Overview & Reviews

Following a string of truly forgettable small-car efforts in the 1980s and '90s, Oldsmobile celebrated its centennial anniversary by introducing the all-new Alero to compete with the popular and well-established import competition of the day. While it failed to truly capture the hearts and minds of consumers or chalk up many conquest sales, Olds' small car story ended on an upbeat note with a stylish and decently designed effort.

Available as a sedan or coupe, the Oldsmobile Alero was considered by most to be a sporty-looking car thanks to its bulging wheelwells, sleek greenhouse, fluted side panels and large jewellike taillights. The front-drive Alero was also relatively entertaining to drive. Buyers could choose four-cylinder or V6 power. Initially, the Alero came with an automatic transmission only, but a five-speed manual eventually made an appearance.

Handling was nicely balanced and braking was strong. Inside, an artfully designed two-tone dash faced comfortable front seats that were firm and supportive. All controls were easy to see and use, with large knobs and buttons. Unfortunately, all-around refinement didn't match that of the leading imports.

The phase-out of the Oldsmobile brand spelled the end for the Alero. For a shopper interested in an affordable used coupe or sedan from the early 2000s, the Oldsmobile Alero should do nicely as long as one is aware of the car's faults and lame-duck heritage. Service can be handled at select GM dealerships -- you might want to focus on Pontiac, as the Alero was mechanically similar to the Grand Am.

Most Recent Oldsmobile Alero

The Oldsmobile Alero debuted in 1999 as a replacement for the slow-selling Achieva. Coupe and sedan body styles were offered, as were three main trim levels: entry-level GX, midgrade GL and top-line GLS. GX and GL models came standard with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that made 150 horsepower and 155 pound-feet of torque. Optional on GL and standard on GLS was a 3.4-liter V6 that made 170 hp and 200 lb-ft of torque. The only transmission choice at the time was a four-speed automatic.

Incremental improvements saw it through the next several years. A year after the car's debut, Olds offered a sport-tuned suspension package for the GL. For 2001, an optional five-speed manual transmission became available on four-cylinder models, and the car's antilock braking system was updated. If you're looking at four-cylinder Aleros, take note that for 2002 Oldsmobile replaced the 2.4-liter engine with a quieter and more fuel-efficient 2.2-liter engine. It made 140 hp and 150 lb-ft of torque.

Inside, we found the Oldsmobile Alero offered a user-friendly control layout and seats that were generally comfortable -- though materials quality throughout was a step or two behind that of competing imports; even the leather in the GLS looked and felt too much like vinyl. For those with lots to carry, though, both the coupe and sedan offered a generous 14.6 cubic feet of trunk capacity.

Although neither engine was particularly quiet, the four-cylinder provided adequate power in most situations while the V6 delivered spirited performance. The Alero's suspension tuning was firm and allowed some fun around twists and turns, yet ride quality remained smooth enough to make the Olds suitable for weekday commuting. The steering offered little in the way of road feel, however, and the brakes were strong but could be difficult to modulate due to an overly stiff pedal.

User Reviews:

• 

  Pretty fast and reliable little car. - 2004 Oldsmobile Alero
  By Bluegill18 - February 20 - 9:42 am

  Ive had my Alero for 2 years and have only had a few problems with the cooling system and window regulator, other than that its a pretty good little car and can show up my friends cars pretty easily. mine has 257,xxx miles on it and still going strong, trans isnt doing the best but what can you expect from a stock 4t40e trans wit 257,xxx miles on it. The exterior is pretty good looking too, i would say in my opinion that it looks better than its Pontiac counterpart the Grand Am, with its aggressively styled front end.

• 

  Not a bad second car - 2003 Oldsmobile Alero
  By D. Ahart - November 25 - 6:36 am

  Bought this car with about 21,000 on the odometer. Now has 53,000 mi. and so far its still running well. The front tires seemed to wear down evenly, but quickly. Make sure you do tire rotations regularly. Love the way the Alero handles on dry road...even wet not too bad, but less than stellar in the snow.

• 

  Sleeper Olds - 1999 Oldsmobile Alero
  By cybernco - November 2 - 2:00 am

  The V-6 has plenty of torque and just begs to be wound out to the redline. But, the 170 HP peaks at 4800 RPM. The same engine in a Chevy Ventura Van is 185 HP at 5200 RPM. Its too bad it doesnt come in a 5-speed transmission though. The wide tires give the car a very firm feel. But the car has very soft suspension and a lot of sway in the corners. Im sure this keeps the less experianced drivers from loosing it in the corners. The brakes are extremely inadequate. Performance brake pads are a manditory minimum upgrade. Overall this is a very fun car to drive though. Its almost a great sports car.

• 

  20,000 miles and better than I expected - 2001 Oldsmobile Alero
  By Nat - October 9 - 10:00 am

  Huge discount piqued my interest, but still didnt 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 its 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 isnt up to par with Toyota, however much improved over past american cars.

• 

  Alero - Often Overlooked - 2004 Oldsmobile Alero
  By foxyfennec - October 7 - 5:03 pm

  While the Olds Alero is not a super-awesome performance vehicle, it has made me very happy. It gets decent gas mileage, is pleasant to drive and own, and its styling gets a few looks. Its a good used car to have - Ive had no problems with this car yet.

• 

  Good Car - 2000 Oldsmobile Alero
  By Mr. Markus - September 27 - 10:00 am

  This has been a very good car overall. Especially like the traction control and ABS. On the highway this car gets over 30 miles to the gallon, with the air conditioner on. Small problems, strut broke, driver window power motor, but all were fixed with the warranty.

• 

  Good All Around Car Except For Seats - 2003 Oldsmobile Alero
  By Alf33 - September 9 - 10:00 am

  Everything about this car is good except for the bucket seats which are uncomfortable and way too hard. Unfortunatelly I didnt discover this until after it was too late to return it. The performance is good but accelerating when at a crusing speed of about 50 is sluggish if only moderate pedal pressure is used. It gets moving real good when it drops down a gear when you get into it more. The car has tons of great features, is nice to drive, and is more stylish than a lot of cars out there now. I got 30mpg on the highway during a recent trip and that was doing 70-75mph a lot of the time.

• 

  Trouble - 2001 Oldsmobile Alero
  By GMlover - September 1 - 3:56 pm

  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.

• 

  rotors - 1999 Oldsmobile Alero
  By Rebecca71500 - August 21 - 10:00 am

  I keep reading about bad rotors. I brought my car in to have the windshield wipers replaced several months after I bought it. (I had to replace the other side last month) I was told that the rotors needed to be replaced. It wasnt a recall, but if the cars were brought in for other reasons they automatically replaced them. I have also had to take my car back several times because it was leaking oil.

• 

  Not bad for a company car - 2002 Oldsmobile Alero
  By Keelay - August 21 - 10:00 am

  The Alero GX sedan is a pretty decent company car. It has adequate acceleration with the 4-cyl engine, and nice handling. The ride is okay, although it can be jittery on smooth roads. The brakes are just marginal, and they seem to need a lot of pressure to get the car to stop. The GX model does have a lot of features for the money, too, and the standard stereo, cruise control, and automatic headlights are nice. The workmanship is *definitely* not up to Japanese standards, though. Its a nice enough car, but there are nicer ones. I wouldnt buy this car, but as a free car, its not bad.