Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

So my mother says my aunt called an purchased a 100k mile 97 saturn for 3k. I think she was probably ripped off. :|
Also when she called she told my mother that it was a manual, was dark grey with a light grey interior but failed to mention WHAT IT IS. Granted I don't for example know what the neighbor's saturn is, but I did not just come back from buying one. Lets make bets on how long until it explodes.

97 Saturn, 100k miles? Should be Lemons money.
 
Seriously. And I am guessing the manual should have made it even cheaper since no one wants those anymore. (And I am assuming a saturn with a manual = can't even afford basic options since no one who cares about driving is going to buy a saturn).
I'd bet on my car being more reliable at 100k than that thing will be.
 
Our Volvos have been largely problem-free. My parents had a 1975 244 (American Spec) when they were in Germany, my gradfather bought a 1976 245 DL that stayed in the family through three generations and taught my entire generation to drive a clutch, my mom has a 1999 S80 and a 2009 XC70. All of them have lasted a long time with minimal repairs and problems.

The S80 was probably the worst because for the first two years it had almost every sensor in the car go bad, but it was replaced under warranty and all the S80s after 2000-2001 never had that problem because Volvo started buying the sensors from a different manufacturer.

Volvo quality dropped drastically in 1999. The faulty sensors in your mom's S80 are exactly the reason why I didn't buy an otherwise perfect 1999 S70 T5. This should serve as a warning for everyone considering buying a used Volvo - avoid models between the years 1999 and 2001.
 
Volvo quality dropped drastically in 1999. The faulty sensors in your mom's S80 are exactly the reason why I didn't buy an otherwise perfect 1999 S70 T5. This should serve as a warning for everyone considering buying a used Volvo - avoid models between the years 1999 and 2001.


And 1998's with rust :(
 
No, the one you saw was most likely a fluke. 1998 is unanimously considered as one of the best years for Volvos.
 
So my mother says my aunt called an purchased a 100k mile 97 saturn for 3k. I think she was probably ripped off. :|
Also when she called she told my mother that it was a manual, was dark grey with a light grey interior but failed to mention WHAT IT IS. Granted I don't for example know what the neighbor's saturn is, but I did not just come back from buying one. Lets make bets on how long until it explodes.

Saturns are pretty reliable, so..sadly...it won't explode any time soon, esp. Since its a manual.

I paid 800 bucks for my 92 sl1. Take that as you will-she could have a SL2 w/ leather and loaded with a stick.

Checking the oil level often is a must on both engines that come with the S-series, as they tend to burn oil a bit.

(And I am assuming a saturn with a manual = can't even afford basic options since no one who cares about driving is going to buy a saturn).

You rang? :p I bought the saturn because it was well optioned and dirt cheap.
 
Saturns are pretty reliable, so..sadly...it won't explode any time soon, esp. Since its a manual.

Says the guy whose Saturn has failed repeatedly and left him stranded more than once...

If that is reliable, I would hate to see what you consider unreliable. :p
 
I've heard good things about those little ecotec I4's that GM put in their small cars. With a manual trans, I imagine the rest of the car will fall apart long before the engine blows up.
 
Saturns are pretty reliable, so..sadly...it won't explode any time soon, esp. Since its a manual.

I paid 800 bucks for my 92 sl1. Take that as you will-she could have a SL2 w/ leather and loaded with a stick.

Checking the oil level often is a must on both engines that come with the S-series, as they tend to burn oil a bit.



You rang? :p I bought the saturn because it was well optioned and dirt cheap.

You bought a USED saturn, because it was cheap. I am referring to the person who bought it new and picked what options they wanted on it. A car person isn't going to buy a new saturn, if they can afford a new saturn they can afford something more fun and reliable that is used.

Also I agree with Spectre. I wouldn't even consider my car reliable and it has NEVER broken down. It only breaks in ways that are obnoxious and not hindering drivablity. Like right now the wiper fluid is broken AGAIN and there is pollen everywhere and I have to keep windexing the thing before going somewhere because I haven't gotten the chance to bring it in, because that is not crippling just a pain in the ass. Also consider that she needs the stupid breathalyzer start for apparently 2 years, so this car has to last her 2 years if she wants to not have to attach it to a actually good vehicle and I am not so sure that will go so well.
 
I've heard good things about those little ecotec I4's that GM put in their small cars. With a manual trans, I imagine the rest of the car will fall apart long before the engine blows up.

Ecotec engines were NOT what the 97 Saturns were equipped with. They didn't show up in the US lines until after 2000.

Also consider that she needs the stupid breathalyzer start for apparently 2 years, so this car has to last her 2 years if she wants to not have to attach it to a actually good vehicle and I am not so sure that will go so well.

So if it doesn't start, there will be no telling if it was the Saturn or the field breathalyzer malfunctioning (which they do with regularity, I understand.) Lovely! :p

And kat, yes, there are levels of unreliability. At the top is "minor stuff breaks but vehicle does not leave you stranded," and at the bottom is "why did you bother buying the car because it's broken all the time and doesn't move, leaving you to walk or get rides everywhere" (i.e., Rover/BL Union Malaise Period anything.) Older Saturns? Yeah, they're pretty close to the bottom; their problem does not seem to be mileage but simple chronological age.
 
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I can haz this for $7500

7064662_4.jpg


Hmmm...
 
You can haz enormous maintenance and repair bills as well. AMG = All Money Gone.

Mercedes specialists do not charge on a sliding scale based on the age of the car, either - and some of them make Jaguar dealer service look downright cheap.

Which is sad, because I actually rather like the whole 500E/E500/E55/E65 progression of cars. The maintenance costs (first for the Porsche ones, then the AMG ones) is ridiculous, though - especially post Mercedes-quality-fail.
 
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And considering it's a 1995 with 120k miles, its suspension will probably be in the same sorry shape as mine.

All rubber components on my car seem to have started failing since 140k miles.

To use a Hammond quote: "If my car were a girl, it would be pregnant by now." :lol:
 
And considering it's a 1995 with 120k miles, its suspension will probably be in the same sorry shape as mine.

All rubber components on my car seem to have started failing since 140k miles.

To use a Hammond quote: "If my car were a girl, it would be pregnant by now." :lol:

It gets worse because, if you want to maintain the original ride quality, you will find that the AMG cars used different bushings and such from the regular run of cars. Since volume was quite low, prices are significantly higher. You can go polyurethane (many do) but this will result in different ride characteristics.
 
I thought they went back further than that. Oh well.

97s all have the BUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZ one point BUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZ nine BUZZBUZZBUZZ liter inline BUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZ four cylinder L-series BUZZBUZZBUZZ engine, which was less than refined.

Did I mention it had NVH issues? :p
 
Thank goodness for carfax.... one of the cars I was looking at was totaled out and the dealer never bothered to note that on the ad.
 
So, I drove the late 90's/early 00's Blazer to my Dad's friend's place.

I guess GM's seat controls on these were absolute shit, as the seat suffered the exact same fucking problem as the other Blazer I had the "pleasure" of driving: The seatback adjuster was broken off so the seat was stuck in a semi permanent recline.

Beyond that, the seat was still low. Maybe the unibody 05 Sportage spoiled me but the seats were far higher off the floor.

Ride was very much the same as the other Blazer. OKish, but like the other Blazer, the body structure seems very weak. Hit a bump and you can see a "shudder shockwave" travel through the doors/side panel of the car: The doors literally shake in and out. I cannot understand for the life of me how that's deemed acceptable by anyone. I thought it was just a thing with the first Blazer but clearly not.

Steering: It's so vague, I kept having to keep making corrections to the steering, and it felt like I had to turn the wheel twice as far to get any steering to happen, noticeable especially when pulling out to pass then pulling back into the right lane. My Dad noticed the exaggerated hand motions and actually commented, that's how bad it was. This was all, again, the same with the first Blazer.

Beyond that, it felt slightly underpowered and the trip was made in a pretty uneventful manner.

Says the guy whose Saturn has failed repeatedly and left him stranded more than once...

If that is reliable, I would hate to see what you consider unreliable. :p

:p In all honesty, I think this is the first time the car has truly left me stranded. All of the other times I was able to at least get the car to drive to the shop (for whatever was causing it to stall when stopped) or home. (when the belt tensioner shat itself)

I call that pretty reliable.

97s all have the BUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZ one point BUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZ nine BUZZBUZZBUZZ liter inline BUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZBUZZ four cylinder L-series BUZZBUZZBUZZ engine, which was less than refined.

Did I mention it had NVH issues? :p

Oh God yes. It's noisy, although the "2nd-generation" cars like the 97 mentioned benefit from small engine changes and more sound insulation to make things a lot better. Me? I've gotten used to cranking the radio up especially on the highway where wind and road noise manage to drown out the engine. I actually like the way it sounds though, that engine. :cool:

This reminds me, Kat, if she complains it's super noisy or she feels/sees a lot of vibration through the wheel at idle, have her open the hood and look at the upper engine mount (horseshoe shaped bracket) sitting to the left of the engine. If it looks worn, that's the problem.
 
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:p In all honesty, I think this is the first time the car has truly left me stranded. All of the other times I was able to at least get the car to drive to the shop (for whatever was causing it to stall when stopped) or home. (when the belt tensioner shat itself)

I call that pretty reliable.

You want me to go look up all your "it died" posts, don't you?

Any car that frequently and randomly stalls is NOT reliable by objective standards. It's BROKEN.
 
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