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

[Badboyblu88]

The 2000 Alero is in great condition. Except she says it overheats. She said she has taken it to Raben and another mechanic shop to find out what's wrong with it. Both say it's the water pump. I heard it's great on gas and looks like a nice deal. What do you guys think? I sold my 1999 GMC Jimmy for $1400 and am in need of a car that's good on gas. I figured it was a great deal to spend the $1000 to get the car and use around $300-$350 to fix the overheating problem. Need help please!

 

[DominionSeraph]

KBB seems to be in the $1000-1300 range, so keep that in mind.

 

[BudAshes]

Who on these forums doesn't want to admit they might be driving a 2000 Alero?

 

[Badboyblu88]

I know, I really need advice

 

[master_shake_]

i am driving a 2000 alero.

minimal problems...

intake gaskets, front springs break, rear springs break, front and rear calipers seize up, passlock fails like clockwork...

can't think of anything else.

oh and the rockers between the the quarter and the rear door (in the case of 2 door front doors) rot away in to nothingness

and if its the 4 cylinder, kill yourself lol

i should add they are horrible on fuel in the city, both the 6 and 4 cylinder are as bad.

mine has 252000 kms on it. 6 cylinder

thought of more, mine shutters from first to second and sometimes over revs going from 2nd to third disconnecting the battery helps quite a bit for that.

 

[Badboyblu88]

It is a 4 cyl

 

[master_shake_]

It is a 4 cyl

RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!

engines are shite

 

[Badboyblu88]

What's wrong with the 4 cyl?

 

[CurrentlyPissed]

RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!

engines are shite

6cyl yes. 4cyl no

 

[master_shake_]

water pump is an 800 dollar job, water outlet on the driver side breaks and causes coolant leaking and can cause other bigger issues if not caught in time.

timing shoes can fall off the guides that hold them and cause the chain to break and then the pistons meet valves.

timing cover gasket goes and then the engine loses oil and seizes the engine, also they burn oil like there is no tomorrow and that causes the engine to seize (seen that twice)

haven't seen a head gasket go though so that's good.

 

[SparkyJJO]

$800 job if you have a shop do it, maybe. Not sure how bad a DIY job that is on that vehicle but usually water pumps aren't a huge deal.

I'd be concerned how badly it has overheated though. Bad enough and it can cause all sorts of other problems that you really don't want to deal with.

 

[master_shake_]

$800 job if you have a shop do it, maybe. Not sure how bad a DIY job that is on that vehicle but usually water pumps aren't a huge deal.

I'd be concerned how badly it has overheated though. Bad enough and it can cause all sorts of other problems that you really don't want to deal with.

diy'er could very well do it yes...

if you have the chance watch a video of replacement. runs of the timing chain

 

[skyking]

That's just annoying, a timing chain is good but running accessories on it is bad bad. bad.
Old school that stuff off the serpentine belt!

 

[master_shake_]

That's just annoying, a timing chain is good but running accessories on it is bad bad. bad.
Old school that stuff off the serpentine belt!

i totally agree, the three or four i have done were the worst ones ever.

cams have no timing marks just bolts to hold them in the correct place.

 

[angminas]

I have a 99 with the V6, auto transmission, and about 184k. It was well-maintained before I bought it last summer and it uses no oil. Same platform as the Grand Am. Comfortable, quiet, looks nice, plenty fast when I need it, and I get about 21.5mpg, since I'm a frugal driver. Overall I'm very happy with it. Two things I'm unhappy about:

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

2. The spark plugs on the back of the engine are inaccessible. You have to remove a couple of motor mounts and roll the engine to change them.

 

[Arkaign]

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.

 

[mizzou]

Take a look under the hood and underneath the car and check for basic deterioration. If the entire hose assembly for everything (fuel, coolant, brake) is shot, you are looking at a hefty service fee.

Usually these beater cars can be had for under $500.00 in "working" condition. Your car isn't in working condition, so $1000 seems like a stab in the eyeball.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I'm surprised it is still on the road. I never see those cars around anymore. Figured they just weren't built well enough to last.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

I would not pay more than scrap value.

As ark said, who knows the overheating history.

 

[SparkyJJO]

I'm surprised it is still on the road. I never see those cars around anymore. Figured they just weren't built well enough to last.

I still see a number of them running around central Ohio. Many have rust spots but many also look fairly clean for their age.

 

[IGemini]

There's also a few Aleros around here in south central PA, every one looked in decent shape.

I drove a 2000 V6 for a while that had 140k. Ran pretty well aside from a wheel bearing issue that apparently only happened to me a couple times. Did all highway driving so the mileage was a pretty decent 27. Parents ended up getting selling the car to a college girl who ran it until it died around 175k. Kinda miss the car. I'd avoid an I4 and run away if the car was overheating.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I still see a number of them running around central Ohio. Many have rust spots but many also look fairly clean for their age.

Within 200 miles of me there are exactly 11 of these cars for sale on Autotrader ranging in price from $2700-$5995. 200 miles from my zip code encompasses almost the entire SoCal region from Los Angeles to the Mexican border. These are all clean, rust free cars with around 100k miles or less ranging from 1999-2004 model years and they are all dealer listed.

I just don't think they sold particularly well, which is probably why I never see them.

 

[Badboyblu88]

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!

 

[Badboyblu88]

Everyone helped me make a good decision and I'm glad there are still nice people out there like you guys. Thanks very much.

 

[master_shake_]

does the cavalier have the same engine as the alero?

2.4 liter