Quote:
Originally Posted by brett701
Going back to my main focus is saving money.
Low up front cost, low maintenance, high mpg.
Those are the 3 things to balance.
If this car can get over 30mpg it is a great purchase.
What type of maintenance will be needed for this car & what do you project costs to be?
|
Well as with the saab being a car company that is gone but mostly made by someone else the Pontiac is made by toyota. They made it in california where tesla currently builds their cars with the toyota matrix and corolla. The engine is part of the zz family which is used by many cars.
Toyota ZZ engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Almost all drivetrain parts are toyota and can be purchased at a toyota dealer. As far as reliability goes my mom has had hers since 120k and it now is at 240k the only issues is rust on the rear hatch (from New england snow sitting on top and slowly melting) and I changed spark plugs at 150k along with air filter tranny fluid and belts. Thats about it.
The first Japanese versions were rev limited to 8600 rpm with a peak of 190 hp. Consequently, it is impossible to "over-rev" the engine with the throttle alone; a downshift from a higher gear must be involved. A typical "over-rev" can damage the oil pump, commonly disintegrating the lobe ring, resulting in damage similar to the picture at right. The oil pump is the Achilles heel of the 2ZZ, though incidents are rare and usually occur due to fault of the driver. Even the briefest period of oil starvation is usually fatal to this engine design.
Id say with the way you drive it you will have no issues. I beat the piss out of it and it never gave me any issues. I think they are built really well. Just change the oil.