Are ALEROS Junk?

I am planning on buying a used small car for $10K or less in the next few months. So I am researching what I could buy. I see many Aleros advertised that are just a year or two old with fairly low miles in this price range and lower. They seem to depreciate rapidly. Which is OK with me because I would probably keep the car that I buy for at least six years. So if the main depreciation was before I bought it, it would be fine with me. And after about six years everything in my price range would likely drop a lot in value. So in my searching I have seen several sites that asked owners about repairs they have had. It seems most owners are unhappy and claim frequent repairs especially the brakes. I drive a lot of freeway miles so the brakes wouldn't get as much use as someone doing a lot of stop and go driving. So the bottom line is this. Are they dependable? Are they expensive to fix. Are many of the parts replaceable by the average do it yourself type mechanic? I took about ten college automotive courses about 15 years ago. I know the Japanese cars are the most reliable but I don't like the looks very much. And the better looking Japanese cars seem expensive. So I am willing to comprimise the reliability a LITTLE bit for the good looks of the Alero.
Thanks, Ken

[Aleromaster]

you could do what i did and goto a ford dealership and buy there warenty with the car. Ihave a 5 year 100K warenty that covers about 85% of the car and it only cost me $1000 extra

[kwhauck]

yes they are reliable, the only problem people have had with the brakes is that the front brakes rotors warp, but most gm cars have that problem, other than that i have had no complainted in the 2 years i've owned my car and it was put through abuse because it was a rental car before i bought it!!!

I bought mine brand new in the fall of 98 and have only had to replace the front pads and rotors, the battery and the alternator. Other than changing oil every 5000+ miles and having routine scheduled maintenance done I would say that it's been very reliable for me.

The Alero is a good little car, but you get what you pay for. If it's a 3400 V6, the intake gasket will leak. The brakes will go bad, but you can fix that by getting aftermarket rotors/pads. Front hubs will go out on occasion. And all the problems you can expect with an older car.
I've had my 2000 Alero since I bought in new in the summer of 2000. The gasket was the most expensive fix, at about $600. Front hub cost me $100, but can go up to $350 if you have someone else do it. I lost count of how many times I replaced the front air dam, but that's more of a driver problem, and it only cost about $30 for the part.
So all in all, maintaining a 4 year old car doesn't cost me $50 a month.

I bought my Alero because it was rated as a recommened car in Consumer Reports. I have a 2001. I bought an extended warranty because I drive alot. I have not had any major problems just maintenance. I have to keep the maintenance on my car with my owners manual or my extended warranty is void. I also think they depreciate so quick because Oldsmobile is going to be no more. I think you get alot of extras also for the price and they are good looking cars. Good luck

[brsexton]

They don't go down in value worse then any other car that has been used in the rental/fleet car spectrum. I had a 99 Mazda that was worth 4k when I traded it in last year. Also the Alero does not drop in value so bad because of Olds going under. If you look at a used Chevy Malibu same years and same miles, the Malibu is about 1500 or $2000 less than the Alero. Even the Grand AM holds its value better then the Malibu.

Alero is a schweet car. I woud never classify it as *junk*. Great car, but like any other car, it has it's share of issues. You'll never avoid that...

[freeze12]

I purchased My 2001 Alero GX -W- a 2.4L new & since I owned it the only thing I have put into it was front pads & rotors as GM brake parts are junk & good aftermarket parts will be very reliable. All around I am extreemly happy with this car & parts are cheap to buy versus buying parts for foreign cars.

[Baracuda96]

I bought my alero new in 2001... other than bad brakes every so often (which after buying aftermarket brakes as an alternative) - really isnt' so much of an issue anymore.... hmmm... i've ran over nails, so my tires blew (has nothing to do with the car)... and it's been broken into once...lol... i've been really happy with it... it's a quiet car, fast when i need it to be on highways... and i've personally never have had problems with it... i love my car... Make sure you buy the right one though - try to get some kinda history on it... or if you're buying it from a dealer, get that extra warranty, cuz you never know who owned it before you.

I've had a few issues with mine, some still need to be resolved. anyway, yes it is a good car. The few problems I have had are not any different than anyone elses.

[Naich]

They do definately depreciate rapidly... and the stock rotors are absolute crap. If you spend the money to upgrade your rotors to brembo or powerslots (or anything other than OEM) and some better pads, you will be ok. With the 3400, a common problem is a leak in the upper intake manifold that lets coolant seep into the oil. This is repaired (usually) under warranty. I would think GM should have recalled the 3400 engine for this problem, because it is so common (and potentially dangerous)...

[Oldsman]

well i have 84,000 on my 99 alero with 2.4 and no problems at all. replaced the stock rotors and pads with raybestos and never had a prob since.

all the models are good. so are the engines. like said before the coolant leak for the 3400. 2.4 no probs. haven't heard anything bad about the ecotec.

just a couple things, 99 doesn't have the 100,000 mile tranny fluid and plugs don't last til 100,000, more like 83,000.

Picked up my 2000 last summer. Previous owner didn't do much, so now it's just around that time for me to start replacing things - still has stock tires!
I'm replacing stuff with performance parts because there's not much price difference and GM's just not as quality with their parts - yes, brakes especially.
Great ride (I was a Toyota man); perfect amount of compromise between comfort and performance (2.4 5spd), and definately better looking that an import. I've had a loose wire by my fuel pump (stupid machanics said it was the pump (not GM machanics) so I picked up a new one for $600 (including work) (that's Canadian $).