Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with the car in the 4 months I've had it, although there have been some regular maintenance issues:

The brakes had never been changed, and the muffler had so many holes in it the car sounded kind of sporty!! (in a cheap kind of way).

I need to do a tranny flush, a power steering flush, and maybe a coolant flush: I'm not sure if they've been done.

So far I've only spent about $350 on upkeep and maintenance!

General Comments:

I bought this car from an older couple that had owned it since new. It never gave them much trouble in the 20 years they had it, so I'm hoping the same will go for me!

The only complaints I have at this point are that the car has a number of rust spots, but I think I can fix them, and it only has a 3 speed automatic. It could get much nicer acceleration and gas mileage on the highway... Although as it stands with 3 speeds it still gets to 140 pretty easily and doesn't seem to have trouble staying there!

The car is pretty comfortable, and it handles well enough for its age and the fact I bought it for a grand. I only wish the brake pedal had a bit less travel, I'm not sure if it's a serious issue, or if I just don't like it...

What annoys me a lot is the squeaking accessory belt, but when I lube it it falls off, so I'll stick with the noise!

One more thing, this car seems to be a better off-road car than many others... Nothing has fallen off on the occasions I've been on severely rutted dirt roads... maybe I'm too cautious of a driver? (lol ya right)

Overall the car has been great so far, but I'm always scared it's going to blow up in my face one day when I start it... It just seems to good to be true!

Faults:

Interior materials are showing their age with minor cracking and the occasional break.

Two small rust spots have appeared on the right side, but have been treated.

General Comments:

My Buick Somerset is turning out to be a delightful surprise for only paying $1200.

This car has given me no problems, even though I hammer the throttle almost all the time. I use lightweight oil (5w30) and it shows no signs of leaking or burning.

The interior is a win lose situation. The seats are comfortable, even though they sit very low, and there is generally ample leg room even with 4 passengers in this compact coupe. Did I mention it has a nice trunk?

The bad part about this is that the controls require a long reach while driving and the ride is well composed, but stopping and other movements feel uncontrolled.

For being a mid '80s General Motors vehicle it handles quite well, however the 13 inch tires squeal with aggressive movements. The steering feels a tad disconnected and the brakes feel like they were taken out of a car weighing about 1000 pounds heavier.

Acceleration in this 3 speed 4 cylinder car is quite amazing under 35mph and more than adequate up to 65mph. Accelerating beyond 65 is slow and gruesome, which can contributed to only 98hp @ 5000RPM. The kick-down gear is ineffective at any speed over 70 mph. Long grades leave this car trailing in the right lane at about 55mph, and that's with the transmission and engine growling under full throttle. Hot summer days make this car lethargic across its power-band regardless of speed. This car gets between 23 and 33 mpg from its 12 gallon fuel tank.

This car has made a great first car and is a very good in city stop and go vehicle, mostly the latter of the two (stoplights are very fun, especially with the throttle half way and the brake set and ready to let off). :)