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1) The AC evaporator coil on most Foci leaks all over the passenger carpet and mildews it. This is supposedly caused by water soluble glue. My poor mechanic had to remove my dashboard 4 times and install 4 different coils before the one FedExed directly from Ford finally worked. At least Ford honors their warranty without any flak.
2) The spring on the clutch pedal failed, reducing the amount of clutch pedal and disconnecting the cruise control in the process.
3) The shifter linkage failed and I had to search for each gear. This was only dangerous when down-shifting.
4) There were also 2-3 recalls for which nothing was wrong. These recall visits were coupled with the repair visits, as in killing two birds with one stone.
5) Right now, the Focus is behaving itself very well, as it hears me talking about trading it in on something else. It has 30000 miles on it. All the troubles started at 22000 miles. The final blow was finding out how much this car has depreciated within one year (Trade-in is about 50% of the original MSRP!!!!).
Of course, being a new model, all parts need to be ordered. After reading other horror stories from Foci owners, I really feel quite lucky. Some of the Alero stories were also quite frightening. A guy I worked with is a devoted GM man and has a 98 Intrigue. His rack-and-pinion steering failed several times when it was only a few thousand miles old, and he also had water leaks. He still has his Intrigue and loves it. I would have driven that car into the lake, as I joke about trading in cars that need air in the tires.
The Alero is an incredibly beautiful car that drives and handles as well as any Japanese car.
Hopefully all the bugs have been removed, as I hope to be buying one within a few weeks.
Thanks again everyone for all of the Alero tips.
Now for the bad news for you Alero lovers. I bought a 2000 Nissan Sentra SE with 145 BHP this evening for about $3000 less than the Alero. Both the Alero and Sentra SE accelerated about the same and had similar great rides with 30-32 mpg highway fuel economy. This Sentra was a rare find, as it has the bigger engine without the stiff Stage II suspension and ugly black seat fabric found on the Power Package. This Nissan surprised the heck out of me, so I jumped at the chance to save even more money.
Thanks again to everyone for the responses to my questions. Had I not found this particular Nissan in my first color choice, the Alero would have won hands down over the Solara. In retrospect, I was probably looking for something that drove and handled as well as my ex-beloved Focus, but with much better reliability. The base Sentra SE clearly fits this bill.
I really, really, really want to buy one but I really, really, really need to sell my current car in order to do this.
Alero can do anything a Grand Am can do.
To make my point clear, I am going to grossly exaggerate it in the next question: what kind of lady you want to attract? Is it your future wife, or a lady to spend together one evening and night?
Hey if you really want a car that has a bad-[non-permissible content removed] "dominator" attitude try a Firebird. They really don't cost much more than a G/A and are probably faster. (V6)
Anyway, GM is trying to make a statement with the differences between GA & Alero. More of a statement with "looks" than based on substance of course. But it's working. The Average Alero buyer IS older, but they're aiming at the Accord's market segment. Accords have the same features but cost $4,000 more.
It was dark. I was on the left lane, but need to change lanes to turn on right. A dark (black?) car was in my blind spot on the right lane. I saw only his nose, and though it is a small car, Corolla or Sentra.
Recognized my error only after seeing a pair of wide-spaced headlights of the low car in my rearview mirror. Otherwise never would even try to overtake a Firebird/Camaro in my "retiremobil" Buick sedan.
It was a base V-6 model, no doubts. I would have no chances against the V-8 one.
You guys might want to think about your already poor resale value.
Oldsmobile of today isn't a car company with its own personality, like the above threads about Grand Am versus Aleros. It is merely a Brand, like Polo Jeans is a kind of denim jeans. Brands come and go with the wind.
Kinda sad, eh?
Pluses for that are no doubt phat rebates, and 0.0 apr for an unlimited finance term. GM also said that it will pretty much forever supply parts for the cars through other GM dealers.
Cons, super poor resale, moral at Olds factory headed down in Titanic Fashion, quality may decrease.?
If I buy a 2001, will I get shafted if I keep it until 2006?
And of course GM would continue to produce Oldsmobiles. They have to somehow recoup the investment they made in Oldsmobile cars. As long as there is some demand and revenue from sales of Oldsmobiles remain above total variable costs, GM will continue to produce Oldsmobile cars.
I have to agree with "saturnboy". Lower morale will definitely affect quality. In fact, GM is planning to lay off 15000 workers in US and Europe. I expect a lot of people working at GM will have lower morales.
GM has big plans as how to draw in a younger generation of buyers through very aggresive, yet competitive models through Chevy and Saturn mostly. Get em when there young, offer a cutting edge product and they will keep coming back, said by a GM spokesperson.
Often change is scary within a big corporation, and ordinary people sometimes don't know how to respond I guess. GM has alliances with Honda- and they will be using a Honda V6 in some future Saturn models - which will probably go in the upcoming Camaro based Saturn coupe. They will be using technology from Saab, Honda, Opel, and a few others.
Seems like this is a new begining, a start anyway.
I am considering buying a 2001 Alero GLS, but with the recent announcement that Olds. will be shutting down has made me rethink things.
So, I've come here to get people's opinions on what I should do. I REALLY like the Alero, and I know all warranty stuff will be honored along with any maintenance (performed at any GM dealer) after the warranty has expired, but the whole idea of having a car 5 years from now from a company that won't exist any longer is a bit disconcerting.
I'm also considering the Grand Prix GT and Monte Carlo SS, but like I said I really like the Alero. Its price point is unbeatable, especially since I can get the GM employee discount and Olds. has the 0-0-0 deal going on currently. It works well for a current grad. student.
I know the Alero is a great car, and Oldsmobile is a great company, but is it really that good of an idea to buy a car from a company that is going under? Yes, GM isn't going anywhere, but you get what I'm saying...? I.E. resale value, etc.
Thanks for any insight in advance.
I too love the Alero and have was just about to buy one when the
news hit this week. I have been reevaluating my purchase and
will probably go ahead and buy a 2001 Alero. Here's why:
Resale Value: Yes, resale value will probably be affected for
the worse. Since I am about to buy, I can use that as a negotiating
position! How much will resale be affected? This can be judged
by visiting Kelly Blue Book (www.kbb.com) and looking at OTHER
discontinued cars. A 96 Eagle Vision is worth about $1000 less
than a comparable equipped 96 Dodge Intrepid. On the up side,
a 96 Ply mouth Neon is worth the same amount as a 96 Dodge Neon!
So my best guess is that, down the road, resale will be hurt somewhere
between 0 and $1000.
Warranty/Parts: As others have pointed out, other CM divisions will
LOVE to get you as a customer and will have NO PROBLEM inviting you
in for service! Most make more money in their service kept than
in sales anyway, so they will be glad to see you. As for parts,
the car is in it's 3rd model year already so body parts should be
available for quite awhile. beck, there may even still be a 2002
and 2003 Alero... As for engine parts, everyone should realize
they will be plentiful since the drivetrain is shared with other
cars such as the Grand Am.
Sorry to ramble. That's my take on the situation. My family has
owned many Oldsmobiles so I am very sad to see it go. But things
don't last forever. But, I may order my Alero in BLACK in honor
of the fallen division!
Jerald.
At least no more of a problem than in the past...
Another question is about the sport suspension. How much of an improvement will the sport suspension have over the standard suspension? How much harsher will the ride be with the sport suspension? I would really appreciate any information you can tell me. Thanks
My car did not have a sunroof, and usually a sunroof will cut additional space from your headroom. DEFINATELY drive a car with a sunroof for a while before comitting yourself.
I'm 6'5", so I tend to pay close attention to this when I evaluate a car. (Surprisingly, not all small cars are too small, and not all large cars have a lot of room!) If you're shorter than average, you may not find any problems at all. Again, you gotta drive one to find out...
How do you intend to drive?
1) GM doesn't make many cars that appeal to me. Pontiacs are cheezy and Cadillac is too much $$$. I was born after Vietnam so that eliminates Buick. Saturns have gotten fugly. That leaves Chevy, GMC, or Olds. Camaros (see Pontiac), Cavaliers, Monte Carlos, Malibus??? Are you serious?
The trucks are all right and I'm looking pretty closely at a 2 door Blazer but I'm not enthralled. Even with $1500 you can't really get a good deal on an Olds yet. Because...
2) Dealers have seized on the closure of Olds as another reason to screw you on the trade in. My 99 V6 GL sedan w/moonroof went from an $11500 trade in value to $9000 this week. You almost can't help but be upside down.
3) GM has a habit of ending a party when it starts getting good. See Oldsmobile, Pontiac Fiero, Cadillac Allante...
So what's an owner to do? Will the resale value suffer? If a car is worth $9000 today, how about 3 years from now? Is it even worth sinking more money into a doomed marque? A Blazer?
Thanks GM
Bruce
Anyway, the dealer gave me above book value for the Malibu (book $6800k, he gave me $7500), so overall I am very satisfied with the deal and look forward to many years with the Alero--and with the comfort of knowing that if anything should go wrong, its covered for 60k!