Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Oldsmobile Alero

1151618202160

Comments

  • burdawgburdawg Member Posts: 1,524
    I should have said that the 2.2 and the 2.4 both develop max hp at 5600rpm, so in that respect they're comparable.
  • rkw2rkw2 Member Posts: 66
    I've noticed on my 2000 GL2 that the radio facia was hot to the touch. I was told that this is common.
  • rkw2rkw2 Member Posts: 66
    Exactly 1 year ago I purchased my GL2 with 6 cylinders. I am very happy with this purchase is all respects.

    Ironically due to a career switch I began working at an Olds/Cadillac dealership a couple of weeks ago. It appears that Olds wants to continue producing cars for another 4 or so years. But the dealers are dropping the Olds line very rapidly. As the owner has said "the dealers will discontinue the Oldsmobiles a lot sooner than GM will". Most dealers have quite a bit of stock on hand, especially ALeros. So now is the to get a good deal on a 2001 leftover. I suspect the pickings will be very slim in most places in a few months. Olds are not selling well and dealers don't want to pay the high interest to maintain this inventory. The 2001's have a $2000 rebate and 5 year 60000 mile warrantee. Plus dealers will negotiate to reduce on hand inventory.
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    I was reading in Motor Trend that there will be a GL2 sport edition with the 3.4L and a 5-speed. Any one know if this is true? That would be a VERY fast car!!
  • haalex1haalex1 Member Posts: 1
    UNLESS A STORMFRONT HAS MIGRATED INTO MY CAR, THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANY PUDDLES IN MY ALERO. HOWEVER, I NOTICED AFTER SOME HEAVY, MONSOON-LIKE RAINS, THAT WATER ENTERS THE FLOOR OF MY CAR. THE WATER LEVEL GETS ABOVE THE FLOORMAT. IT SEEMS TO HAPPEN EITHER ON ONLY ONE QUADRANT OF THE CAR AT A TIME. I ASKED OTHERS WITH ALERO'S AND GRAND AMS, AND THEY TOO HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM, HOWEVER HAVE NOT HAD IT FIXED YET. ANYONE OUT THERE EXPERIENCE THE SAME PROBLEMS?
  • buoyantbuoyant Member Posts: 128
    Which Motor Trend issue had that article about the V6 5-spd?

    I haven't seen that article yet, but my October issue hasn't arrived yet.

    Also, if the article IS in the '01 October issue, I must ask: why are you getting the new issues faster in Canada than we get them in the States? That just doesn't seem fair.
  • mlm4mlm4 Member Posts: 401
    We have a 2001 Alero that leaks onto the forward portion of the front passenger's footwell when the car is parked in a torrential Florida thunderstorm. When I reach up under the dash, I can feel water. I discovered the following information (missing or mis-positioned water dam), and the car is going in to the dealer this week for this problem...

    http://service.gm.com/gmtechlink/August2001/articles/waterdam.htm
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    Picked up the October issue on the news stand Thursday. Not sure why it's slower in the U.S. It's not in an article but rather the 02 car listing blurb for Alero. It mentions the new 2.2L and also talks about the GL2 5-speed V6 as changes for this year.

    Perhaps it's a mistake, but it certainly would be exciting if true. I think Oldsmobile Alero is coming into it's best year ever with these new configurations and a new hi-tech 4 cyl.
  • buoyantbuoyant Member Posts: 128
    I'm thinking that my mailwoman swiped my Motor Trend last week. It is available on the shelves here now too. Hopefully, mine will arrive in Tuesday's mail.

    Anyway, I was checking for some kind of confirmation (even though Motor Trend has been 99.9% accurate in the past) on the Edmunds site as it seems to defy all logic that Oldsmobile would do anything above and beyond the call of duty during the phase-out. Apparently, they aim to go out with a bang rather than a fizzle.

    From the Edmunds option list it appears that the 5-spd IS available with the V6 (there is no 4cyl option on the GL2 as far as I can determine). I'm running down to my local Olds dealer this afternoon to see if they have the '02 Alero brochures in yet and will provide confirmation here if I can get it. The alero website, www.alero.com, hasn't been updated for the '02 models yet so downloading a new brochure is not an option at this point.

    In case you couldn't tell, I'm REALLY excited about this possible turn of events. Not only would a 5-spd in the Alero go like hell (I believe the old 4 banger with the stick could do 0-60 in 8.3 secs - still a very decent performance IMO), but I suspect the 21/32 EPA mileage ratings (with the V6 auto) would improve as well.

    A V6 5spd combo would give the Alero the rare combination of strong acceleration and excellent fuel economy (handling has always been an Alero strong suit, so it lacks special mentioning).

    If this IS true and Olds IS making them, I WANT ONE!
  • mlm4mlm4 Member Posts: 401
    Unfortunately, it does not appear that the five-speed manual will be available with the V-6. Nor will it be available on the GLS with the 2.2-liter four-banger. See:

    http://media.gm.com/division/olds/products/02vehicles/alero.html#highlights

    If Motor Trend implied that it would be, it is probably a mistake or they know something that Olds is not telling us. The web page I referenced does say that the five-speed is available with the GL2, which comes standard with the V-6, but I'm not sure that this confirms that BOTH can be had together, as the four-cylinder is an option. We'll have to wait and see!
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    Looks like it is a mistake then. The 2.2L will be the only 5-speed option it would seem.

    I will still try and find out more. Perhaps they added the GL2 sport last minute and Motor Trend picked up on it?
  • buoyantbuoyant Member Posts: 128
    Ya, it certainly doesn't seem in the GM tradition to do something consumers might like. That's why I was so surprised by the "news".

    As far as I could tell, the bean counters were behind teaming the stick with the 2.4 originally. Why else would you do that (if not for bean counting)?

    Ironically, the 2.4 was less fuel efficient than the 3.4...which meant the 5spd 4cyl combo would appeal to NEITHER the high mileage nor performance fans, which just leaves a couple thousand people who want to save $700 off the purchase price (and what is $700 on a $20,000 car?). I thought maybe a bulb might have lit above some heads down there and they began to realize the fallacy of their bean counting line of thought.

    Furthermore, it likely costs GM more to produce an Alero with the stick shift rather than the auto anyway due to economies of scale. Why they even bothered with the stick shift in the first place amazes me.

    I believe the Alero and the Grand Am are made in the same plant (correct me if I'm wrong). So if they decide to put the stick in the V6 Pontiac (which only makes sense since Pontiac tries to market itself as some type of performance car maker), it would be likely that the combo would be available in the Alero too.

    I was getting excited for a sec there that I might actually be able to salvage the $700 in GM card rebates that continue to dwindle in my account (I stopped using that card 4 years ago). I had previously taken the attitude that $700 off a car I don't like isn't a big value to me. A V6 5spd Alero would have been just as appealing to me (if not more so) as some of the Japanese and Chrysler products, hence my previous excitement.

    But alas...

    GM seems much more interested in saving money than selling cars. This 1920s attitude of trying to sell consumers what the company makes (production driven) rather than trying to make what the consumer wants (market driven) is wholly responsible for GM precipital decline in market share. Until this changes, people like me will be forced into Honda, Toyota and Chrysler showrooms - where there are cars we actually WANT to buy.
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    Actually, even the new 2.2L with a 5-speed should be a nice car. The Getrag 5-speed is solid and the 2.2L is one of the best 4 cyl motors I've ever driven. I tested it in a Saturn LS last year and it should be even better in the Alero.

    You should call Oldsmobile direct and ask. No better way to confirm the story.

    I wouldn't say Honda / Toyota make very many exciting vehicles though. Dull but good quality is all that comes to mind when I see them on the road.
  • evandroevandro Member Posts: 1,108
    Actually, I have the impression that GM IS market-driven, however it thinks that everybody and their dog only want to buy trucks, not sedans anymore... :^(
  • rdeschenerdeschene Member Posts: 331
    Well, we made a trip from Brockville to North Bay (about 1000 km round trip) this weekend. Calculate 34mpg in U.S. gallons for highway driving, for both legs of the trip. The return from N.B. was made using 10% Ethanol fuel and with the A/C on 75% of the time (not hot, but quite humid ! ). The trip to N.B. was just on Regular with absolutely no A/C.

    Altogether, we are very happy with the mileage. Our previous car ('93 Corsica, 3.1L V6, 3spd auto.) would get 28mpg in these same conditions.

    burdawq. Looking at that picture of the Alero interior again, I think it was "stretched" graphically - the proportions just don't seem right.
  • dhvyldhvyl Member Posts: 5
  • dhvyldhvyl Member Posts: 5
    I received an Alero GLS sedan loaded with features (roof, performance tires suspension, spoiler, etc.) as a loaner car while my dealer has on order a pre-owned Cadillac Catera waiting for delivery. I almost want to cancel my delivery for the Catera because of how much I now like this Alero sedan. Do yourself a favor before you go out an waste alot of money on a Honda Accord (boring), a Camry(boring), or a Maxima(nice car but pricey). Test drive the V6 Alero and check out the otpion packages that comes with the vehicle (GLS model). I think you will be presently suprised. I was.
  • buoyantbuoyant Member Posts: 128
    Dindak, my October Motor Trend issue arrived yesterday, and indeed it pretty explicitly states the 5-spd can be hooked up to the V6 in the 2002 "GL2 Sport." Not quite the info my dealer had though. The only thing they could tell me is that the 2.2 was going to be a really nice engine (you've got to love salespeople).

    Perhaps it IS a really nice engine, but it's only got 140 horses to play with while pulling 3000 lbs (unloaded) around.

    I think Alero will have its work cut out for it this year - especially with the new Altima coming in at about the same price point.

    Unfortunately for Oldsmobile, it's in a segment where the competition wants to play much harder than they do. I can't see myself even considering the 2.2 5-spd (an auto is not an option for me) with anything less than a $2000 rebate. I would be willing to pay a couple thousand more for a comparably equipped Accord (which continues to build the nicest shifting manual transmissions bar none), but not $4000 more.

    That may strike some as nutty, but I'm talking about the manual transmission models only and GM's Getrag units cannot compete with the fluid action of the Honda-made manuals (and I'd prefer not to think about resale value on any Oldsmobile equipped with a stick).

    To market the Alero as a "sportier" alternative to Accord and Camry and then not follow through with the promise just does not make any sense to me. It may look "sportier", but looks are just skin deep. I thought selling nonsporty sports cars was supposed to be Pontiac's territory.

    The 5-spd 4 banger in the Accord not only runs circles around the V6 auto Alero, it feels lighter and more athletic going about its work. If you doubt me, drive them back to back. 50 lashes twice for the Oldsmobile bean counters! I'm hoping they read this...

    For us manual transmission fans, there just isn't a lot of appeal in the GM fleet other than low purchase price. I was hoping that might change.
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    I'm not a big stick guy, only because I live near a big city (Toronto) and with the traffic my foot goes numb pushing the clutch so often. I used to have a stick back in my home town, but it's not an option any more.

    The new Altima does look good but it's more money, especially when you add a few options. The discounts on the Aleros should be good later in the year or in the winter. I will likely go for a 2.2L GX with auto. I have a C$2000 Olds credit from my '00 Intrigue which will make the car a bargoon if combined with other offers. The Alero would be a second car replacement for us and given my original thoughts were Sentras, an Alero will be much more car for the about the same $$.

    Our "performance" car is the Intrigue an my wife will drive the Alero most of the time. Intrigue is a better performer than a Accord V6 and it's more spacious to boot. I'm not a big Honda fan (dull comes to mind), but I like Nissans these days.
  • corsicachevycorsicachevy Member Posts: 316
    I know it's been said before, but given the advancements made by the Alero's competitors isn't it a crime that GM hasn't found a way to install the 3.5 V6 "shortstar" in the Alero? The addition of that powerplant would immediately catapult the Alero to the top of the small/mid-size sedan heap.
  • evandroevandro Member Posts: 1,108
    Problem is that the LX5 is a premium engine (read "expensive")... :^(
  • buoyantbuoyant Member Posts: 128
    The traffic here in Minneapolis-St.Paul is certainly no joy either, but sometimes you just have to make the big sacrifices.

    I've long gotten used to that burnt clutch smell, and rowing through gears is a good way to burn calories. The constant movement of my left leg keeps those nacho cheese Chalupas from expanding my gut size (something I've just started to get concerned about as I enter the latter half of my twenties).

    It's all mindset. You just need to think of the rush hour driving as work-out time :).

    On the Altima, I thought the pricing seemed pretty much in line with the Alero (rebates notwithstanding). From the pictures I've seen, however, Nissan has installed some extremely cheesy Hyundai-like plastic on the dash and door panels. Why must everything in life be a trade-off?

    BTW, my parents have an '01 Intrigue as well and indeed, it's much more fun to drive than an Accord with an auto. The bigger Olds is also better looking than the smaller Olds IMO.

    I'm sure Olds COULD find a way to install the 3.5 in the Alero, but they will never do it because it would cannibalize sales from its more expensive models. Who would want to buy a $34,000 Aurora with an "Alero" engine?
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    You're funny.

    The other problem I have is my wife can't drive 5-speed and since she will be primary driver, it will be a very hard sell. I'll test one when the times comes and see.

    I personally like the lights on the Altima, but yes I can see how they are a bit cheezy also. Have not seen C$ pricing on it but MT mentioned that adding options to the Altima add up fast. Alero is likely our best bet unless we decide we need a truck/van. A growing family is making us thinking about things I never dreamed. Ack!!!

    I don't honestly think the 3.5L will fit in an Alero. It's a big engine. It's also very expensive to make which is one of the reasons it's being phased out for next year. It's a great engine though, lot's of mid range power for the highway!!
  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
    yes traffic here in MSP really sucks these days doesn't it.

    Hey, ditch those chalupas and hit the Zantigo in Fridley or Mahtomedi and try some chilitos. Alot easier to munch while rowing the gears.

    I have fried plenty of clutch in my old 89 SHO on 35W.

    The plastic in the new Altima isn't as dreadful as those have said.....still nicer than GM plastic.

    The new 2.2 4 in the Alero is an excellent motor. I have test driven the motor with a 5 speed in the Saturn L and it has good power. It is also pretty smooth, especially for a GM product. But hey, it was co-developed by Lotus, so that would figure. I don't think there's ever been a decent 4 cylinder that was solely engineered in Detroit.
  • buoyantbuoyant Member Posts: 128
    Dindak, don't get a truck whatever you do. The reason I say this is because I know I'm not the only butthead out there who intentionally tries to make life hard on the "suburban truck driver." I think the last time I made room in traffic for anyone driving a passenger utility bus (one of my pet names for vehicles larger than a Cherokee/Blazer) was 1997.

    And if your wife can’t drive a stick, I can understand where you’re coming from. Still, in my mind that’s more her problem than your problem – why let her be the wet blanket on your driving pleasure?

    Hmmm...perhaps it’s this type of attitude that’s keeping me single...

    Regfootball, don't be so quick to judge the interior plastic on the Maxima. I didn't think it looked too bad either until I saw the forward part of the driver's door panel in the 9-01 issue of Automobile. Turns out most of the door is shellacked in hard plastic, and I'm not talking about the tasteful matte variety - it's the shiny stuff (not unlike what you'd find in an '81 Mercury Zephyr).

    The quality of GM interiors seems to vary widely IMO. I find the Oldsmobile products quite attractive inside. The Pontiacs and Saturns...well, that’s another story altogether. As my friend would say, they aren’t worth the powder to blow them up.

    BTW, what the hell is a chilito (it sounds like a young Chilean boy)? I’d try one, but unless I can get it in the south or west metro, I don’t think I’ll ever see one. Mahtomedi is halfway to Duluth from where I live. I’d probably wither away in bumper to bumper traffic before I ever got there.
  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
    and I still didn't have any real issues with the plastic.

    There is a Zantigo also in Woodbury.

    Chilitos are a tortilla, cheese and chili sauce...steamed to melt the cheese.

    YUM.

    And hey, I don't think ANYBODY's wife knows how to drive a stick. (At least 95% of them).
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    As she will be driving the proposed Alero 80% of the time, it's her call. I get all my pleasure from our Intrigue. I will get her to try a 5-speed at some point though. Who knows.

    Truck/Van is my last choice, but the Intrigue is packed tight when we go on trips these days and another kid in a couple of years won't help. If we get an Alero, it will be leased for 3 years maximum.

    As for Saturns, the L-series interiors are fine. The S-series suck. IMO.

    ;-)
  • dr_cmbdr_cmb Member Posts: 8
    I've just been catching up on my reading in this forum, and back a little ways folks were discussing tires...I have the GL1 with the v6 (took delivery 7/23 and I love this car)---is there any reason why I can't drive in snowy conditions on the tires that came standard?

    I live in Chicagoland...only a couple of years here, used to live in the south and am not used to even thinking about this issue.
  • rkw2rkw2 Member Posts: 66
    I was reading the current issue of Car and Driver today. One section is devoted to "what's new" for 2002. Accoring to C & D the 2.2 l 4 cyl engine in the 2002 Alero is the one that has been used in the Pontiac Sunfire. No menton was made of using the Saturn engine.( Maybe they made a mistake but this makes more sense as Saturn is still indepedent from the rest of GM. I don' think GM would want to mix Saturn in with a dead animal).
  • rdeschenerdeschene Member Posts: 331
    Below is a link to an online tire retailer, and at the bottom of that page you'll see the result of their survey of people who have the BF Goodrich T/A SR4. Click on comments to see other people's comments on this as well.


    http://www.tirerack.com/tires/bfg/bf_tta.jsp


    For my part, I picked up a 2000 Alero a couple of weeks ago and have opted to get a second set of rims with 205/65R15 Michelin Arctic Alpins on them. And if tire studs were legal in Ontario, I'd run on those in the winter instead! I've never had problems with all-season tires for snow traction, but I certainly have for ice traction - which is the most demanding situation.

  • mlm4mlm4 Member Posts: 401
    The 2.2-liter Ecotech engine is apparently the same engine used in the Saturn L-series and the upcoming VUE, but it puts out two more horses (140) in the Alero than it does in the Saturn. Saturn may try to act independent of GM, but it really is just part of one big corporate monster.
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    The 2.2L DOHC Ecotec (same as the Saturn LS) will also go into Sunfire GT/ Cavalier Z24. The 2.2L base Sunfire/Cavalier is the old engine and has nothing to do with the Ecotec 2.2L. I think C&D may be confused. 2.2L Ecotec will be in Grand Am/ Alero also as the base engine. 3.4L continues as the V6 option.
  • 2001_alero2001_alero Member Posts: 1
    I plan on purchasing a 2001 Alero. I understand that the Olds dealers are dumping their inventory and that none of the Olds models are selling well. I would appreciate it if someone could give me some advice on the price I should pay for the car. For instance, should I start at the invoice price or go lower? Thanks.
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    I think after rebates, you should be able to go below invoice. Even before I would guess they might go below invoice, but it depends on where you live. The 2.4L seem to be what is mostly available in 2001 models. The 2002s on the local lot are all V6s.
  • rdeschenerdeschene Member Posts: 331
    Had a set of four Michelin Arctic Alpins mounted on steel rims and installed on my 2000 Alero today. My wife and I, we left the kitty-kids at home, then went for a drive to the Mill of Kintail north of Almonte. Almonte's the hometown of James Naismith, btw, for you basketball fans out there.

    These tires ride quieter than the stock BF Goodrich Touring T/A SR4's, from what I've seen so far, and the car still steers like it's on rails ! :-) The general ride comfort is about the same from Touring T/A-to-Arctic Alpins, although the Alpins have an edge on smoothness over frost-heave cracks.

    Unfortunately, "Canadian Tire's finests" put 39-40psi into the tires, and I think they probably over-torqued them too. I never saw them get close to a torque-wrench, and I don't think impact wrenches can be set to a certain #lbs-ft.

    From what I've seen from my previous car, Arctic Alpins have very good snow traction and about as good ice traction as you get. The only way I would say you have "excellent" ice traction is if you have a salt/sand truck 50 km (30 miles) ahead of you AND you're running on Blizzaks/Arctic Alpins or, even better, steel studs !!!

    BTW, I decided to go with 205/65R15 for the winter tires as my experience is that wide snow tires tend to spin more on ice and deep snow. I'd love to be able to perform controlled experiments on this, but that's not available to me. It does make fairly good sense from the perspective of applying more pressure from the same vehicular mass. Yeah, I know, what a gearhead. :-) But, I'm a happy gearhead. Spending the winter on Michelin Arctic Alpins.

    Yours in vehicular happy-times,
    Rick D. :-) :-)
  • vcjumpervcjumper Member Posts: 1,110
    Are you not losing a full winter season or about a third of their useful ice traction use out of those tires by putting them on this early?
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    You may have a tough time finding a 2001 you like (not impossible though). I know many dealers have dumped their inventory to the rental companies.

    If you do find one, start your negotiation at $200 under invoice (Edmunds invoice). This is not including the rebate. The rebate is not the dealers money. That money from come off at the end after you and the dealer agree on price. The reason why I say $200 under invoice is GM has an advertising fee which is 1% of MSRP. This will come to about $200 for an Alero.

    good luck and happy negoitiating.
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    Still have 3 2001s on the local lot. They also have 3 2002s. If you live in a larger center, you will probably find something you want.

    Noticed the 2002 wheel covers on the base models have not changed.
  • rdeschenerdeschene Member Posts: 331
    I wouldn't say I'm losing about 1/3 of my ice traction by putting these tires on this early - these tires wear very well from what I've seen.

    Hey, maybe I'm just getting longer life out of my all-season Touring T/A's. ;-) Seriously though, often when considering having separate summer and winter tires, people look at the cost of the winters+rims as the total expense. That's not so. The total expense is much lower. It's just the cost of the rims and having them put on/taken off your car - which frankly you can do yourself once you have the tires balanced on their own rims. And my local dealership will do it for no extra cost because they're rotating the tires anyways.

    Already we've had lows of 5C in Brockville, and you commonly have your first snowfall - nothing that lasts but you're below zero for awhile there - in North Bay (where my parents live) around the first weekend in October (a.k.a. the opening of moose season). So I don't think I'm putting the tires on all that early for my uses. Maybe by two weeks, but that's it.

    When you get right down to it, I'm not too concerned with snow from the standpoint of keeping yourself on the road/from siding into other people. It's things freezing over when you're right around 0C that's the greater risk - especially as that transition temperature can happen WHILE you're driving. And in my "driving area" that happens in the fall/early winter, spring and during that period of freezing rain North Bay and Ottawa tend to get in February.

    In addition, we're headed to Chicago via Michigan next week (my neice's wedding) and who knows what weather we may run into. Michigan can get some pretty nasty weather. "Lake effect weather" - heck the state is SURROUNDED by the Great Lakes. And as an added bonus, their roads are pretty crummy - though no worse than the 401.
  • 032944032944 Member Posts: 2
    Wow, after reading many comments from you Alero owners I have mixed emotions. I am about to trade my '96 Plymouth Neon in toward a '99 Alero GL V6. My Neon has had the head gasket problem and was repaired my the dealer and paid for by Chrysler. A couple of weeks ago on a drive to the airport to catch a plane (4 days before the air diaster), the car started shuddering and sounding as if it was going to stave for gas. This is this first time it happened but it got me to thinking I wanted to get rid of it before anything else happened. I am a single Mom with adult children and work m-f to earn my keep, so I really need to be dependable. Anyway I stopped in at an Olds dealership and looked around. They had a sweet 99 Alero and I took it out for a drive. It has 32,000 miles and the remainder of the Warranty. It is loaded and drives real nice. I love the interior after looking at my basic no frills Neon for 3 years. Comments re: brakes, water leaks and stuff is frightening me somewhat, but I guess if I had the time to read up on every make and model of car it would be like that too. Would anyone care to comment on if that would or would not make this trade? I am getting $3500 for my junkie Neon that I almost totaled on an ice sleek 2 winters ago. It was fixed to the tune of over $4000 so you can see the damage, but I didn't get more than bruised a little. I was thinking to trade the Alero in another two years to upgrade. Do you think I will be able to have some value left to do this? I know I have rattled on but will appreciate any comment. I will close the deal in a couple of days.
  • rdeschenerdeschene Member Posts: 331
    I believe TSB's #00-05-23-002 and #00-05-22-002 addressed the brake rotor problem on the 1999 Aleros. You can check with the dealer to see if this has been done to this particular car - it'll be listed by the car's VIN# on their computer. I believe there was a basic fix to the water intrusion thing too - you'd have to look back in the posts to find that.

    As far as the resale value of Oldsmobile's go, I think that's an open question. Nobody really knows for sure how well Olds' will sell 2 years from now, as the winding down of Oldsmobile progresses. Personally, I bought a used 2000 4dr with the V-6 and 26,000 miles on it with the intention of keeping it for 8-10 years, so I wasn't too concerned with resale value. Like you said, it's a very nice car indeed, so I'm not in a hurry to get rid of it really.

    At this point, the depreciation rate on this as a used car was right about "average". Maybe a little bit greater depreciation than average, but these things aren't exact.

    Planning to upgrade from an Alero ? Just how much higher can you go? ;-)
  • rdeschenerdeschene Member Posts: 331
    Well, we're off on vacation next week - Brockville to Chicago and back. We're attending my niece's wedding in Chicago and going to spend some time with my inlaws there (my wife's from Southern Indiana), and then work our way back via South Bend, IN and Kalamazoo, MI.

    Unfortunately this date didn't line up with the Grand Am/Alero meet in Lansing, MI on Labor Day weekend. Maybe next year. Still, we'll be stopping by the Studebaker museum in South Bend, and we'll be able to take our Alero for it's first serious road trip. Longest trip so far has only been around 1000 km. This should be more like 3 000 clicks.

    And although MI highways are pretty rough usually, at least they're civilized enough to have a 75 mph / 120km/h speed limit. ;-) Weeeee, all the way home !!!
  • ctalericoctalerico Member Posts: 23
    I just found out that my trade-in value on my 2000 GLS Alero is approx. $9,700! The dealer referred to the Kelley blue book and told me that the reason it's so low is because Olds is going out of business and that Oldsmobile trade in values are "dropping like bombs". I had no intention of getting rid of my car as I was window shopping for cars with a friend. So not only do I have a car that needs it's rotors replaced every once in a while, but it's value is dropping more than any other make car. But I'm sure once they get an Alero trade-in at a steal they will resell it for far more and say what a great car it is.
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    The prices of used Aleros in the paper here are no lower than similarly equipped Grand Ams. That said, it would seem logical that there be a slight discount for Aleros. If you are going to keep the car for only 3-4 years, lease it. Otherwise drive it into the ground.
  • rkw2rkw2 Member Posts: 66
    Just returned from a 600 mile "all highway driving trip" and got 31 to 32 mpg. I was going at 73 or 74 mph (8 or 9 mph above the 65 limit) on the hilly Pennsylvania turnpike.
  • rdeschenerdeschene Member Posts: 331
    Well, we returned from our Brockville to Chicago road trip last night. About 26-27 hours driving total, which isn't too bad I guess. That's enough for me for awhile, though, and we're definitely staying home for Thanksgiving! :-)

    Overall mileage was 34 mpg U.S. - with/without A/C doesn't seem to make much difference. About half of the mileage was at 115 km/h (MI's speed limit is actually 70mph) and half at 110 km/h through Ontario, Illinois and Indiana. A highway trip in this car was really pretty great - very comfortable seats, good ride on all pavement, good ventilation, low noise levels inside. And I do love that stereo, although over Michigan's highways you can only hear so much of it.

    The weather became unseasonably warm during the course of our trip, so the Michelin Arctic Alpins were not really necessary - but you never know. I must say that I do notice a slightly better ride and definitely lower road noise compared to the BF Goodrich Touring T/A SR4's. The handling and wet traction on the Alpins is still very good indeed, and it tracks very well.

    I don't know about the rest of the city, but Chicago has a beatiful waterfront. Navy Pier has free, open air concerts during the summer, the skyline is pretty amazing, and there's the Planetarium, Natural History Museum and Aquarium that we did not have a chance to see this time. But we'll be back next June.

    The Studebaker Museum in South Bend is a very nice collection, for anyone who wants to go see it. And for the other members of the family there's also the Indiana Dunes Park, the South Bend Regional Art Museum and the Japanese Gardens all within an hour's drive. Like I said, we'll be back and have a better chance to see more of it.
  • dindakdindak Member Posts: 6,632
    Sounds like a great trip.

    I forget, do you have a 4 or a 6?

    Check out www.gmcanada.com. It's all updated for 2002.
  • rat284rat284 Member Posts: 20
    Well, my '01 GL2 coupe seems to be holding up well after 7500 miles of fun and excitement. I haven't had any type of major problems so far, and hopefully won't anytime soon. There is, however, a very minor problem that's been driving me insane!

    I first noticed about a week ago that the seatbelt light would come on intermittently. It seems that the connection inside the seatbelt buckle which tells the car that the belt is in fact buckled has a loose connection or something. So if I move by a couple inches, or go around a corner or over a bump, the light will flash on. It's especially annoying at night, when that red light is very prominent. Looks like it's time for a trip to the dealer.

    I'm curious if anyone else has had a problem like this with their car.
  • rdeschenerdeschene Member Posts: 331
    I have the V6, so I'm pretty happy with 34 mpg U.S. on the highway. About 80% of our driving is on the open highway, with no commuting - these are all trips. So that's a pretty good savings over our previous car ('93 Corsica, 3.1L, V6) which only got 28 mpg U.S. highway.

    An interesting thought that occured to me with regards to the city mileage of (e.g.) V6 and V8's, is that I'm sure a good chunk of the consumption is at idle in traffic or stoplights. Many people know that the Prius and (I think) Insight kill the engine in these situations, however, the VW Lupo apparently does so and the latter is not a hybrid. In a world of cheap, very fast CPU's, I should think applying this benefit learned from hybrids more broadly is in the future.
  • evandroevandro Member Posts: 1,108
    I think that hybrids are going to be common place in a 10 years time or so. But the VW Lupo is not a hybrid. Instead, it's a Diesel-powered super-sub-compact car.
Sign In or Register to comment.