By the time the Oldsmobile Alero hit the scene back in the late 1990s, the brand itself had pretty much already fallen off the proverbial deep end. Even still, this one final attempt to make the languishing General Motors division relevant once again had some good virtues before going quietly into the night.

It wasn't fast, it wasn't stylish, and it wasn't built with very much care, but the Alero nonetheless persisted in the zeitgeist of Americans as a common starting ground for the burgeoning gearhead. Because most people don't get to drive their dream car as soon as they get their driver's license. They usually wind up in hand-me-downs like the Alero.

But is there more to this car than a point A to point B bare basics daily driver? Well, that's debatable, but there's still a healthy fan base for this car online, and they seem to think the beauty of this car goes a lot further than skin deep.

One Last Hurrah Before Oldsmobile Bit The Dust

Via Consumer Guide Auto

It seems oddly fitting that the Alero, which launched in 1997 and discontinued alongside the Oldsmobile brand in 2004 was the final product ever released under the century-old moniker. While not an objectively bad economy car by most tangible measures, the Alero couldn't help but radiate the vibe that the end was drawing closer and closer as each day passed.

Via Wikimedia

In a market absolutely flooded with Toyota Camry's, Honda Accords, and Volkswagen Passats, the Alero looks just as plain and unassuming. The front headlights being the only thing that keeps the front facia from being a completely smooth panel.

Via: Bing

The Alero was built in Lansing Michigan, the birth town of Oldsmobile, as was the 3.4 liter 3400 V6 engine that accompanied it. But none of that former prestige would help the ALero make it through the 21st century, with the last example rolling off the line in April 2004.

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Badge Engineering At Its Worst

1996-Pontiac-Grand-Am
via 96grandamgt.wordpress

The Alero did indeed look good on paper in the days it was a brand new car. But the real problem started to form when comparing it to other offerings from the GM lineup. Sharing a frame and other components with the Chevy Malibu and the Pontiac Grand Am did much to help cut down on GM's bottom line, but did little to endear itself to the American public.

Burgundy 1998 Chevy Malibu
via Kenny Norman

Malibu and Grand Am sales routinely trounced that of the Alero, as Americans struggle to justify purchasing the blander, less appealing version of what was essentially the same car. This wouldn't be the last time badge engineering majorly blew up in Gm's face. It's an issue they still face criticism for today.

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A Solid First Car For Tens Of Thousand Of Americans

via justjared.com

For all its glaring flaws as a brand new car, the Oldsm0bile Alero found a bit of a second renaissance on the used market. Even long after the last new Oldsmobile left the Lansing, Michigan assembly plant, Aleros have become trust, dependable, and very reliable down and dirty daily drivers.

(Image via Car Style Critic)

Alero drivers who upkeep regular maintenance like oil changes and general tune-ups on the 3400 V6 reported getting as much as 250 thousand miles on the odometer before the car finally gives up, usually transmission first. As much of a lame duck as the Alero was to buy new, its effervescence in the used market has people wondering if GM gave up on the Oldsmobile brand prematurely, Could the Alero have led to greener pastures if higher-ups gave it just a little more time to improve? It's a question that will likely ring inside the heads of American gearheads for decades to come.

Not Good Enough To Save Oldsmobile From Its Fate

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Auto.com

It's not entirely the fault of Oldsmobile's final model that the brand went the way of the dodo 17 years ago. In truth, the brand had been marked for death ever since the oil crisis of the early 1970s and had been holding back the inevitable since long before the Alero was even a concept in the mind of its creators.

In a sea of Japanese and European economy cars that offered more refinement, better reliability, and fuel economy on top of better build quality, the Alero was essentially doomed to fail from the moment they went on sale. While some have fantasized in their head how a potential revival of the Oldsmobile brand may occur in their heads. While we can daydream till the end of time if we like, it won't do anything to revive the dead brand. As much of a pity as that is, it's just a fact of life we all must come to accept.

Sources: Consumerguideauto.com

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