Faults:

Besides general maintenance (starter, alternator, tune ups, oil changes, etc), the intake manifold and head gaskets were replaced just shy of 100,000 miles.

General Comments:

A good vehicle for a family or a commute to work.

Could have better low end power, but it is good enough.

Very comfortable for long trips, and has a nice stereo and air conditioning.

Also very quiet and rides smooth, even with higher mileage.

Wish they still made this brand.

Faults:

It overheated due to a faulty thermostat and blew the radiator. Not a big deal, the thermostat had probably never been replaced.

Also, the transmission started taking a while to go into gear during warm up. However, a new transmission filter kit (only $100 with labor) made it shift like butter again.

When I bought the car, the power windows would only work intermittently. Again, this was a simple fix. The stock wiring was old and tattered, so it wasn't making a good connection. So we replaced all the wiring going to all the windows.

General Comments:

It rides very smoothly and quietly compared to my 89 Corolla or my 93 Escort. The V6 motor really has good pickup. Decent trunk size. The cruise is a great thing to have on trips.

My only real complaint is the lack of a cupholder. The center console has a fold out cupholder with cheap clips, which I broke off almost immediately after buying the car. So, my hand or my legs are my cupholder. Kind of annoying.

Faults:

For the first two months that I've owned it all I did was put gas in it. Then one of the cylinders died (and yes I check my fluids regularly). Since I only paid $900 for the car, I didn't bother paying the money and just sold it.

General Comments:

To comment on what I typed above, I think I bought a car that was used and abused. Normally these cars are very reliable and I do recommend them to anybody looking for a no-nonsense midsize. My advice to anyone buying any car from a private party (i.e a non-dealer) is to have it looked at by your mechanic. I wish I did.

This car has a reputation for being a "granny car" but this is the way I like them. I'm 20 years old so that might sound strange. The interior is quite roomy and I like the bench seat and column shift. The exterior is bland but I wouldn't call it ugly. The only thing that I changed was the cassette player for a CD player.

Like I said the 3.1 liter engines are usually a good, reliable design. It only has 160HP, but for its size, it has quite a decent amount of power. I never found it truly lacking. Fuel mileage is also not bad. I usually got around 25 MPG.

If I was ever in the market, I would buy another, but like I said above, I would have a mechanic look it over.

Faults:

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

Changed intake manifold gasket at 165,000

Engine temp sensor changed at 120,000.

General Comments:

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.