1993 Plymouth Acclaim review from North America

Fine until 2003, then one rear wheel bearing/spindle, random squeaking gears, suddenly started stalling at cold temperatures and no repairs have helped (fuel filter replacement, gas line inspection, fuel additives to remove condensation). Now does not start below freezing. Cruise control no longer works.

That first part sounds worse than it is for an abused car. Repairs have been frequent, but extremely cheap. Regular tune-up kept this car in line late in life.

I think it's time to give up on the car now at 86,000 miles over 12 years. It was reliable for 10 years and now I can't trust it anymore. Sometimes I push on the gas when the light turns green and nothing happens for a few seconds. It stalls in the winter all of the sudden, even if I've been driving along for awhile. The thing is, this car may perform perfectly in a test drive if I just put a fresh tank of gas in it, but at half a tank it's a pretty clunky, slow car.

My initial complaints of this car compared to my Sundance was that it's slower (heavier car with same engine), has less usable storage (trunk and back seat not connected), and has a lot of wind noise at high speeds (if you can reach them).

Good aspects are that it still looks brand new, inside and out. Despite recent headaches, it's sad to let go of this car's timeless design. Probably the cheapest car that's still at home parked among Cadillacs and Mercedes at the restaurant valet thanks to the classy body style. I need to spend at least $10,000 to replace it and still feel like I'm getting something better.