1995 Chevy Monte Carlo Z34 SS. I bought it in 01 with 110,000km for $10k.
In the next two years:
-Power steering line two days after i picked it up, dealer fixed free.
-Alternator died. GM charged $300 for new Alt and 4.4 hours book labour. Alt is under the engine, you have to take some suspension apart. So ~$700.
-Transmission slipping. GM dealer rebuilt in-house. $3000.
-Radiator leaks. Replaced rad. $400.
-Intake manifold gasket leaks. Dealer replaced gaskets and did timing belt service, with water pump etc. $2000.
-During test drive after service new tensioner fails and everything has to be torn down and redone. Another week in the shop. Free.
-Driver side power window fails. While it's in they determine alternator is bad again and replace under the previous one's warranty. $200.
At 133,000km transmission starts slipping again....
Lucky for me I had a 3rd party warranty I bought for $1200 with the car. It covered all of this minus $100 deductible, but come on, it was constantly it the shop.
On top of all this I loved it enough to put a stainless catback, rims, spoiler and a new paint job. I was planning on parking it until I could get the tranny fixed again, but my warranty was expired so I sold it off at a huge loss.
To top it off, it was an "early production" model so it had some part compatibility problems.
I know it's not a "nice car" but for a 19 year old upgrading from an 86 Olds Cutlass, it was quite a step up.
Since, I've had an 88,91 and 93 Honda and have maybe spent $1500 on repairs in the last 4-5 years.
In the next two years:
-Power steering line two days after i picked it up, dealer fixed free.
-Alternator died. GM charged $300 for new Alt and 4.4 hours book labour. Alt is under the engine, you have to take some suspension apart. So ~$700.
-Transmission slipping. GM dealer rebuilt in-house. $3000.
-Radiator leaks. Replaced rad. $400.
-Intake manifold gasket leaks. Dealer replaced gaskets and did timing belt service, with water pump etc. $2000.
-During test drive after service new tensioner fails and everything has to be torn down and redone. Another week in the shop. Free.
-Driver side power window fails. While it's in they determine alternator is bad again and replace under the previous one's warranty. $200.
At 133,000km transmission starts slipping again....
Lucky for me I had a 3rd party warranty I bought for $1200 with the car. It covered all of this minus $100 deductible, but come on, it was constantly it the shop.
On top of all this I loved it enough to put a stainless catback, rims, spoiler and a new paint job. I was planning on parking it until I could get the tranny fixed again, but my warranty was expired so I sold it off at a huge loss.
To top it off, it was an "early production" model so it had some part compatibility problems.
I know it's not a "nice car" but for a 19 year old upgrading from an 86 Olds Cutlass, it was quite a step up.
Since, I've had an 88,91 and 93 Honda and have maybe spent $1500 on repairs in the last 4-5 years.
