I love it!!
Nothing so far has went wrong with my car. Well except the occasional new brakes and normal things like that, but overall it has been very good!
I love my Alero, it's the best car ever. It's reliable and very pretty!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 30th September, 2005
Compared to Chevy's, this Olds is a little better in quality
Gas cap went bad around 36,000 miles.
Shifter button went bad around 45,000 miles. Seat belt sensor (driver) goes on if in a certain position. Horn stopped working, replaced the relay, so now the higher pitched horn works, but the deeper pitched horn went bad. Leak in coolant system, coolant flushed and drained, problem solved.
Good on gas, still averaging around 26 mpg. Engine sounds good, tuneup will not be needed in the near future.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 18th August, 2005
I have a 2002 alero. and I love my car!!! have had no problems with this car. I love the way she drives. I love the way she looks. you people just maybe got a bad one.
Total alero lover!!!
To the poster with the "broken arm" comment: Lemme guess. You drive a Honda Accord, which, as I read in various reviews here, is faster than just about anything, larger and smoother than any poser Olds or Buick or Cadillac could ever hope to be. Yeah.
Why is it that every Accord owner feels the need to bash American cars? Perhaps it is out of anger that he was suckered into buying an inferior vehicle. That makes sense when you consider that all the GM car owners that like their vehicles don't do any Honda-bashing (except me, of course). But they're not angry. After all, they bought a car that actually lived up to its name.
Comfortable car, but marginal reliability
Fuel Pump (2x).
Power Windows (3x).
Wheel speed sensor (1x).
Tons of other "little things".
Floor carpeting is cheap and wore out within 25,000 miles of use.
I bought this car new in 2001 for approximately $21,000 as a commuter car to drive the 44 miles one way to work each day (88 mile round trip).
The car has the "sun and sound" package and cloth seats. This is by far one of the best stero systems I've had in a car. My 2002 Jaguar X-Type has a worse stero then this by far.
The car has had a host of problems since purchasing it. When I bought it I ran the bumper to bumper warranty to 5 years 100,000 miles. I've not really spent any money on it, but from the receipts over $5,100 has been spent on warranty repairs (for a $1,300 warranty purchased when new). Buying the extended warranty was definitely worth it!
Some examples of problems included a "low tire pressure" warning light that kept coming on. It ended up being some wheel sensor thing. To fix it because it was integrated they had to replace the entire left from wheel hub assembly ($850 repair).
Another problem was one day the key wouldn't turn in the ignition. It just froze up. Had to have it towed in and they ended up taking the dash apart and replacing the entire ignition cylinder deal ($550 repair).
The car is very comfortable for a big person (320 pounds). I test drove a focus which is about the same dimensions and was cramped. My Jag is also smaller inside.
The Alero is "perfect" as a commuter car, but I would never own one without a bumper to bumper warranty.
Service through the Oldsmobile dealer (now Mitsubishi) has been excellent. I see a ton of the Aleros on the road so I know they sold a bunch.
The paint has weathered nearly five years of constant non-garaged Arizona sun and hasn't faded a bit. Very good paint job!
The cloth seats have held up well. I didn't want leather because of the Arizona heat (I'm paying now with the leather Jag seats). It's worn well and has no tears.
The floor mats are extra-cheap and wore through the rug part almost immediately. The carpet under the floormat also wore out where your heel sits while accelerating. Another spot when you tuck your left leg (US driver) by the seat is also worn. Very cheap carpet this is the first car I've had that's had this problem.
Visibility is excellent and the car has a real greenhouse feel to it (which I don't like, but its good).
Conclusion: An excellent commuter car if you can find a low-mileage example. Be sure to buy a warranty though or you may be sorry!!!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 13th August, 2005
Great review. The Alero sounds like a great car. Those problems. however, speak of GM quality.
The car has over 80,000 miles on it and another 8 months of warranty. I'd actually consider buying a newer one (under full warranty) to replace it if I can find a 20-30k mile example. Being heavy its hard to find comfortable cars. I think your right about the GM Quality issue, but there's always hope.
I have a 2001 Olds Alero and the ignition cylinder went out on mine at 57K, 97K and 123K and GM only warranties the part for 10k miles. Costly repair for a cheap, unreliable part.
I can't believe it! My "low tire pressure" light keeps coming on and theres lots of air in the tire! I love my Alero, but I don't have 800 dollars to shell out for some new sensor. I swear Oldsmobile has it in for their buyers - my warranty JUST expired!
1st Oct 2005, 01:21
Glad you're happy with your car!
I actually seriously considered buying an Alero about that time as well, but I have to admit that I just couldn't get over the unusually gigantic taillights the Alero has. Perhaps it was for the better, as shortly after, GM announced that the Alero was soon to become an orphan.