July 29, 200619 yr So here I am with my girlfriend in Wichita, KS for the summer. In May I flew down here, on August 20th, we're gonna driver her car back to Massachusetts. Her car is a 1994 Geo Prism, 1.6, with a 5-speed manual and 164K miles on it. As we know, the Prism is a basically a Toyota Corolla, with a slightly different front and rear end, and different center stack. The body is in great shape, save for a dent in teh passenger fender and a missaligned bumper, but has no rust at all. Sounds like a good car right? WRONG First the timing belt needs to be replaced, second it slips out of 3rd, and won't even go into 4th. Sometimes it won't go into Reverse. We went to Cottman Transmissions to have it looked at. They said the clutch is going and the transmission needs to be repaired or possibly replaced. They said it could easily cost $1000 bucks to fix. Couple that with the timing belt, wich was estimated at $360, and the bill for a car worth about 2 grand is almost 3/4th the value of the car. Add to that, in late June the exhuast system broke just behind the catalytic converter, so it had to be welded back together...which cost a hundred bucks. Her inside driver's handle is broken, the outside one handle is broken clean off, the window regulator on that door is broken, the 2 climate control knobs are broken, and the rear seat belt on the driver's side is f@#ked up. Toyota Quality, my ass. Now, I have to admit, a learned how too drive a manual in her car, she taught me, and I have to admit I like drivving her car, it sounds good, handles well, and is more stable at high speeds than my Shadow, so I do like it, but damn is it a pain in the ass. -- On a side note, my catalytic converter, and it's idle speed fixed...but still...it's older and has way more miles...it's rusty...but it's automatic still works fine, and all the door handles and windows work.
July 29, 200619 yr Author that is sad that a Corolla is getting quality by a Shadow. 173110[/snapback] I know! And it's not just her car, a friend of mine has a `94 Corolla, he's had to replace the passenger window regulator, the exhaust header, and the clutch reservoir...all within the last year!
July 29, 200619 yr Author Question: When does a car become more than a car? Answer: When it's not a Toyota. 173106[/snapback] That is exactly what I say whenever I see the new Camry commercials.
July 29, 200619 yr That is exactly what I say whenever I see the new Camry commercials. 173116[/snapback] And I thought I was the only one. Seriously.
July 29, 200619 yr nope 173119[/snapback] Well, everyone, let us all join hands and sing a chorus of "It's a Small World."
July 31, 200619 yr Not a lot of problems for a car with 164k on it, its called wear and tear. 173850[/snapback]
July 31, 200619 yr Not a lot of problems for a car with 164k on it, its called wear and tear. 173850[/snapback] Yea, I had a Buick Century with over 200k and it was scary to drive on the highway because of the shaking problem those things had. Should that be an indictment on GM's quality? Honestly I'd expect most 12 year old economy cars with over 150k miles to have some issues due to wear and tear. I have a friend who got married a couple of months ago, his wife has an '87 Toyota Corolla hatchback, 230k and it still runs like a champ, it looks like $h! but its more reliable than his 150k '97 Grand Am.
August 1, 200619 yr You think thats bad...the saturn ended up costing $2000 for a rebuilt transmission and torque converter.
August 1, 200619 yr Those commercials are well done but to anyone who has a clue they come off as a desperate attempt to recover the sales the Camry will unboubtedly be loosing as Toyota becomes the brand for zombies & the walking dead. Question: When does a car become more than a car? Answer: When it's not a Toyota. 173106[/snapback]
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