My car (stop laughing, dammit!) is a 92 Hyundai. 1.6 DOHC. Guy I bought it from let the timing belt go at 88K. It broke or jumped time at 70MPH on the Capitol Beltway. Things came through the cam-cover, the hood, and went through the trany-case, according to the guy I bought it from.
They replaced the hood. And the engine and tranny. New, in a crate, from Fairfax, Va. Hyundai. So, he decided he needed another car, they wanted to give him peanuts for it, so he puts it in the paper. I bought it for $1275.00, but tires, brake pads, and an Earl Schieb's on it, and have been driving it ever since. It has, after a speedometer replacement, 240,000 on the body, and about 158,000 on the engine which was replaced in 97. The engine doesn't burn oil, does 85 all day long up and down the east coast and doesn't seem to even breathe hard. Mobil 1 0W-40 winter, , 10w-40 spring and fall, 10 or 20W-50 in the high heat months (recommended by the factory). It shows clean on the dipstick right up to around 2500, and I usually change it at 3000, or 3500.
It's really a re-branded Dodge Colt/Mirage, the 1.6 and tranny are Mitsu all the way. That's why I don't get into defending new Hyundais when the self-appointed upper crust here trot out their superiority complexes on the new Hyundais and Hondas.
I don't know what the new ones are, but who can argue with 100K/10 year warranties? Besides, the cars certain peeps advocate over Hondas and Hyundais average 35 or 40 grand, and average LAST on customer satisfaction and reliabilty. Go figure. I figure I've put, I dunno, 40 or 50 grand more into my IRA and Roth since I bought this car eight years ago than if I was buying something new every couple of years. I have a motorcycle that will handle any car on up to 100,000 dollars, so cars don't thrill me that much. They aren't truth, beauty or justice. They're point A to point B.
But I, like most here, get a heck of a kick out of keeping them, and keeping them cheap. I've been pretty good at it, but most of you doods have forgotten more about this stuff than I'll ever know! It sure was handy finding this place!
Merry Christmas, yall!