1995 Oldsmobile Ciera SL review from North America

Cruise Control module died at 180,000 replaced from eBay.

Changed intake manifold gasket at 165,000

Engine temp sensor changed at 120,000.

I love this car! It's a Grandma and Grandpa car but we are. Some 15" five spoke aluminum wheels spice it up a little. I bought this car as a repo. with 43,000 miles for $3,000 and have driven it for another 145,000. It's still worth $1000 so $2000/143000=$0.014 cents/mile depreciation. I changed the water pump at 100,000 as precaution, Auto-lite Platinum plugs every 60-80K. I've changed plug wires, alternator, brakes and recently steering rack, maintenance stuff,

It is used as a commuter, 35 miles. each way Monday - Friday. I change the oil every 5,000 miles with Quaker State 5W-30 and Rislone. When I changed the intake manifold gasket at 150,000 the inside of the engine was clean with almost no wear on the camshaft. It uses one quart of oil in 3,000 miles. Power is adequate if you drive like an adult. The ride and handling sent a "Ford man" after another GM.

We've loaded it up with kids, dog and gear and gone to the cabin several times a year for six years. It has room and comfort for all. The A/C still works as good as when we got it. I just changed the transmission oil and filter for the second time at 188,000 and the pan was so clean I could have put it right back on. I did wipe out a thin film of black and a little metal on the pan magnet.

I just bought my wife, the commuter, a 2002 Buick Century with the same engine and transmission for $6000. If I put 100k on this car and have a $1000 residual it will cost $0.05 a mile. If your ego needs a Camry or Accord, it's your money to throw away! The Olds has become my work car as it gets much better mileage than my pickup. The Ciera 3.1L will get 30-34 on the highway and one time I made a 400 mile one stop trip and got 38 mpg! The Buick Century is the closest thing available and a step up. My wife loves it.

One hundred and forty thousand miles and not one timing belt change. Another reason I bought another push rod engine. The 3.1L isn't a hot rod but it sips the gas! With today's prices there is still a nice ride that's affordable to buy and drive.