2001 Oldsmobile Alero GLS Coupe 3.4 SFI V6 from North America
Summary:
Not made any more... stay away from used!!!
Faults:
10,000 miles
Dealer replaced warped rotors - warranty
18,000 miles
Turn signal went out - dealer warrantied
Dealer resurfaced warped rotors - warranty
26,000 miles
Noticed an oil leak, dealer replaced lower intake gaskets under warranty.
35,000 miles
Replaced brakes with Powerslot Rotors and Ceramic Pads, and this was the last time the brakes were touched - OEM's were just that bad, I guess.
42,000 miles
Turn signal again, dealer fixed under warranty
48,000 miles
Transmission electrical connections fell apart, transmission was replaced due to internal damages caused by wiring failure - under warranty
56,000 miles
Intake gasket again!!! - Dealer warranty.
General Comments:
Initially I liked my Alero very much. It was a GLS Coupe, and you didn't see many of them on the road.
The Monsoon (sorry, Olds called it the "Dynamic Bass Boost Option" back then) rocked, and I had a spirited car that returned a solid 23-25 MPG mixed driving.
I was fortunate that I kept my old S10 around, as it served as my loaner car each time I had to take it to the dealership. Under the GM warranty, they had to take it for a day to assess if a loaner was needed. So, effectively, I'd get a loaner at the end of the day and by that time, I just said forget it, I'll drive my truck to work.
I ended up trading the Alero in a few miles after it was out of it's 5 year/60,000 mile warranty. I was able to get more on the trade in than I was expecting, and decided to get rid of the car before I started to get burned by it.
I'm now a happy owner of an '04 Accord Coupe EX-L, which has been flawless and better in every way. It's a shame, because 5 years ago when I graduated college, you would have never seen me in an import. My, how things have changed. :P.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 23rd August, 2006