1992 Pontiac LeMans AeroCoupe Base 4speed 1.6L 4 cylinder. from North America

Summary:

A great ride for few bucks!

Faults:

Had to replace the boots when I got it. Never had to replace them after.

Changed brakes pads only twice.

Changed the timing belt at 120 000km.

Changed the muffler 6 times because of the design of the exhaust line. Never changed after modified the exhaust attachment with a custom made one.

Changed valves gasket at 65 000km.

Changed front passanger wheel's bearing.

Gas tank started to leak at 180 000km.

Broke 3 coil spring. Had to replace the left front strut.

Replaced both front bearing and some pieces of the direction linkage. (Tie rods, bushings...)

Replaced windshield water pump.

Replaced heater blower the motor drawn to much amps so It melted the fan switch.

Headlight switch melting problem. Had to replace 5 times. The last time, I modified the electrical circuit so that the power is switched by relays and don't go through the switch. Solve a lot of problems!!

Changed both trunk damper.

Alternator blown at 130 000km. I had rebuilt it with a new coil which 30 more amps. (I got a big sound system in the trunk at that time)

Problem with alternator charging the battery only in the evening, not during the day. Cost 350$ of time to find out what it was and 15$ to repair. It was only a bad circuit in the dash that was disconnecting when the sun heat.

General Comments:

I paid this car only 6500$CAN with 2 year wear and 46 000km. It had an full extended warranty to 100 000km.

I had fun with this car even if it was not powerful and even if the finition was bad. (Cheap plastic, material. The interior was always squeaking!!)

Very economical to run.

Pleasant to drive in city, run great too on highway. Motor was noisy, but had a pleasant sound.

Road handling is very bad. Don't do high speed or you will jump off the road!! This car is made to take you from point A to point B with a very few bucks.

I had some electrical problem, but it was easy to fix.

The motor is very strong. I push it often to the limit and it never broke.

I had a bad landing on a bump that broke 3 of my coil spring and cracked the windshield. It cost me 800$ to replace all bads parts. I left the windshield cracked.

Spare parts are very expensive. I changed the car because of that. Junk yard have no parts for this car so you always have to buy new parts.

I took this car at 46 000km and put another 159 000km on it. It cost me a very few buck to run. It is roomy for a small car. The trunk is very big too.

I changed this car for a Malibu in 2000. The reason was that the Le Mans started to rust badly, I had to replace the gas tank, put new brakes, change the entire exhaust link, change both front shock tower again... It was over 2000$ to repair for a 8 year car. I preferred to change to a newer one that was bigger. I regret the change because I have so much problems with the Malibu.

I could buy anopther Le Mans anytime. It was a reliable day-to-day driver. I recommend it!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 9th April, 2004

1992 Pontiac LeMans SE 1.6 liter from North America

Summary:

A dependable bargain

Faults:

This was a very reliable car for what I paid for it. Replaced the brake pads, rotor, and rebuilt the caliper at 104,000 miles, 110,000 miles (only pads) and again at 115,000 miles. The ignition module went at 113,000 miles.

General Comments:

This car was a salvage vehicle and I believe that the brake problems are a result of the accident it was involved in. It was very fuel efficient because of its small motor. It didn't have a lot of get up and go, but it always got me where I had to go. The interior was very basic. The automatic shoulder belts didn't always work in the cold. I had very few problems besides the brakes.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th March, 2004