Faults:

Transmission failed at 135,000 miles.

Alternator went twice.

Starter went at 175,000 miles.

Battery.

Radiator and water pump at 140,000 miles.

Power hydraulic brake booster needed replacing at about 150,000 miles.

General Comments:

Overall it's a quite reliable and comfortable car, can be used for hauling the family, or hauling gardening and construction supplies. Its not too fast off the line, given its size, but has no problem cruising at 70 and even 80 mph quietly and comfortably. Mine has needed lots of repairs, but understand, I've put 85K miles on it after buying it with 102K miles, and its now in BETTER SHAPE than when I bought it!

The engine's been a gem, no oil leaks or gasket leaks ever, and still tested for decent compression, and uses a quart of oil every 1500 miles or so after 180K miles. Its also still on original carburetor.

Transmissions however have been a problem for this car. I suggest getting a heavy duty radiator and an optional trans. cooler, as my recent rebuilt trans. only lasted 50K miles.

Gas mileage has gotten worse as the car passed 150K miles, now it only does about 16 mpg on the highway, whereas it used to do 20 or 21. Mechanic told me a carb. rebuild and replacing the timing gears and chain would put the gas mileage back up.

I've added a "SuperChip" to my car's engine computer, which boosts the Horse-Power... but these chips may no longer be available for the 305 V8.

Faults:

Passenger f/ tire went bad at 170,000.

Positive battery terminal striped from vibration. (This was a problem from the beginning and after 5,000 miles it finally would not tighten at all).

Starter solenoid went at 178,000.

General Comments:

First off I bought this car for $600.00 and have put close to 20,000 miles on it with a total repair cost of around $150.00. I think that over all it has been a good car considering that it was not in the best shape when I got it.

Gas millage is poor to say the best, around 13 miles per gal city.

Performance is not as bad as I expected for a car of this size with a small v8. although with the right conditions it will smoke the tires and the other night I did beat a Volkswagen passat in a little street racing action.

Faults:

Problems which had to be replaced:

Radiator acquired a hole after 4 months.

EGR valve replaced to pass emissions.

Other problems:

Check engine light is always on, or flickering. Unable to find a problem, however.

Alternator was replaced.

Carburetor made the car difficult to start; a new Edlebrock fixed this problem.

Gasket leaks oil.

Minor Problems due to age of car:

Air conditioning is non-functional.

Windshield washer pump needed replacement.

Top developed cracks, which made the window leak.

Wiring problem in the steering colum made the cruise control and horn not work.

Dash is cracked and the arm rest is coming apart.

Weather stripping is poor after all these years.

General Comments:

Overall a great car! I love my baby, and it has yet to fail me. It was a well maintained, but not pampered car when I got it, and it's still reliable and in very good shape. I bought this car for 1200, and it's pulled it's weight. I'm slowly fixing up the minor problems so the car will be in top shape. I've driven this car for almost a year, and even with the oil leak and cranky carb, it's been an incredible daily driver for it's age. It's a monster in the new england winter with some added weight in the back and 4 studded snows. Never had a problem with snow.

Speedy on the highway, good pickup and low end torque.

The trunk is huge; make is a great car for road-trips or anyone who hauls a lot of cargo. I call the trunk a storage unit.

Seats 4 large adults and 2 smaller adults well.

Seats 6 medium sized adults comfortably.

The paint is original and is still is good shape; hasn't oxidized.

The body is rust free.

Seats are incredibly comfortable and plush; I can sleep on them if I wanted to. The color is still true and hasn't faded.

The dash, however, is faded and cracked due to sun damage.

The dash clock still works.

The transmission is in good shape.

As in the engine.

At about 128,000 miles, I did a tune up; the spark plugs and coil were near original and worn badly, but the car was still doing 80-90 on the highway with no problem.

The ride around corners is sloshy over 60, but I'm sure new bushings and an additional sway bar would solve the problem.

Steering is a little looser than I like.

Overall, if I had to get a new car, I wouldn't go for a car smaller than a b-body. This is a car than can go for a long time with minimal maintenance. Its built very solidly. I'm impressed by its durability, and there are so many parts out there for b-body Chevys and Chevy 305's, parts are cheap and easy to come by.