30MPG.
Any GM A-body is a reliable cheap set of wheels in my experience. I've had 6.
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  | Best I've ever owned! |
| One of the most reliable used car values |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.5 iron duke Automatic |
| Performance marks | 5/10 |
| Reliability marks | 10/10 |
| Comfort marks | 8/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 10/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 110000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 150000 miles |
| Previous car | Pontiac 6000 |
| Date of Entry | 13th January, 2002 |