what is the most reliable GM car/blazer/van?

Question

i am tired of paying too much money to mechanic's especially to dealerships when it's a specific problem and the shop does not have a clue what's going on with your car so they tell you that you have to send it to the dealership and the car is more times in the shop then on the road. some one please help me because my 2001 oldsmobile alero is a piece of, well you know what i mean! mechanic's take advantage when it comes to over charging their clients. thanx

Answer 1

A multi-faceted answer. The car that has the longest recorded motor life, thus far, was a 305 Cubic Inch in a 1978-1979 Cadillac. An insurance adjuster had put like 700,000 miles on it when I read the article ten years ago. He changed the oil every 2,000 miles and did the whole hoses and belts and coolant service every two years.

The best answer is obvious when you hear it. The best cars to own are the most mass produced cars and trucks. The basic motor with four wheels and very few accessories to bog down the motor and make it run hot is best. Think about the Chevy Caprice when every single Taxi cab and Police department in the US had a fleet of these cars. I saw many of these Taxi's still running the original motors at 350,000 miles, a bit rough but still on the road. Parts are easy to come by and cheap and plenty of wrecks in the scrap yards and all the mechanics had layed hands on them and there was a continuous flow of parts and knowledge into the market.

Many people kill themselves with repairs by letting every little thing bother them. The only thing I will spend money on is the engine and drive train maintenance and brakes and tires. If the car is swamped with accessories like power this and power that I don't want it and I will not spend money on it unless it's something like a window stuck down. I'll get the window up and it'll stay up. If the AC needs some freon, it's on the long list of might get to it some day and I roll the window down. With only three to four months out of the year that you might even use the AC it isn't that important. I love the Summer and love that 130 degree interior when it's been in the parking lot for several hours. Makes me forget about Winter. LOL!!!

Service is important and your driving habits will make the scheduled service intervals different. If you can pay attention to the basics and ignore the power rear view mirrors and heated outside mirrors and power antennas you will save a lot of money. Most people don't know the basics and this is the most costly cause for repairs.
Even if you are driving a top of the line Cadillac the basics are the same and the maintenance the same. They do use "the best" engineering on these higher end models but the money is rarely wasted on anything other than those doggone accessories. Plastic this and plastic that and power this and power that.

Good Luck!

P.S. I have a 1988 Cadillac with 164,000 miles on it and a 1985 Chevy 1/2 ton with 125,000 miles on it. Easy to maintain and reliable as hell if you don't mind a little rust and a bent power antenna. LOL!!!

Answer 2

You've heard this before, and even though GM's getting better and better, try a Toyota for a change. It's made in America, so don't feel guilty about not buying American. How about a Toyota RAV4 small SUV (3,000 pounds is a good size and gets good gas mileage). Toyota also has the brand new Camry hybrid completely updated in design for only $1800 more than a standard Camry.

Answer 3

I've had two GM cars...a Pontiac Sunbird and a Pontiac Grand Prix. Never had a problem with either of them other than normal wear and tear.