1991 Oldsmobile Ciera 3.3 i6 from North America
Summary:
A low maintenance run-forever car
Faults:
New shocks / struts at 150,000 - body roll was unacceptable.
Replaced muffler (not whole exhaust) at 150,000.
Headliner dropped at 165,000.
New front brake calipers / rotors at 170,000.
New starter at 170,000.
New plugs and plug wires at 170,000.
Replaced inner tie rods at 175,000.
Replaced one A/C line at 175,000.
General Comments:
First, for the positives:
The car is nearly maintenance free. After 180,000 miles, it burns no oil and still has great pickup. The few things that have gone wrong are all standard maintenance items after that many miles - many hundreds (thousands?) of which have been on "4-wheel drive" roads.
There is plenty of head and leg room in the front cabin seats (an over 6 foot tall driver is perfectly comfortable).
The ride is comfortable - even for 1000 mile days.
Negatives:
There is little backseat leg room.
The trunk hinges have a bad tendency to crush items in the trunk due to their alignment.
Handles like a bus.
Computer doesn't update with altitude all that well - at 10,000+ feet, the car has problems getting too warm going up steep grades (started at about 140,000 miles).
Overall:
I am amazed and impressed with the longevity and lack of required maintenance for this vehicle. Change the oil every 3,000 (okay - up to 6,000) miles, the transmission fluid at 170,000, and put new brake pads on, and the car will run seemingly forever. Good acceleration, decent gas mileage, and plenty of room far outweigh the poor handling and not-so-great looks of this vehicle.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 8th October, 2002