My time of being able to say that my '05 SRT4 baby-hauler has "never given me any problems" has come to an end. I now have over $1k into a CEL that came on a month ago (P0344 and others, cam sensor signal intermittent). I replaced the cam sensor, the reference magnet it reads, the crank sensor (PITA), the cam sensor again with the Mopar part, the plugs and wires, and I've given up and taken it to the closest dealership, which is in Salinas. They're putting their (my) money on the "PCM" which isn't cheap.

Maybe it's just the foul mood I've been in about this car lately, but I find myself eying the Jetta TDi recently. Maybe it's time to have one fun car (the Miata) and one economical car.

 

My 2000 altima has gone 133K miles so far, 60 of which weren't mine. the only thing I've ever has to replace was the driver window switch, motor mounts, and the idler pulley. I've replaced the intake filter once and im still using the original plugs and wires. It ran a 15.7 at the 1/4. Jealous?

 

Kinda.

 

it does make a weird whining noise at 2500RPM exactly now...but im ignoring it.

 

At least yours hasn't been stuck in limp home mode for the past month, limiting you to 2300 RPM...

 

oh wait i forgot, the screw that holds the rotor in place on my distributor fell off once. that was a pita, but luckily im smart enough to troubleshoot that one and figure it out the next morning.

 

My 5.0 explorer has 190k on it. Bought it at ~30K. Radiator split about a year ago.

Other than that, brake pads and fluids.

Suck on it.

 

well. we bought our prelude at 70k and it has 140k now. only thing we've touched is the shifter interlock and ignition switch that was replaced on recall. other than that fluids and brakes as well. crap that reminds me i gotta do the timing belt, ****.

 

timing belts are annoying, i wish every car ran a chain. like your altima and my 240. my 240 has 189k on it and it looks brand new.

 

yep ill touch the chain. im just hoping it's not the chain guides that are making the noise. im still trying to figure it out, it comes on at exactly 2.5K straight up whine, doesn't really change pitch with rpms. can do it at idle or driving, when i listen in the bay its coming from the pulley area, so it could be my new tensioner or the TC or alternator or anythign cant pinpoint it with a screwdriver or anything.

i also failed to mention i drilled a hole in my gas tank, but that was user error, not teh car's fault...

 

Wife bought our Cavalier new. I married her at 50K and started abusing it when I wasn't in the Integra or Miata.

I replaced the alternator at 80K. That was IT. Shocks, brakes, plugs, filters, fluids.

Absolutely flawless for 140K miles, always returning a solid 30mpg regardless of flogging, until it met a tree.



Sorry to hear about the Dodge.

 

If you are looking for a really reliable car look no farther than a VW TDI...

My parents own three. 96 Passat with ~310k, 00 Jetta with ~270k, and a 98 Beetle with a more reasonable ~120k. All three still have the original engines and transmissions (nothing has been rebuilt), and have never had a single major problem. The biggest drivetrain related jobs have been timing belt changes (have to keep up on these, interference motor) and clutch replacements (did the Passat at ~300k, just did the Jetta this summer).

The most annoying problem I can remember is when the shop kept screwing up the injection pump timing on the Jetta after timing belt changes, making it hard to start (nice clouds of smoke until it warmed up too). My parents finally started going to a different shop more experienced with TDI's, and it hasn’t been a problem since.

 

it's common for the upper chain guides to break and make noise on these engines. It's recommended to just remove the uppers, i did mine and it's fine. i also removed the tensioner and cleaned it out, nice and quiet now, but my noise wasn't a whine, more a chatter. search ka24de chain guides.

and how the hell did you drill a hole in your gas tank?

 

I'm that good.

 

a friend of mine had a Dodge Ram with the 4 banger in it. That truck was a shop *****, the final straw was when they replaced the PCM at the tune of $1500 out of his pocket. He sold the PoS shortly after.

 

I had a '93 Dakota, and other than standard wear items, it never gave me any prolems until 12+ years and 150k miles into it.

Then the rust overtook me. Brake lines, fuel lines, door switches, hood latch. I decised to trade it in, rather than sink the time and effort into replaceing everything. Big mistake. I miss that truck.

 

I have a 03 neon. I got the CEL for the Cam sensor, changed it with a jobber. I'm still getting the CEL but the car runs much better than it did before. I might have to end up buying the oem cam sensor to get rid of the light though.

 

VW TDI is a good platform, but you need to keep up on the scheduled maintenance. You also don't need to be scared to let it rev' to the redline, otherwise you are likely to have to unclog the EGR valve. Read the owners manuals, and become familiar with them online, they have 'special needs' when it comes to oil and antifreeze. Most of the issues that come with owning these cars come from ignorance, or mistakes.

 

Do it up..I always liked the TDI's...I'll tell ya, I went from never having a vw to now having 2 within the past month (04' R32 and 09 CC vr6). Love em both more than any other DD I've owned in the past....its nice getting into the miata for a much more entertaining ride though

 

Because you are a retard?