Faults:

Leaking valve cover gasket. I fixed it for the cost of the gasket.

Replaced front "bone" motor mount myself.

Heater core went out. I replaced it. $25 for the part which is Cheap!

Surface rust on lower part of doors. And a few rust "bubbles" near the rear wheels and on the trunk.

The power steering is getting recalcitrant. Hopefully, it's just a little low on fluid.

General Comments:

This was my grandparents' car. It spent a good portion of its time on dirt roads or rural paved roads. I removed about 10# of dirt that accumulated on the inside of the back bumper.

Other than the rust mentioned above the car is in great shape. The vinyl top has one small tear and is otherwise perfect. That's what being kept in a garage can do.

The interior is almost spotless. I added a cup holder/storage tray to the front hump.

The trunk is huge, but the rear seats don't fold down. I might figure out a way around that!

Gas mileage is around 30MPG on my 70 mile, 65-70MPH, daily commute.

The car cruises and rides well, but even after a balancing the tires there's still some shaking going on over 70.

Car is slow... the joke is it seats 6 so 5 can get out and Push!

Noisy when accelerating hard - so I don't.

I do most of the basic maintenance, but that distributor is a royal pain to access. I put it on jacks and got at it from below.

So far parts are inexpensive.

I remember driving this car home from my grandparents over 10 years ago (my bug stranded me @ their house) in a huge snow storm. The car handled the conditions with aplomb.

I wouldn't say my opinion of GM cars has changed much (I'm not a real fan) with owning this example. I had an '86 Camry which, although not perfect either, was just a better car all around.

Faults:

Power steering died over a period of a month--very expensive repair.

Airflow sensor died a month after the car was "flooded" in a severe thunderstorm. The engine compartment was literally flooded with water.

Every two years some kind of regulator chip died and the car would not start.

Friend ran it off the road and blew out two tires. Drove 65 miles OK on the donut spare.

General Comments:

Overall, a very spiffy looking ride, looked good the whole time I had it. Loved the 5-spoke mag wheels.

Trunk and interior were nice and roomy. The bucket seats were great! I had a 4-door, really easy entry/exit and trunk loading. Great visibility.

Engine was underpowered. With 4 people aboard, performance became really sluggish. Uphill was a strain even with one passenger. Body rocks a lot. However, ran pretty good in the snow.

All 'n all, a very good car for moving people and their stuff, the lousy thing was the engine chips failing too often.

Faults:

When I got it the steering column had to be replaced.

Seats seams are starting to come apart just a little.

The coolant line leaked somewhat, but was easily replaced.

General Comments:

This car is an amazing first car. It handles really well in the mountains, just don't try to take hairpin turns above 30 MPH.

There's a surprising amount of room inside.

The mileage is pretty good. I'm getting about 24 MPG combined city and mountains, and I live WAY up there.

The transmission has never been replaced, and is only now getting a little sluggish.