You may know that 2004 was the last year that GM produced Oldsmobile vehicles. It is for that reason that I will not remmoned that you buy the 2004 Oldsmobile Alero (or any other) unless you find a good deal and you are willing to take the risks it intells.

The other two review written on this car do not put it in a good light, and I would take their comments into consideration, but I want to add comments on my car. It is too bad how their cars turned out, but mine is quite the opposite, especially to the comments of "hottomatoes."

Durability/Miles: I bout my 2004 Oldsmobile Alero one year ago with 80,000 miles. It now has 89,000 miles. I have not had to do any work on the car. I admit that I do not know exactly what work was done previously on the car, but by the short conversation I had with the previous owner I believe it was just well taken care of. The only similarity my Alero shows to the cars of the other reviewers is that the brakes squeel, but even that only in certain whether conditions. Namely wet and cold. In general, oldsmobiles have a pretty good reputation for puting on the miles. 5 stars

Mileage: Understably the next or most important criteria. I can honestly say it depends on how you drive. The lowest, if memory serves me and I think it does, gas mileage I gotten with this car is 22 miles per galon. That was driving in the city with a lot of quick acceleration which kills the gas mileage in any car. The best I have gotten is around 32 miles per galon. So it is not the best in the world, but it is pretty good. 4 stars

Price: Kelly Blue Book suggests a retail value of $8-9,000 depending on the miles and condition (about $5-6,500 if you're buying from a private party). Whether that is worth it depends on you. I bought it at a dealership for a total of $8,400 (at the time the Kelly Blue Book suggestion was a bit higher, so I felt like I got a deal). So far I think it was a pretty good price, and I see no reason why this car should not last me at least another 5 years. 4 stars

Ride/Handling/Power: Who does not like some real get-up-and-go with a smooth ride? The 2004 for is no boat, but it is smooth. It takes high speeds and small bumps with commendable grace, but lacks what you would find in a bigger car. -- Honestly, this car is not as powerful as i thought it would be. I like a more powerful car (I had a v8) than this, but it's acceleration is not too bad. The downside is when you get up to higher speeds and try to go up a hill. If you want to keep your speed consitant, you have to rev it up more, cutting down your MPG. 3 stars

Comfort/Room: Leather interior and electric driver's seat. I thouroghly enjoy just sitting and driving. The other seats are good too. 5 stars  It is not very roomy. It is a small car. It holds five, but the back seat is not too inviting to anyone over 5'10" ish, and even the passanger seat leg room is not quite sufficient for my 6'1" dad (pretty good trunk space though, the back seats move forward to open it to the inside of the car also). 3 stars

Why Not? Despite the fact that I really like my car, I repeat that I do not, in general, recommend buying this car. The main reason is that this line is no longer manufactured, so reaplacement parts and repairs in general will cast more then in other cars as mentioned by the other reviewers. 1 star
Amount Paid (US$): 8400
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2004
Model and Options: 2004 Oldsmobile Alero GLS Sedan 4D