Faults:
The interior was whipped... all the seats were badly torn, the dash was cracked, the headliner was sagging, however these were all easy fixes as I just tacked up the headliner, and got a dash cover and seat covers.
Fuel gauge didn't work.
Tended to shift a little rough from 2nd to 3rd when cold.
Ignition broke and key got stuck in it, as it was stuck in the ON position. Common problem with early 90's GM vehicles.
Clear coat was peeling off and paint was chipped.
Started hard, due to the fuel injector being clogged.
General Comments:
My car had the 2.2 liter 4 cylinder and a 3 speed automatic transmission.
This car had its fair share of problems, but it did its job without complaining. I primarily used this car for commuting to work and ski trips up the mountain.
The car is nothing special, and has its little quirks like the headlights would sometimes randomly shut off, and it was difficult to start when the engine was warm, but I drove the absolute hell out of this car for the three months I owned it, and put close to 9,000 miles on it, and the car never left me stranded. I can't really complain as I put nothing into the car except a new muffler, an oil change, a thermostat, and Bosch Platinum +2 plugs.
The car was a pretty good runner, considering the mileage and that I was the 11th owner. It had a salvage title and had been in two major front end collisions I learned later, but that obviously hadn't killed it. On average, the car got 24 mpg in mixed driving, and that was pretty good considering I drove the car on the floor all day long, up and down mountains.
It needed quite a few little things, but it kept on going no matter what I threw at it, whether it was commuting downtown in 90+ degree weather or climbing a 4 wheel drive only trail at 12,000 feet, this car didn't die.
Sadly the car now resides in a junkyard, as I had to get rid of it to receive the new car my parents offered me, a 1998 Chevy Blazer. However I miss this car, it was the car that would never die.
15th Jul 2010, 02:15
With a rebuild, as you say, you should be able to get 300 k miles no problem. It's worth making it street legal, I've owned a couple; Celebrity and Lumina models with that powertrain. Good luck!