Faults:
After 15 years, the starter died. I was impressed that it would last that long.
After 14 years, the gas tank had a leak.
The 15 year old alternator died, an easy repair.
Minor electrical components needed repairs.
The paint was flaky, a service issue with many General Motor cars at the time. $1200 solved that problem when I repainted it.
A/C doesn't work, a loose connected let the compressors seals harden while it was inactive.
General Comments:
One of the best cars we've ever owned is the first thing to comes to mind.
The interior was of good quality material, lasting many years already without much wear.
Most of the components, electronic and mechanical have lasted a long time. I have had little headache to date.
The V6 would have been a better choice, but the economy of owning the 4 cylinder engine seems a good choice nowadays since the price of gas has sky rocketed. The gas mileage is spectacular for its age and heavy weight. The engine is a bit noisy, but it's an old 4 without high tech available at the time.
The body on this car is in excellent condition, thanks to some annual rust-proofing. The car looks like new.
The strength of this car, has allowed me to keep it on the road after being rear ended by a meat van. It wasn't much damage and no one was injury. Easily said, a safe automobile.
There is lots of room in this car, the visibility is great, and all in all, this leads to a very easy car to drive.
Repairs have been easy for the most part, only the distributor is awkward to access.
The ride is stiff in the Eurosport edition, but when loaded it's a good handling automobile.
The trunk has plenty of space, thanks to the hide-a-way spare.
The car has been winter driven, abused many times, and still continues to go strong with some simple TLC. I can expect it to go another 10 years with out much headache. I wish I was able to take care of it when it was still new, I would have seen problems and fixed them myself.
All in all, a great car even if it is old. I'd buy another if I could.
21st Jul 2005, 00:30
Amen brother. I have an 86 2.5 fi and it just now come up with a problem that it won't start. I think its one of those ignition things, but it's very hard to get to. All in all, I'd buy another one if I could too.