Head gasket blew at 90,000 clicks.
Changed alternator twice.
Changed radiator at 60,000 km.
Needed suspension repair at around 50,000 km. Quite a shock when I was told I needed new shocks AND struts!
Brakes needed replacing around the same time
Car required wheel alignments every 20000 km, killed two sets of tires!
Interior has slowly been falling apart since I got it. Cheap plastic design caused various panels around the dash to open or fall off.
Tape player doesn't work any more.
Poor engine design means high labor costs when fixing even smaller things like alternators and serpentine belts.
Sorry, but I don't have too many kind words. The bad far outweighed the good, which was namely this:
This car has decent power for a 4-cylinder and decent fuel economy, especially after having cleaned the fuel system.
Where the hell do you drive? The struts in most cars are the same design (ie this is not a radical, crappy design, all small cars have the same front suspension) going through 2 sets of tires and needing alignment every 20000 kilometers? None of that is a fault of the cars, where/how do you drive, holy crap.
Doesn't matter what kind of road you drive this car on. Struts and shocks are out in my Sunbird as well. Repair is in the $ 1,000 range for parts and labor.
In general, this car is a never ending money pit!
Be prepared to replace heads constantly.
Be smart-- Avoid this car. It's evil.
Also be ready for rack and pinion to go out. I've talked to countless Sunbird owners that have had all the problems I've had with mine. The list is endless... Hunk of junk.
Note: A Comments RSS Feed is available. New comments appear in the Members Area before the main site