CV joints x3.
Tailgate locking mechanism broke.
Gearbox would drop from fourth to neutral for no reason.
Gearbox(?) would 'thump' for several minutes if held in first too long.
Engine noisy, required a new timing chain.
Excellent interior, spacious and comfortable, high level of equipment. Torquey but rough engine, annoying gearbox, disc brakes all round. Sloppy handling, heaps of understeer, body roll and pitching under acceleration and brakes. High fuel consumption for a 4-cylinder.
I've also heard that 87'-88' model Magnas aren't that great. Someone I know bought an 87' Magna, (against my warnings). This person had their 87' Magna for about 4 months before the auto gearbox basically died on them. In the gearbox, reverse and neutral became forward gears, so reversing in that car was out of the question.
First generation Magnas (TM-TP) are excellent cars to drive with good reliability if you buy one that has a manual transmission and is serviced regularly. If you buy one of these with an auto transmission and/or has suffered neglect, it will end in tears.
High level of equipment as standard, for this era and reliability is good.
Automatic transmission is definitely a very weak point on these cars, and often worth more than the car, when
you need to replace it, with a reconditioned unit.
CV Joints need replacing too regularly.
Build quality is reasonable, for this era.
Paint, was another weak point of these cars, it fades and
blisters badly after a few years.
Is a bit heavy on fuel too.
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