The timing belt was replaced in 1999, at about 128,000 miles.
The right front tire rod snapped over the winter of 2002, with about 146,000 miles on it.
The air conditioning went out in 2003, at about 148,000 miles.
Front brakes and rotors had to be replaced in the summer of 2003, with 151,000 miles on it.
The windshield cracked over the winter of 2002.
This car has been good for the past 16 years. Things might have gone wrong with it over the years, but that is expected with a 16 year old car.
The gas mileage is very good, very helpful with the way gas prices are these days. It averages around 25 miles per gallon in the city and 35 miles per gallon on the highway. The gas tank holds 11 gallons. I usually average 250 miles between each fill up.
The heater on this car is awesome. No other car I have been in or drove has a better heater. When the air conditioning was running (until 2003), it was very cold.
The car cannot go above 75 without vibrating. Being a young driver, this is really good for me. It is a good way of telling you to slow down.
During July of 2003, it finally turned over 150,000 miles. My goal is to reach 200,000 miles before I end up giving it up for good.
Overall, this car has been great to me and my family. My parents bought it back in 1987 and now have handed it down to me. It is reliable, a good car to drive around in, and very good on gas.
If the owner wants to keep his Vista going, plenty of information is available about making improvements on the parts of the car which are frequent maintenance problems. I am overhauling an '87 Vista, and have learned a great deal from Mike's Automotive Services in Sequim, WA. Mike is a Vista enthusiast and very helpful.
I have just learned of a "Colt/Vista" site, which I am trying to join. Google it. If this doesn't prove useful, I might start a vistablog.
Note: A Comments RSS Feed 
is available. New comments appear in the Members Area before the main site