The front a frame is rusty and tore up.
The front brakes for the second time have gone bad.
Rust from road salt finds it's way through the mud flaps onto the back panel and bumper.
Great performance on this car better engine then any other gm engine, extremely comfortabl driving conditions.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 19th April, 2006
Awesome
Well the car is 17 years old. I've replaced the front brakes, oil, filters, spark plugs, etc. The EGR valve is going out, but I really don't blame it. The engine has 204,000 miles on it! The steering column has come loose recently, I plan on fixing it shortly. Other than that it's a great car.
Great car! Looks awesome in it's own special way.
Powerful fast engine, tall gearing, comfy seats, great visibility front and back, very roomy.
If properly maintained, will last you forever.
GT Suspension makes for a smooth ride, handles corners quickly and easily.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 16th April, 2006
This car is very dangerous and I refuse to drive it
Seats are bending backward, making it hard to sit up.
When you start the car is sometimes screeches and will not start for many tried.
The break line broke. (My personal fault)
I check the oil and transmission fluid regularly, but the car's exhaust smokes like crazy.
When reversing, it stalls and sometimes
If you have the radio on when you go, sometimes it will stall.
The car goes very fast when you're not trying to.
It sticks on a specific mph and it will not slow down or accelerate, without riding the brakes.
Power locks fail sometimes.
At this point dangerous to drive, now.
It has always been in my family. The first owners of the car were my grandparents. They kept extremely good car of the car. It was then handed down to my father and then to me. This car has gotten so much money put into it.. that didn't seem to help it at all.
One thing that I really like about the car is the steering.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 9th April, 2005
Just okay
Brakes, 135,000 and again, 150,000. Front calipers tend to seize and wear out pads prematurely. My back brakes have always been noisy, but no mechanic has ever really nailed what's wrong.
Alternator, 155,000 and again, 175,000. Rebuilts are around 75 USD, but quality varies.
Rack and pinion. Several symptoms of trouble since I've owned the car, but none bad enough to warranty replacement.
Seat springs have been worn out since I got the car; seats offer little enough support even in good condition. Upholstery is of poor quality, does not clean well, fades badly in sunlight.
Transmission. Hunts irritatingly btw. 3rd and 4th gears, lugging engine and reducing performance to nil btw. 40-55 mph. Trans shop says this is normal. Using low-3 helps performance and driveability with minimal reduction in fuel efficiency.
Front struts, 155,000.
Front ball joints, starting to get loose now and will need replacement within 5000 miles.
Springs. All four corners of car are riding too low and have been for a long time.
Air conditioner. Compressor end seal leaks. DIY conversion to R134a and yearly refill is cheaper than a real repair.
Door panels, armrests: Coming apart and falling off since I bought the car. No GM car was very good in this department in late 80s.
Paint: Clear coat comes off, esp. on roof.
Rust: I have seen some other LeSabres rust badly where the subframe meets the unibody behind front tires. My southern car is just now starting to get scaly rust there. Seems to rust outside-in, so you can Rust-Oleum this area and keep it together for a while. Surface rust common on rear quarters in front of wheels. Also rusted badly on front inner fenders.
Power windows: Front motors are nearly dead, but will work with a boost. This way since ~ 150,000.
Radiator: Minor leak started ~145,000, fixed with Bar's Leaks. One tank burst at 160,000.
Water Pump: Replaced at 135,000 due to leak. Replaced at 165,000 due to bearing failure and lockup which broke serpentine belt.
Taillights: one socket needed to be rewired up to the dash due to unknown short.
Rear main seal: leak is small, but would be expensive to fix if it got bigger. Since 135,000 at least.
Mass Airflow sensor: 160,000. Try to get a good used one if you can, as these are *way* overpriced in stores.
Starts every time.
Car accelerates well with the 3800 but handling has always been ponderous at best. Don't make any sudden moves.
Capable of almost 24 MPG on flat highway--not bad for a 6-passenger car--but you have to be in overdrive the whole time to do it. Doesn't seem to matter if you go 65 or 85, though. For anything, but interstate driving, however, it drinks gas like a V8. I've never gotten above 13 mpg in city driving, whether in overdrive or not.
Unlike smaller GMs, the CV boots are pretty long-lived.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 2nd March, 2005
I own a LeSabre with almost 300,000 miles and still going strong. Why? It's been taken care of. The reason why your car "hunts" between 3rd and 4th is because you're driving it in overdrive. That wears out the planetary gear, the only time you should use OD is above 55 and a flat surface.
11th Apr 2005, 13:09
If your grandparents truly took good care of the car, your father obviously didn't. The problems you are complaining about are all the result of abuse and/or lack of maintenance, not any inherent defect in the car itself. Suspect that you got this car for free anyway (if not, you should have!)