Cars stink

[Deja Q]

My '95 corolla, shy of 80000 miles, has a leaky gasket and oil has been dripping, I was down 1/2 quart. Minor drip so far, but :mad:. When they did a checkup today, they found no leaks in the automatic transaxle system but discovered 3/4 pint low. Where did it go? When they filled it up a year and a half ago, they'd shown me they filled it all the way. Maybe they gave me a faulty reading??

People say Toyotas are reliable. I say every time any car gets over 70000 miles, it's time to get paranoid.

Now is not the time for me to have to get a new or replacement car, damn...

[david_vincent]

1. Some people love 'em

I have friends who swear by Toyotas and Hondas, but I have yet to see any real concrete evidence that they're significantly better in any way (other than price).
Yeah, bottom line is, you nailed it: cars stink. They're always, in the end, more expense and more trouble than they're worth. But it sounds like you got a lemon. No car, with fewer than 80000 miles, should be developing major problems.
I was thinking the other day about all the cars I've had, and wondering which was the most reliable. But it's impossible to say really, since they've all had their share of big problems. Much easier to say which was the worst: a '68 Datsun 1600 roadster, which was the proverbial steaming pile. They all sucked in their own ways, however.
Sorry, man - there's nothing I can do but drink a beer to the memory of your travails.

[Atman]

4. My 92 Corolla just turned 190,000

Runs like a dream. Smooth, quiet ride. I love it.

On edit...this is New England. The old Toyota is the one car I can count on to start when it is zero outside. We've got a fairly new Windstar, too. We don't count it for much else than keeping snow off the driveway underneath it.

[Deja Q]

5. My dad has a Ford truck, '2000 model, 49k miles, oil leaks...

Applesauce happens. :-(

[guitar man]

2. It might not be that bad

I don't know what kind of trans. fluid your toyota uses,but a lot of them are kerosene based,so it might just be a little boil-off and normal seepage over a 1 1/2 year period would account for the loss of a little fluid.

The leaking gasket may not be that hard to replace,depending on which one it is.


Good luck :)

[mlawson]

3. I replace them when they begin to overheat, and

no amount of servicing seems to help for long. I think that 80,000 on a Toyota is nothing.

Unless you have always had trouble with it.

[Deja Q]

6. I've had no major troubles in the past, though

the starter and distributor units had to be replaced in the past.

Actually, this Toyota is the most reliable car I've had.

The worst was the '91 Ford Probe.

Maybe the underfilled the transaxle fluid. But the oil leak is minor, I'm sure I can get another 50000 miles out of it - by then I'll be in much better financial shape. Or out of a job thanks to the replacement of PCs with thin client technology (which is what corporate america wants anyway.)

[mlawson]

7. There you go. It's the most reliable car.

I would say, keep it for awhile. I have had too many lemons, myself, so a 'reliable' car is a PLUM!!!

This is what happened last June, when I decided to trade my Jeep in (96,000 miles). I was driving west on 1-40, up Old Fort mountain, which is a long grade. I was especially worried about the thing overheating, even though I had had a radiator flush recently. And of course it was a Sunday -- no major repair shops open.
Almost to the top, and the temp indicator was okay. Tne I looked down again, and the needle was as far to the right as it could go!! I almost shit my pants; would the vehicle catch fire? Explode? Yeah, I know you are supposed to turn your heater on what this happens, but I just forgot. Anyway, I finally got to the top, and pulled over as soon as I was able to (there had been no room coming up, because there were 40 million damn trucks in the right lane). I expected smoking, foul smells, you name it, but there were none. After resting for 30 minutes, I limped with it back into Asheville, and the temp needle was too high all the way.

That was it. Bye bye.