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:

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  Do youself a favor - 1999 Oldsmobile Alero
  By ;oaiuwsdhfoiau;shdf - July 12 - 10:00 am

  Ive had this car for two years. Ive had the alternator replaced twice. $200 Dealership picked up the second one for me for free. The drivers side power window had to have the entire window system replaced when it broke. $100 The brakes wear down faster than any other car Ive had. The tape player stopped working. Ive lost pickup and power as soon as I got over 50k miles. The ignition casings malfunction and locked up, so the key wouldnt turn, thats $650 from the dealership. I bought it used, no warranty. I bought this car two years ago for $1500 below the blue book, and its depreciated 50% in two years.

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  WORST OF THE WORST OF THE WORST - 2002 Oldsmobile Alero
  By amrshalaby - March 21 - 1:52 pm

  WORST CAR EVER MADE IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND. Lets see where to start. I will start when the car was bought. AC Fan Resistor. Intake Gasket Manifold. Oil Pressure Sensor. Front Right Spring broke! Front Shocks and Front Springs! Front Wheel bearings went bad. Calibers seized. New brake calibers, new brake lines, and new rotors & pads, and the brakes still seized! AC Clutch bad, needs AC compressor. Cheap interior. dashboard cover is peeling and rolling backwards. New water pump. Then intake gasket only lasted 2 years, needed an engine. This car is an ongoing fire pitt for your money. WORST CAR EVER MADE.

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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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  stay away - 1999 Oldsmobile Alero
  By e gremmels - December 19 - 10:00 am

  At this point, the car has 63,000 miles. In the last 6 months I have had to replace the air conditioner condensor, fan switch on the air conditioner,head gasket, and starter. Also, the hazard light button has fallen into the dash board and the cell phone receptacle has come loose from its connection and does not work. For a car with this low mileage-the expense of the keeping it running is about to drive me crazy-$2,500 in 6 months. I drive 120 miles a day to work. I have to have a dependable car and this is not one. In addition, the seats are not comfortable for long drives and the cup holders are almost impossible.

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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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  DO NOT BUY THIS PIECE OF CRAP! - 1999 Oldsmobile Alero
  By GladTheAlero_isGone! - April 27 - 10:00 am

  These are just SOME of things that put this car in the shop in the 1st 40,000 miles: Brake rotors resurfaced at 10K and 20K miles. Low speed fan motor replaced at 20K. Low speed fan resistor replaced at 30K and 36K miles. COMPLETE ENGINE REBUILD NEEDED AT 38,000 Miles - Right after warranty period was over. $4,000. Fog lamps and headlights/taillights failed. Now the front left end is loud, grinding and vibrating - maybe a joint or something - not waiting around to find out. Drove it to a Kia dealer (just made it) and traded it in for $5,000. Bought a Sorento SUV. One sentence on the Alero - WORST CAR EVER!

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  I have had the worst one ever made . - 1999 Oldsmobile Alero
  By Angel Barnes - April 2 - 10:00 am

  It has been in service more than I have had the chance to drive it.

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  Why does this car exist? - 2004 Oldsmobile Alero
  By TRP - February 20 - 2:00 am

  I cant imagine why anyone actually likes this car. Its uncomfortable, the brakes are terrible, the interior is very cheap, and the steering in loose. This car is why Americans by more foreign cars. Thank goodness this is a "company" car for me. I drive a VW Passat, and the difference is incredible. I cant believe, my car costs almost the same! The Passat isnt the greatest sedan, but it feels 100 times more solid and upscale then then this hunk o junk.