1988 Pontiac 6000 LE Safari review from North America

The PROM (Pre-programmed Read-Only Memory) chip went out a month after I bought the car and it took two tries to get it corrected. That was because the parts depot shipped it in shrink-wrap, and when it was installed, the residual plastic fried the chip. Since then, it's worked fine.

The water pump went out at 98,000 miles and again at 229,000.

The alternator has been replaced three times; the second and third ones were re-builds; the latest is NOS.

The idle-speed motor caused intermittent stalling and baffled two dealers in two states. I finally found a shade-tree mechanic who replaced it for $50.

The rack (as in rack-and-pinion steering) has had leaking seals for years, and the power steering pump was replaced at 225,000 miles.

The air conditioning system was replaced with the new non-Freon system at 223,000 miles.

The woodgrain applique on the trim molding is peeling off.

I've begun my fifteenth year with this car and I have no intention of getting rid of it. It has been a reliable and trustworthy car since the day I picked it up. It gets great gas mileage (over 20 mpg), it has good get-up-and-go even when fully loaded and with the A/C on, and it has plenty of room for friends and hauling stuff home. Given the miles and the places I've lived (the Colorado mountains, northern Michigan, New Mexico, and now Florida), its performance has been remarkable.

It's my daily driver, but this summer it will get a well-deserved retirement and go in for restoration so that in a few years I can show it.