Power (v6), Styling, comfort & have had no problems at all in 18k miles. Even the 4 door looks good. Relatively solid feel for a GM product.

Below average interior quality, especially the leather.

We have had this car 2 years and drive less than 10k easy miles per year. We have had no problems, trip mileage is around 26. Acceleration and handling are very good. Fit & Finish and paint are better than the normal GM product. With my total out the door price of exactly $19k I was willing to accept the above average depreciation. With Olds shutting down we'll see how this will play out along with parts prices.

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Saturn SC, Accord, Mazda

The car is a very comfortable car. The seats are easy to get in and out of and don't make you feel trapped. I like the fact the car lets you know when something is needed such as the low tire pressure light lets you know you need air.Also the car is a very good looking car.

The breaks are quite inconsistent on working at all times. I have replaced all of the tires in the time frame of six months of purchasing the car. The windows don't always go up or down esspecially during cold times of the year. All of the parts I have had to buy have been quite expensive. I was quoted that a new wheel would be $600 for a factory wheel which I think is quite ridiculous for a car that isn't even considered a luxury car! Also a big problem is that the parts are very rare and very costly due to the rareness. The wheels on the car crack very easily so beware. The car does not handle well in snow or icy conditions at all. The car makes very wide turns. I would not reccommend anyone to purchase an Alero.

The car is a nice looking car but it doesn't perform well at all.

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None

- Sleek exterior styling
- Straightforward and effective interior styling
- Ample power and torque, great handling, very good value.

- Unimpressive fuel economy
- Lack of rear visiblilty (likely due to the fat C-pillar)

I am paying about $300 per month on a lease for an Alero with just about all available options (no leather seats or sunroof). Upon comparing this car to similar models, I think the Alero is a lot of car for the money. After a month, I am quite pleased. In the not-so-distant past, I never even thought about buying a GM product, but the Oldsmobile division is putting out some great cars. Also, when I found out that 4-wheel disc brakes, ABS and traction control were standard on all Aleros, I realized that the General was actually serious this time about making a true driver's car that could compete against the imports. Additionally, It looks much better than the Pontiac Grand Am, with which the Alero shares its platform, because it avoids all that obnoxious styling and Pep-Boysish crappy plastic trim that Pontiac likes to put on their cars.

At any rate, the Alero is one of the best American cars I have ever driven. The old GM pushrod V6, which is now bored and stroked out to 3.4 liters, produces 170 horsepower. Even though it is not exactly the on the cutting edge of technology, the engine, coupled with a smooth automatic, is more than enough to quickly launch the car from a standstill and accelerate briskly. The car's best aspect is the handling. With the performance suspension, steering is quite responsive, and the car can zip around sharp turns without even flinching. The Alero is a very agressive and sharp-looking vehicle, especially the coupe. The interior, which I think is imitative of Japanese cars in this class, is very simple, but effective, with good ergonomics. The audio system puts out very good and clear sound, although I think the tone selection (meaning the bass and treble can be automatically adjusted to suit "Jazz", "Rock", "Classical" and other kinds of music) is a bit gimmicky.

The only problems so far are mediocre fuel economy and lousy rear visibility. Also, if you are over 6' tall (which, fortunately, I am not), you will have a hard time fitting in this car. Although power and handling are more than adequate, it is not quite as refined or as much of a driver's car as some German and Japanese competitors. There is some body roll in the turns, and you have to do some steering correction upon coming out of a sharp turn.

The Alero is a very good car, and hopefully, it won't give me any problems during the three years I am leasing it, and maybe it will restore some of my faith in American cars.

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Honda Accord (not as much fun to drive, bland styling)

The V-6 engine, Stereo, Traction control (it really works in the snow), cornering and styling. Handles superb on twisty mountain roads, climbs very steep hills without pause and with plenty of power in reserve. Super fit and finish, no leaks, rattles or strange noises.

Cupholders bite. My wife is 4'11" and can't use the rear one, I'm 6'4" and can't reach the front one. Wind noise at 75 and above can be deafening. Rear view from the front seat is very poor to impossible with high trunk and spoiler. Seats are uncomfortable for tall drivers and very firm (filled with cement?).

I love this car. I haven't had this much fun driving since the muscle cars of my youth. The only drawback is the seats, cupholders and rear view while trying to back up. Performance at a reasonable price along with styling. My wife and I never fought over who got to drive the Escort with this car it's a race to the keys for who gets to drive. I really love the speed and handling, too bad GM is getting rid of Olds, this car is a WINNER!

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Closest I can think of is a 1976 Buick Century with a 350 ci engine. The Alero has that much percieved power with the V-6. And the gas mileage and handling are far superior. As for the Ford Escort I had before, they don't compare at all. This car not only gets better gas mileage than the Escort did, it beats the Escort in EVERY WAY POSSIBLE.

- I find 3.4L V6 is not that loud.
- Trunk space is pretty good, with back seat easy to fold down. Have moved three times since owning this car, can pack A LOT into it.
- Stereo system is nice. Good quality speakers for a factory set. Installed 12 CD disk with no problems

- Have about 34,000 km's and car is making strange noises (metal rubbing sound) from front left tire. When turning left, car is shifting left to right. Have tried to get dealership to look at, but keeps giving us the run-around. I see from the postings, that it could be brake rotors? Please email me if this happened to you (and if it was the brake rotors) so I can tell dealership how to do their job.

Overall, decent car. Black is tough to keep clean, but is expected for this colour. Very easy to wash! Gas mileage seems to be decent, just hope prices go down soon. Rear view mirror in odd location. For tall people (I'm 6'5") rearview location makes it hard to see right side of road when passing. Dash is easily layed out, but drink holders need to be re-designed. No leakage problems with this car, and I leave in a very wet climate! Parts may be a problem due to Olds death, but most of it seems to be GM stuff anyway...

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- 1997 Monte Carlo (parents car) - same size engine. no problems with it, except fuel pump went after warranty. May expect to see same thing in this engine, so Alero owners be warned

Overall Drivability, accelerates great, handles wonderful, silent on freeway, smooth riding car, sweet stereo system, many many more.

Oldsmobile wont be able to build anymore of them. This is a really great car.

I love this car. It is my first new car and I could not be happier with it. Fun to drive, looks cool, sounds good, reliable, and has a huge warrenty. I would highly recommend this car!!

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97 Toyota Corolla, 89 Z24 This car is as smooth as the corolla, almost as quiet as it, but handles and accelerates much better. The 89 Z was an old car so not alot going for it.

I love to tap the pedal and it just goes... no questions asked. The handling is excellent... I find that speeding up into a curve is wonderful. I love my CD player and all of my "luxury" car features.. leather seats.. power everything. I've read other posts and my engine just purrrrs... no loud noises. My passenger side window squeaks like a BIG RAT.

I can SEE a gap between the floor and the door in the back passenger side.. I'm sure that's going to leak. I started the car the other day and it acted like it didn't want to start. It only has 25000 miles and my tires slip in the rain. Even ETS can't help that. I've read that some gas gauges are defective. My gas gauge does move inconsistantly.
I'm going to take it to the dealer and get everything fixed while I still have the warranty.

I'm happy with this car so far. I've read a lot of complaints nad I'm going to take it to the dealer while I have a leg to stand on. I also need to find out if the 5 year warranty applies to my 2000 Alero. I feel so rich in my Alero.. the price was right on this car.


I'll update if I have any major problems.

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1995 Nissan Altima - I still love my altima.. glad I didn't trade it in. I love my Altima's sunroof and custom CD player. My Alero has better acceleration and handling. But my Altima just sips gas.

V6 engine puts out a lot of power, styling is excellent, optional equipment is great!! More for your $$ - leather seating, fog lights, low-profile tires & premium wheels, cruise control, cd/cxassette player, 6 way power driver's seat....

The only things I have not been satisfied with are the placement of the cup holders, the lack of a river information system (would be a great feature!), also the way the rain drips into the car....other than that it's great!!!

I am so happy with my car. It is stylish as well as functional. It seats 5 comfortably and handles very well. I have heard others who have had problems....I have had none and have almost 18000 miles on my car. You have to try one and see what you think. The pillar is hard to get used to when you're looking over either shoulder, but you learn to compensate for it...all cars have their blind spots. Overall, on a scale of 1 - 10, I give this car a 10. It handles well, I get average gas mileage (I tend to speed a little) - I think people forget that the faster you drive the more gas you're going to use, the windhsield washer fluid resovoir holds a full gallon. There are warning lights that are very handy: low washer fluid, oil, tire pressure, change oil, etc. I am lucky - I get free oil changes as long as I own my car and have it done every 3000 miles. I hope you give it a chance, they won't be around much longer since GM is doing away with Oldsmobile.

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I have driven a 1990 Chevy Corsica, 1998 Toyota Camry and a 2000 Chevy Impala. I almost bought the Impala - the 3.8 V6 was awesome, but for the same features in the Alero, you paid a lot less. I like the styling of the Alero better too.

The car steers well, and gets decent gas mileage.

The front brake rotors were replaced at 18,000 after a strong vibration in the front end when the brakes were applied. At approximately 34,000 the problem began to reoccurr. Not confident the dealer is not seeing this problem over and over. Inside cabin noise is loud, a high amount of engine noise makes it's way to the driver.

The car would rate much higher, if I were not suspect known front brake problems. While at the dealer on one occasion another customer had the exact same problem of front brake viabration.

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None

Good engine...Good sound system

UNRELIABLE! I've had the car since November 1999 - to date (April 2001) it has spent a total of 5 weeks 2 days in the SHOP! Details below.

Nov 1999 - Bought car -loved it. Dec. 1999 - stereo broke. Jan. 2000 - COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. Feb. 2000 - leather trim began pealing off of door panels. Feb. 2000 - Dome light fixture broke -fell out of ceiling. April 2000 - Brakes went -rotors warped. April 2000 - water began leaking into car from???????? (still not fixed). June 2000 -rattles begin to get louder and more frequent - weatherstripping fell off of passenger door. Sep 2000- Sway bar assembly broke. Sep 2000 - transmission serviced due to shifting problems. Oct. 2000- Stereo broke AGAIN. Dec. 2000 - SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING! March 2001 - Trac Control and ABS system BOTH FAIL during snowstorm! Today my wife is taking the car back in to have the Brakes redone AGAIN! The rotors are so warped the car won't drive straight when you brake - even lightly. I have put 24,000 miles on the car - 50% + on highway. We bought the GLS thinking of the investment potential for an entry level sport luxury WE WERE TAKEN! Please save yourself the trouble...... AVOID THIS CAR LIKE THE PLAGUE!

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1996 Pontiac Grand Am - I want my Grand Am back!