I bought this for my wife 6 years ago with 42000 miles on it. I sure was excited about buying such a low mile cream puff for her, that I Did zero research on this particular make/model. At any rate, the car lived in a garage, was washed and waxed regularly, and maintained with Mobil 1. 2 years in, the rocker panels rotted out at the seam by the door corners and all along the floor pan seam. I shut the trunk one day after getting the groceries out and one end of the wing came loose. The top whistles so bad above 60 that you can't hear yourself think. Last winter the alternator went out. I didn't want to work in our unheated garage, and started researching how much it would cost me to have somebody do it. Well it sat there till spring when I installed it myself. You have to take the cooling fans out, and some shrouding off the bottom of the car to get the alternator swapped out. The glued together 2 piece plastic water outlet started coming apart. $60 dollars gets one exactly like it. I call it a water outlet, because the thermostat is somewhere on the back side of the block under a bunch of other crap. When/if the water pump goes out, it's a 50/50 chance it'll leak into the oil pan as opposed to making a visible puddle like a normal car. The battery is behind the wheel well, and shops don't want to install them. I'm sure the stealership would for a small pot of gold. 58000 miles on it now. If you are considering one of these, don't. Run away.
I bought this for my wife 6 years ago with 42000 miles on it. I sure was excited about buying such a low mile cream puff for her, that I Did zero research on this particular make/model. At any rate, the car lived in a garage, was washed and waxed regularly, and maintained with Mobil 1. 2 years in, the rocker panels rotted out at the seam by the door corners and all along the floor pan seam. I shut the trunk one day after getting the groceries out and one end of the wing came loose. The top whistles so bad above 60 that you can't hear yourself think. Last winter the alternator went out. I didn't want to work in our unheated garage, and started researching how much it would cost me to have somebody do it. Well it sat there till spring when I installed it myself. You have to take the cooling fans out, and some shrouding off the bottom of the car to get the alternator swapped out. The glued together 2 piece plastic water outlet started coming apart. $60 dollars gets one exactly like it. I call it a water outlet, because the thermostat is somewhere on the back side of the block under a bunch of other crap. When/if the water pump goes out, it's a 50/50 chance it'll leak into the oil pan as opposed to making a visible puddle like a normal car. The battery is behind the wheel well, and shops don't want to install them. I'm sure the stealership would for a small pot of gold. 58000 miles on it now. If you are considering one of these, don't. Run away.
- Chris M., Rock Island, IL, US