2001 Oldsmobile Alero GLS V6 3.4

Summary:

P.O.S. Car

Faults:

When I first purchased my car I loved it so much, I however did not love them price and have been busting my budget since to keep it. I paid around $12k + for it and I somehow reasoned myself into thinking I was paying for all of the bells and whistles. I have a sun roof and electric everything. (Big Mistake!!!)

1 week after mu purchase I got into my car to go to a concert and the car would not turn over no matter how much I cranked it. I called to dealership where I had purchased it (and the previous car I had owned a 2001 Honda Civic) and they had it towed. They replaced the ignition lock cylinder and battery saying the both had gone bad.

A little over a month later the windows stopped working. Again, I called the dealer and they fixed it. I did not mind the repairs at the time as the car was still under warranty.

I had the car a little over a year and everything started braking. The cruise control went out, the shifter knob broke off, the airbag cover pealed off (and now I'm paranoid it will go off), My window stopped working and now will only roll down when it rains, my back passenger window will no longer roll up, My A/C only works on high, and many other little problems. And I still owe quite a bit for it... I mean come on, I was scammed into paying way too much for it and now that it won't work I'm very upset that I'm still paying for it.

Saturday it wouldn't start and is now residing at my father's home who just about had a heart attack trying to move the damn thing so that he could leave for work.

My sister had the same car for a long time and she would tell me to start saving my money and I always laughed at her. I always remember her having problems and having to take it to a mechanic. They ended up replacing the whole motherboard along with many many other things. It was then that the car shut off on her at a red light, her brakes went out and she sailed through the red light and Thank God no one was coming otherwise my poor sister would probably be dead. And GM says they will not have a recall as there are no safety issues...

There is a big safety issue as in the car is a rolling deathtrap. And I'm very disappointed that the good people at GM don't care about their product nor their customers as every site I go onto about Aleros all say the same thing. This car is not worth the sheet metal that they used to build it.

General Comments:

I will never by a GM product ever again. I think it is sad how they treat the people whom they make their money off of.

Overall the car is nice until you start having these problems and if you think that they won't happen to you, you are sorely mistaken. Anything on this vehicle can and will break at the most inconvenient of times.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 12th May, 2008

2001 Oldsmobile Alero GX 2.4

Summary:

Comfortable, reliable, economical to own

Faults:

The only thing is sometimes the ABS, Service Vehicle, Low Trac lights come on. I know the issue is a hub assembly/wheel bearing, and at some point I'll put a new one in.

General Comments:

I bought this car 8 months ago and decided to wait 20,000 miles before I comment on it. I now have 20,000 miles since I bought the car.

Before I bought the car, I researched this website among others for issues with Aleros. The only common issues were the ABS light and the Lower Intake Gaskets on V6 models. I have a 4-cylinder so I don't have to worry about the Lower Intake gasket. When the ABS light comes on I just ignore it.

One of these days I'll change the hub assembly on the right front. They are easy to change, takes about 30 minutes and the hub assembly is about $105. But the only problem it causes is it disables the ABS system. I knew this was a common problem in these cars, but since it isn't a big problem, I bought the car anyway. I'm glad I did because this car is very reliable, comfortable, and is pretty quick for a 4 cylinder. Also, I get about 29-31 mpg, which is pretty good for a car this size.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st April, 2008