Sooo… I should pass on the once in a lifetime chance on getting a C8 corvette that I have been dreaming of since I was a kid.
If you’ve been dreaming of a C8 since you were a kid, then you’re way too young to be using the internet. 
+1 on all points!
Because the cars that I bought from both Volvo and Chevrolet were truly hellacious, I would never again buy either a Volvo or a GM product.
GM had no choice but to stand behind their product because–somehow–God was looking out for me when I decided to buy GM’s extended warranty. While I paid nothing for multiple re-paints, a trans rebuild at ~10k miles, and a myriad of other problems, the bottom line is that GM decided to sell their X-cars about two years too soon, and chose to use the purchasers to test the reliability of those ridiculously bad cars.
Volvo refused to stand behind their product at all.
Even if it is not totally logical, I will not ever again buy a car from either mfr.
well A corvette. started with the 68-72 then the c7 and the new c8
Yeah, you get it. It’s not about logic at all, and I never said that “all Fords are bad”. I’m under the impression that they make some of the best trucks out there. But why spend thousands of dollars on what feels like a gamble when there are alternatives for the same price that are less of a gamble? It’s not like anyone is going to rescue me if I end up with a lemon. I would never take the chance.
Also, I have to admit that learning the history on how they dealt with the trashfire (literally, I’d argue) that was the Ford Pinto in the 70s, I’m turned off by them as a company in general.
As far as the starter is concerned, my friend with the same make and model had the same issue at around the same mileage, so when it wouldn’t start after a jump, I told the mechanics that I think it MIGHT be the starter but I wasn’t sure. They confirmed that it was and replaced it.
I might jump off this thread now that I’ve dealt with the problem. Thanks for the wisdom folks.
1 Like
If the free market really worked as free market advocates claim, that incident would have been the deathblow for the company. I’m astonished anyone bought a Ford in the years following the publication of the Pinto Memo.
That said, the free market did not work as advertised and Ford, obviously, continued to exist. Today, probably everyone involved with the Pinto debacle is retired, and many of them are dead and cannot influence the company even as a consultant. I would not use that as a reason not to buy a current Ford. After all, there are plenty of other reasons not to buy a current Ford, as anyone who’s ever driven an Escape can attest.
Absolutely, except that their recent track record is still not great. I’m sure I could get a nice car from them, but I’d rather get a car with a long history of reliability.
Wanted to update this, in case this contains information that might help someone else in the future…
I had my power steering pump replaced, and the two separate noises were actually both caused by the leaking pump. There was power steering fluid on the belt which was causing the whining. The low, whirring noise upon steering was due to low fluid. So now there are no noises and everything is driving great. Mechanic said there aren’t any other issues they noticed and it should last for many more months, at least.
I went through my entire service history and wrote down all the major repairs:
| 82k: | checked for purchase |
|---|---|
| notes: slight oil leak @ bell housing area | |
| 90k: | d/d glass replaced |
| notes: recommended replace lock latch soon | |
| 107k: | recall - power steering feed hose replaced |
| 128k: | timing belt replaced |
| front brakes and rotors replaced | |
| 178k: | o-ring replaced |
| washed p/s reservior | |
| 190k: | front brakes |
| #4 switch connector replaced | |
| notes: p/s fluid foamy, inlet o-ring leaking, noisy pulley | |
| 201k: | belt tensioner replaced |
| notes: 3 engine mounts broken - front, right by firewall, left by rad | |
| 210k: | battery replaced |
| 212k: | temporary repair of connections to cylinders #4 & 5 |
| 217k: | timing kit: hydrolic tensioner, idler pulley, timing belt, water pump |
| cam cover gasket | |
| ignition coil harness (all) | |
| spark plugs | |
| 222k: | 4-wheel alignment service |
| 225k: | control valve replaced |
| 229k: | starter replaced |
| 229k: | power steering pump replaced |
3 Likes
Then maybe he’s been reading car mags promising a mid-engine Corvette for the past 50 years!! GM’s been teasing this since at least 1968. Zora Arkus-Duntov, Chief Engineer of Corvette wanted one pretty badly, just couldn’t sell it to GM brass.
True fact… Zora raced a factory Porsche 550 at LeMans in 1955 with GMs blessing. He finished 13th overall and first in the 1.1 liter class. He helped improve the handling of the 550 by designing a front stabilizer bar for the car.
1 Like
the list looks great for 230K miles on the clock!
looks like you did not hit any major problems yet, mostly expected/maintenance items
Mazda 3 would be another good option, At least as durable and reliable as a Corolla or Civic, at least from the experience of several owners I know.
Look at a few other cars and buy the one that’s right for you, we can give opinions and advice all day long but it’s your car at the end of the day.
1 Like
~3 year ago I bought 2013 Mazda 3 with 68K miles on it for $8,500 from the dealer (plus tax and the rest).
3 years later and with 105K miles on the clock, the private party value is around the same.
used car prices seem to be totally crazy now and Mazda seem to be even more popular, as used Corollas of the similar age seem to be lesser crazy priced.
1 Like
Co-worker bought his Mazda 3 off Craigslist many years ago and a dealer salesguy offered him more than he paid for the car and claimed they’d still make money on the car. They’ve always been really good cars, it’s just that they haven’t sold as many as the Civic or Corolla.
I’ll keep that one in mind. I too had a friend with a Mazda 3 which was always reliable and maintained value for a long time.
I’m a little nervous about Civics since I’ve heard they tend to be stolen more often. Then again I don’t live in a city with high vehicle theft, so I probably shouldn’t worry about it.
I did extensive research when I bought my car over a year ago and Mazda 3 was high on my list. I had dependability as the top priority on my search.
That list looks like maintenance items to me. Just about everything becomes a maintenance item around 200,000 miles. My first Accord was a V6. One of the reasons I sold it at 180,000 miles was a second replacement of the timing belt at 214,000 miles. I bought a new Accord in 2017, and could have bought another V6. I didn’t because I didn’t want another $1000 maintenance item every 100,000 miles or so. The I-4 is powerful enough for a commuter car.
What a great car. From time to time, I still see a used Corolla of this generation offered for sale here on Craigslist. Usually with close to 200,000 miles, but every now and then, one with low miles pops up, and they seem to sell very fast.
Well I had some more problems recently, after getting that power steering pump replaced. Now that I’m quite familiar with power steering noises, I knew immediately on startup yesterday that something was wrong. Took it in to the shop who replaced the pump, and they replaced the hose clamps for free, since they were leaking. No more power steering noises.
What I did notice right afterwards, though, was that my engine was lurching more than usual. I have 3 broken motor mounts that I have been hesitating to replace, since I couldn’t afford it at the time. However, I again came to a mental fork in the road regarding fixing or replacing this car. I’m again leaning towards fixing it, especially considering I’ve put… (does math)… over $4200 into this car in the last year. (I think I just died a little inside.)
I’m going to estimate the engine mount replacements will be around 1k, since that is in the ballpark of what I was quoted to get them replaced 10 months ago ($937 total, $324 labor, which seems fair). I can’t think of any other reason my engine would be lurching like that - I had a complete ignition coil harness replacement (after that “mechanic” broke half of them), new spark plugs, new ignition coils. I feel like if it was the fuel injectors, I would have gotten a dash warning light. It’s been 15k since I last replaced air filter, so I doubt it’s so bad already, though I am replacing it soon. I definitely need to replace the mounts though, since I’ve driven like 50k with them broken and it’s starting to get dangerous.
After driving it yesterday, I had a weird feeling that it was going to eventually strand me within the next few days, but my instincts may be wrong. I don’t know. I hate to see my life savings slip away with all these repairs, but I feel like I’m in too deep now. I have no idea if the engine itself is failing or what the symptoms of that are. What I do know is that nobody is going to want to buy this car privately, and I can probably trade it for $1k, if that, at which point I’ll be paying another $1500-$2000 on a down payment for another car, plus like $180 a month (not to mention how inflated the used car market is right now). If I replace the engine mounts now, plus front brakes and tires (got the rear brakes replaced the other day), I’m looking at another $1500. But, it’s the devil I know at this point, as weekend-warrior put it, and after all these repairs are said and done, it might be in as good of shape as any used car I buy. Or not.
Waiting on a quote from an independent Japanese car shop nearby for the motor mounts. Going to see if they will give it a test drive and tell me what they think is causing the “lurching” (I seriously don’t know how else to describe it). What I will say is that I’ve experienced misfiring, and it ain’t that.
Just scheduled the appointment to replace all 3 mounts - $990. Another shop quoted me over $1100, so I’m happy with $990. Hopefully this is a good move. I really want this thing to last 300k (or more, if I’m lucky).
If the engine mounts are broken, fix those first, before assuming other problems. Broken engine mounts cause all sort of weird symptoms. It’s sort of unusual to have 3 broken engine mounts on cars driven commuter-style. Do you tend to drive pretty hard? Fast accelerations, fast stops, sharp cornering etc? If so, a newer car is probably your best bet going forward, rather than trying to keep this one on the road.
I’m seeing around $325 parts cost for the front mount, $150 for the side, $200 for the rear and 3-5 hours labor.
1 Like