Reliability

cozmo

Registered User
I've been looking at sc's for a while and if I were to get one I have a few questions. How reliable are they with normal maintenance? and does normal maintenance on these cars cost more than on other cars(accord, taurus etc. non performance cars) Also what are average 1/4 mile times for a stock car.

Thanks
 
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Average 1/4 mile is low 15's for stock.

As for maintenance ::D : Go ahead and cruise through some Technical Threads and please reply to this thread with your take on it.

Anthony
 
These cars are just as reliable as the next...they just have the above average capability to be beat to death by their owners !
If you do not turn your own wrench,try to find a mechanic who knows the difference between an lx t-bird and an SC . ABOVE ALL
even if you are not going to do the labor on your SC ...educate yourself about it! I've spent countless hours On these boards and I've saved myself some coin by Knowing more about my car than my mechanic in some cases!
Good luck (it's all worth it )
 
reliability

i have had my 90 SC for about 3 years and it's been very reliable so far. mine has 120,000 miles on it now and the only actual problem has been a clogged catalytic converter. (i needed an excuse to do exhaust anyway!) The previous owner had maintenance records going back 6 years from a local dealership so i know it had regular maintenance, i think that's the key with any car. the only major repair in the records i have is the differential was rebuild just before i got the car, the guy said it was noisy and his extended warranty paid most of it, but i've never heard about the rear ends on the SC being weak or a problem area........So if the car's in good shape i'd go for it!
 
Reliability is a really hard thing to judge on a used car of any make/model. It boils down to shopping for the right car, being patient and/or willing to travel for the right car and reserve a budget for after the purchase. My car was in great shape, and what I consider low mileage for an 11 year old car-- 91k miles, or <9,000/year. It still needed some catch up maintenance, although the previous owner really did take good care of it. Some things will be more obvious to you than to the current owner the problems have sneaked up on. Ball joints, anything rubber in general, fluids etc. To me, the parts have really been fairly cheap. Like was said above, find a good mechanic. I'm limited in mechanical knowledge, but I try. I have a very good mechanic that works with me and charges about 1/2 what the dealership charges, since he knows I'm coming back. Same for the parts guy at your local dealership. I go in rather than call about parts, and talk to the same guy each time. I've gotten a little break here and there. I usually ask about a price on the next thing, if I know what it is, so they know I'm coming back.
These seem like very good cars to me, and I've owned a pretty good variety. Parts are out there, although some are discontinued, but finding used parts shouldn't be too bad--check the parts for sale section, lots of SC's getting parted out. Find the right car coming from the right seller, even if it means paying a bit more, and I think it pays off. Keep $500-1000 aside for an emergency budget, but that's good advice for any used car. You'll love the car, I know I do even more than I expected.

Good luck, & Enjoy!
 
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Just got my 89 SC this last June and am very pleased with it. I paid 3200 for it with a mere 89k miles. I probably paid too much for it, but my head gaskets were going in my '92LX n/a. Since then I have spent about 2500 to 3000 on repairs and an\bout 800 on mods. Unfortunately, the previous owner knew nothing about this car and as a result, the mechanics of it suffered. Most of the stuff I did myself, and the prices could have been much lower if I didn't insist on certain items. For instance, I spent 135 or so on ARP head studs that I have not put on yet, due mainly to the fact that I haven't blown my head gaskets. And they will sit here until I do a rebuild. I also have 400 in poly bushings yet to be installed because of 1) price for install--about 1k, 2) tools required for me to do it and 3) location since it is winter and I don't really have a garage! So that 2500-3000 is a bit deceiving as there are parts that I got to improve the car, but are still sitting on the shelf waiting for $$ and fair weather. All-in-all, I have spent close to 7k on it, but wouldn't trade it for anything, except maybe another SC...
 
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