I bought my 2003 Olds Alero in May of 2004.
For 2.5 months I had absolutely no problems with it. In July 2004 I took a road trip with the car. It left me stranded. One moment the car was driving fine, I parked it, and when I came back out it wouldn't start. After getting it towed to a mechanic, I found out the car wouldn't start because it "thought it was being stolen". Yay for the effective security system I guess. *Note* I don't have any added security, or alarm, on this car. The only security is what comes standard with the car. To this day I don't know how that happened...because I used the same key I always used to start the car.
Since then it's been in the shop about 4 times...head gasket, fan blower, fuel pump regulator, serpentine belt...
I wouldn't say I've had an over abundance of problems with it. To me, it's pretty average...all cars have their problems.
It does have some positives...it gets good gas mileage...about 27mpg...and it's got good acceleration (My previous car had 4 cyl...so this 6 cyl seemed really fast to me).
It looks and feels kinda sporty, but has a large trunk and a fairly good size back seat. I'm pretty short (5'3"), so the car is comfortable for me. My husband is 6'1" and says the front seat is a little cramped, but still not terrible.
The only other drawback is it's pretty low to the ground, so you have to be very careful when pulling out of driveways.

Amount Paid (US$): 11,000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2003