Oldsmobile Firenza Reviews

In two 1/2 years of ownership and putting only 36000 miles on it, I had to replace the following:

Two complete sets (4 wheels) of brake pads

Two complete sets (4 wheels) of rotors

2 complete sets (4 wheels) of brake calipers

3 sets of hatchback door hydraulic lifters

2 main computers (the brains of the beast) and innumerable other electronic sensors that filed and left me sitting along the road.

I put 2 sets of tires on it because it would not stay in alignment.

When I traded it in for a Mazda (no more GM), it was ready for a 3rd set of brake pads, rotors and calipers and the tires were a mess. I got it aligned every 6 months and tried several different shops.

The main computer blew and left me sit along the side of the road twice. I was a stay at home mom and this was supposed to be the car we kept for LONG trips because it was so comfortable and rode nicely -- but we could never trust it -- it died too often. It turned me against GM.

It was fun to drive and the upholstery was fabulous. Mechanically it was a disaster. I did not drive this car everyday -- it was the grocery getter and the Sunday church car. We took it on long trips and always spent part of the trip in a garage after being towed when some electronic sensor or another died. It was the low point of GM technology.

Starter went out.

A/C has never worked.

This car is not stylish or fast. It is however reliable. I've been driving it for more than a year and have only had the standard problems one would expect from an older car. With gas prices the way they are I'm very grateful to have bought this 4 cylinder car for 150.00 bucks.

I also enjoy the hatchback aspect of it. It has decent room to carry things with the back seat folded down.

I've only seen one other similar J body in the time I've been driving it and it was a Pontiac J2000. I've also gotten a few positive comments from people who remember them from the 80's, as well as questions from younger folks who have never seen one at all.

Cool in a funky unique type of way.

Transmission Slipped when first bought.

2 cylinders stopped firing before I bought.

Threw Rod when it stopped running.

This car is beastly. It was my first car I bought it for 75 dollars. When I got it all it needed was a tune up and some stop slip, and it went from a car that should be in the junk yard to a serious demon machine. The trunk was huge, I was able to fit my house stereo speakers in it, and the back seats while not the roomiest were comfortable enough. Mine had the power windows, seats, and locks. I could never keep it at one speed, it would always fluctuate a couple miles up and back down to the speed I was trying to keep it at. This car is my favorite and always will be, I miss my little demon machine.