Owners' Stories
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I have a 2002 Chrysler sebring have had it 4 years and really had any problems. Got it paid for in Jan 2012 and the nightmares began. Had to have a water pump and they have to take everything apart to get to it and a tune up and that was almost $1000 and then had have it towed the starter relay went. This is all in a 2 week time. The car still was not starting right went back and then they said thought it was the fuel pump that would be about $600. I wanted to know how they came up with that and the guy said that is what i think it is. Did ask if they did any test to come up with that but I got a smart remark and so told him they got my last dollar.Did call the dealer ship back and asked if they could look and see what or if any test was done and they said they did a pressure test. I said when I asked why didn't he just tell me that. Let see i'm female and I think he thought I didn't know anything about cars.I have taken it to a another place that my brotherinlaw goes to and he just said that it is looking like the injectors. I have 69000 on my car and this is my first chrysler and my last one. I had my ford van with 135000 miles and in the shop one time. This car has got me broke if it is the injectors not sure how I will pay for this one.
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What is up with the trunk lid, ity is so heavy the wind blew it shut on my head today and almost knocked me out? This should be recalled!
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I have a 2008 Silverado Crew Cab...Love this truck....I need to replace the driveshaft because of an incident that my grandmother did, She got hung up on a boulder and dented the driveshaft....But other than that, I love this truck
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We have owned out Terraza for 7 years, we have had to replace the transmission, 3 bushings x 1, all four bushings x 1, sway bar coupling x 2 and have had numerous problems witht the electrical system. The driver's side passenger sliding door cannot be used because to do so will create a loud beeping sound that we can't fix for under 500-800 dollars. The warning lights on the dash stay on, all the dash lights bleep on and off once in a while, the sliding doors open automatically even tho we clean the area out throughly. This was an expensive learning curve for us.
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My 2004 explorer sport trac was all i ever wanted until major items like not being able hook up and tow any thing with it by law with any towing equip. And also at 100,000 miles my compass went out and also my auto drive at the same time. Ford,it not your fault its mine for not EXPLORING more options you get it(ExPlOriNg).
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1998 SL500 with 123k miles now. It has 32 valves and dual OHC. A pleasure to drive. From 1999 through about 2008 I think they have one OHC and 24 valves. I love the car but its like a mistress that always wants more. At 99,000 miles one hydraulic roof cylinder (they raise and lower the soft top) went out-1800; at 107,000 the transmission went-4,700 at AAMCO: to be fair, it may have gone out because a Dealer "flushed" the transmission which experienced people say not to do if you haven't done it regularly-it forces contaminants into the system: so 3 weeks later it went (I know now not to let anyone flush the transmission); the ignition lock jammed at 115,000 miles-1800 at a dealer; while the lock was under repair, the "soft top module" went on the fritz preventing the windows from closing completely: the dealer wanted almost 3,000 to replace it; I declined and read up on this by googling it; in a few weeks it went back to normal again, as I suspect the dealer knew it would (the soft top module goes haywire when a battery is disconnected-usually resets in a few weeks, but when it goes bad, its hellishly expensive to replace); engine work: 4,000; new flex discs; suspension repairs; seals that leaked; and on and on. Nothing is cheap to fix on it, and things you've never heard of seem to go bad suddenly--no wearing down, it just goes. I did learn-duh-to avoid the Dealers, since their prices are 3 to 4 times a good repair shop. Example: An ignition coil repair (like a spark plug) is about 400 at a dealer, 300 at another place close to work, but only 189 at the place I go to now, and their work is just as good. The 1994 S500 -a big tank of a car-was more durable than this 1998, and things rarely stopped working on that 1994. Benz has, I believe, downgraded its components and sells to new car buyers and is not interested anymore in anyone who keeps them after 60,000 miles. Can't say that's bad policy, but beware: My advice: buy it new while its covered by a warranty, or be prepared to spend a lot keeping it going.
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my Rio will not stay running going down road will die somtimes 3 times in a row other times not for 3 days no problem. Had it at dealership they charged me $1600.00 said it was fixed .Will never buy another Kia. If I could get it fixed would be ok with it .
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1997 buick lesabre 90,000 miles drove great when i first got it but then started only letting me put 5 dollars worth of gas in at a time and would act like it was full. Also had a misfire check engine light came on replaced coil light went off but then came back on ugghhhhh...but over all love a buick i have had 4 altogther if i was rich i wlould buy a new one every year
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I rated my car based off the experience I have had with it. I bought it used in '07 in Alaska with 41k miles. It was a rental car prior to being sold for $10k. My credit was not the best so I got the cheapest car on the lot that looked clean to keep mayments low. Cd player died in '09. Has been wrecked twice and repaired twice. The A/C fan died in '11, but was fixed by a local mechanic. It's having electrical issues from what I think was the repairs done in '09 from accident #2. That is odd because the same repair shop fixed it after accident #1 and it worked great. Other than cosmetic issues like my broken glove compartment handle and my broken armrest (those were our fault), it has been very good to me. Until I get the vehicle checked I cannot be sure if the electrical issues are just the car or the poor workmanship of the repairs done in '09. I paid it off this year. Rebuilding credit for a future car. In the meantime- it's going to be mine. I want a nicer newer, but that conflicts with my desire to save my money and be debt free...especially if it is still running just fine.
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I have a 1997 Jaguar XK8 with 105000 miles. I purchased this car in 1999, my ex wife kept it after divorce, but I repurchased the car from her a few months ago. Right after me taking over the vehicle, I experienced a cooling problem. Add engine coolant light came on periodically, I refilled small amounts until the car overheated. The repair shop examined the car and determined to change all major hoses, water pump, thermostat, throttle, tensioner and serpentine belt.Total repair cost $4200. The car ran great for a week until I noticed a major oil dripping on my driveway. Puddles of oil underneath my car in the garage. Knowing about the sensitive nature of Jaguar engines, I had the car towed back to the mechanic. First impression were leaking cam cover gaskets and valve covers, too. Also the gear gasket where the engine meets the transmission. Estimation for repair $1500. After removal of cam covers, I was called to the shop to inspect the to me unknown problem with the timing chain tensioners and the guiding rails. All tensioners, made out of plastic, were cracked and the guiding rails were broken. The plastic pads on top of the tensioners were gone and the chains were rubbing on the metal pads. Because of the broken off plastic they suggested to change the oil pump,all tensioners and rails, chains and seals. Another bill of $6000. Now it is understandable, why the bluebook value on these cars is on the low side. Great car, great looks, but major upkeep. I was assured by my mechanic, that now the car should run great now. All stories I have read on various forums sound very familiar and I feel lucky not to have the engine damaged.
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My 2008 Buick Lucerne, V8, is nearing 100,000 miles and it is time for a whole bunch of maintenance and repair items, well over 1,000.00 worth of repairs/maintenance. I am very satisfied with it and it is about to go out of warranty. It has been driven to Washington, DC multiple times, DisneyWorld and many, many other places from Indianapolis, IN and still going. I had the same problem with the driver side door handle falling off in my hand just out of the blue and found out it is just a manufacturer deficiency and I had the dealer replace it. The brakes on the Lucerne are rather delicate as the discs tend to warp with excessive lateral runout even when using really good ceramic brake pads, but I do the brakes myself and it does not get that expensive. There are no oil leaks and I do my own oil changes. The transmission seems to be working fine, now I have noticed recently that if I take off at maximum speed going from zero to whatever with the pedal to the floor, the torque thrust is rather extreme and the car moves from side to side almost uncontrolably until it reaches a certain speed, of course I do not recommend anyone do this. After it goes out of warranty in the next month or so, I am going to add a computer chip to allow me to use HHO gas from water and modify the car to run on water as a supplement to gasoline and see what my gas mileage becomes. I love this car as I have taught my oldest daughter how to drive using this car and my family has had many exciting adventures in the Lucerne.
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I bought my Saturn 2 yrs ago from a CarMax dealership @ around 25 - 30,000 miles. 4 cylinder manual trans. i drive 50 mi. round trip to work on the highway, plus other places after work and weekends. car has not given me any problems. basic oil changes, tire rotations. 4 days ago i went to my independent certified corner mechanic and one of his employees flushed my engine, rotated my tires and changed the spark plugs, checked the brakes (they were good). yesterday morning on my way to work i heard what i thought was somebody else's loud muffler/engine. i had my radio on and after some time went by, just before i got on the interstate, i noticed the traffic/cars had changed but i was still hearing the noise. it sounded like i needed to go into another gear too, but it didn't. i turned the radio down and noticed it was my car. i couldn't determine if it was the transmission or what. the car runs quiet. sometimes i have tried to start the car when it is already running. i'm taking it back to the mechanic on tomorrow afternoon. i'll let u know the outcome. but other than that no issues and i now have 120,000 on it.
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When you steal a car from the street, it is called Grand Theft Auto; When you steal a car from a dealer, its called being a SHRUDE Operator!!! I stole my 1999 Miata. At $4K, 97K miles, flawless motor, interior/exterior horrid top, it was a good buy. But when someone cut the top on the dealer's lot AND it was replaced by the dealer's insurance AND they only wanted $4K for it---Stick 'em up, here's your money. I enjoy cheating stupid people---its just what I do. Like paying $150.00 for a signed Suwada in Museum Quality framing (it was marked down 6 times from $1,500.00). I can not express the joy in my heart when, having bought the Litho and put it in my car, the saleswoman and MANAGER chased me down and offered me $300.00 on the spot to give them their litho back. Tower Lithos is out of business now (any wonder why?!!!)
BACK TO THE MIATA REVIEW. Ladies & Gents---this is your Commuter Car/Weekend Bomber. At 58mph (5th Gear/3K RPMS) I routinely get 29-34MPH---that's hybrid territory for a 12 year old car!!! This is a backyard mechanic's wet dream-plugs are on top of the manifold, alternators can be changed in 4 minutes or less (if you put spark plug paste on the Ibolt), the car will go 300K & pass smog, you can drive it with one finger because it is PERFECTLY balanced, 12 years old and it still is a babe magnet, etc. etc. Wanna save money for your retirement? Drive into any Fast Food window and open your car door---them quarters add up and you are so low to the ground that all you have to do is sweep your hand to scoop up the change!!! You can park on a postage stamp, turn on a dime and it fits in tight places ( I'm a fan of things that fit into tight places...)
NEGATIVES: If you are OLD, FAT or over 6', this is NOT YOUR CAR!!! Sorry!!! Take the bus!!! Want to know what it was like being a JEW under the Spanish Inquisition? Drive a Miata over 100 miles without a stretch break and tell me about your back or your kidneys!!!
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I have had my 2001 S40 with AMG accents for 2 years now. Drives very smoothly and lots of compliments on it's looks no problems with the engine or AC the only chalenges are the LED lighting turn signal in mirror which causes an error message on the dash board apparantley the whole mirror housing must be changed to fix plus the lighting on the dashboard malfunctioned and turned off. Had a good Mercedes serviceman and he took it to a diagnostics center who fixd for about $400 other than that very happy with my purchase and regular maintenane costs are about the same as epected for any high end vehicle...
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If you are going to own an X5 (mine is a 2003 with 98k), you MUST find a reliable mechanic outside of a dealership. I have a guy here in Houston at a little shack who is a wizard and is honest. The dealers are absolute thiefs both in their overcharging and willingness to find new, expenseive issues every time they pop the hood. These are wonderful cars but they will have minor issues with some regularity (as noted in these other posts) -- save 75% on these repairs by going outside the dealer.
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For several years I have been having my brake light come on after being stopped for a few minutes -Sequoia running) I go o stop and it sounds like a clashing of cansin the front end and stopping is diffult to do. I turn the engine off and back on and away i go waitng for the next occurance which may be weeks away or tomorrow--This has NOT happened at a speed meaning that the light comes on from the stopped mode but unless I am watching my dash instead of the road i do not know the light is on-any ideas
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front windshield wipers do not work. wiper motor has been tested and works. switch on steering column tests okay. concern it might be body control module.
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I purchased a 98 Eddie Bauer with 198K miles in April 2011 for $4400 cash. It is now May 2012 and I have 251,100K miles on it. I put 53k miles on it within one year. I just recently had to replace brake pads and have the rotors turned. The air conditioner doesn't get as cold but for what I purchased the vehicle for I have a darn good truck truck!
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Just bought a 2001 Lexus ES300. Beautiful car. Drove it for about a week then the check engine and trac off lights came on simultaneously, followed by a little stutter in the engine driving down the highway with the cruise control on. Followed some advice on the web by disconnecting and reconnecting the battery and then spraying the air intake port that's near the air horn with some electronic's cleaner(evaporates quickly). This has seemed to take care of the problem, the lights are not on now and the engine stutter is gone; the cars' got nearly 94,000 miles on it. I hope it will keep going strong...just got an oil change too. I'm pleased with it overall...good strong V-6 engine;everything still works in it, I.e. A/C, power seats/windows, etc. I think I made a good purchase. Looking forward to putting a lot of comfortable miles on it.
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Power on highway a plus comfort a plus interior paint on consul sucks fads dilaminates what a joy I love mine great happiness
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We were stationed in Germany and went to Sweden to pick up our car. We had it for 3 months before we shipped it back to the States. We started having problems with it with only 15,000 miles on the car. The main computer chip had to be replaced, the fuel sensor had to be replaced and the fuel tank had to be replaced. It now has 23,500 as of 5/22/2012 and we are having to replace the front brake pads and rotars. We are stationed back in Germany again and the warranty expired. It seems like we have had nothing but problems for a car that is not that old and does not have a lot of mileage on it.
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I have a 2002 Toyota Echo with approximately 210,000 miles on it. For the past 5 years, I have taken it in for its semi annual service (3,500 to 4,000) miles to the dealership. It is not cheap, but they do a good job with it and considering the time saved and customer service, I have had no problems with them. If so, I bring it to their attenton and they fix it.
Right now my check engine light has come on. This is the second time this has happened. The first time I had to replace the catalytic convertor. Hopefully, this won't be as costly. Other than that, the body has held up well, considering the bumps and bruises it has gotten and I have only had 1 major accident in it. My next car will be a Toyota.
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I own a 200 Chevy Blazer that now has 235,200+ miles. The body is in very good shape (no rust) even though it sits outside 100% of the time in Minnesota (also lots of salt on the roads).
The original tires and brakes out lasted both front hub assemblies (45,000 & 51,000 respectively and the transmission (92,000 and again at 137,000) even though I never abused it or towed anything. Luckily, I purchased lifetime warranted hub assemblies so it when they went bad the 2nd time, I only had to pay the labor to have them replaced ($90 each).
At the 1st transmission rebuild ($1,800), the builder said that EVERY component had a new part number specified so I replaced everything while it was torn apart even though only the "sun guard" was bad. The 2nd rebuild ($1,300) required replacing the "sun guard" again but this time they used a different part that they said was used in racing applications - no problems to this time even though I have towed a boat and small trailer several times.
The intake manifold gasket was finally replaced at 210,000 although in hide sight it should have been replaced 5 years ago at about 90,000 miles because that was when we first noticed that we didn't always have heat. We couldn't tell that the coolant was low, we believe because of a design flaw that allowed air bubbles to prevent coolant from circulating as it should (This might be a good time to bad mouth the factory fill of orange coolant that started to clog the cooling system.). The problem was caught even though a local Chev dealership ran a pressure check on the system when we first noticed the problem.
The gas pump was replaced at 120,000. Expect a $400+ bill for that.
The hinge pins on the front doors have been replaced 3 times each. The pins only cost about $9 each ($18 per door) but really require a air hammer to drive back into place because their isn't enough room to swing hammer hard enough to drive them into place. A steel rod or socket extension might work but you will still have to monkey with getting the spring back into place and that is a pain also. A body shop will probably charge about $80-$100 per door.
The lift gate washer also leaked multiple times, probably due to the fluid freezing because it wasn't used enough and it can get -40 degrees F (actual - not with wind chill) here. This again is poor design because any engineer from Detroit should realize that temperature do get well below freezing!
The design of the levers used to raise and lower the seat backs also was TERRRIBLE (maybe it was good design for Chev because they broke immediately after, rather than just before, the warranty expired). Most owners that I know also had their handles snap off (driver's side at 12,100 and passenger's at 13,000 and didn't replace them because there wasn't a good replacement.
To summarize, they don't easily rust but they have numerous (and expensive) problems.
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On my way to work, my car begin to come to a jolting stop on it's on. The car would not move out of the middle of the road. All the gears worked so it can't be the transmission. We tried putting it in neutral and having another car try to push it from the back and nothing moved still. What could the problem be???
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Bought our 2007 Tahoe new, has 132000 miles on it and the transmission went out. The trim in the Tahoe has not held up and we are very disappointed with the SUV. Will not buy another one.
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Bought it in Reno, Nevada and drove it up to Alaska 2 weeks ago. Awesome vehicle with a smooth ride, smooth transmission, strong but quiet engine, and pretty good gas mileage! Will keep it for a long time!
JH
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I bought my 2006 Sebring with 12,000 miles on it. Besides the normal items like tires, brakes, oil changes, etc. I've never had any issues with this car. Starts every single time, drives great, roomy interior and trunk. Looks great driving down the road too.
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The break issue posted above is caused by a faulty speed sensor in the cruise control. Mine was under warranty, but it took them maybe 30 minutes. I had this, and the real tailgate release break. Otherwise no tires, no repairs nothing for 110K miles. It is a great car.
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I have a 1992 Saab 900 Turbo with about 117,000. It has been a great car with only a few minor problems so far: front hood rust, passenger's front wheel well rusted out, water pump, cruise control, antenna motor, driver's head light wiper, rear brake calipers and automatic locks work inconsistently. Nothing too major yet... I love this car and it has overall held up very well. Especially considering this car has spend it's entire life in Upstate NY.
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Great design, space & flexible seat options. I get 31-32 mpg. Biggest complaint is the 'firm & responsive' ride - you feel every little bump and the steering requires constant correction - no 'hands off' here. Very stable though .. a passing car cut back into my left rear fender, spun me across 4 lanes of freeway, and I was able to drive it back to the shoulder. The click of the directional signals needs to be adjustable and made louder. Little rubber cover on fuel lid push lifter fell off. Honda wants $30 for a 20 cent part.
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