Faults:

Replaced the brakes about 4-5 times in 220,000 miles.

Replaced the heater core with a rebuilt one at 50,000 miles. No problem since.

Covered driver's seat with a fake lamb thing at 200,000 miles.

Some other small repairs I can't remember under the hood. One was slightly over $1,000. A few others much less.

Cost of parts always surprises mechanics. Always double what they quote.

General Comments:

I bought my 929 brand new in 1989 solely on the advice of Consumer Reports after owning a gorgeous Audi 5000 that I almost never got to drive (always in the shop). So I wanted something reliable and I got it.

20 years later we are still together, my 929 and I. It is true, parts are ridiculously more expensive than most other auto parts, but since my car never (almost never) breaks, parts have not been an issue. I suppose that since I'm a woman, you would say I have been easy on her. I am not a speeder. I also am a nut about changing the oil... every two or three thousand miles. But other than that, I've been pretty negligent. She's not been garaged. Not been pampered. For 16 of her twenty years, she was home to my English Shepherd who went everywhere with me.

Still, everything, including the paint (except the fake chrome on the interior door handles and the thin strip of it around the gear shift console... oh and the logo on the trunk that says 929... all that has peeled. I think in later years they got that better) but everything except that and the driver's seat looks and sounds way better than I could have hoped for in 20 years.

She's still solid, the engine is still powerful (going up steep hills is not a problem). The overdrive feature is great for that. And speaking of features, every bell and every whistle still works without exception, even to that silly duct that oscillates back and forth for the air conditioner and the heat.

Oh and one more thing. I have read critiques that bash the boxy look of the 1989, but those people have no class. This is the model that looks like a Mercedes, not the rounded version of the 929 that came later and tried to be a clone of everything else out there.

Faults:

External door handles broke off, one by one due to very poor and fragile plastic fittings. Recently discovered that these models had a recall for this fault. Too late for me though.

Persistent overheating; initially traced to rad leak, then later to split hose.

Other than that, pretty reliable mechanically.

General Comments:

The car had a smaller engine put in it before I owned it (originally a 2.2L) and the 2.0L unit was rather underpowered for such a big, heavy car and I often wished for a US-spec 3.0L V6.

The ride was smooth and comfortable with very little outside noise penetrating the spacious cabin.

Its size meant great stability and a good sturdy presence on the road.

Faults:

My dad owned this car before me, and I haven't had any thing go wrong, but my dad did replace some things: When driving up a hill with a 1 tonne trailer, the car started heating up, so he got the radiator changed, but not sure if it had to.

The sunroof started squeaking, so I stopped using it and fixed it. My dad got the suspension done too; high quality suspension that made the ride a lot smoother.

The gear stick got a bit loose, but that's not a worry. And the roof is starting to fade, but that's probably from where it sits in my driveway.

General Comments:

This was my dads pride and joy till he bought a Toyota Parado, and the car was just sitting in the garage, so I decided to get it going again.

The car has been to Adelaide and back around 3 or 4 times, and had no worries in the world getting there and back from Canberra; it's about 1000km trip each way.

But other than that, this is a very fast car. It's got about 200hp, and when wanting to overtake at about 120km/h, it just cruises past. And the car has reached 150km/h no worries in the world, but I'm sure it can go a lot faster. The red line hits about 6.1; I've never gone over it, I've been up to 5.5 and the car wanted more.

Other than performance, this car has style, and great front seat and back seat room. I'm about 5'11 and love the space.

I wanted to do the car up, but my dad said no to it, and now I know why he said no. This is a big car and lots of boot space, but it's hard to park the car in small car parks; it's not getting in, it's getting out!!

But I love this car. I'll never get sell it and if the engine gones, if ever, I will just rebuild it.

I have read other people's comments who say this car is slow around corners. Well this is your answer; the car is heavy and is not a sports car!!! You can still go around corners kinda fast, but it throws you into the door. But one night while driving home, I went just a little bit fast into a roundabout and lost the car; no damage done.