I Need Wisemen Opinions

[bluelightning92]

Alright heres where I stand at right now. I want to know from you guys wether i should keep or sell my talon, not because its turbo or awd or cool or anything but because i am trying to maybe guess what could happen next. I will list all the service that has been done and the date and mileage in order.

2-11-97 ABS wheel speed sensor loose, fixed, no charge. 471 mi

9-14-98 Defective CAM sensor, replaced. no charge. 40,121 mi

1-30-02 Safety Recall, Replace both ball joints, Lateral controll arm. no charge 115,388mi

1-30-02 Replaced front and rear Brake pads $263.41 115,388 mi

3-28-02 Drive belt broken. Replaced Front Crank Pulley. Damper Crankshaft $335.82 119,056 mi

2-11-03 Tune up, Valve cover set, Install Gasket Set. $187.75 137,926mi

3-7-03 Replace Tie Rods, Balance Front Wheels, Wheel Alignment, Fixed interior door trim panel $565.99 139,133mi

8-27-03 Four New Goodyear Eagle Tires, Alignment. $664.40 147,030mi

11-28-03 Replaced Both Rear Struts, Mounts, And Bushings. $695.80 151,077mi

5-12-04 Replaced Both Rear Shock Absorbers. 158,443mi

7-23-04 HERES WHERE I STAND NOW:

Transfer case recall hopefully going to get done a Second time, Its almost completely locked up. If I can't push the dealer into doing it, then thats about $1,600

Both Right Wheel Hubs need replaced. No idea how much that will cost.

Right now - 161,475 Miles on the car. $2713.17 Spent

And No Idea Of What To Do

 

[gsxtacy]

Buy a 1997 Chevy Cavalier 5 spd 2.2

Jump it over a cattle guard doing 85 mph, and drive hard into the first turn after the cattle guard., drift it around the next curve and grab the E-brake and do a 180* and come to a stop...now.....blast it up to 107 (if it will still go that fast...and that is the electronic limit right guys???) then stand on the brakes.

Take it to a dealership or reputable mechanic for all necessary repairs.

Compare cost vs. durability of the two cars you have owned.

Try to trade the Cavalier back to the dealership for your old talon back.......DAMN it sold yesterday!!!!

But they have 10 more Cavaliers......pick your color even.

What I am trying to say.....Above was all in good humor I swear.

The things you listed are normal maintanence on a Eagle Talon TSI AWD that can handle the abuse the everyday Joe throws at a car.

If you can't afford the Maintanence, and don't like the car....Please trade it in...I could use a Solid/Straight TSI AWD.

P.S. It is a 5 spd right????

Stick with it...its ok.

Gsxtacy

And damn you drove it from 40K miles to 115K with no listed maintanence and you don't know what to do?? (See Top of post again)

 

[Infiltrate2000]

yeah those are normal thing. Many could be cheaper if you did it yourself.

Your car sound reliable because you haven't listed stuff like blown headgasket, turbo, transmission. Now if you had problems like those, you could consider selling your car. But with a car like yours, i would keep it. Seem very reliable to me.

 

[DSMeclipse4G63]

when you say those are normal services done to a 97 eagle talon...I say from my three years of service/tech experience that thats the normal service/maintenance done on any normal car. Your car is no different then other cars( makes and models). Good luck with your choice
Andrew

 

[psychlow]

...?!?

I don't see any timing belts on that list... are you at 160+K on the original timing belt!?

 

[bluelightning92]

Well, I am the second owner. The girl who had it before me gave me those service records. She had oil changes every 3k.

The timing belt is comming the same time as the hubs, don't know if it has been replaced, but it must have been because i checked it out and there is no cracks or tears.

I tried to check for shaft play, DAMN i could barely get my fingers inside the T25, they really are a hairdryer But I could not move the turbine wheel at all. Not side to side, or front and back. The thing was solid as a rock, so that means its decent right?

The fact is the last thing in the world I would want to do is sell it. I love the car and have only driven it 450 miles and the whole time i was in 5th gear.

Yes it is a 1997 Talon TSI AWD 5 Speed, my first turbo and my first stick.

 

[gsxtacy]

3 years as a service tech?

How about Master Tech: ME??

How about you try hammering a plastic bodied Chevrolet econobox into the ground throug a day of what a DSM can handle no sweat....then tell me that there's no difference in one make to the next.

I have owned a few POS's in my day and they all started with the letters C and F.

DSM's reflect the care that they have been given, or not recieved.

Sounds like his car is very durable. Bluelightning92...keep your car., go out and give it some boost on a back road.....you'll thank me.

Gsxtacy

Bluelightning92....I was under the assumption you owned the car form purchase......If $2713 was spent.....your better off spending what it costs to fix the hubs and timing belt....and proceeding with a HAPPY and Joyous life together.

Good luck.....DSM's are a roller coaster ride of Love and despairity......and it all goes away when the boost needle shoots up...and the cheese eating grin comes on!!!

 

[bluelightning92]

Actually I bought the car for $3,500

This is at a rest stop somewhere in Illinois

Everythings pretty nice except for that dent in the rear, in the pic it comes in really clear but its not too bad up close. And i love those 97 rims and pretty much everything else about the car

 

[gsxtacy]

Nice color.

You STOLE it!!!

You best Pimp that ride....cause you don't even have a clue YET....or do you?

Cool thing about Talons'....Even I can't tell its AWD tell I get up on it...and see the tell-tale signs like that muffler...and the AWD badge.

Sweet Car!!

Gsxtacy

By the way....NAPA has those little plastic screws to hold the inner splash shield on if those are gone. Baggies full for less than $10.

 

[Aikouka]

I paid ~$250 to have one rear wheel bearing replaced. It was ~$150 for parts and then ~$100 for labor.

 

[psychlow]

God, I wish I could ever find a deal like that.

Pull that driver's side dent, and the thing is straighter than an arrow, from the way it looks.

 

[Eclipse96Ryder]

sweet ride man...keep that thing, sell the turbo quickly and upgrade...haha, oh ya...if it ever takes a big crap on you check out www.slowboyracing.com they have a rebuild kit for 500 bucks that comes with everything you....oil pump, timing belt, gasket kit, pistons, and much more...its an incredible deal and your car would run awesome if it did ever get a major problem

 

[Defiant]

1-30-02 Replaced front and rear Brake pads $263.41 115,388 mi

2-11-03 Tune up, Valve cover set, Install Gasket Set. $187.75 137,926mi

Okay, lookit. I don't know you, so don't take this personally. But just those two examples cost you more than $500 more than they're worth. If you can't, then you undoubtedly have a neighbor, relative, or friend at work who could have done both those jobs for you for a helluva lot less. I'd guess from those prices you're having the dealer do all your work, while all they should be allowed to do is warranty work.

8-27-03 Four New Goodyear Eagle Tires, Alignment. $664.40 147,030mi

And you've spent about half again the cost of good tires.

Meanwhile, you've gone over 120,000 miles for less than $3000 in repairs? That's not too bad.

Hire a paintless dent repair shop to fix that boo-boo. And spend less time watching your wake out the back of the boat. It's already gone.

 

[talonted_one]

I have spent nearly $4,000 in transmissions alone. :thumbdown

 

[CowPimp]

Some of that stuff is just purely maintenance. Every single car you will ever drive is going to need the brake pads replaced at some point; the same goes for tires and alignment. The valve cover gasket is a pretty standard repair for just about any vehicle as well. My dad's Camry needs it, but it's a hell of a lot more complicated on his car and would cost several hundred dollars to solve. Considering the cost of the remaining repairs, that isn't bad at all for a vehicle with such high mileage.

 

[EvolvingGST]

I have spent nearly $4,000 in transmissions alone. :thumbdown

Tell me you sent your tranny to Shep and had him build you a race tranny or im gonna have to laugh at you... because aint no tranny should be costing anyone like 4k..... unless you include something like a T-case since you are AWD... or if you added in a LSD?

 

[bluelightning92]

Okay, lookit. I don't know you, so don't take this personally. But just those two examples cost you more than $500 more than they're worth. If you can't, then you undoubtedly have a neighbor, relative, or friend at work who could have done both those jobs for you for a helluva lot less. I'd guess from those prices you're having the dealer do all your work, while all they should be allowed to do is warranty work.And you've spent about half again the cost of good tires.

Meanwhile, you've gone over 120,000 miles for less than $3000 in repairs? That's not too bad.

Hire a paintless dent repair shop to fix that boo-boo. And spend less time watching your wake out the back of the boat. It's already gone.

No I didn't take anything personal. I am a beginner mechanic, and definetly would have done those things myself. I didn't own the car when any of this work was done, and yes she took it to the dealer for EVERYTHING and yes, got raped big time.

Oh by the way, i need wheel HUBS, i don't think thats the same thing as wheel bearings

And on another note, my wife's father has been a mopar mechanic for 22 years. You should have heard all the ranting and raving when he got the car up on the lift and saw the transfer case and the wheel hubs. Every other word out of his mouth was "these cars are rich kid toys, pieces of shit." It hurt really bad. I have been wanting a DSM for over 2 years, finally take an 800 mile trip to get one, come back, and completely am demolished emotionally. And its not like i can tell him off or anything... he will be around for the rest of my life. So if i do keep it, i can expect to hear the heat every time something happens. :thumbdown

 

[n3gativerr0r]

Oh yeah you got a real lemon there... :laugh:

This has to be a joke right?

 

[Defiant]

And on another note, my wife's father has been a mopar mechanic for 22 years. You should have heard all the ranting and raving when he got the car up on the lift and saw the transfer case and the wheel hubs. Every other word out of his mouth was "these cars are rich kid toys, pieces of shit." It hurt really bad.

Well, he's a Mopar wrench. He's most of why DSMs have the poor reputations they do- from the factory mechanics effing up so many of them. You might point out to him that when the transfer case goes out, HE's the one who'll be putting in a nice new one- for FREE.

I have been wanting a DSM for over 2 years, finally take an 800 mile trip to get one, come back, and completely am demolished emotionally.

Step One: you are in charge of your emotions. Tell him which end of the screwdriver to stick, and where.

And its not like i can tell him off or anything... he will be around for the rest of my life.

Nah, only until she starts collecting alimony and child support off you.

So if i do keep it, i can expect to hear the heat every time something happens.

Screw that. Keep it and keep it healthy, and you can laugh at the drunken dork any time he tries to put you down.

 

[Aikouka]

Oh by the way, i need wheel HUBS, i don't think thats the same thing as wheel bearings

Try to visit a junkyard for the front right wheel hub assembly. It's just as easy to replace the whole assembly as it is to try to pull the hub out. If you do change the assembly, you will need to get your car aligned.

Why do you need a new rear hub? Are you sure it's not just bearings? You can lift the car up and try to move the wheel up and down, and if it rocks, then you need new bearings.

 

[midnght]

You and your car are going to be just fine.

Take what a 22year MOPAR mechanic tells you about "rich kids cars" with a grain of salt. They make a living off of most of the people that take their cars to SATAN for repairs. Much like that lady you bought the car from.


Almost ALL of those things in your list are regular maint. repair/replacements. That car looks great. Do like Psychlow said and get the dent repaired. Then replace whatever the wheels need replaced and be done with it. The car is not some 5k 2005 with multiple problems (see Mopar Regulars). It is a pretty well built car that, if left alone, will last alot longer than most ALL the cars your Father-in-law has seen on his lift.

 

[bluelightning92]

correction, it is both the right wheel bearings that need fixed.

and shush ur mouth about c/w, thats the last thing i need to worry about! :laugh: