Faults:

Timing belt broke once and bent two valves, fixed myself very easily.

Water pump.

Rear shocks.

Carburetor overhauled.

Normal wear items; brake pads, hoses, belts.

General Comments:

Car was in my family since new. It was a white 2 door with the five speed manual with aftermarket A/C, and no power steering and no sway bars or radio.

I added a front sway bar from an 86 hatchback, a nice Pioneer radio with speakers and amps, seat covers and alloy wheels to make it nicer.

Was a charm with gas. 40 MPG! Rode pretty good and handled great after the sway bar was put in. Always started with the first crank, as long as you blipped the throttle once in the morning.

Had two accidents in it, but luckily there were no injuries. Fixed it a bit and kept going.

Sold it in 2004, and still regret it to this day. Bought a 1990 four door this year due to that, LOL. Wish I still had it.

Faults:

Nothing yet.

General Comments:

I have only had this car for a few months, but so far I have loved it. I bought it for $1,000 only because 38mpg was written on the window.

When I bought it the following are the problems with it: the gas meter didn't work, the gas tank door didn't close, there were random rust spots all over it, the dash was cracked, the seats were torn, and the headliner had rips all over it.

The car doesn't get 38mpg, it gets 41. This car is great.

I have fixed up all of the problems except for the rust spots and gas meter. I have also put on rims, a GT Grant steering wheel, and a CD player. Mechanically, this car is just as sound as my 740IL, but more fun to drive, it's a five speed. I bought this car to use as a daily driver and it has lived up to its expectations.

Just for looks, I think I might take off the bumpers and put on some new paint after I fix the rust.

This car is really great. I plan on keeping it as long as possible.

Faults:

There has been so little to go wrong with this car, it is truly amazing. I have replaced the clutch once - at around 150,000. The alternator went out a few months back; but there has never been any significant failure with the car.

General Comments:

The reliability of the car has been unbelievable. Now, with 364,000 miles, I still drive it every day in metropolitan traffic; my commute to work one way is 34 miles.

In terms of comfort, it is much better than one would expect. The AC still works - really everything still works on the car except the fuel gauge. It is surprisingly quiet and smooth out on the open road. Around town on rough streets, I get a lot of squeaks inside the car; it almost sounds like many of the joints where the plastic comes together is squeaking.

The other amazing thing about this car is the way it deals with slick roads. I don't know why, but I'm assuming it has something to do with way the weight of the engine is distributed over the front wheels (front wheel drive). But I know there have been many times I've been able to keep driving during heavy rains, or on icy roads, where many other cars were pulled over.

Faults:

With over 431,000 miles, here are the major repairs.

Fifth gear went out on the transmission twice (once approximately every 200K miles)

The water pump was replaced twice; the valves were replaced after the timing belt tensioner failed at approximately 360,000 miles. The starter was replaced twice and the alternator once.

Also the CV joints were replaced twice.

General Comments:

The car is reliable and still averages 39 mpg with over 431,000 miles on the engine.