Used 2001 Oldsmobile Alero Consumer Reviews

Terrible Resale Value

I have had every single problem that you can think of from brakes going to the check engine light going on and off. I bought this car new and traded in a 97 Nissan Maxima that worked and sounded better then the new car. I tried to take the car back to the dealership because I knew I made a mistake but they would have no part of it. I paid $21,000.00 for a car that I can not get a Happy Meal and five bucks for today (poor resale value). I really do not like this car, and I rather go into more debt and get rid of it then to drive it another day.

Good Lookin Out

Nice car for the money. Bought mine used about a month ago and have had no problems since(knock on wood). Was not the first car that caught my eye but once i took the price and standard features into consideration, looked like i was lured, and the bright red really stands out when clean.Looks really sharp from the front but the back could use a little work. Overall i am pleased to be an owner of one of the last oldsmobiles.

fun but not reliable

Nice ride, very quick 6 cyl, got new rack and pinion, bad starting noise and hesitation, new power steering pump, new e-brake, new speakers and ignition parts many times. Very good sounding speakers. New alternator. New head gasket. No more american for me. Don't look in the future to see Aleros go 200k miles.

Been a Great Car

I bought my Alero used (it was a rental car) with 18,000 miles on it in 2001. It now has close to 130,000 miles on it (02/06). I've replaced the front brakes a couple of times and I had to replace the fuel regulator at about 102,000 miles. Aside from that and the recall on the soldering of the Hazard button I really cannot complain about this car. I drive 40 miles each way to work and regularly drive 180 miles each way to my parents house on the weekends. I get 27-28 miles per gallon on every tank of gas. My only complaint is the sun visors. I don't like how they come down and stick out.

Bucket of Bolts

Whoever designed this car never drove it. It has poor quality, features that were poorly designed, and poor fuel economy for a 4-cylinder, manual transmission car. The engine has a fair amount of power, but the cockpit layout is not convenient. There is a sensor in the stereo that increases volume with speed, but there are no pockets in the doors for maps. It gets the exact same gas mileage that my '92 Grand Am with the 3.3L V6 and 3 speed auto transmission got. The interior feels cheap and pasticy (a hallmark of GM cars over the last 20 years). When the car was 40 months old (and the warranty expired) the emergency brake lever stopped working and the intermittent wipers went on the fritz.

Headache!

Needless to say, this car is starting to spend more time in the shop than on the road. I just got a new transmission but this jerking issue still persists. The brakes continue to be a problem. We have had to fix the window on the driver side and recall for the hazard lights. This good looking car is a real mess! If anyone has the opportunity to by an Alero, run the other way. There is a good reason why they stopped making this car!

Owner

This is the best car I have ever owned

Average

The Alero is fun to drive, but it gets horrible gas millage, it is horrible in the snow, and its speakers rattle with every hint of base in a song.

Great car, Not so many problems.

I bought a 2001 model in January of 2001. Since then i've put approximately 30k miles on this car. It runs great, and I love the safety features. The only problem I had was a defective fog lamp 5 days after I purchased the vehicle. This was replaced within 30 minutes of me dropping off the car at lunch time. I find this car very comfortable for long (15 hour) drives, and very fun on shorter drives.

My Alero

I have found the 2001 Oldsmobile Alero 2 door GL Sedan an absolutely wonderful buy. It's nice and roomy, comfortable, very driveable, and very eye-catching with or without spoiler or other add- ons. Overall I've found this car to be quite a nine.

Great car at the price

First Olds I have had in many years. have been driving and audi and volvo. car handels very well and cannot beat preformance and economy. I drive car very hard and have had no problems .

GL2 is a good car.

Been back to dealer only 2 times in 30,00 miles: once to learn again how to flip down the back seat; once to have the driver window fixed, but it fixed itself (twice) before I went in. The brakes sound funny, but they still work OK. (Other reviewers mention brake problems; maybe I'll check 'em.) I didn't need the spoiler, but it looks cool. MPG is between 22 and 28; probably would get 32 at 55 mph.

Be Careful

Bought it ad 59000 miles drove it until it had 85,000 miles and then it was time to sell or drive off a cliff. All the window regulators went out, the fan speed control stopped working, the breaks started to make a creeking noise. I have had 3 different mechanics tell me the engine design is terrible, it has already cost me $850 and there are still problems. They can pin point the problem to many variables. Don't buy not worth the stress.

Excellent Camry/Honda Fighter

Great

Brake problems

I have owned this car for 2 1/2 years, and I too have had complete brake jobs three times due to warped rotors! We are now getting very close to 36000 miles and are going to sell it because I don't feel comfortable that things won't continue to go wrong after the warranty runs out. A person should not have this many problems with the brakes on a car this old! Its too bad, because otherwise, the car is comfortable to drive and the interior layout is nice. I'm not sure that I would recommend this car to someone.

I love this car!

I bought this car because of the deal offered at the time. Also, because I thought I needed a replacement for my S10 (which now has 166k on it). So I now have 2 vehicles. This car is actually a GL2 which has the sport suspension and Goodyear Eagle RSA tires. This particular model rides and handles very different from other Aleros. There were very few GL2s made.

This sad old Alero

This is the worst vehicle that I have ever owned. Thank God we bought a extended warranty. The starter went bad, fly wheel cracked, passenger electric widow stopped working, leaked gas from the engine, power steering started to leak, oil was getting into radiator, passenger door leaked when it rained, passlock theft security went bad. We traded car off before the extended warranty was up. Vehicles like this make you really think about ever buying a GM vehicle again. You pay good money for a vehicle and this is what you get.

.....at least it's pretty inexpensive!

Going from always having driven Hondas...this was a rude awakening! The only GM product I would consider in the future would be a truck/suv. The Alero is zippy and pretty fun to drive, but not the highest performing vehicle by any means....I like the V6 and would have been very unhappy I feel with the 4-cyl. I just hope I can sell it after hearing the crash test results!!!

Ok car

Purchased this car used and within the first week the sunroof brackets broke, body had rust cavities in it within the first year of owning and at about 85,000 miles both windows stopped working (2 door model). Not so impressed with the design under the hood... Still gets me from point a to point b. It has helped having the knowledge to do my own work. Would not recommend this as a first car with how much get up and go mine still has and how untrustworthy it is in snow.

20,000 miles and better than I expected

Huge discount piqued my interest, but still didn't expect much. Couple of annoyances-water leakage in the cabin during rainstorm (fixed after one visit to the dealer), some minor rattles, and my traction control (or whatever it's called) went out on me unexpectedly (it reset by itself later). Manual transmission is a little notchy, and the other day it popped out of reverse. However, its a big car for the money with a lot of standard features, and the huge discounts (got mine for $14,5K, you can probably get it cheaper now) might make it worth the while. Granted, build quality isn't up to par with Toyota, however much improved over past american cars.

You'll take the long way home from work.

The car is a real thrill to drive, with plenty of zip off of stoplights to take care of Civics and Eclipses. The handling is aggressive and crisp, and the acceleration is outstanding. The engine has a nice growl to it, if you like that sort of thing. I've definately gotten nothing but positive comments from friends and strangers. My major complaints are with rear visibility, due to the high back end, and the extremely large tailights. They're unique, but they're a blaitant attempt to shed Oldsmobile's "your father's car" steriotype.

Bad Brakes

Overall I have pleased with the vehicle. The main problem I have experienced has been the brakes. We had to replace brakes & rotors at only 30,000 miles and they still make a grinding noise with the new brakes. This is a definite manufacturing/design flaw on Oldsmobile's part. Brakes are not something you should short change on a car. This is a definite safety issue. The second issue I have is that the service engine soon light came on & won't go off. The third issue is a lagging starter. Sometimes it works beautifully & then others I have to prime it to get it to start.

Olds Alero GL Sedan

This car has been a great family car that is fun to drive. Mine has the sun and sound package, which is a sunroof and upgrade CD/cass/am/fm radio. These features make the car joy to drive.

2001 Oldsmobile Alero

The only problems I have had with my 2001 Oldsmobile Alero are with the intake manifold. My Alero had 31,000 when I purchased and at around 41,000 miles the intake manifold went bad. It was just by the grace on of God that my car was still under warranty! I enjyed driving this car when I first boight it, and I still do. It does have many large blind spots though.

What I think

This car has been a joy to drive it has a moon roof very comfy and rides and handles great it was a great decision and a great price and a lot better than my cavalier.

Lemon

I have had nothing but problems with my Alero. In the last five years, I have had to replace my blinker, gas cap, entire clutch system, steering wheel pump, cruise control switch, and rear defroster. I also had a bolt break causing my front passenger wheel to fall of, luckily I was going slow enough that it didn't cause serious damage and I was not injured. And most recently I found out I have a leak in my cooling system.

Maybe the last

My father works for GM, so I decided to go with this car, but even with an employee discount you will lose BIG on resale value. GM customer service is terrible. I have never seen someone give this kind of service after you spend $20K on there product, never, they act like you should prove problems with the car were not caused by you. I am looking to get rid of this car before my resale drops another 8 thousand dollars, thats what it did the first year we owned it.

15 y/o w/ only 29k miles

I found this car as a replacement for a 1999 Malibu. It's a great replacement. Had an issue with the ignition module right away, but the dealer fixed that and since then this car is a gem!

Good Car

This is a great car for the money. It gets great gas milege, i get around 345 mpg highway. i've had no probelms with it execpt i did have to get new front brakes at about 40,000 miles and they still grind. the cars best features is the stereo and it also handles very well. the back tail lights are a little bit to big and it could use a little more horse power. other than that i would recommend this car to anyone who wants a good inexpensive car.

My 2001 Olds Alero - Reposession

I bought a 2001 Olds Alero GLS in 2005. I've seen the complaints about Aleros and I have changed or repaired things. My repo had 87K miles when I bought it in 2005. Now 127K. I've replaced or repaired the following items: Motor performance computer, interior computer, remote keyless receiver, replaced fuel intake gaskets, replaced A/C compressor, plus I removed the AM/FM/CD radio and bought two extra ones off e-bay ($9.00 each). I cobbled best parts off two and put on the best one. Sold the others on e-bay for $45. That's about it. I did all of the work and bought all parts on e-bay or discount GM dealer on-line for at least 50% discount. 26-32 mpg. This car just keeps running. No oil use.

I wouldn't suggest it..

An Oldsmobile Alero was my first daily driver. It had 88K miles on it when I got it. The first thing I noticed was that the car shifted hard. Even if it shifted from 2nd to 3rd at a measly 2300RPM the car would jolt when it shifted. The second thing I noticed was that the car rode horribly. I got complaints from passengers all the time. The 3rd thing I found out is that my engine was burning 3 quarts of oil at 91K miles. The vehicle started every time I got in it without issue, but the car itself just wasn't great. It drove, rid and acted like a $1000 car. In the end I sold it for $2500 then paid it off so I could buy a $2000 car and have no payments. Haven't been happier.

Fun to drive

This car is really fun to drive. I've owned it for 11 months, 11,000 miles. No problems except for a slow leak in one tire. Quiet, great stereo, comfortable, even for a larger person.

I like my car

Just passed 100,000 miles on my Alero. It has been a pretty reliable car over the past eight years. I love the exterior styling as well as the cockpit layout. The car has always been fun to drive. I have had to replace a few items over the past few years.(evaporator, brakes, fuel pump, fan control knob, rear defrost button) My next car will have better suspension, but I will miss this Alero.

2001 Olds. Alero review

The car has been in for warranty repairs about 5 times for different failures, incl. the rear speaker, oil leak at the intake (2 times), spark plug wire, warped brake rotors, and warning brake light stays on. I currently have 55K miles on this car and it came with a 60K ext. warranty and I have used the extended warr. several times. The 3.4L 6cyl. is underpowered compared to my 1995 Grand Am w/ the 3.1L 6cyl. If I had to do it again I would not buy this particular vehicle.

Alero consumer

My alero has been reliable and economical. I like the design and it has many features for a small car. Overall impression is very favorable

Whats wrong with the Brakes?????

Let's face it. I've read all the reviews from others and there are serious brake problems with this car that must be manufacturing issues. I have had warped rotors 3 times within 70,000 miles and the first time was at only 19K. I think a recall is in order for the brakes. On a positive note, the interior of this car is awesome. I've never had a car with more comfortable seats. I'm somewhat disappointed with the gas mileage too.

My last GM product

This car has been in the shop more than any vehicle I have ever owned. All 4 electric window regulators (motors) replaced. Brakes are simply defective. Passlock/key caused four trips to the shop. Turn signals. Battery. Three radios.

Good Alero!

This is a great small car. I traded a compact SUV in on this and I do miss the added room in the SUV compared to this car. The room is adequate with the rear seats folded down. It has very good performance and seems tight and quiet. The ride is solid and handling is great with the 50 series, 16" GoodYear Eagles that came on it! I had two small problems; the outside, drivers side mirror and the inside rear view mirror came off. Both problems were taken care of on the spot and the dealer people were very courteous. No complaint with service! I feel this car is just as good as imports from Japan in the same price range!

Trouble Car

Approx. 6 mos. after purchasing the vehicle, we had a minor rainstorm, and the driver side window wouldn't go up or down (power). Had the connection repaired. Next night, we had a MAJOR rainstorm, and the problem happened again. Shortly after, the radio stopped working due to a wire being disconnected by the dealer (their fault). After that was repaired, because of the location of the wire in the driver side, it became disconnected again. Then the starter started messing up...sometimes it takes up to 6 tries to turn the engine over. Now the coolant light comes on, chimes, and goes off. My car is currently considered a "Friday Night Special"

Dissatisfied

I bought this car brand new and it was the first time that I ever bought an American made car. I have been displeased overall with this car. I have had so many minor issues with this car (leaking sunroof, leaking rear passenger door seal, broken driver's side sun visor clips, sqeaky breaks, fasten seat belts light malufunctioning, just to name a few.) I would encourage any consumer to think think twice about purchasing this vehicle. Did I mention that the Olds line of cars are no longer going to be manufactured?

Nice Investment

I bought my Alero brand new, and loved it. I got it fully loaded so it makes the car a lot nicer. The only thing that's ever gone wrong for me was the Trans and I had a clogged cat. I replaced the Trans and just put a straight pipe over the cat so it's all good. Still love this car and everything i got with it.

Good Car

Nice Car

I have owned my Alero since 2001 and it had 37 miles on it. It has been a great car overall with very few issues other than the standard that any 7 year old car needs. It has been a good family car, commuting car and its fun to use the V6 to get up and go when needed. Gas mileage has averaged in the high twenties and even by todays V6 standards that still seems good to me.

Running rough no power won’t go and dies

I have a 2001 Oldsmobile alero. I drove 10 min away from where I was, turned the car off an hour later all of a sudden my car sounded rough. Didn’t want to stay running. I backed up put it in drive and it didn’t want to go. I had my gas petal to the floor. After I got down the road a ways it would feel like it would release and would go then it go back to the stage where I didn’t want to go. I stopped at a stop light and it died. I started it again and it died again on me. I had to keep pressing the gas petal and holding on to the break with my left foot til the light turned green it still didn’t want to go til after I guess 2 miles and it feel like it would released again and let it go. It’s like something is holding it back. I got home and put it in park and took my foot off the brake pedal and gas pedal. I listened to the car and it would try to die then the idle would go up. Then it would try to bog out again. As I was listening to it do this over and over, I watched the RPM gauge and it would floats way up then back down. I was reading other similar problems and how they had the fuel pump replaced and some saying having a security system problem but last year I had the almost identical problem with my 2001 Mazda. I changed the spark plugs and wires thinking it just needed a tune up but I still had the same problem during at a stop light in drive and when idling in park it would fluctuate on the rpm gauge. Bogging our and then idling real high then back down over and over. Turned out it was the fuel pressure regulator on my Mazda which was a recall from the manufacturer back in 2004 I found online. If anyone has the same problem. There’s a test you can do to find out if it’s bad or not and I’ll try to get back on how we did this to find out that it was in fact the fuel pressure regulator. I’m gonna try this on my alero and see if this is the same problem. Something for others to check out with the same problems or similar.

2001 Alero

The 2001 Alero is a sporty looking car for a sedan. I love the power seats,radio,traction control,cruise and easy to use knobs for climate control.

Trouble

Only 16,600 miles and in the shop 7 times. 3 times on the brakes, 4 times on a metal to metal grinding noise that the shop could never determine the problem even after replacing many parts. Reconsider before you buy one! We got rid of due to not feeling like the car was safe anymore.

Good Car

I love my Alero, I did have some brake issues at first, but GM replaced the brakes and rotors and I have not had any problems since. I have over 70,000 miles and love the 2.4L engine. I just replaced the original tires. Overall this is a good car.

Owner Review

Car is fun to drive, seems solid and well put together. No problems, loaded with features not found in competition.

UNDERRATED

Great car, very underrated can be very quick with a few performance mods.

Best Midsize Car

I purchased my Alero after heavy consideration and comparison. Over a year later I am 100% sure I made the right decision. The car’s handling, ergonomics and styling are excellent. This car has given me a newfound love of driving. Resale values are poor, but I will not be selling it anytime soon. The six-cylinder engine moves this car well, with plenty of acceleration. The seats are comfortable and supportive. The cloth seats are very nice but the leather is cheap feeling. To sum it up, if my Alero were totaled in an accident today, I would go out and buy another one.