Faults:

The first day I bought the car in early August, the entire brake system blew out (including the masker & brake cylinders).

The only other major defect was the huge amount of rust around the bottom part of the doors.

The interior was a little bit dirty, but it was easy to clean out.

General Comments:

For a first time car it is extremely reliable, but don't even think about trying to soup it up. I've tried to many times, but performance parts aren't designed for this car.

I did buy this car off an old person in my neighborhood for about $750, but I've spent about $350 extra on trying upgrade the car.

I've also spent somewhere around $300 on paint, primer, and buffing parts for the car & it still looks like garbage.

I think around a month ago I tried to replace the radio with a CD deck, but that was impossible. You basically have to remove the entire dash to get to the deck.

The other thing I never liked about the car was it seemed to die when travelling up a hill or steep road. It has no guts whatsoever.

Overall it's very cheap to maintain & with a little care the car can run forever.

Faults:

Paint job is, as usual on this car, rusting everywhere.

I replaced the water pump at about 140k miles.

The ignition module has gone bad twice, about 40,000 miles apart.

Transmission replaced at 70,000 miles.

General Comments:

The interior is very comfortable to drive in. I've driven from Colorado to Ohio about 3 or 4 times, and I'm still able to walk!

Good gas mileage, 24-28. Not bad for the acceleration that this car can offer.

Engine just won't die. The outside has died though.

Faults:

1997 - Driver's door lock stopped worked - I repaired that easily.

1998 - Power steering hose blew apart.

2000 - Cigarette lighter was blowing a fuse - I disconnected it and viola - no more problems.

2000 - Rain leaks in from the top of the windshield.

2001 - Driver's door lock (outside key entry) stopped working - I just leave it unlocked.

Continuous - The paint job looks terrible and is getting worse.

General Comments:

I purchased this car in 1997 from a state vehicle auction for $2000 for use as a commuting car.

This car, although it looks crappy because of the deteriorating paint, has been extremely reliable. It gets over 30 miles per gallon. I have had only minor repairs.

This front wheel drive vehicle is a great snow car - it just plows right on through. Whenever there is a snow storm I drive this car rather than any of my other vehicles.

It has a noisy engine, which is typical for that type of engine.

Great amount of truck space, even with a full size spare.

Good acceleration for this car, it bucks sometimes when I come to a stop.

Faults:

About 1997 the cigarette lighter stopped functioning.

Around 1999 (155,000 miles) the thermostat broke.

The same year the top rear taillight and rear defroster stopped working.

In 2000 the air conditioning compressor would frequently blow fuses.

Now (2001), the compressor does not turn on any more.

The car has a significant amount of corrosion, especially along the bottoms of the doors.

General Comments:

Overall, this station wagon has been a very good car. The only problems which have occurred have been minor and/or common for any aging vehicle.

Most of the problems haven't cost much to repair or could be fixed by myself. The broken thermostat was replaced by a mechanic, and the cigarette lighter, rear defroster, and top rear taillight were caused by detached wires which I easily repaired.

To sum it all up, I am very surprised how well the Celebrity is holding up. Exterior-wise, it is falling apart, but mechanically, it is in great shape. I have gotten my money's worth out of it!