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Comments
My conclusion, with a budget to buy one, was keep looking for a replacement for the Alero.
But you are right, it is just one source of many to be considered.
I read 2 reviews of the alero and basically counted it out. I also thought it was too small.
Later, after I drove an accord and some larger cars, I drove one and changed my mind. I guess I got tired of having to compromise on looks and driving pleasure. Yes, GM could do more for that car...a V-6 and 5 speed would have me in heaven.
GM always seems to hold back a little to get you into a higher model.
If I didn't have the GM card points, may have looked at the Passat.
jpelder : Alero is a fine car. With the Ecotec you aren't giving up any engine smoothness to the imports. I have always been impressed with the engine since I first drove the Saturn LS 2 years ago.
Then again, you can never have too much power! It's a shame we'll probably never get to read a new review of the alero with the ecotech.
I live in Buffalo, and as everyone probably knows, we had quite a snowfall recently. And I'd like to say that I'm very impressed with the car's performance in the snow. I haven't even come close to getting stuck, even when pulling out of the driveway with the front half and driver's side completely buried past the wheels. Or pulling in and out of parking spots on the street that had a large amount of snow that wasn't plowed. The traction control comes in handy on some icy patches. And I don't even have snow tires on it, just the stock 16" tires. I guess I forgot about snow tires, since there was no snow until Christmas week. I kinda miss rear wheel drive for the fun of swinging the tail around, and donuts, though!
Unfortunately I knocked out the driver's side fog light when I hit a snowbank. I knew I shouldn't have attempted to pull into the driveway from the right, with those huge mounds of snow surrounding it. At first I thought it was gone, or at least cracked. But after digging out all the snow from under there, I discovered it deep within the front of the car, and still working. Just the plastic piece that it's mounted to is broken.
You know, I never did share my big accident avoidance story. I'm still amazed to no end that I managed to dodge a woman who tried to turn left in front of me from the right lane on a one way street. Avoided her car, went up the curb right between a light pole and a fire hydrant, made an exact 90 degree turn (avoiding a wall that stretched around the corner) and stopped squarely in the middle of the sidewalk between that wall and two trees between the sidewalk and street. All from 45 mph. Scary, yet somehow beautiful. And I'm convinced I couldn't have done it had I been driving a lesser car. The end.
They do not yet list parts for the 2002 Alero, so you have to check under the Saturn L Series. Apparently, these just became available recently (according the the Saturn posts).
Some common Alero problems that have repeatedly been voiced here -- flooding, warped brakes, and vibrating side mirrors (to name a few) should have been corrected after the first complaints. But they have not been. Many have been problems in GM cars for years.
My 2 cents
Thanks
Seriously, my buddy replaced his at 45,000 miles. They still passed inspection, but winter was coming so he wanted a little more tread.
By the way, where do you find TSB's for the Alero (or any car for that matter). I'd like to learn a bit about other predicted problems.
So far, I love this car.
Look at http://www.alldata.com for TSB titles. There is no charge to see the titles but you will have to subscribe to read the contents of the TSBs. There don't appear to be very many TSBs for the Alero; many of them appear to be general TSBs issued to dealers for guidance rather than to address a specific problem. Interestingly, there is a TSB titled "Left Hand Mirror - Vibration". I wonder what it says...
Actually, dindak, you are contradicting yourself. JD Power for their Initial Quality Survey only has 50,000+ people. 10 times less then CR annual survey. guess which one has more credibility based on sample size? Plus JD is based on the manufacturers and not invididual models, which is much more accurate. Anyway neither is the "Bible" to determine which car is for you. they are both guides.
I agree some of CR reviews leave you scratching your head. But they look at vehicles from a practical stand point. That is why it is important to read their full report. So many people simply read the end-of- year Buying guide which is jsut a two sentence summary. If you went by their recommendations, you would never buy a SUV or sports car. Everybody would be driving a Honda or Toyota.
One thing I do agree withthem is the foreign family sedans are better then the American offerings. I say this not jsut because CR says this. The trend of American companies pouring money into the SUV and truck category is very disturbing. This sectore is theri money maker. It appears they ahve put all their eggs into these baskets. Toyota is on the verge of becoming the #3 sales leader in Amercia. They've done it by creating momentum with the Corrolla and Camry. Now they have the Tundra, Tacoma, and 4-5 versions of SUVs that everyone loves. Now they re-designed the already brilliant Camry, the Corrolla is being revised next year and the matrix (I think that is the name) next year. While GM has nothing exciting going for them. The response of the Big 3 has been to offer rebates and discounts on these vehicles to get people to buy them. Scary!
The Alero is a nice car...too bad they didn't do enough advertising to let everyone know about it.
1. Gas gauge does not work properly
2. Wind noise from left rear door/window
3. Gear shift when placed in "Park" does not release the key to be removed from ignition (have to grab gear lever and shake it get it to "click" so that key can be removed).
Anyone else having similar problems? Already had car in to replace driver's window due to etching of glass. Looks like all windows are being "scratched" in normal use.
I bought a Malibu in July and never received anything from JD Power. But I will get my CR survey in a month or so.
Face it, all surveys have their flaws. That is why they should be used as guides.
CR has 500K surveys for all cars, JD has 50K. Great!
CR will have 500 Honda Civic surveys and say 50 surveys from a smaller volume car. Well 50 is an insignificant sample size and hence the flaw. CR also polls it's readers/ members only which is flawed also as that is not a random population sample.
In the end we can agree that all surveys and data have flaws. Unfortunately most people believe everything they read. A cross section of data is always best!
For instance, I would expect a survey to request a list of problems which needed addressed, not just an opinion of the car.
How many times have you taken the vehicle in for a defect? What was the defect?
I'm just curious. I just bought my first new vehicle in 8 years, so maybe I'll receive a survey soon.
JD Power's goes deeper in narrowing down if the problem was at delivery or after a while and exactly where the problem was and how the major ones were solved.
To CR, a problem is basically something that stopped working; to JD Power, it's more broad, including a clean car at delivery, for instance.
I have worked on emergency brake cables (adjust and lubricate), but I am unfamiliar with the "boot". I assume is some sort of cover, but what is it?
The Malibu and Alero have a stiffer feel, which I do not like, and the Gran Am has a lighter feel which I prefer. I also noticed these differences in the Cavalier and Sunfire which I thought use the same components.
I prefer the Malibu but not if I have to struggle with the steering. Anybody know technically what's going on and what can be modified, etc?
I'll take a look and let you know, but I still don't know it if is the same on the malibu.
I appreciate your knowledge concerning this issue (and anyone else that may have more information).
Thank again.
Many moons ago, I adjusted one to stiffen the steering feel. The way it looks on the Alero pump, you may not be able to increase the power assist, only decrease it. Again, I am not sure as this setup has me baffled for the moment.
Surely someone out there has more current knowledge than I.
Does the boot tear when the handle is down, or up? On mine, I can't see how the boot would tear when up, and now that I adjusted the boot, it seems just fine when down.
I look for reasons to drive anymore, this car is a kick with the 5 speed!
I just don't understand why it isn't more popular. Do you have an '02?
They should be making their way to the lots pretty well right now.
Isseyvoo, what part of NY are you from. I stumbled upon one of the first '02 5 speeds by accident in Jamestown NY. I really wanted to drive one before ordering, and they had the exact one I wanted on the lot, but in a different color. Drove it, went home to PA and ordered one. Too bad you couldn't order one and deprive the Dealer the driving pleasure.
I have not noticed the 5th gear problem. It may just need a little breaking in. One thing I am surprised about with the 5 speed is that you hardly "need" to downshift. You can ascend moderate hills in 5th gear no problem. I usually like plenty of power so I downshift anyway, but it is unlike any 5 speed I have driven before. Then again, I'm sure the CTS can pull just as well.
One thing I noticed the other day was when You start the car at night, with the emergency brake on, the headlights do not come on until you release the emergency brake. HAve any of you seen or noticed this feature before?
Congrats on the Ruby Red. I almost ordered that color...it is really sharp. Did you get the sedan or coupe?
Re: auto lights, I find they turn themselves on and off again around dusk. I guess the computer gets confused in low light levels.
All and all though, I very much enjoy the car, especially the sport suspension.
I'm in Pelham, NY (Westchester County) and bought the car near Mystic, CT (about 80 miles away) at $120 over invoice.
BTW, I have a Ruby 4dr.
#1107 of 1111 Greetings from Victoria, B.C. by victoriaboy Jan 22, 2002 (10:05 pm)
Some some white stuff this morning on the van, neighbours think its snow but are not sure, they've never seen it before. (Just rubbing it in for my Canadian cousins)
Anyway, probably my last post on this forum, at least for vans anyway. Thanks to all those who had suggestions.
Continuing my epic on the leaky 2000 Venture Van, the dealer after 5 tries now absolutely positively, guaranteed that there would be no more water leaks. They kept it for a week and alternately flooded and dried it. All gaskets and seals replaced and three welded seams repaired, all around the upper right rear tailgate post.
While I did not doubt their belief, having sleepless nights wondering what could be the next problem resulted in taking the van from their repair shop immediatly up to the next Chev dealer up the road and trading it in on a six month old 2001 Olds Alero GL V6 with every option exc lthr and sunrf..
Wholesale value slightly higher than the Van so they agreed on an $800 (Can)$480(US)profit for doing the paperwork and maybe selling the van for a better markup. Our van is listed wholesale at $17,290 (Can) $10,374 (US).
The Alero is wholesale priced at $17,995(Can)$10,797(US)
It was funny that the best our original dealer could do on a trade was a 1999 Malibu LS that in my Black Book Canadian Equivalent to the US Kelly Blue Book was listed at $12,200 (Can)$7300 (US). DiD they know something about their van we did'nt??
Both my wife and myself feel a lot better and hope we do not have to show up on the "Alero" forum whiners lot. Hope the rest of you have happy "vanning", it does not seem to be in the cards for us.
I doubt that one would find more than one on any lot. Dealers, especially Olds', hate to stock manual trans cars, so expect to have to order one.
When I lifted up the rear factory floor mats, there was a rust colored impression of the back of the mat in the carpeting. If I hadn't moved the mats I would have never known.
Has anyone else noticed these stains on the rear floor? Have you looked???
I can't imagine it would cost more than a few hundred bucks.
I have also had the brakes fixed twices, the rotars replaced once, and the alternate auxilatory jack replaced twice.
Other then this (sic) all has been fine.