Oldsmobile Alero

sean3 · December 2004

has a target audience obviously, i guess the price is the seller on these, Is it me or do these cars yell "cheap rental car surplus" I also hear they are done with the olds brands, around here there are many and its always young girls or old women in these, you may be thinking of the grand am, which is its meant to be sporty mate, which is also gone for '05. Who do you think the target market is for the entire olds brand?, Cant knock it though because you can buy a fully loaded Zero mile alero here for 10k.or go to enterprise and pick one up for 8K or so with under 20k miles,But driving an alero what does that say about your personality?Boring and conservative maybe?

What happened to guys driving guy cars and girls driving girl cars? ughhh

mikey00 · December 2004

I am not talking "target audience ". Insurance companies use the actual age of the people these cars end up with. You see cheap. I see value. I am thinking of picking up another one for when my son begins driving.

sean3 · December 2004

saturn alero? no offense but those are girl cars, do you all live in the sticks or what?it cracks us up tp see a guy in a alero (not often), and actually thinking he is cool, my ins company considered pretty much a granny car, where do you get the idea that a saturn can run forever, they are no better than a cavalier, GM has been trying to play catch up for years especially on there compacts and midsize,and seem no closer, they are already having major issues with electrical systems,,on there barely released '05 models. they earn nothing but black marks in consumer real world life. Heck, why should GM improve people keep buying there inferior products,

Sean

mikey00 · December 2004

The people on this site drive a car for what it is and are more interested in it's technical aspects and value. You main interest seems to be do I look cool. I am my own person. No car will change that.

jtrujillo86 · December 2004

I completely agree with you, Mikey. When I first started looking for another car after I sold my Malibu, I was so sure that I was going to get a VW Jetta, Golf, or Passat. I can't even count how many people told me that VW's are girl cars. I couldn't care less though, because I loved all of the engine choices in those cars, as well as their solid structure and handling.

Now a year later, instead of driving a VW I have an Alero. I have that Alero because it was a great value: I got a 1 year old car with only 24K miles on it with a V6 engine, pw, pdl, cruise, automatic, power seats -- pretty much everything I was looking for an more. I got it all for less than 10K. Once again, so many people told me that it was a girl car...so what! I drive a much nicer car than all of those people and its been much more reliable than all of their cars. I enjoy my car not because of what it looks like to other people, but because of what it looks like to me: a great looking and running car at a great value.

On a side note, when I purchased my car, I got a ton of crap from my aunt who HATES American cars. About two weeks ago my uncle bought her a 1999 Jaguar XK8. Today, its sitting in the shop because it wouldn't start. I couldn't help but laugh...

Jeremy

sean3 · December 2004

esp if are a guy, But alero? at least go for the grand am although its another has been & dropped Gm car, Jaguar problems, whats your point? we had a new engine installed in our 42K mile one owner Boneville when GM voided our warrranty because we were 600 miles past ONE oil change, Although they ended up paying for it and giving us a voucher towars any new GM product, finally admitted an engine flaw in a small number of that car, heck i am not against american cars, just the cheesy ones they try to pass of as real cars,,Sean

jtrujillo86 · December 2004

If you think they are "cheesy" cars, that's your opinion. Don't buy one if you don't like them.

Jeremy

By the way, PLEASE start using punctuation better. It's really hard to follow what you are saying when there are no periods in your entire post. Thanks.

jtrujillo86 · December 2004

By the way, what kind of car do you drive?

Another thing: who are you to say that any certain type of car is a "cheesy" or "girl car"??? Until you pay my car payment, insurance premium and my maintenance bills, I'll keep driving what I want.

Jeremy

mnalero99 · December 2004

DUDE, ARE YOU FOR REAL? I'VE NEVER HEARD OF SUCH RIDICULOUS COMMENTS ABOUT A CAR. THESE ARE COMMENTS I WOULD ASSOCIATE A TWENTY YEAR OLD WITH AN IDENTITY CRISIS TO SAY. NOT ONCE HAVE I HEARD OF AN ALERO BEING A GIRLS CAR, WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM. I'VE HAD ALL KINDS OF SPORT CARS AND COUPES IN MY TIME AND I ENJOY MY 2 DOOR ALERO. GETS ME FROM POINT A TO B AND IT'S A GOOD LOOKING CAR.

yurakm · December 2004

You can compare what sean3 writes here with his posts on the Impala threat. There are people who likes to insult and provoke others. Especially convenient using the anonymous nature of Internet forums. The best reaction is ignoring...

sean3 · December 2004

Geez, why get on the defensive, really I could care less what you drive, this is a car discussion board, with different opinions, Whats wrong in opinions about boys and girls cars? I find it entertaining and interesting what girls seem to be driving make//model, and guys what make/model, you think the car companys dont do that when they design a car? My wife holds a Degree and works in new product development and marketing for a major youth orientated company so I am well aware, she has access to market info from thousands of companys and it is pretty interesting stuff beleive it or not, she can tell what will be sucessfull and to who and for how long and what will be dropped, you people are no fun...:) Her car 2002 Boneville ssek, sweet car now that the motor runs! Sean

sean3 · December 2004

My good friend just bought an impala and I was giving my opinion on it positive and negative, and it so happens I drove it tonight and was impressed, at least i can be honest. Impala people dont get all funny about opinions, they ask questions and offer advice instead of jumping on the defensive, I am from a large City with a very diverse population and I can take other people's views on any topic. Really. Sean

corsicachevy · December 2004

I just entered the world of girly, cheesy cars and didn't even know it. It's odd because I was intending on entering the world of inexpensive, stylish cars.

Last week I purchased a 2004 Alero GL2 with 15,000 miles for slightly over $10,000. It was time to get rid of the 1996 Corsica. The old bucket of bolts started making odd and expensive sounding noises from the front end.

I have two questions/concerns about my car. First, has GM finally solved the leaking intake manifold problem on the 3.1/3.4 V6 engines? Second, did GM beef up the brakes in the '03 and '04 Aleros? I had read that premature brake wear was common on the '99-'02 models.

Any information the good people on this board have would be helpful.

mikey00 · December 2004

When someone drops in to an Alero forum, who doesn't even own one, just to tell you what a cheesy car you have it is best just to ignore him. Looks like this isn't the only thread. I must have got caught up in the moment. I am presently searching for my second "cheesy" "girly" Alero.

pat · December 2004

Mikey00 has excellent advice - it amounts to don't feed the trolls.

Let's move on.

jtrujillo86 · December 2004

First and foremost, let me say welcome to the Alero forum, CorsicaChevy. Congrats on your purchase too. To answer a few of your questions, no, they did not beef up the brakes -- they are still the same. You have rear drum brakes, don't you? Why they changed from all around disks in 2002 to rear drums in 2004, I have NO idea. Be gentle with them and you should be good for at least 40K. My brakes are all original, although they are slightly warped. I have 42K miles on my Silver Bullet now. To answer your other question, yes. I believe in April/May 2001 they changed the material in the gaskets in the 3.4 and 3.1L V6 engines. My car was manufactured in Aug. 2001, but when I purchased it used with 24K miles on it, the GM dealership had just changed the gaskets on my engine. I must say though, that I still don't have much faith in the "new material" intake gaskets. I'm not getting my hopes up and I won't be surprised if I need to replace them by 60K miles. BTW what color did you choose? Also, it looks like you got a great deal on your car. Congrats again.

Mikey -- good luck with the purchase of you SECOND Alero. There are some great deals out there just like CorsicaChevy pointed out. You have to go with a 3.4L engine -- I love mine, but I guess I'm partial :-)

Sean3: You still haven't figured out how to properly used punctuation. Please do us a favor: go to the Bonneville forum. Thanks buddy.

Jeremy

corsicachevy · December 2004

Jeremy,

Thanks for the welcome. Its nice to have a car that actually has a forum devoted to it - unlike the Corsica.

My car is loaded and did come with four wheel disks. My concern is with the front disks given the bad experience some people had with '99-'-02 models. I really easy on brakes so hopefully I won't have any problems.

My Alero is silver, which wasn't my first choice but a perfectly practical color given that I live in "salt country" (Wisconsin). The color choices were quite limited in the last year of production, however the limited edition "Oldsmobile 500" deep root beer color (or whatever that is) was absolutely beautiful.

I don't have much to add given that I don't take delivery of the car until Thursday.

yurakm · December 2004

I had a 98 Malibu - the same platform, the same front disks. First set: worn out pads scratched disks 23,000 miles, replaced. Second set - pads worn at 45,000 miles, replaced. Expected to replace the third set at 66,000 miles or so; however mechanic at Firestone told they are OK. Checked again at dealership at 70,000 miles - turned to be 60% of pads were left.

All pads and rotors were OEM, GM/Goodwrench, replaced at dealership. The service adviser told that GM changed the pads material.

So I would not expect brake problems with your new Alero.

jtrujillo86 · December 2004

I have a silver Alero too! Like you, it wasn't my first choice. I really wanted the teal color, but I fell in love with my baby as soon as I saw it. I wax my car every three months because I am VERY VERY worried about the silver fading in the sun (I don't have a garage to park it in).

Anyway, have fun with your car. Let us know how you like it once you take delivery. Don't worry too much about your brakes. You should be okay.

Jeremy

occupant1 · December 2004

I am considering a used Alero, a 2000 GLS coupe, V6/auto, 75K, leather, for $4700. I'm wondering about some of the issues mentioned here and on some other forums and groups. I'm mostly concerned about the 3400's intake gaskets, disc brake rotors, dashboard pads, and fuel pumps.

I have read lots of horror stories of 3400 engine intake gasket failures, but mostly from minivan and Impala owners. Do the Alero 3400's suffer the same Dex-Cool related problems as the other marques?

The dashboard pictures I have seen show wrinkling and creasing. Do they ever get to a point where the dash lifts all the way up like a 90's Kia Sephia, blocking my view of the road?

I don't mind changing disc brake pads and rotors. I take it these rotors are the same as the Malibu. Are updated parts available so I can get more use out of each brake job?

Finally, I have heard of fuel pump failures, but is there any documentation to prove it's a part failure and not just people running them low on gas all the time and burning the pump out?

yurakm · December 2004

1. Concerning brakes:

The new GM brake pads serve much, much longer.

I had a 98 Malibu, with the same front rotors. The set of pads had to be replaced after 23k miles, the second served 22k miles (90% worn out and replaced during 45k mile service). When I checked brakes 25k miles later (at 70k miles) at dealership, I was told that 60% of pads were still left.

Given the Alero have 75k miles on odometer, most probably it have the new brake pads already.

2. Coolant leak.

GM re-designed the intake manifold gasket recently. New material. Hard to say, if the gasket was already replaced on the Alero, and even if it is really much better than the older gaskets.

The intake gasket leak starts slow, and takes about 3 years or 35k miles to manifest. It makes sense to pressure test the coolant system before buying the car. The test costs only $20 to $30, and it will reveal any small leak. If it is present, it makes sense to adjust the price, or to purchase another car.

By the way, the leak is not related to the orange Dex-Cool liquid. The engine and the intake manifold are made from different metals, steel and aluminum, with different coefficients of thermal expansion. The old gasket did not compensate well enough for the difference.

3. Fuel pump failure: I believe it does not happen often, and is mostly related to driving with low gas. The pump needs gas for cooling. However, with used car you cannot know how it was used or abused.

4. I do not know about Alero dash.

occupant1 · December 2004

Thanks, yurakm. Does anyone have the price and part numbers for the newer brake pad design? I'll want to do the brakes myself so I'll need to go to the dealer and I don't want them to sell me the old pads.

Anyone else have experience with the dashboard problems? I don't care how the car looks for $4700, I'll buy a cover or tape it down, I just don't want it lifting up so high that I can't see over it.

I'll check a GM dealer to see if the intake gaskets have already been replaced and also to see which part they used. The car is at a VW dealer, maybe I can get them to do the pressure test there, since all they need to do is attach a pump to the radiator cap, I would think it'd be a universal tool.

yurakm · December 2004

My brake pads were replaced about 3 years ago. So, I believe, old parts must be gone for long time.

BTW, if you do not service car at dealership, you can buy even better pads on-line, for example at www.tirerack.com.

jtrujillo86 · December 2004

I have experienced the wrinkled dash, but it wasn't on the driver's side. It was actually separating where the two colors of the dash meet above the glove box. Every photo that I have seen of wrinkled dash have never been so bad that you couldn't see over it. $4700 seems like a decent price for an Alero GLS. Try and get them to $4000 or $4100 if the car doesn't pass the pressure test, because it will cost about $600 to fix the intake manifold gasket.

Jeremy

rdeschene · December 2004

I'm not sure if this is the same thing, but we did have to have our fuel level sensor (or maybe it was the entire fuel sending unit; not sure) replaced. And I can tell you that we rarely let our gas tank get below the halfway point. Living in Canada, that's just a habit you get into, especially in the winter.

Ours is a 2000 GLS, and we've had the brake pads replaced once. We've also had to have both front wheel bearings replaced, and the plastic knob on the gear-shift handle has broken off twice (the first time, it was replaced under warranty). And my husband replaced the blower motor resistor on the fan. That's pretty much the extent of all our repairs.

isseyvoo · January 2005

Question to the technically knowledgeable out there... I thought the traction control that came standard on my '01 Alero was supposed to prevent wheel slip. New Year's Eve I parked on an incline with one tire on dewy grass. When I tried to go forward upon leaving, the tire on the grass just spun, coating the side of the car with grass/mud and leaving a damaged strip on the grass. I ended up having to back down the hill until the car was fully on pavement before I could move forward. Isn't the traction control supposed to prevent this kind of thing, or am I just woefully ignorant and expecting too much?

rdeschene · January 2005

I'm certainly not among the "technically knowledgeable" . . . but my husband is, so I asked him. He agrees that traction control should have taken care of that situation. Did your "Low Trac" light come on while your tire was spinning? If not, then your traction control may have been switched off. Check to see if the ETS button by your gear shift lever is on or off. (However, I think a "Trac Off" light comes on if it's been switched off.)

Also, my husband wonders if you kept your foot on the gas pedal during the spinning of your tire, or if you removed it immediately. As he puts it, traction control can only override so much; it also serves as a warning to the driver to decelerate in slippery conditions.

Here's an Edmunds.com article on Traction Control:

http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/safety/articles/46352/article.ht- - - - ml

jtrujillo86 · January 2005

In order for the traction control to engage, there needs to be constant, uninterrupted slippage. If you hit the gas and let off of it before the LOW TRAC light came on, then the system basically resets itself until it senses more slip. When I first got my car, I noticed that it took a while for the traction control to engage, but now I am used to it.

Jeremy

mikey00 · January 2005

I am not sure about the "constant, uninterrupted" slippage required for the traction control to engage. I have never been in the exact situation as above with one wheel on wet grass. But I often come to a stop on wet roads and if I give a little too much gas the traction control kicks in and prevents wheel spin. It seems almost instantaneous.

jtrujillo86 · January 2005

Really? I guess I can see both sides. Right now there is snow here in Denver and if I hit the gas to make the wheels spin, it takes a good 2-3 seconds before the light comes on. Other times, like if I'm on sand, it seems that it kicks in right away. Most of the time though, it takes it a while. I dunno...

JeReMy

rdeschene · January 2005

Here in southeastern Ontario, we get a fair bit of ice as well as snow. I find that on an icy patch, the traction control kicks in instantaneously, as soon as I accelerate. On snow, it doesn't seem to activate as quickly, possibly because the tires have a bit more traction on snow than they do on ice. But we also replace our BF Goodrich Touring T/A SR4 tires with Michelin Arctic Alpins over the winter, so that probably makes a difference in how much traction we have on snow, too. No matter how good the tires, there's only so much traction you can have on ice.

mikey00 · January 2005

I had a chance to play with the traction control a little more on both ice and a wet road. While it does not eliminate wheel spin it does do a very good job at minimizing it. From a dead stop I hit the gas on both ice and wet roads without the traction control engaged. The tires spun quite a bit and I had little to no traction. Then I tried the same with traction control engaged. I could still get the wheels to spin but it was much less and traction was much better.

corsicachevy · January 2005

I would have to agree with those on this board who say that their traction control does not act "instantaneously".

Yesterday was my first experience with my new Alero in the snow (10 inches - more on that later). I was surprised hour much wheel spin is allowed prior to system engagement. That's fine with me as there is nothing wrong with a little wheel slippage. When the system does engage it works beautifully.

As for the snow handling characteristics of this car, the old adage "if you can't something nice don't say anything at all" comes to mind. I suppose those 225/50/16 don't help, but my old Corsica feels like an Audi All-Road in comparison.

rdeschene · January 2005

It's interesting that you make that comparison, because we had a Corsica before buying our Alero, and we feel the Alero handles much better on snow and ice. I guess I could attribute that to the Michelin Arctic Alpins we use during the winter, except that we bought snow tires for our Corsica, as well.

jtrujillo86 · January 2005

I think that the 'N' body vehicles from GM (Alero, Malibu, Grand Am) are awesome in the snow. Of course, the Alero and Grand Am are available with traction control, but on both my old 1997 Malibu and on my 2002 Alero, it was and is EXTREMELY hard to make my car slide, even when I try. The other day when there was about 4 inches of snow on the ground, I accelerated to about 40 MPH, turned hard, and barely slid and inch. The tires that I have are stock. It's great.

Jeremy

wispy · January 2005

I have a 2000 Alero. The only time I had problems getting traction was when I pulled into a parking space that was full of snow and was on a slope forward (2yrs ago). Tires just spun and I had to find someone to push me out. Tires weren't old.

I does anyone else have this model at around 80,000 miles? I was just wondering how their breaks are doing now? I had my breaks replaced early on and I keep asking the mechanic how they are doing when I take the car in for oil changes. (I think I had work done one other time, but they were covered under the first sets warranty.)

The windshield has crack twice from little pebbles, yet I left it the second time with a little dent and it never spidered more.

I have never had a leak in the car.

The over head light did have a rattle for awhile and it did pop out. It's getting fixed now.

It there anything else I should watch for? 2,528 messages is a lot to read through...

jtrujillo86 · January 2005

It sounds like your car is doing really good for having 80K miles on it. Many Alero owners complain about alternator issues (some more than once) and intake manifold gasket problems. It also sounds like you are keeping a good eye on the brakes. Keep an ear out for the squealing that will come from the warning pin when they are low and take it in if you feel a pulsation in the pedal under heavy braking. That would mean that you have warped rotors, which is another common issue on these vehicles. Also, brake life is very driver-specific. For example, my mom's car has nearly 90K on it and she has the original pads on her it. On the other hand, my sisters car had 35K miles on it when she needed new pads. It all depends on the way you drive...

As for the windshield is concerned, I would say that's pretty average. I have noticed that GM stock windshields are pretty rugged and any deep chips seem to resist cracking further. I have many surface chips at 44K miles and I'm pretty confident that she'll hold up for the long run. I am doing more highway driving to and from home now that I am in school, so I'm pretty sure that I'll be seeing more chips, but hopefully not (knock on wood).

As for any other issues, you may be seeing a bad wheel bearing or two, the alternator go, or the intake manifold gasket go, which are all pretty common on Alero's. Just make sure you take care of here and you should only encounter a few issues if any.

Jeremy

mcc-mobile · February 2005

Four years ago I said: ( and I still agree!!! See my question below regarding 56,000 miles?)

" Jan 2001- Read through the posts, it confirmed that the new 2001 ALERO GL4 sedan was a good price ($200 over invoice of 18,500)> While the dealer financing guy walked away, I managed to peek at the invoice and see the dealer hold back price was 17600 from the manufacturer. So with the $1000 rebate added, I feel I got a decent price close to manufacturer price.

    I think the real cost of these vehicles are not fully realized. If you read the consumer reports (www.consumerreports.org) from consumers union, the reliability of the Alero vehicles are high. Alero places right under the Honda ratings. With high reliability, there are much lower repair costs. So the 5 year 60,000 warranty is a good deal for GM and owners. This reliability factor confirmed my decision to go with the Alero.

Reading over the owner satisfaction here and other places, I chose the 2001 since any bugs were probably worked out on the 99-00 versions.



My package was the GL4 with 4 cylinder and leather interior. agree with the review with Consumer reports on the 99 model in whole, although an updated review on 2001 would have been nice.

My comments: The 4 cylinder seems to have enough power since 80% of my driving is California highway. Acceleration is sufficient for a pass while climbing hills is average. Try not to pass on a steep incline hill and you'll be fine. It would have been nice to have a V6 but for only 20 up more, I don't see the difference being critical. The 4 cylinder has some noise but I prefer the noise in combination with the tachometer to measure the transmission shifts and engine load. The steering is just a touch lacking, but it is probably my shifting over to the new car at this point



Enjoy the purchase. I feel these cars represent a good value in today's market until the gas-battery hybrids are in full force in a few years ( 60-70 mpg should be the next step in fuel efficiency)



Good luck, I think the Edmunds.com web site is a solid source on information. Use it to your advantage and let someone else get stuck with the dealer high margins, not you! "

Feb 2005:

I have 56,000 miles, Are there any recall or last

fixes before my 60k warranty expires? I did get the turn signal recall and a free set of brakes at 20,000. Durn this was a GREAT buy! Only one front end alignment required other than oil changes. Disppointed the tires went at 48,000 but that was related to the alignment issue. Now I have to decide if the 16 year old will be the driver to the local school. perhaps another used Alero is in order!

mikey00 · February 2005

You may want to re-check your Consumer Reports info. They never really liked the car and pretty much trashed the 99 especially the 4 cylinder. In fact 1999 through 2001 made their list of used cars to avoid.

All that said, I am still satisified with my 2000 GL 6 cylinder. I had some of the usual problems (brake rotors, blower motor resistor, 4way switch recall) but overall the car is solid. I did have to add coolant a few times over the last couple of months with no sign of leaking, so it sounds like I will be dealing with the famous intake manifold gasket failure soon.

mikey00 · February 2005

I don't know if you are still out there. Last post I saw from you was about a year ago when the dealer just tightened your intake manifold gasket bolts instead of replacing the gasket. I was wondering how the repair has held up. I am now in the same situation and wonder if the bolt tightening is worth a try.

Thanks,

Mike

isseyvoo · February 2005

Well, my "station car" has been given last rites, so the Alero is going to have to take over all driving duties, instead of just getting the plum highway trips and weekend saunters. I bought it new in Feb. '01 and she's only got 17K miles. She's going to be in for a shock -- hasn't seen hard duty or bad weather. We'll see how she responds to the challenge.

mikey00 · February 2005

I just had the recall done on my 2000 Alero this morning. Now I notice the button on the dash that turns on the 4 way flashers has no light in it. I think it had a light before the switch replacement. Can anyone confirm this for me?
Thanks,
Mike

isseyvoo · February 2005

It definitely used to light up at night. I had the recall done as well, and now that you mention it, I didn't notice whether it still lights or not. I'll have to pay attention next time I drive at night.

mikey00 · February 2005

I made the mistake of checking it in direct sunlight. Once I pulled in to my garage I noticed it does light.

isseyvoo · February 2005

Does anyone have any words of experience as to the wisdom of keeping the RS-As on year round in the snow belt?

rdeschene · February 2005

We live in southeastern Ontario, and every winter, we switch our BF Goodrich Touring T/A SR4s with Michelin Arctic Alpins. Between the Alero's traction control and those tires, we get pretty good traction on snow.

gregkillian · March 2005

I had RS-A's on my 01 GL2, and IMHO, they were HORRIBLE. Wet and snow traction were lousy. In fact, I recently switched to BF Goodrich Traction T/A's, and they have IMPROVED the ENTIRE CAR. I am not kidding. You may note past posts from me regarding a front end clunk. I had it for years, and had it looked at every time the car was in for something. Probably had two full front end rebuilds (piece by piece) since 2001. Never fixed. I just switched tires, and it's GONE!!! Unbelievable. Never thought it would go away.

Beware of another prob with RS-A's. After they wear a bit (in my case 40K miles), you may hear a groaning noise at low speeds from the front end. This is from the "ribs" that are a cosmetic feature of the RS-A located right near the tire bead. The ribs rub against your wheel and cause the noise. Drove me nuts. Olds dealer said it is a recognized problem. Got new tires and it went away.

My recommendation, use up what you have left on the RS-A's and get BFG T/A's. They'll transform your car. Quieter, better ride, better traction, are made by Michelin (best quality tire co. period), and are less expensive to boot!!!!!

mcc-mobile · March 2005

Actually Consumer reports rating in reliability (just under Honda Accord) was some of the key data. I figured by 2001 most of the initial bugs were worked out.
I had the same minor problems as you state, but coolant seems fine. I was was going to take it in at 59,000 and see if there were any other manufacturer "freebies" before the warranty expired. A few in between rough starts indicates the gasket manifold is on the horizon. ( Covered by warranty?).

Sure they would list these cars to avoid simply from the resale value being so poor and support dwindling. But for a small sized car for what I use it, it meets the point A to point B requirement in fine shape

mikey00 · March 2005

I almost feel like we are not looking at the same information, although I know we are because in your post you said "consumer reports (www.consumerreports.org)". I have both a magazine and an online subscription. I just logged on to check again and the 2001 Alero and the 2001 Accord are not even close. Alero has a black mark for reliability and Accord has the highest rating.
On another note my dissappearing coolant is starting to show up as a intake manifold gasket. I can see coolant on the right top of the engine. Dealer gave me a quote of $800 to $1000 and said GM was offering no assistance. I still have to call GM to see if I can get anything. An independent mechanic gave me an estimate of $600. I will most likely use him.

corsicachevy · March 2005

I concur with the previous comments about the poor winter handling characteristics of the stock 16 inch Goodyear Eagle RS-As. In their defense, I doubt there are too many 225/60/16s in existence that provide decent snow traction, but these are particularly terrible.

Since these tires aren't known for longevity I won't have to live with them for much longer (about 15,000 more miles). The BFG recommendation sounds good. Kelly-Springfield also makes a tire with decent lugging that should perform well in the snow.

Oldsmobile Alero

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