Faults:
New used transmission at 197,000 miles.
It just popped out of gear, and the gears and pieces in the transmission exploded and ground themselves into coffee beans. Front wheels locked up at 45 MPH and I skidded. The same version of the transmission was hard to find and expensive because of some certain feature of the 5 speed GXE transmissions.
193,000 miles. New front brakes, new rear drum brakes, front needs replacing again already. Chalk that up to New Jersey roads.
200,000 miles. New starter motor due to an old one dying and beginning to short the electical system out, felt like the battery was dying for no reason all of the time.
192,000 miles. Power sunroof has a small leak in the corner, when it rains sometimes I get a little wet. Power sunroof also has air gaps in it so at 55mph I can hear noise even when it's shut. Gasket going?
Tune up really needed at 201,000 miles. When it rains outside the car starts bucking when I push the gas too much, then bogs out and tries to stall. Cylinder not firing due to water on the spark plugs or distributor cap. Possibly the timing belt. Cheap fix. Mechanic is looking at it tomorrow, 8/16/01.
Radio is not working right. No stations come in at all. And the power antenna gets stuck going all the way down sometimes.
All speakers are crackling like they need to be replaced.
Interior fabric is starting to smell old at 200,000 miles? Maybe my fault. But it still looks almost new inside. Not decaying I don't think.
Coolant thermostat is not working. $10 to replace.
My mechanic told me that the motor mounts are starting to get weak. Engine is starting to sag.
192,000 miles. Air conditioner is out of freon.
192,000 miles. Right front power window slows down when it gets to the top rolling up. Unless it's nice and wet from the rain.
Car shakes, which is frightening, at 65mph on the freeway. Trans Am didn't shake even at 140mph.
Muffler is peeling an outer metal layer like a snake. Weird.
Automatic gas door release broke at 193,000 miles. Don't know why except old age.
General Comments:
Overall a great car. First new starter at 200,000 miles, my Trans Am needed it at 100,000 miles.
All lights work fine. Don't want to jinx it though. Nothing falling apart or anything.
Amazed that it still passes inspection so easily, so says the guy there.
Clutch works great. Amazed at that.
Excellent in snow compared to most cars I have had.
Interior looks expensive and is still stylish for 2001.
Engine runs great. Very quiet and smooth. Never replaced it. Had to replace the Trans Am engine at 95,000 miles.
Radiator still works fine with no leaks.
Performance is OK. It has a lot of pep. It's a stick so that's expected. But it's still no Trans Am. And when people are in the car it goes slower.
Paint job is dark red. Just the first bit of rust is forming on side wall. Small. The rest of the paint still shines. Beautiful at sunset. Amazing compared to the Trans Am at 110,000 miles that was fading and rusting.
Trunk is huge.
Things in the car are holding up well. It's not like pieces are falling off or becoming loose or visible. Seems like mostly mechanical, or automatic extras are decaying or something. Electrical system is still perfect. Don't want to jinx it though.