I am thinking of buying a 2000 Oldsmobile Alero with 172k miles on it for $1000

[mmntech]

Lol. I worked with a guy who had a 2000 Alero. The way he talked about it, you'd think he was driving a brand new Jaguar. I still laugh seeing his stupid bro face driving around in a car that was older and crappier than everyone else at the store.

IIRC, water pump failures were a common issue on the 90s Oldsmobiles.

 

[IGemini]

does the cavalier have the same engine as the alero?

2.4 liter

Yup, both use the LD9. Same issue with the water pumps since it is an Olds engine, but wiki says the '01+ should've been better overall.

 

[nerp]

I'd hit it. As long as you can confirm the engine isn't gunked or the overheating didn't kill it already.

 

[BUTCH1]

No. If you have a choice, never buy a used vehicle that you know has overheated. You can never know how badly it overheated and for how long, and it can do immensely terrible things to the engine. Things that might not even be apparent for several thousand miles, but when they crop up are killers.

You still have your $, count yourself lucky that you missed this one.

$1k will buy you an ugly but reliable vehicle that's much more robust. Things like Police crown vics, Lesabres and similar GM 3800-powered vehicles, etc. The simpler the better really at that price. And above all : value a smooth good running vehicle over style. All too often I see someone say 'wow, look at this '99 Eclipse Turbo, only $1,200!, all that's wrong is the head gasket is leaking! what a DEAL!', and boom : they're stranded almost immediately by a gigantic money pit that they have to turn around and part out or scrap, or it gets towed and it's more expensive to get out out of the pound than it's worth.

Yea, this, a girl at work just bought a '96 Saturn for $500 that runs like a top and still has cold AC, it's ugly as sin but for $500 I think she did well..

 

[JMapleton]

You'll spend more fixing it than you paid for it. Another trap people fall into, thinking they're saving money. And the car will be scrap when you're done with it.

I had a 2001 Alero back in 2004 and I had to get rid of it because it needed over $1500 in repairs. By far the crappiest car I ever had.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

1. The transmission has no dipstick. You have to get under the car, remove a plug, and stick your finger into a hole to see if the fluid is full. smh

Same thing on the LS.

Thanks everyone! I declined the offer and found a much better deal. A 2001 Chevy Cavalier convertable in great condition with 140k miles on it for $1200. I'm going to test drive it in a little bit. If all goes well it
s mine!

Wonder if the '01 has the same speed governor as the '98. Was driving up from IA to MN in a hurry in the middle of a winter storm on "meh" tires, hit 105mph and went "WTF?!"