Dear Tom and Ray:

I have a 1985 Olds Cutlass Ciera with a steering problem. My mechanic tells me it's "GM Morning Sickness," where the steering is very stiff first thing in the morning, but loosens up after five or 10 minutes. I got a free "Car Talk Car Report" from the Virtually Useful Data section of your web site (cartalk.com) and I see that many other Ciera owners have had the same problem. I find that reassuring, and have decided not to spend the $600 to fix it. But I wonder how safe the steering is. What do you think? Am I going to end up a mangled corpse on a mountain road? -- Chris

Ray: That depends, Chris. How often to you drive on mountain roads first thing in the morning?

Tom: Actually, I can understand why you wouldn't want to spend the money on this car, but I'm going to recommend you either get it fixed or get rid of this heap.

Ray: Me, too. It IS a safety problem. Not in the sense that it's going to fall apart or seize up while you're driving, but in that it threatens other people's safety.

Tom: While it's true that the rack and pinion (the part of the steering system that causes this problem) is fine once it warms up, what happens if you need to make an evasive maneuver during those first 10 minutes or so of driving?

Ray: You may say "Well, I'm going to sit in my driveway every morning and wait until the steering is warmed up before I go anywhere." But 10 minutes is an awfully long time to sit around and twiddle your thumbs.

Tom: Especially in the dead of winter in a 13-year-old Cutlass Ciera!

Ray: So one day you're going be in a hurry and you're going to leave before the steering has freed up, and something terrible is going to happen.

Tom: Right. You're going to be unable to swerve onto the exit for the donut shop.

Ray: Seriously, you don't want to fool around with your steering. So if you still like this car, spend the money and get it fixed. And if not, use this as the excuse you've been looking for to dump it.

Which is cheaper, buying or leasing? Should you keep a car forever or dump it after three years, before trouble starts? Find out in Tom and Ray's pamphlet "Should I Buy, Lease, or Steal My Next Car?" To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1998 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

Back to the April 1998 index