Faults:

Have repaired the following:

Thermostat.

Oxygen sensor.

Usual tuneup items - spark plugs, wires, air filter, oil filter, fuel filter, PCV valve.

Alternator.

Headlights (bulbs only).

Front speakers (blown).

The following problems still need to be fixed:

Head gasket is seeping.

EGR valve is either blocked or failing.

ABS motor has failed.

There's a blockage in the cooling system (maybe in the heater core).

General Comments:

I purchased this car on ebay for just over $600. Given that the seller didn't have any history on the car and the mileage was 252,000 kms I expected it to have some problems.

I found the stock headlights to be way too dim for driving in the country where there aren't any streetlights. I've since replaced them with GE NightHawk bulbs which have resulted in a drastic improvement in nighttime visibility.

The car has always started in even the coldest weather without any problems and has run fairly well given it's mileage and age. Like any car of this age, it has required some work, but I do most of it myself so the cost hasn't been too bad. I've paid about $300 so far for repairs. The head gasket is starting to go, but it isn't too bad (no coolant in the oil or vice versa yet). This is common problem with this car and motor combination. The gasket kit is about $100 if I do the repair myself. I was quoted $700 to $1100 to get it done by a mechanic depending on whether the head is cracked or not.

Given the price I paid and the condition of the body and interior - both of which are very good - I have been satisfied so far.

These cars are quite durable, get good mileage (about 500kms per tank) and cheap to repair if you're handy. New parts are relatively cheap and there's a huge supply of cheap parts at most wrecking yards. The car is quite mechanic friendly compared to some imports which makes it even better for the do-it-yourselfer.

Faults:

The only problem I've had with this car was not a mechanical problem. The paint on the front bumper/ground effect piece was peeled off in two spots. This wasn't very surprising seeing as early-mid nineties plastic didn't bond well with the manufacturers paint. Other than that I haven't had any major problems.

General Comments:

Great car for a college student or anyone on a budget.

Low maintenance and if something breaks, finding parts is as easy as it can get.

Proven engine design has few faults, expect to replace a head gasket around 100,000 but that's really the only major mechanical repair common to the 1994 Z24.

Faults:

I had to replace the alternator twice in three years of ownership.

The radiator had to be replaced.

The water pump had to be replaced.

The headlights stopped functioning, and a $150 part of the dashboard had to be replaced to make them work again.

...and a myriad of other problems. Finally, the head gasket blew a few months ago, killing my car once and for all and putting both it and myself out of our mutual misery.

General Comments:

This car was an endless source of headaches and a serious drain on my already meager savings. However, considering that it was rolled into a ditch by my frat-boy cousin, rear-ended, front-ended, sideswiped by a deranged immigrant, used to deliver pizzas for three years and that I bought it for $500, it's amazing that I was able to finish college before the thing finally crapped out earlier this summer.

Near the end of its life, my car burned oil and leaked antifreeze at such a rate that I was forced to check and refill both fluids before every single time I got in the car. This went on for eight months before the head gasket finally blew.

The appearance was heart-wrenchingly pathetic. Aside from the cheesy early-'90s aesthetic design and chlorinated-green paint job, every single surface of the car was dented and/or rusted in some way or another. No hubcaps, bald tires, upholstery worn to the hilt. After the aforementioned incident involving the ditch, one of the doors had to be replaced and I was forced to drive a green car with one white door... which was also rusted.

My car was thoroughly dilapidated - bordering on grotesque. And yet, this utter pile of junk endured years and years of abusive driving. The previous owner was a Catholic priest - no joke - but divine intervention aside, I think it's just a tough little bugger of a car, which is why you still see thousands of them on the highways.

Bottom line: If you keep a little money tucked away for emergency repairs now and then, this car will easily aid your transition from poverty to a lower middle-class lifestyle. It did for me!