The oil pressure regulator died shortly after I bought it. 101,500 miles.
The radiator cracked and took a number of engine components with it. 102,000 miles. My fault, I should have looked at the radiator before I took it on the long drive.
The transmission is pretty shot. These 3 spd autos weren't meant for much more mileage than this. I plan on replacing it with a standard transmission.
The reverse lights don't work anymore. 103K ish.
Nothing else.
I paid $900 for this car, and I feel like it was very worth it. I love the way the car accommodates people because of how comfy it is inside. It's also pretty.
The paint on this car is wearing off pretty bad. 17 years old, I don't blame it.
The car is dang quick, especially for an automatic! (Stage 1 slightly modified. Less than $100 of parts) It's a total Honda killer. I've raced a bunch of guys with Integras and Civics, and leave them in the dust. Yeah, only 170 hp, but 220 ft/lbs of torque!! I love their expressions when we make it to the next light.
The transmission isn't geared right for racing, but it still gets to 60 around the 7 sec area. The more impressive part is how fast it picks up when your trolling along at 10 mph.
0-60 was about 7.1 sec, but 10-60 was right around 5 sec. Once the turbo has spooled up and the rpms are right, this thing rockets away.
Chrysler may have a bad name for these little cars, but truth is, I'm not going back to Honda now that I've owned a Chrysler. I've owned 3 Hondas, and my next car is going to be a Dodge.
The last thing I want to add, is how easy this car is to work on. The engine compartment looks like it could house a 350 just fine, so with all that space, and such a relatively little engine, maintenance is so easy. Even replacing the head gasket is pretty easy, compared to my Civic. I love my baby!!
Did it ever occur to you that you raced an old beat up Honda that had 250,000miles or that they were not racing you...
The very day I posted this review, the water pump quit on me and left me with another bad engine. The pump is so hard to change, at least for a limited tool mechanic like myself. I'm starting not to like this car so much. Maybe it's time for that STI or EVO 8 that I've always wanted.
Whether they were racing or not, I still beat em. I really doubt that the Lime Green Civic with the Aero body kit had 250K on it, and I even doubt more that he wasn't racing. His poor car was at 8000 rpms most of the time. But of course, my car ain't no super car either. If you have an Evo, or Sti, you'll beat me. But I welcome a challenging Civic anyday.
An initially cheap old car that requires dollars and time to repair is no bargain.
Yes, an initially cheap car that requires time and repairs is a bargain. I've kept spreadsheets of my old cars for years, and have the proof of that statement. For example, an '85 Dodge truck, purchased when 11 years old for $2,500. I drove it 40,000 miles and never had to spend a dime on it. Since purchase, I've put 81,000 miles on it and had it for 10 years, with total repair costs of $5,000. Most of that cost was in years 6-8, with no repairs required since then. $7,500/120 months = $62.50/month. Try to find a car payment that low.
I have a Chrysler Laser that I paid $800 for and spent an extra $400 on repairs and parts up to date. Even though it needs a new transmission, it still only has cost me $3000 (w/transmission) for a car that I really like, for super low insurance rate, and NO CAR PAYMENT!!! It also has left me with a lot of cash available for house repairs an other stuff.
$800 Car
$400 Parts, maintenance
$1800 Transmission.
$3000/36 months = $83 month or $1200/36 months = $33/month as of now.
Insurance = $30 month
Total = $113 month or $63 a month.
Besides, I can get this car sold for another $800 if I really need to, so it has been a really wise financial move for me because I do not suffer much from depreciation.
The last time I finanaced, it was a Mercury Cougar (piece o crap), that cost me close to $400 a month, and I took $2000 of depreciation in the first month I owned it.
I have an 89 GTC. 2.2 Turbo II (intercooled) 5spd trans. There's not a stock 5.0 MOOstang that can catch me... Check out Turbos Unleashed (google it) for lots of performance parts. I bought a clutch from them and its great! I twisted the center out of a cheap generic 'auto parts' (taiwan) clutch disc very quickly.
Build these cars up, they are unbeatable. I have 200K miles on mine. Plus, they have all the great features you would expect in a Chrysler... Infinity stereo, Digital climate control, Power everything...
These cars can be a Honda owners worst nightmare! Check out http://www.thedodgegarage.com, and be sure to see the one that ran on the Bonneville salt flat at 215 MPH.
Have fun!
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