Has Anybody owned a car from [censored]?
- Thread starter gmh101357
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My family has had a few ... they were all Chrysler.
I will NEVER buy a new Chrysler product ... very reluctant to even buy recent jeeps.
It is very unfortunate that Jeep ended up being under the horribly company that is Chrysler. I would have much preferred if Jeep when to GM or Ford.
2001 Wrangler had it 3 years:
- 3 radiators
- It had to go back to the dealer about once a month and have the computer reprogrammed and spark plugs changed. Otherwise it would run richer and richer to the point it wouldn't run
- Right rear brake always locked up randomly
- Leaked from the top like a sieve
08 Wrangler Rubicon
- From the factory, the engine has NO POWER. It can't pull 6th gear on the flat. In order to keep up 55 in 6th gear, your foot has to be on the floor and it'll slowly lose speed. For what it's worth, it has 4.11 gears and tires that measure 31'' tall. My Cherokee has 3.55 gears, an automatic transmission and tires that measure 31'' tall and it is much more powerful. I have also been in other JK Wranglers with the same size tires but 3.21 gears (base model) and they have no problem pulling 6th gear on the flat.
- Engine drinks oil and knocks pretty bad. Over 1qt per 1000 miles According to Chrysler this is "normal". Most 07 and 08 Wranglers are victims of Chrysler's great quality control and will spin the #1 main bearing. We're waiting for this to shoot a rod through the oil pan. Maybe then Chrysler will warranty it ...
- Electronics don't work - the Axle locks do not work (electronic diff locker) and one time it locked while we were driving it. Luckily straight. The electronic swaybar disconnect also doesn't work.
- CV Shaft grenaded at about 50k miles of highway use.
- Ignition module went bad and the computer would reboot while driving.
I will NEVER buy a new Chrysler product ... very reluctant to even buy recent jeeps.
It is very unfortunate that Jeep ended up being under the horribly company that is Chrysler. I would have much preferred if Jeep when to GM or Ford.
2001 Wrangler had it 3 years:
- 3 radiators
- It had to go back to the dealer about once a month and have the computer reprogrammed and spark plugs changed. Otherwise it would run richer and richer to the point it wouldn't run
- Right rear brake always locked up randomly
- Leaked from the top like a sieve
08 Wrangler Rubicon
- From the factory, the engine has NO POWER. It can't pull 6th gear on the flat. In order to keep up 55 in 6th gear, your foot has to be on the floor and it'll slowly lose speed. For what it's worth, it has 4.11 gears and tires that measure 31'' tall. My Cherokee has 3.55 gears, an automatic transmission and tires that measure 31'' tall and it is much more powerful. I have also been in other JK Wranglers with the same size tires but 3.21 gears (base model) and they have no problem pulling 6th gear on the flat.
- Engine drinks oil and knocks pretty bad. Over 1qt per 1000 miles According to Chrysler this is "normal". Most 07 and 08 Wranglers are victims of Chrysler's great quality control and will spin the #1 main bearing. We're waiting for this to shoot a rod through the oil pan. Maybe then Chrysler will warranty it ...
- Electronics don't work - the Axle locks do not work (electronic diff locker) and one time it locked while we were driving it. Luckily straight. The electronic swaybar disconnect also doesn't work.
- CV Shaft grenaded at about 50k miles of highway use.
- Ignition module went bad and the computer would reboot while driving.
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My worst car was a 96 Chevy Corsica with the 2.2 4 cylinder. Bought with 40k and kept 2 years till 80k. Owned from 1999-2001.
Replaced:
Water pump
Freeze plug
2 or 3 valve cover gaskets
Various other oil leaks
Alternator
Unexplained valve train noise that was supposedly normal
Transmission began slipping toward the end of when I had it.
This car was well maintained. Had transmission flushed at 40k when I bought it and got 3k mile oil changes. I knew other people with the same car that had no issues. Most of the other cars I have owned have been excellent. I have owned Chevy,Ford,Dodge,Hyundai,Kia,Nissan, and others and they have all been pretty reliable. I had some issues with a 1987 S-10 Blazer too but I bought it with high miles for cheap so I didn't expect much.
Replaced:
Water pump
Freeze plug
2 or 3 valve cover gaskets
Various other oil leaks
Alternator
Unexplained valve train noise that was supposedly normal
Transmission began slipping toward the end of when I had it.
This car was well maintained. Had transmission flushed at 40k when I bought it and got 3k mile oil changes. I knew other people with the same car that had no issues. Most of the other cars I have owned have been excellent. I have owned Chevy,Ford,Dodge,Hyundai,Kia,Nissan, and others and they have all been pretty reliable. I had some issues with a 1987 S-10 Blazer too but I bought it with high miles for cheap so I didn't expect much.
When we were looking at restoring a '66 Mustang for me as my first car, my parents always told me to avoid cars built on July 5th. Guess it's possible the car was built after all the workers went out and got bad sushi
1983 Oldsmobile 98 Regency. I called it the "98 Regurgitate".
One freeze plug failed....the one behind the transmission. The others looked fine and had little or no corrosion on them.
The heater control valve disintegrated in my hand. I grabbed it with my bare hand and it crumbled leaving just the threaded section in the intake manifold. Pain to get the remains out.
The power windows were hopeless. New Motormite HELP! switch did not work any better than OE AC-Delco switch. Reman motors were as slow as originals but would eventually get window all the way up without me having to hand assist.
Could not get up one hill on Interstate 20 in 4th or 3rd. Had to go to 2nd and SCREAM to get up the hill at 55mph.
Control module. They should have stuck it on the outside of the distributor like Ford and Chrysler did given it's tendency to fail.
The headliner just fell down completely on one hot humid day. It didn't have a small bubble and slowly grow outward. I went to work with it up, drove home wearing it as a hat.
OE shocks were almost 10 years old....I'll give them a pass on that. Monro-matics did not firm up the big boat wallow though.
The original owner kept the floormats and the little hupcap unlock tool. (WHY DO PEOPLE DO THAT???!!!) I found floormats in okay condition at a wrecking yard but none of the hubcap wrenches worked. It's okay, the anti-theft screws were made of cheesiest of metals and could be drilled out with a common bit.
One freeze plug failed....the one behind the transmission. The others looked fine and had little or no corrosion on them.
The heater control valve disintegrated in my hand. I grabbed it with my bare hand and it crumbled leaving just the threaded section in the intake manifold. Pain to get the remains out.
The power windows were hopeless. New Motormite HELP! switch did not work any better than OE AC-Delco switch. Reman motors were as slow as originals but would eventually get window all the way up without me having to hand assist.
Could not get up one hill on Interstate 20 in 4th or 3rd. Had to go to 2nd and SCREAM to get up the hill at 55mph.
Control module. They should have stuck it on the outside of the distributor like Ford and Chrysler did given it's tendency to fail.
The headliner just fell down completely on one hot humid day. It didn't have a small bubble and slowly grow outward. I went to work with it up, drove home wearing it as a hat.
OE shocks were almost 10 years old....I'll give them a pass on that. Monro-matics did not firm up the big boat wallow though.
The original owner kept the floormats and the little hupcap unlock tool. (WHY DO PEOPLE DO THAT???!!!) I found floormats in okay condition at a wrecking yard but none of the hubcap wrenches worked. It's okay, the anti-theft screws were made of cheesiest of metals and could be drilled out with a common bit.
I used to love Honda and I've had a bunch of them. But when my daughters 2005 Civic blew a head gasket with only 125k on the clock, that did it for me. That was an expensive bill too.
Originally Posted By: mpvue
'85 golf automatic. gutless 85hp, no overdrive so it buzzed like crazy on the hwy. terrible mpgs, maybe 25hwy.
to change the starter you had to remove one of the driveshafts!
terrible grounds, hardly could maintain charging above 13V.
tiny terrible brakes.
would eat alternators and starters on a regular basis.
a Fram OCOD finally (mercifully) killed it for me; it wouldn't thread on all the way, and when I started it, all the oil blew out and it seized.
sold the car for parts, made $100 IIRC.
OTOH, the '86 and '87 GTI's I had were fantastic cars, none of the issues of the golf.
You do know that the VW "GTI" in the USA is also known as the VW Golf GTI in the rest of the world. Basically the same car with a few minor changes during those years, except for the 1.8 16v engine that was available on the top trim line. My guess is that you bought the first MY of the MKII Golf, and for heaven sakes any VW fan knows you NEVER buy an automatic VW.
'85 golf automatic. gutless 85hp, no overdrive so it buzzed like crazy on the hwy. terrible mpgs, maybe 25hwy.
to change the starter you had to remove one of the driveshafts!
terrible grounds, hardly could maintain charging above 13V.
tiny terrible brakes.
would eat alternators and starters on a regular basis.
a Fram OCOD finally (mercifully) killed it for me; it wouldn't thread on all the way, and when I started it, all the oil blew out and it seized.
sold the car for parts, made $100 IIRC.
OTOH, the '86 and '87 GTI's I had were fantastic cars, none of the issues of the golf.
You do know that the VW "GTI" in the USA is also known as the VW Golf GTI in the rest of the world. Basically the same car with a few minor changes during those years, except for the 1.8 16v engine that was available on the top trim line. My guess is that you bought the first MY of the MKII Golf, and for heaven sakes any VW fan knows you NEVER buy an automatic VW.
Porsche 914 2.0L. I worked in a Porsche dealer and had about a hundred years of Porsche expertise at my beck and call and we could still not keep that car reliable. Cursed, cursed car, I say. I finally got it dialed in for a couple of consecutive months, sold it and the new owner totalled it within three months.
I'd buy a toyota before I bought a honda.
that's just my personal opinion though.
that's just my personal opinion though.
Three cars two I didn't own:
1978 Chevrolet Caprice wagon 305 V8/3-speed slush-o-matic
1984 Plymouth Turismo 2.2L 4cyl/5-speed manual
Both were built and designed by people who really didn't have a clue or care. A car is made of many components, but can have design problems, but rarely is the WHOLE car just bad. Both owners seemingly fixed almost the entire car.
These were. Mediocre in almost everyway. Design, fit and finish, build quality, materials, refinement (even for the time), reliability, durability, performance, handling, gas mileage (the Chevrolet was horrible and it did nothing despite a V8), Plymouth was good on gas ~40 mpg. The Plymouth was a uncompetitive for 1984, just they had the US Ford Escort and the GM J-cars as an excuse. It was a bad time in US car industry late 70s to early 80s.
My car is a 1997 BMW M3 3.2L I6/5-speed manual
Great to drive and that's it. Very overengineered. Electrical, suspension, and body hardware regularly and apparaently very common problems. None of the performance stuff, just the basics. One of the most fun cars I've ever driven that's a sedan, not the fastest, but fun. Moneypit.
1978 Chevrolet Caprice wagon 305 V8/3-speed slush-o-matic
1984 Plymouth Turismo 2.2L 4cyl/5-speed manual
Both were built and designed by people who really didn't have a clue or care. A car is made of many components, but can have design problems, but rarely is the WHOLE car just bad. Both owners seemingly fixed almost the entire car.
These were. Mediocre in almost everyway. Design, fit and finish, build quality, materials, refinement (even for the time), reliability, durability, performance, handling, gas mileage (the Chevrolet was horrible and it did nothing despite a V8), Plymouth was good on gas ~40 mpg. The Plymouth was a uncompetitive for 1984, just they had the US Ford Escort and the GM J-cars as an excuse. It was a bad time in US car industry late 70s to early 80s.
My car is a 1997 BMW M3 3.2L I6/5-speed manual
Great to drive and that's it. Very overengineered. Electrical, suspension, and body hardware regularly and apparaently very common problems. None of the performance stuff, just the basics. One of the most fun cars I've ever driven that's a sedan, not the fastest, but fun. Moneypit.
Originally Posted By: gmh101357
Mine was a 2001 Honda Civic EX
Struts went out at 30k
Auto Trans at 45k
Engine burned up at 67k....I used the Honda Dealer for every oil change between 3k and 4k miles....I think they used Chevron 10w30 or 5w30
We put rebuilt trans and Engine it
We gave it to my wifes daughter and at 88k the 2nd trans went out and she got 800 trade on a new 2011 Corolla.
I looked on the net and was surprised at all the problems with Honda's and trans going out and just building sub-par cars for a premium cost.
Honda USE to build great cars but after that Civic I would never even glance a Honda car lot now.
I had a friend that had a 89 Civic and drove it to 250k with no problems....I read that Honda fired a V-P over Civic flaws...at least they are trying to do something about it.
My rant with Honda is over....
My 1st-generation Honda Insight is a car from heaven. Maybe it has to do with where the car was made, my car was made in Japan in the same factory as the NSX and S2000, out of aluminum. A mass-produced car in cheaper-labor countries may have poorer build quality as you've experienced.
Mine was a 2001 Honda Civic EX
Struts went out at 30k
Auto Trans at 45k
Engine burned up at 67k....I used the Honda Dealer for every oil change between 3k and 4k miles....I think they used Chevron 10w30 or 5w30
We put rebuilt trans and Engine it
We gave it to my wifes daughter and at 88k the 2nd trans went out and she got 800 trade on a new 2011 Corolla.
I looked on the net and was surprised at all the problems with Honda's and trans going out and just building sub-par cars for a premium cost.
Honda USE to build great cars but after that Civic I would never even glance a Honda car lot now.
I had a friend that had a 89 Civic and drove it to 250k with no problems....I read that Honda fired a V-P over Civic flaws...at least they are trying to do something about it.
My rant with Honda is over....
My 1st-generation Honda Insight is a car from heaven. Maybe it has to do with where the car was made, my car was made in Japan in the same factory as the NSX and S2000, out of aluminum. A mass-produced car in cheaper-labor countries may have poorer build quality as you've experienced.
One of the guys that works for me has a 2007 Honda Accord that is a POS.
Lots of electrical problems and since day 1 the thing has smoked brakes. 20k miles and the fronts are toast. He [censored] and got Honda to do the first set of rotors at like 14k.
Lots of electrical problems and since day 1 the thing has smoked brakes. 20k miles and the fronts are toast. He [censored] and got Honda to do the first set of rotors at like 14k.
Mine was a used Ranger 4-cylinder, but the fault was really all mine. I ignored the red flags because I was in a hurry to get a vehicle, and the ones I *really* wanted were just out of my price range.
This one had seen way too much abuse before I bought it, and is the only vehicle I've ever owned for less than two years. I had it for 15 months before basically giving it to a friend as a project.
Young Steve learned much from that vehicle. Old(er) Steve has yet to make the same mistakes, even when needing a quick replacement ride. Every used car I've bought since has lasted me at least 80k miles, except the one I wrecked after 50k.
This one had seen way too much abuse before I bought it, and is the only vehicle I've ever owned for less than two years. I had it for 15 months before basically giving it to a friend as a project.
Young Steve learned much from that vehicle. Old(er) Steve has yet to make the same mistakes, even when needing a quick replacement ride. Every used car I've bought since has lasted me at least 80k miles, except the one I wrecked after 50k.
We have a 01 Civic too. Original owners.
AT went out at 220k, head gasket at 235k. Car still rides on factory struts at about 240k... still rides great IMO, barely a rattler in the car, and absolutely no rust on it. Gets mid to high 30's mpg.
Only time it was ever at a shop was for the trans replacement.
AT went out at 220k, head gasket at 235k. Car still rides on factory struts at about 240k... still rides great IMO, barely a rattler in the car, and absolutely no rust on it. Gets mid to high 30's mpg.
Only time it was ever at a shop was for the trans replacement.
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We had a recent thread like this. It was "what's the worst car you've ever owned" or something like that.
Our 2007 Chrysler Town & Country was the worst ownership experience we've ever had with any product. But fortunately, it's been the only real negative experience we've had with any one car or any one marque. Our two current vehicles are among the best we've owned, in terms of reliability and overall satisfaction with the product.
Our 2007 Chrysler Town & Country was the worst ownership experience we've ever had with any product. But fortunately, it's been the only real negative experience we've had with any one car or any one marque. Our two current vehicles are among the best we've owned, in terms of reliability and overall satisfaction with the product.
Originally Posted By: david_ES2
2001 first year of generation 7, unfortunately there was many issues with 01-02's
Otherwise my 2004 has been superb and has never let me down.
Yep, thats why I recommend the 2004-2005 Civic to people looking for a cheap econobox to purchase.
2001 first year of generation 7, unfortunately there was many issues with 01-02's
Otherwise my 2004 has been superb and has never let me down.
Yep, thats why I recommend the 2004-2005 Civic to people looking for a cheap econobox to purchase.
1991 Chevy Cavalier, bought with 25k miles. So many problems headgasket, radiator, starter in the first 60k miles. The final straw was a spark plug that launched itself out of the head while stopped at red light. I still have nightmares about it.
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Not really.
We've never had a really bad car.
We've owned six Hondas, one Toyota, six Chevys, two BMWs, one Datsun, one VW, two Subarus, four Mercedes and a Ford and all had their strengths and their weaknesses.
Not a real lemon in the bunch, and we kept some for a number of years and many miles.
We've never had a really bad car.
We've owned six Hondas, one Toyota, six Chevys, two BMWs, one Datsun, one VW, two Subarus, four Mercedes and a Ford and all had their strengths and their weaknesses.
Not a real lemon in the bunch, and we kept some for a number of years and many miles.
Originally Posted By: R2d2
1991 Chevy Cavalier, bought with 25k miles. So many problems headgasket, radiator, starter in the first 60k miles. The final straw was a spark plug that launched itself out of the head while stopped at red light. I still have nightmares about it.
Wow. What happened?
My first car ever was a '91 Cavalier. It worked great and had 151k when we bought it; my step-dad got it for $200 at the dealership he worked for. The only problem was that it would die at stop lights and stop signs. No problem. Just put it back into park, start it up and keep going. It would smoke out of the tail pipe every once in awhile, but not bad.
Mom wanted me to get rid of the car, I think we had 163k on it (over the course of a couple years) and that's when I bought a fairly new 2000 Chevy Impala, the first car I took a loan out on. That's a different story entirely!
1991 Chevy Cavalier, bought with 25k miles. So many problems headgasket, radiator, starter in the first 60k miles. The final straw was a spark plug that launched itself out of the head while stopped at red light. I still have nightmares about it.
Wow. What happened?
My first car ever was a '91 Cavalier. It worked great and had 151k when we bought it; my step-dad got it for $200 at the dealership he worked for. The only problem was that it would die at stop lights and stop signs. No problem. Just put it back into park, start it up and keep going. It would smoke out of the tail pipe every once in awhile, but not bad.
Mom wanted me to get rid of the car, I think we had 163k on it (over the course of a couple years) and that's when I bought a fairly new 2000 Chevy Impala, the first car I took a loan out on. That's a different story entirely!
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