By Chris Chase

2001 Oldsmobile Alero. Click image to enlarge

Picture this: it’s the mid-1990s and the folks at General Motors’ now defunct Oldsmobile division are brainstorming, working on what sort of car they should build to replace the company’s current mid-size sedan, the (under) Achieva. Okay, the dig is a little low; the Achieva was a decent car for its time, but Olds needed a really great car for its replacement, something that would really be able to compete with imports like the Honda’s Accord and Toyota Camry (does it seem to you too like I reference those two cars in every review?) if not in overall refinement then at least in price.

By 1999, the time had come for Olds to reveal their new car. The Oldsmobile Alero was a stylish sedan that slotted quite nicely into the mid-size segment to go toe-to-toe with the aforementioned Accord and Camry, Mazda’s 626, Nissan’s Altima (mostly) and Maxima (sort of) and domestic mid-sizers like Ford’s Taurus and Chrysler Corporation’s Stratus, Cirrus and Sebring.

Typically for a domestic model, the Alero shared its General Motors “N-Body” platform and much of its running gear with two other GM cars: the redesigned Pontiac Grand Am that was introduced in 1999 and the 1997-2004 Chevrolet Malibu. Oddly enough, given Pontiac’s propensity for “excitement,” the Alero tended to be the sportier of the two, with a tighter suspension and less garish looks. Pricing was a little different too, with the Alero’s M.S.R.P. starting out cheaper at the low end of the range and topping out higher for fully loaded models.

2002 Oldsmobile Alero, Click image to enlarge

Buyers liked what they saw, and the Alero sold quite well throughout its six-year production run, so they’re easy to find on used car lots now.

Aleros were available with either a four- or six-cylinder engine. The four banger was a 2.4-litre unit used extensively in other General Motors’ vehicles. It wasn’t particularly smooth, but its 150 horsepower and good mid-range torque were enough to move the Alero with authority in city driving. The better choice for highway cruising was the 3.4-litre V6 that, while only producing an additional 20 horsepower, pounded out lots of useful torque and was much smoother than the four-cylinder. Initially, the only transmission available was a four-speed automatic, but a five-speed manual was added as the standard transmission choice for four-cylinder models in 2000.

Both engines have proven to be fairly durable, but the V6 suffers from a chronic intake manifold gasket failures. These are a pain to replace, and if a bad one isn’t caught early on, it can either allow engine coolant to leak down into the crankcase, diluting the oil and potentially causing serious engine damage; or it can let the coolant leak out of the engine altogether.

2003 Oldsmobile Alero. Click image to enlarge

Also, N-Body cars are known for short-lived brake rotors that are prone to warping, causing a pulsating brake pedal. There have been some issues with electrical components too.

Consumer Reports notes these issues in its evaluation of the Alero and while it recommends against buying a 1999 through 2001 model largely because of the above noted issues, it does recommend cars from the 2003 model year.

Both engines returned good fuel economy, but the four cylinder didn’t hold a significant advantage over the V6 in this regard despite the difference in displacement and power. While Natural Resources Canada’s fuel consumption numbers for the Alero vary a bit from year to year, you could expect a four-cylinder model to use about 10.5 L/100 km in the city and about 7 L/100 km on the highway. Six-cylinder models will use closer to 12 L/100 km in the city and again, about 7 L/100 km in conservative highway driving.

On the safety front, the Alero earned mixed results in U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash testing. Two-door models got four and five stars respectively for driver and front passenger protection in frontal crashes, but scored just one star for front seat side impact protection, and four stars for rear seat occupants. Four-doors did much better overall, earning four stars each for front seat occupant protection in frontal impacts, and three stars each for front and rear seat occupant protection in side impacts.

Low resale values mean that a well maintained Alero is a terrific used-car deal. Go way back to 1999 and a top-of-the-line GLS sedan, which sold for $26,920 new, carries a used value of about $6,100 according to Canadian Red Book. Flash forward to the Alero’s last year of production, 2004, and a range-topping GL sedan is worth $15,325, compared to its M.S.R.P. of $24,301.

Despite its reliability shortcomings, the Alero is a stylish, spacious and pseudo-sporty car that looks mighty appealing as a used car compared to pricier imports like the Accord and Camry (there they are again!). Your best bet is one that’s been well cared for and comes with complete maintenance and repair records so you know what problems the car’s previous owner(s) have dealt with or neglected. Also, definitely get your potential purchase inspected by a trusted mechanic for the telltale signs of the common problems that crop up in these cars. If you find one that passes these tests and is priced right, it’d be a hard deal to beat for a car as pleasant to drive and look at as the Alero.