How much is too much?

[ls1mike]

Originally Posted By: silverrat
Generally old Hondas are easier/simpler to fix and so any ol mechanic will have no problems finding most parts and doing cheap repairs.

I think that may very well be a matter of opinion especially when a timing belt and the unknow condition of it come into play. It is what you are comfortable with. I tow with a 21 year old truck. Cheap and anyone can fix it. Not to mention my Buick is cheap as all get out to fix if it were to break, lets compare a water pump in a 3800 to a water pump in 4 Cyl or 6 cyl Honda.

Not to mention for example, my Buick is 12 years old with 70,000 miles on it. I haven't changed the struts, shocks, cabin air filter, just normal maintenance and I am finally getting ready to LIM gasket.
Some of that stuff can sometimes just be blown off if you are going say 24 miles a day like I do. You have to make an educated evaluation.

 

[JustinH]

Guys, the site for Tbird's of this vintage is tccoa.com.

I had a bunch of these cars and they are EXCELLENT.

Sounds like routine maintenance (except for the fuel pump)..

Is your car the 3.8L or the 4.6L.

FYI, the 4.6L did have OBD2 in 94-95, the 3.8L did not get OBD2 until 1996 (when required by law)..

The early cars like the 95 has a weaker transmission, that would be the weak spot.

If you have a 3.8L car, you might not even have a 8.8'' rear axle, they had a 7.5 inch I believe.

 

[97tbird]

Originally Posted By: QuOk
F.O.R.D.
(Fix Or Repair Daily)


Um, NO.

I have a 1997 Tbird, 4.6L with 140 k miles, and the ONLY repair is the catalytic converters which had to be replaced.
It has been an extremely dependable car and very economical to maintain.

 

[daves87rs]

Still cheaper than buying new.

 

[JustinH]

Originally Posted By: 97tbird
Originally Posted By: QuOk
F.O.R.D.
(Fix Or Repair Daily)


Um, NO.

I have a 1997 Tbird, 4.6L with 140 k miles, and the ONLY repair is the catalytic converters which had to be replaced.
It has been an extremely dependable car and very economical to maintain.


I had a 95 that had 205k miles on it, I sold it to a guy who put a performance motor in it and took it to Tennessee. They are great cars. My first 95 took me through most of high school and college.

http://members.tccoa.com/justinh/niagara/Birdy-001.jpg

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

Originally Posted By: QuOk
F.O.R.D.
(Fix Or Repair Daily)


This is a very ignorant remark.

 

[fdcg27]

It is not that hard to change the T-belt on an older Honda.
If the mileage or age of the belt is unknown, it should be changed as a matter of course.
The parts needed to do a proper T-belt service on the four cylinders are also pretty inexpensive.
I would stay with a stick in any Honda.
Much more entertaining to drive, and it isn't hard to replace the clutch, although benching the transmission back in by hand is a nice little test of strength. I would never have thought that such a small volume could contain that much weight!
You can also count on replacing CV joints, or complete axles, due to split boots.
Brakes are easy and inexpensive to do on an older Honda, and any decent exhaust shop can fab up a complete exhaust for the four cylinder for $200-250.00.
Change the oil on some semi-regular basis, keep it topped up if required, and make sure you have no more than 100K on the T-belt, and the engine should run well about forever.
Finally, WRT Ford, we have a couple of ex-OSP CVPIs at work, and they soak up abuse quite well.
Also, for reliable and durable operation, our 3.0 Aerostar is as good as any Honda we have ever owned.
It is even fun to drive, in its way.

 

[Mr Nice]

Sounds like a lot or repairs for such little miles