Faults:

O2 sensor (regular maintenance item).

Exhaust rusted out (I live in the "salt belt").

Wheel bearings (rear) at 100k.

Wheel bearing, front passenger - $44 part.

CV axle, driver, split boot, joint ruined- $60 for the entire axle.

Radio burned out (my fault).

General Comments:

This is a fantastic little car. It's easy to see out of, gets good gas mileage, handles surprisingly well (the steering is heavy but precise; you get a very good feel for the road), and has an extremely roomy back seat.

This car has never let me down, even in sub-zero weather with a so-so battery. The car is easy to work on, and the parts are dirt cheap. I've had some problems with the car, but I would consider everything except the CV joint to be essentially maintenance items.

The car has some scratches and dings, but is in very good shape for a 16 year old car. No major rust issues, just some surface stuff in the couple of scratches she has; overall less than the size of a half-dollar if you added it all up.

These cars are as tough as nails if you take care of them. The 2.5 with the 3spd is pretty much bulletproof.

The performance is so-so, I've made a couple of tweaks to improve it, like a cam timing advance and running full synthetic, so she has just enough pep to break the wheels loose for a little bit when I stomp on it. Fairly low and fairly wide, so the car feels like it's glued to the ground in turns.

The interior is utilitarian, not a whole lot of electronic junk to break. Feels well-finished, simple, boxy and dated, but functional and easy to take care of. Gauges are large and easy to read. Controls are simple and intuitive.

Excellent stereo, I now have a Pioneer, but the Infinity sounded nice before it fried.

People are surprised at how big the back seat and trunk are; my friend has a Grand Am, and I would say they're pretty close to equal in terms of interior room.

Easy to park; the boxy design lets you know exactly where the corners are at all times.

Faults:

Nothing.

Before I traded my friend, my old Spirit, he had the transmission redone. Other than that, no complaints.

General Comments:

I owned a 1994 Spirit and a 1995 Spirit. So far both were great cars; very roomy, easy to park, good ride, reliable, and great on gas.

Overall very satisfied.

Faults:

Needed a rebuilt transmission, the reason I got it so cheap.

Replaced timing belt and new valve cover gasket, didn't really need to.

General Comments:

I got this car at a new car lot in the back forty. I paid $300.00 for it. It had two flat tires. It is the red ES with gold rims and pin striping, and a luggage rack on the trunk with tinted windows.

The car was last driven in 2003. The transmission went out, and the previous owner washed it and put a tarp on it, and parked it in a barn for four years. I put a battery in it and put air in tires, and drove it home. Transmission was slipping but I made it.

The paint on this car is perfect and the car cleaned up beautiful. The 2.5 liter engine has plenty of power. And I get 26 mpg regularly. I love this car, very comfortable driving. I am 6"3.