Faults:

Replaced radiator

Replaced muffler and tailpipe

Replaced CV boot

Replaced driver side window gears

Brakes

Head liner is drooping

Cracks in dashboard

Knob fell off driver window handle

Cover to gear shift box is cracked

Clear finish over paint is peeling off

Exhaust puff at start-up, especially if it's been sitting overnight.

General Comments:

I bought my 1990 Geo Prizm Gsi for $3,995 in 2000. At that time it had around 67,000 miles on it. It is now May of 2008 and I still have this awesome car. The mileage is 125,371, far below the "average" mileage for an 18-year-old car.

My previous car was a 1988 Plymouth Colt that had several weird electrical issues and a crappy carburetor. I've had the Prizm longer than the Colt now - there's absolutely no comparison between the two cars. The Prizm is exceptional.

This car handles Colorado weather very well. It starts even in below-zero or 100-degree weather. It handles fine in snow and ice.

I chose this car because it was a Corolla with a domestic label and because the price was great. I'm keeping this car until it totally falls apart and stops working. It's the best car ever!

Faults:

Water pump at 90,000 miles.

Windshield wiper motor at 95,000 miles.

Alternator at 130,000 miles.

Replaced driver's side axle/CV boot at 145,000 miles.

Timing belt at 151,000 miles.

Misc interior components (annoying).

Surprisingly, that's it!

General Comments:

Well, for starters the only reason the wiper motor failed is because I forced the wipers with about 4 inches of snow on the windshield in the dead of winter.

As for the CV boots, you need to check these regularly for cracks, especially in dry climates (I live in Colorado). I let one go and had to replace the axle. Most FWD cars are like this.

The timing belt was a real pain to replace, but I'm amazed it lasted as long as it did! The previous owner put one on at 60,000, so that's almost 100,000 miles! I've been delivering pizzas in this car and drive up in the mountains regularly (often unpaved rough roads), all of which is hell on the timing belt. As an added BONUS, this particular engine is a "non-interference" engine, so you don't even have to worry about bending the valves when the belt snaps! Follow the steps in your manual for replacement and then fire it right back up! Just keep some band-aids, rags, and beer around if you're going to do the belt yourself for the first time. And, remember to always do the water pump if you're replacing the timing belt, and vice versa.

This car is basically a Toyota Corolla, as was my 88 Chevy Nova. So, my next car will either be another Prism or a Corolla... if this car EVER dies!

Faults:

Alternator was bad when we bought it.

Rear strut is bad.

Timing belt failed on highway.

Major oil leak when we bought it.

Muffler was ripped off when we bought it.

CV boot was torn.

General Comments:

We bought this car from an impound lot and we were not so sure about it at first. After driving it a while it seemed to be in really good condition for the age of the car. The only major problems were the head liner was replaced by a Spider-man sheet and we had to replace the alternator. The timing belt stripped on the highway, but we replaced it and amazingly it runs better now. Since then we have put on a short ram cold air intake and a performance chip. The car is very fast now and drives like a dream. It will bet almost anything off the line and the tires will even peal out. It gets very good gas mileage and handles fairly good. We plan on a few small repairs and upgrades in the future but I’ll keep it going as long as I can.