Thinking of an Alero...again

[nickbain]

Not sure if this is the right spot to post this but here it is anyway. Here's the deal, about 4 or 5 years ago I bought a used 99 alero 3400 auto. I liked the car but I did have quite a few issues with it, (some common to 3400's and some likley due to my driving habits) in the end the tranny was slipping and the motor was running fairly rough (coolent in the oil didn't help that) and there were a bunch of other things wrong so I got rid of it and bought a Yukon and swore that I would never again look sideways at an Alero again. But here I am 2 years later and still lovin the Yukon but the gas prices are forcin me to think of a car again. I said to myself "I want a 4cyl 5spd 4 door small car or 2 door midsize". So my wife and I went out looking at dealerships and wouldn't you know it there was a 2dr 4cyl 5spd Alero sittin there. Now I know I said that I would never again think about an Alero but I am finding myself strangly drawn to the allure of the Alero. Now what I want to know is am I stupid, do I need someone to give me a slap or did I just have exceptionally bad luck with the previous Alero. Also worthy to note...my driving habbits have smartened up substancialy (I'm 25, on my 8th vehicle all blowen motors, trannys, rear ends, etc.. no write-offs and am finally getting cheap insurance).

[teflone]

Welcome back sucka!

Just kidding..

You might get lucky with that one.. specially if it 2002 or newer.. they got rid of gasket problems apparently from 2002 on..

Good luck! dont pay too much for em..

[Cliff8928]

The 4-cylinders never had any gasket problems. However a 2002 or newer will be an Ecotec instead of a TwinCam.

[NoSweat83]

The 4-cylinders never had any gasket problems. However a 2002 or newer will be an Ecotec instead of a TwinCam.
You got it brotha!

[MixtapeMessiah]

have fun with all the bullshit problems!

[Redog]

The coolant leak is common with the 3400's but like Cliff said, the Eco didn't have this issue.

And yeah I would say driving habits would come into play here after hearing the list that you have

[antichrysler]

Definitely driving habits. There's a few other common issues like regulators, blower motor resistors, brakes, etc. All of which can be fixed, and now that it's getting to be an older car the parts are cheaper than ever if you're willing to look.

If you're serious about buying another Alero I would make sure you get it checked by a mechanic first, and the ecotecs have a pretty strong powertrain. If it's in good condition don't expect much with the engine/tranny (provided you drive it like a human being) but expect all the BS repairs that nickle and dime ya.

[AleroGLS]

I'm sorry but after owning this car, I will NEVER own a Domestic car again. I'm tired of all the little problem. Before this car I had a Mazda mx6 and not one problem, and it had more KM then my alero has now.

[antichrysler]

I'm sorry but after owning this car, I will NEVER own a Domestic car again. I'm tired of all the little problem. Before this car I had a Mazda mx6 and not one problem, and it had more KM then my alero has now.

Admittedly I'm in the same boat. I'd still buy domestic if they came up with some new ideas instead of re-inventing their old ones. It's good to know you had good luck with your Mazda. I got my fingers crossed on mine.

[billytheman1188]

You might get lucky with that one.. specially if it 2002 or newer.. they got rid of gasket problems apparently from 2002 on..

Nope. i had the gasket problem on my 02.

I would say buy it! you might have a few problems, but they arent too expensive to fix. aleros are great cars, just treat it right!

how many miles are on this alero? and how much is it?

[comanche]

The ecotec is great. 27 MPG rural/city driving. Reliability is excellent. However, try to turn the AC on (at least w/ my stick) and the whole car shakes pretty bad.

Howver, you will still have the problems with window regulators, wheel bearings, fan speed resistors, ignition switches, etc....

If I had to buy a new car, I'd get a Cobalt, hands down.... preferably the SS. :)

[Vinalero]

My guess would be that you eyed down on the Alero because it was cheaper than most of all the other models from same year you looked at and by the fact that you owned one.

If you can manage to use tools yourself, well some of the common problems aren't too much PITA too fix and not that expensive. Depends on your needs and taste.

You can spend 4000$ on a 2001 Alero and fix the thing when it breaks or pay 10 000 for a civic of the same year and have the thing run till you sell it.

I believe in the end it evens up.

[antichrysler]

Vins exactly right.

Biggest thing to check on is the powertrain, the other annoyances can be fixed cheaply.

[misslindseysue]

My gasket is fixed, blower motor resistor is brand new... my V6 is for sale. :) I get better mileage than my mom's Sunfire with the Ecotec.

[sound_xtreme]

mines for sale as well

[nickbain]

hey all. Ya the Alero caught my eye because of the price. It's an '03 ecotec 5spd 2dr. It has 55 thousand kms on it for 9995. Its in as new shape except for a couple tiny rust spots due to stone chips and what not. It's got power everything and a sunroof. AC blows cold and it doesn't "shudder" however I'm sure it likley will eventually. As for the minor "annoyences" I am well aware of them as I have already owned one and replaced several regulators, bearings, sets of brakes etc...(accually I still got two complete sets of pads down at the shop from the old one as I liked to keep one or two sets on hand).
As for the domestic vs. import thing....all of my vehicles have been domestic and will probibly continue to be domestics for a long time. When I was looking for a car this time I drove a lot of different cars both import and domestic and I have to say, I don't think I would be happy with an import. The ride generally wasn't as nice they wern't as roomy and the seats I found were to small to get comfortable in ( I'm 220 lbs 5'10"), but thats just my opinion.

[Vinalero]

, but thats just my opinion.

Actually, its the one that count here buddy.

the ecotec seems rather reliable over the years and a 5 spd is definatly a plus with the sunroof.

[nickbain]

good to hear that the ecotec is reliable, as much fun as it was tearing down the top end of my old 3400, I'm not all that eager to do it again any time soon. The sunroof is cool, thats what sold my wife I think.

[antichrysler]

It has 55 thousand kms on it for 9995.

That's actually kinda pricey. It's an 03 you said.... it should be going for closer to the $5500-$6000 mark.

[nickbain]

well I checked out prices on similar cars with similar kms here in ON and they ran around the 11 to 12 range.

[nickbain]

another question...what should I expect as far as fuel milage for the 2.2 providing I drive it normally and mostly highway.

[Vinalero]

Anti, currently, 00-01 in good shape sells for around 4500$ CDN with not much in it. The guy's got a sunroof, the ecotec + 55k km.

Edit: after further search, it seems its rather right in the price range or 2003 fully loaded.

[antichrysler]

That can't be right. Blackbook comes in around $4500-$6000, so selling price should be $5500-$7000, I was off by a bit, but $9,995 still seems really high.

A local dealer over here has almost that exact same car (04 but with 76,000km) and he's ASKING $8000, but sunroof, 5spd, all the options, which means selling price would be about $7,000. I'd say an 03 with fewer kms on it is worth about the same.

[antichrysler]

another question...what should I expect as far as fuel milage for the 2.2 providing I drive it normally and mostly highway.

you should be able to get around 40 mpg (imperial)

[teflone]

well I checked out prices on similar cars with similar kms here in ON and they ran around the 11 to 12 range.


Holy shit, your from ontario ?

Loring ? haha... as in Port loring ?

I go up there all the time, my friends own Pine Grove Resort..
Ever heard of it ? its near beside Tornados ..??

[nickbain]

wow small frikin world I worked at pine grove for 3 or four summers when I was younger and we just did a job for Bill last year.

[teflone]

wow small frikin world I worked at pine grove for 3 or four summers when I was younger and we just did a job for Bill last year.

Thats fucking crazy!, Bill is like my second Dad.. His daughter hilary im sure you know is like my sis...

Been going up there all my life, we always party in the farmhouse when we come up!..

I bet we've met.. Whats your name ?

Crazy small world eh...

[nickbain]

Nick Bain is my name. Dont' know if we've met or not I didn't see much of Hillary when I worked there...Bill kept me too busy :) but none the less small world you all coming up this summer?

[teflone]

yeah, if Im lucky, always enjoy going up there..

What job did you do last summer for Bill..

He had a nasty fall off a ladder a while back, but is all good now..

I gotta get some fishing in, and get my fishing license too.. lol..
Got any hot spots ya wanna share ? :D

I've caught the biggest fresh water fish in my life up there..
Fish that can swallow your leg..

I also goto Powasa lake, got a local friend that has a summer trailer up there.. Its in deed a small world.. :)

Oh ya my names is Eric, my dad helps Bill alot, his name is Vic, you might have heard of us..

[Mischief007]

On the highway I get 30 to 33 MPG but I regularly drive 120 km/h. In the city I had low to mid 20s but this is again due to my driving style. The lowest I had was 18 during the winter and hard driving.

I bought my Ecotec/5-speed with 60,000 km on it and the car now has 125, 000. I had the window clip, ignition switch, strut tower bearing, wheel bearing, and brakes go :).

[nickbain]

yeah, if Im lucky, always enjoy going up there..

What job did you do last summer for Bill..

He had a nasty fall off a ladder a while back, but is all good now..

I gotta get some fishing in, and get my fishing license too.. lol..
Got any hot spots ya wanna share ? :D

I've caught the biggest fresh water fish in my life up there..
Fish that can swallow your leg..

I also goto Powasa lake, got a local friend that has a summer trailer up there.. Its in deed a small world.. :)

Oh ya my names is Eric, my dad helps Bill alot, his name is Vic, you might have heard of us..


Hot spots ehhhh....I guess I could prolly give up a few of my secerets :cool:

I think that I have heard of you now that I know your names.

I think it was last spring and the fall before that that we worked for Bill. We re-did the dock by the gas house and stairs by #1 and built the Deck/Shed thing/Stairs/walking path up at the new cottage that he bought off of Balsm Lake road.

[teflone]

Hot spots ehhhh....I guess I could prolly give up a few of my secerets :cool:

I think that I have heard of you now that I know your names.

I think it was last spring and the fall before that that we worked for Bill. We re-did the dock by the gas house and stairs by #1 and built the Deck/Shed thing/Stairs/walking path up at the new cottage that he bought off of Balsm Lake road.

oh yeah!, I didnt realize the docks were so new.. did good work, they look nice, that new chalet they got is nice, wish I had the money to rent it.. haha cant afford to rent it even with the "family" discount..
My daad Vic is a carpenter as well.. hes done all sorts of crap around the resort..

Well I know who to call to slap a dock together.

Whenever I go up there, the hot spot from the year before sucks, and I have to spend the whole trip looking for a new one..

I usually end up going downstream(think is down) which I belive is east down the river, but have been trying up stream towards and past the cliff jumping spot where everyone likes getting bruised asses... lol..

I did it once, couldnt sit down for 2 days.. thats as close to jail as I wanna get..

[nickbain]

Well I don't know the river that well for fishing cause I hardly ever fish there as it's generally too busy for my tastes but I got a few good spots on other lakes I could take ya too if ya want. There are a lot of little back lakes and lakes that have no public access to that I fish all the time. They are nice, not too many people and the fishing is pretty good.

Ya the Chalet is very nice. The only thing about it I don't like is the climb to get down to the water and back up to the cottage but I guess it give privacy. I'll tell ya there were some tense moments on that hill with the skidsteer when I was there....never been so glad to be done a job with the skidsteer since.

[nickbain]

Well I took the plunge and bought the car. I pick her up on wednesday after work.

[steve-o]

cograts, and welcome back!

[teflone]

Good job, now everyone is going to tell you to clear your corners..

Its like a right of passage around here, I have never got around to it..

Its blasphemy I tell ya.. the members of this site might burn me at the stake once they hear.. lmao.. :D

[antichrysler]

Good job, now everyone is going to tell you to clear your corners..

Its like a right of passage around here, I have never got around to it..

Its blasphemy I tell ya.. the members of this site might burn me at the stake once they hear.. lmao.. :D

lmao i never cleared my corners.... -30C weather for 8/12 months and only having the car for 16 months makes it very hard to do lol

[nickbain]

Good job, now everyone is going to tell you to clear your corners..

Its like a right of passage around here, I have never got around to it..

Its blasphemy I tell ya.. the members of this site might burn me at the stake once they hear.. lmao.. :D

Ya I never got around to it with my old one but I am hopeing to do it to this one....if I have time that is. Right now I'm having a hard time finding time to keep the lawn cut letalone mod the truck or the car. It is however IMO one of the best looking things to do to an Alero to enhance the exterior apperence of them.