First I need to stress that I have owned this car since it was new. One of the first major problems that I had was the alternator went bad. The first time it was covered under warranty, as well as the 2nd, 3rd and 4th times. To date I have actually put 6 in the car. The ones that were not covered, cost 450/incident. The alternator on this car is positioned in a manner which requires the engine to be dropped from the car, hence the cost. Now I must tell you what not to do. NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES give anyone a jump-start with the car. The cause of all the problems is using the car to jump-start (or getting a jump start) causes the diodes in the alternator to fry. Since I learned my very expensive lesson, it has been 3 years since a replacement. I now carry a portable jump box.
Second major problem was the transmission threw an axle at 28,000 miles, again covered under warranty. This issue was traced to the broken clip, presumably from when I racked up the front end.
Third major problem was throwing the timing belt at 50,000 miles while passing on the highway. In case you were wondering, I was doing 85 MPH when it happened. This is a $700.00 job due to the fact that the CAMS needed to be repositioned.
Next major issue, was an aluminum intake coolant fitting cracking in the block. Cost of this repair $200, due to the fact that the top half of the engine needed to be removed to re-tap the inlet.
Next major issue, power steering pump leaking, causing fluid to leak onto the timing belt. Cost of power steering pump $150. Cost to replace the timing belt that went shortly thereafter (at 80,000 miles) another $700.
Lastly are the front brakes. A set lasts about 12,000 miles. Since I learned to do them myself, these only cost 25.00/set and about an hours work.
