Overview & Reviews

A five-speed manual transmission is now available with the four-cylinder engine; an eight-speaker premium sound system is now standard on the GLS (optional on GL); and a refined ABS system and 16-inch wheels are now standard on the GLS.

• Sleek styling, brisk performance and handling, ergonomically designed interior, well-equipped standard model.

• Hint of cheapness to interior bits, unrefined engine noise intrudes into passenger compartment, numb steering.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 109.00

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  .....at least its pretty inexpensive! - 2001 Oldsmobile Alero
  By JennO. - August 21 - 10:00 am

  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!!!

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  Bucket of Bolts - 2001 Oldsmobile Alero
  By Dave - April 7 - 4:56 pm

  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.

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  Never again! - 2001 Oldsmobile Alero
  By not happy with GM - December 21 - 2:00 am

  At 39,000 miles had to have a head gasket replaced. In 61,000 miles have had to have 3 o2 sensors replaced at various times. Car now has a problem with hesitating going up hills and no one can track down what the problem is. This is the first and last GM product I will buy.

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  A definite NO! - 2001 Oldsmobile Alero
  By Julian Perez - September 6 - 4:21 pm

  I bought this car at 160K miles and right after I bought it and drove it home, problems started to arise. The check engine light went on right as I drove it home, I didnt think much of it because everything seemed fine. A week later, I went to Oreillys and got the codes pulled from the computer. Some sort of emissions trouble code and a piston spark plug fire miss code came up. Not a big deal at all, but just troubling since it started on my first drive in it. After that, the A/C compressor bearing went out and it made a loud pinging noise. Since the A/C compressor was such a pain in the butt to get to, I never bothered to get it fixed and just lived without A/C. Next, the stud on the trailing arm in the passengers rear cracked off which rendered it useless. It wasnt too much of a pain to replace that, but a new trailing arm is quite expensive. After that, the power steering lines rusted through and I had to replace those which was VERY difficult and pretty pricey. Next, the alternator went out and I had to replace that which wasnt too difficult but pricey. Finally, the head gasket blew and it was EXTREMELY difficult to tear apart the engine and replace all the gaskets. Altogether, I got a discount on the materials required which cost around $180 but it took about 3 days to get it all fixed. Took it for a test drive after that and learned that I needed new spark plugs and spark plug wires. I took it around the block twice just to be sure everything was working properly. The next day, the car caught on fire and was totaled. A tiny bit of gas turned out to be leaking out of the return rail and the rusted spark plug wires arced to the motor and sparked the fire which soon became very large and melted a good portion of the wire harness. Overall, I took great care of the car. I frequently checked my fluids and got my oil changed every 3K miles. I definitely got a nightmare car though, note that I only had the car between 160K miles and 168K miles which was only for about 10 months. This is my bad experience with this car, take it or leave it.

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  Good Thing Olds Went Out Of Business! - 2001 Oldsmobile Alero
  By Katie Milbradt - July 30 - 10:00 am

  New cars dont break down - WHAT A JOKE! List of REPLACEMENTS: 19,824 Brake Calipers. 24,878 Intake Manifold Gaskets. 24,980 Power Steering Hose. 28,754 Wheel Speed Sensor, Control Arms, & HEAD GASKET. 33,451 Stabilizer Shaft, Insulator, & Bracket. 37,516 Oil Pan Gasket Leak. 40,903 Intake Gaskets & Brake Pads. 48,837 Strut Mounts. 54,998 Steering Gear and FRONT CRANK SEAL! With all the repairs Ive had, I will have a new car at 60,000!

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  Terrible Resale Value - 2001 Oldsmobile Alero
  By Jay - June 18 - 8:50 am

  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.

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  One big headache - 2001 Oldsmobile Alero
  By Stay Clear - February 6 - 2:00 am

  Very nice looking vehicle,but its one problem after another,and the service is a joke.My vehicle has 24,500 miles and has already has had 3 complete brake jobs due to warped rotors,and has been to the dealer on 12 occasions for other problems.I highly recommend staying clear of this vehicle,unless you want mine!If the later of the two is the case, disregard anything I stated earlier,its a great car!

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  Trouble Car - 2001 Oldsmobile Alero
  By drazzst - January 1 - 6:46 am

  Approx. 6 mos. after purchasing the vehicle, we had a minor rainstorm, and the driver side window wouldnt 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"

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  Alero = "lemon" - 2001 Oldsmobile Alero
  By Timo - May 7 - 10:00 am

  In the last nine months Ive had the Alero, Ive had to bring it in to have warranty work done 4 different times. It feels cheaply made and has proven itself to be just that. I expected alot more.

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  Merry Christmas! I keep my dash board... - 2001 Oldsmobile Alero
  By JC - October 28 - 3:40 pm

  Lights on all year long! My car is paid for and has been for some time. This is a good thing because it costs so much to keep it running! Wheel hubs, bearings, brakes, $$tires. I would tell anyone who asks not to buy an Alero, it is a complete lemon. I bought this car brand new, I have taken it to the Oldsmobile dealer for repair and no one can seem to fix my car. My dashboard lights are back on two weeks after it is "fixed." anti-lock, service vehicle soon, service engine soon, trac off always on!