1998 Oldsmobile Alero review from North America

The brakes had to be replaced. Twice.

The passkey (a sort of silent alarm thing), was acting up for well over year before the dealership fixed it. By acting up, I mean that the ignition would cut out at random, at it would require a reset procedure that took 45 minutes. This happened about 2X a week.

The head gasket needed to be replaced.

The intake manifold needed to be replaced.

The interior fans stopped working. Twice.

The automatic mirrors stopped working.

The engine light goes on constantly.

The coolant light goes on regularly.

The 'Low Tire Pressure' light is usually on.

The overhead light falls out.

Sometimes the car will just die for about 10 seconds while driving, and the speedometer will 'spin' back and forth. The dealership has not been able to recreate this problem, and no codes show up when they look. Still happens about once a month.

Right now, the car will sometimes not start for unknown reasons. The engine will turn over, then stall, and the oil and battery lights will go on. Sometimes this happens once, and will start on the second try, sometimes it'll take 10 tries, and a break. Sometimes it won't start at all until it's towed into the dealership. No codes show, and it's been an ongoing issue for about a year.

The interior side panels are buckling.

The dash is starting to bubble.

This is the worst car ever built.

During exams, I borrow my brother's '90 Taurus, as at least it usually starts.

For the past two years, I've been walking up about an hour early for work, as I don't know when my car will or won't start.

I got the extended warranty, 5 years/120,00, which expired on May 18. I'm hoping to get another car by the end of the summer, as I cannot afford the repair bills now that it's past warranty.