1989 Chevrolet Corsica LTZ from North America - Comments

I bought the car for 600$ CAN with 297 000 kms on it and it was in a bit of a bad shape. Front end was all loose, bearing plates were seizing, and also, I was not impressed with the car's braking. So I bought it knowing what was coming on to me.

At first, replaced ball joints and tie rods. 130$

Found a pair of 2nd hand strut assembly as good as new for 60$.

Immediately after, got alignment done. 45$

New rear shocks for 28$ a piece.

Invested on a good brake job. Changed everything, but Master Cylinder and Brake Lines at that point for a little under 300$.

Finished most of the above under 300 000 kms on the odometer. Now, car runs and handles great.

At 305 000 kms, Starter was missing, eating away flywheel every now and then. Had one stacked somewhere so didn't cost me a thing.

It also needed a muffler. Got myself a cherry bomb on sale for 30$ instead of regular replacement muffler witch was over 40$.

At 315 000 Kms, window motor let go on me on the front driver side, changed it for 20$.

Also changed a piece of rubber on the outside of both front doors. Most of it was gone, leaving a huge gap for the water and dirt to go in and

damage stuff inside the door, witch was probably why the motor died in the first place. 10$ out of

a junk yard for both sides.

At 325 000 kms, Car suddenly lost about half of its electric components i.e. horn, headlights, interior lighting altogether including dash, etc.. Found out a Fusible Link was the problem. Easy to fix. 10$

At the same time, Radiator started leaking. Again,

had one stacked somewhere, so it only cost me coolant. 10$

At 330 000 kms, needed front right wheel bearing. Got it 2nd hand for 40$.

Front end was not as solid as it should. Sway bar bushings (the ones in the middle where sway bar is fixed to frame, not to swing arms) were in need of replacement. 20$

At 335 000 kms, Alternator died. Got myself a new one for 80$ with the trade-in.

At 345 000 kms, Clutch started slipping away. An 2nd gear synchro was eaten out somewhat. So I went and got parts out of my brother's junked '89 LTZ for free. I took everything from Flywheel to tranny and the clutch's hydraulic system and put it my '89 LTZ. My brother's clutch was just 1 year old. 1 day at the shop cost me 240$, and that was including having the flywheel redone.

At 355 000 kms, Battery died. A battery shop in town sold me a reconditioned one for 40$ with a 1-year warranty.

Also I went on and changed the thermostat cuz I didn't know how long that one was in place. For 8$, you don't wait for it to stick and overheat engine.

After running my car with a cracked windshield for the last 2 years, some cop gave me 72 hours to fix it. Had to go to the shop to do it cuz I would not have access to a heated garage. 300$

At 360 000 kms, I did a section of the rear brake lines cuz rust ate lines away in the mid section resulting in a leak. About 40$ including Brake Fluid.

Except for the alignment job, windshield and tranny/clutch replacement, I did the repairs myself. So, as you can see, a lot was done on the car, but it did not cost me much. To me, it was all worth it.

The car is now in a pretty good shape.

Engine/tranny still running strong. Engine oil barely gets darker and loses 3/4 to 1 qt every 5000 kms oil change, and most of it drips from the oil pressure sending unit.

I would say this to anyone thinking of acquiring a corsica : Get it in good shape, preferably with 2.8L or 1st generation 3.1L V6 and you have yourself a very long-lasting car. As long as rust won't eat it away, everything else is basically routine maintenance.

Well written review, very thorough. Happy driving!