2001 Oldsmobile Alero review from North America

Automatic window motor went out ($650 to replace)

Fan knob stopped working ($400 to replace)

CD player broke three times, has been replaced twice.

Lights in the dash come on randomly even when there is nothing wrong.

There is one usable cup holder in the entire car

Mpg has been decreasing steadily.

This car was something of an emergency purchase and really only worked for a few months after I bought it. I change the oil religiously and take it in for checkups often, aside from the usual state-required inspection once a year. I have had nothing but problems from this car, including having to replace an extremely expensive window motor. I found out later that this is a fairly common problem with this car. The CD player broke within 2 months of buying the car, so I had it replaced, and it broke again a year later. It was replaced again, and broke again, so I gave up. There are ongoing and mysterious electrical problems with this car. For example, the lights in the dash come on with no particular pattern, currently my car is telling me my tires are underinflated, even though they have been repeatedly checked. The rear passenger window is leaking air, the seats are uncomfortable for long car trips, and the oil is difficult to check, you have to lean all over the engine to get to it.

The only things I like about this car is that the radio tells me what is playing on various stations, and it is possible to lock or unlock the car from inside my house.