My name is Sam. I just recently bought a 2001 Alero GL2 Coupe, 3.4L V6, Bronze Mist exterior with Neutral Interior. 166,000 miles. No major issues but I did have to replace the wipers and tires, both were worn down as far as they could go.

I get the feeling that the previous owner determined that changing the tires was a death blow to the car and traded up. People are just unwilling to put any money into cars these days.

The engine runs really well, transmission still shifts smooth.

Problems I've noticed so far:

Passenger Power Window motor needs replaced
Horn doesn't honk - could be a fuse issue
There is a missing button on the radio tuner ****
The power lock switches on the doors don't work, but keyless entry does
The cup holder cover is missing
The front ash tray is missing the ash tray itself and the cup liner
Sometimes the rear defroster switch works, sometimes it doesn't
The cruise control doesn't work
The hinge on the rear cup holders is broken
Someone pushed the dome light up into the ceiling
Accessory Power Outlet is loose
The brake light doesn't come on when engaging parking brake
Cooling system needs the air bled out but I plan on flushing it soon
Minor body issues, a dent on the front driver side, paint coming off the front edge of the hood, and a small patch of rust behind the driver's side door

Nothing too major and most of it I could probably fix myself and I don't know a whole lot about working on cars.

EDIT: I just noticed today that there is no passenger fog light, just a big hole and the other light doesn't seem to work. Luckily they aren't required here, but I can't believe I missed something like that.

I also forgot to tell more about myself, lol. I'm a Backroom Inventory Associate at Walmart, spend my nights trying to clean up everyone else's messes. I am also an administrator for a message board dedicated to the 1998 video game Trespasser. My hobbies are mainly reading and researching whatever I feel like.

 

Welcome to the Olds family! She does not look that bad. It does sound as though you have enough minor items to keep you busy for a quite a while. I hope you get enough use out of the car to see it turn 200,00!

 

Well now that I've had the car for a while I noticed it appears to have had a recent Lower Intake Manifold Gasket replacement, which makes me wonder if the dealership had bought the car because it had that problem, fixed it, and then turned around and put it on their lot. They do have their own garage as it's based out of an old full service station. It's one of the more reputable dealers here. My aunt got her Neon from there and it lasted her about 11-12 years.

But what's strange is that they didn't change the air filter, which was gunked up and full of debris. I did and got a bit more of a performance boost but it has a slightly lower than average idle (about 700-750 RPM instead of the 800-850 RPM) I'm thinking the MAF sensor got dirtied up by the debris.

Today, at about 166,280 miles I started hearing that tell-tale humming noise from the front of my car. Sounds like one of the infamous wheel bearings need to be replaced. It'll have to wait a little bit as I spent a bunch on tires though.

And the other day I wasn't paying close enough attention backing up and busted the mirror out of the assembly. I had to buy another assembly from the local auto parts place and I plan on putting it on soon. It'll have to be painted to match the car since it is white.

I'm surprised at how well it handled the 3-4 inches of snow on the highway when we had that big snow storm a couple days back. Didn't even act like it could get stuck, even when it got as bad as 5-6 in places, sometimes even more.

I am used to my old car though, a Geo Tracker. Not a whole lot of weight to that and it was RWD on top of that.

 

Perhaps they purposely did not change the air filter in an effort to distract one's attention to the manifold gasket replacement?

I would want to know why it was replaced. I would ask that of the seller. The deal is done, so there is no reason for them not to tell you at this point.

 

I would assume it would have to do with the long dried oilfall on the driver's side of the engine. LIM Gaskets on Aleros, especially the OEM ones, aren't known for their durability. I've been keeping an eye on the oil and coolant to make sure it was done right and so far so good.

I installed the replacement mirror today. While I had the door panel off, I noticed the switches on the passenger side were all unplugged and the wires tucked back into the door. I know the lock switch on the driver side is bad so I think that would be why that was unplugged, but the window switch unplugged tells me there is probably a problem with that window.

I also used some CRC MAF Cleaner on the MAF today. Hopefully that restores my RPMs. The vent on it was dark brown from all the build up so I bet it was never cleaned either. I also noted the hose between the MAF and the throttle body wasn't properly aligned with the notches. I don't know if any air was getting in, but I realigned it once I put the sensor back in.

EDIT: Did a test drive and still getting low RPMs. I have a feeling it might be the IAC valve... I'll give it the benefit of the doubt though and drive a few days before I do anything further just to make sure. At least the IAC valve a relatively inexpensive part in an easy to reach location just off the throttle body.