Engine 'cradle'.... Nothing officially named a cradle. A '04 Alero is a front-wheel drive car, & is build without a full frame. There's a stubby 'sub' frame in the back end that holds the rear suspension, & another sub-frame up front that holds the entire engine drive train, steering & suspension. In between these to sub-frames is only the body sheet metal - No frame rails. *IF* you damage the front sub-frame, which could be this cradle, badly enough, there's a good chance that the car will never be 'straight' again. If you have an accident that damages the connections between the front sub-frame & the sheet metal body, most insurance companies will just total the car. Unless you want the car just for parts, I'd keep looking.

Junk yards don't generally repair cars, they strip them down and sell the parts..

Repair? No. Replace? yes. Probably about 3-hrs labor plus a used cradle.

But then you still don't really know what condition it's in. You'd be CRAZY to buy it without driving it. Read this post on what to do when a seller says, "It only needs....."

http://ricksfreeautorepairadvice.com/use...

Leave that junk where it is to be somebody else's headache. It will never be right. They don't build Oldsmobiles anymore and there's nothing close to it.

You had better ask a Chevrolet Dealer how expensive it would be to replace. Be prepared to tell them which engine the car has. It will have either one four cylinder or one V-6 engine.

Don the non-mechanic has no clue that parts are still available at Chevrolet Dealers.

I would talk to a welding shop before buying it. Is any rust involved?

WHAT IS AN ENGINE CRADLE ??.................

Someone is selling a 2004 Oldsmobile Alero with a broken engine cradle. The CAR looks perfectly maintained. They want $1000. Question is is it worth it? How much would a repair like this be? Would a junk yard of any kind be able to repair this for me?