1987 Oldsmobile Ciera GT review from North America

The perforated leather in the driver's side front seat has started to split. Otherwise, the seats are very robust and quite comfortable.

The timing chain has been replace twice. It's probably due for another.

The alternator has been replaced twice.

The power antenna has been broken for over ten years. Since it failed in the up position, I have left it alone.

The fog lights have also been inoperative for over ten years.

The cassette drive belt in the premium audio system broke six or seven years ago. Replacing it required removing the whole dashboard. Fortunately, I had the assistance of an experienced mechanic.

It's a very attractive car, metallic burgundy with crisp lines and nice silver trim. Thieves stole the hood ornament and all, but one of the small hub caps on the mag wheels within the first two years.

The paint job began flaking off after five or six years. This seems to be a problem for a lot of 1987 cars. I've seen the same problem with 1987 GM cars and Ford Tauruses. We had it repainted above the belt line with a significant discount (although a neighbor with a Chevy got his repainted for free!).

There is significant rust at the bottom of the trunk lid and the after end of the driver's door, particularly where the trim strip is fastened.

We now have an L-shaped 18-inch-long crack in the windshield from the top and coming six inches down and then turning 12 inches left. I can't feel it from either the inside or the outside.

Its performance has always been exhilarating. Between the 3.8 L V-6, the tight transmission, and the FE3 suspension, it has always handled well. At about 98,000 miles, we started hearing an unusual sound from the engine that my wife describes as sounding like a helicopter. One repair shop told us that the engine should be replaced. We didn't do it. Now, almost 100,000 miles later, the sound is still there.