chevyorange Posted August 25, 2005 Report Share Posted August 25, 2005 Taking the following into consideration: You own outright your 1994STS with 90k miles on the clock and a brand new rebuilt Northstar with a 7 year 100,00 mile warranty. You adore the car, the interior is perfect and the exterior looks very good for an 11 year old car. 1. Suppose the transmission goes out next do you a ) Put a new GM unit in b ) Put a rebuild in c ) Put a used but guaranteed in d ) Sell the car while you can 2. Suppose you get the "Service Ride Control" light and your original shocks have gone 100,000 miles do you a ) Put OEM active struts in b ) Put passive struts in c ) Sell the car while you can Assume you could comfortably do even the most expensive choice but that money could also be put towards your dream classic that you are saving for that you won't be buying for at least 5 years such as an 60's Cadillac or nice full size Chevrolet from the 60's. Just love all the smart people in here and level heads. Pleas pipe in! Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillip Posted August 25, 2005 Report Share Posted August 25, 2005 Tough call. I am guessing that you pamper this car. That being the case, I doubt you drive it hard and you may not mind the passive struts. I have had good luck with re-built transmissions and I love classic cars too. My call would be rebuilt transmission, passive struts and buy the classic. Perhaps a mid sixties chev with a 409. I settled for a 75 Pontiac Grandville convertible, which is still a pretty nice ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevyorange Posted August 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2005 Oh, I don't beat it but I do enjoy spirited driving! And yeah, I picture a '62 Impala or Bel-Air. Someone locally here has a '62 Bel-Air with a 409 and it sounds AWESOME. Red/white and perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyG Posted August 25, 2005 Report Share Posted August 25, 2005 You own the car, so that means there is no payment book. That means the answer to #1 is...............(e) take it to the dealer and have it repaired. Or take it to someone else that you trust and have it repaired. That means the answer to #2 is................(d) take it to the dealer and have it repaired. Which in this case may not follow the common logic of having more than one shock replaced. JUST GET THE ONE THAT'S BROKEN FIXED! At over $400 a pop they can byte me for more than one! (pun intended) And you still won't have a payment book. And you will still have an engine that should take you to 300,000 miles, and don't forget that nice clean interior and the great performance/comfort. But if you want another car, buy it. I had a discussion today with someone that actually said.."I wish I could wreck my car so I can get another one"! Now this is a direct quote. And her Dad was (of course) going to fork over the cash for the new car. But that is another story. You don't need a reason to buy a new car other than you want to change. And you don't need to endanger someone else to do it. You are (or should be) an ADULT that can make their own decisions. Otherwise you wouldn't have the keys to a car to begin with. Never underestimate the amount of a persons greed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northstar Posted August 25, 2005 Report Share Posted August 25, 2005 Is that Lakemont park in Bellevue Washington? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted August 25, 2005 Report Share Posted August 25, 2005 The first condition is this, "You adore the car, the interior is perfect and the exterior looks very good for an 11 year old car". And yes it does look beautiful. Another key factor is that you have a new engine with a warranty. You don't say if this is a daily driver or how you use the car, do you commute with it? What else has been replaced, also comes into play. If the AC compressor was not replaced, the HVAC housing, rear knuckles, suspension parts, starter, alternator, power steering pump, hoses, radiator, all of these things can need replacing as the mileage grows as the bearings, rubber, etc wears. A rebuilt tranny is between $1800 and $2200 assuming you can find a good rebuilder, new obviously is more, I think I have heard $3500 to $3800. Me I would find a good rebuilder and have it rebuilt given the age of the car, if a drunk hits you and totals it coming out of the tranny shop you won't get your money back. I don't think that OEM shocks are still available. The aftermarket struts are quite reasonable you can go with Arnot, Boston or Strutmaster or there are some GM substitutes available for the 94 I think. Needing struts should not cause you to sell the car, however, you will also replace the strut mounts and any other parts while you are at it, ie bushings, ball joints, links, etc. which could run the tab up. Love of anything is never logical, the question however is, instead of putting $2000 into a tranny, how much would you need to spend to buy an equally nice car that is more dependable, that is in better shape, that you know the maintenance history on? Will you just start over with repairs from day two on a newer car? I don't think this is an easy question. I think knowing what you have is much better than the unknown in a used car especially the Northstar given how important maintenance is... To buy a GM Certified Seville, would be how much? $22,000? This is not an easy question, especially for me with my 96, here is a list of repairs I have done and am in the process of doing shortly, do I discard my car, if my tranny goes? AC compressor Tensioner Idler wheel Serp Belt Accumulator Condensor Low Pressure Sensor Ball Joints Strut rod Bushings Hub Bearing F&R Stabilizer bar bushings Tires Front & Rear brakes F&R Springs F&R Struts FPRegulator Heater Hoses Thermostat Oil Filter Adaptor seals Hub Bearing Window Tinting Seat Switch Water Pump Tensioner Water Pump Belt Tranny Filter Tranny Pan Gasket Front and Rear Speakers Replaced Cracked Windshield Wiper Arm as plastic squirter broke Twilight Sentinel Sensor Before I got the car: Water Pump Blower Motor Plugs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted August 25, 2005 Report Share Posted August 25, 2005 1. Suppose the transmission goes out next do you a ) Put a new GM unit in b ) Put a rebuild in c ) Put a used but guaranteed in d ) Sell the car while you can 2. Suppose you get the "Service Ride Control" light and your original shocks have gone 100,000 miles do you a ) Put OEM active struts in b ) Put passive struts in c ) Sell the car while you can The answers here would depend on my future plans for the car. Money aside, my answer to #1 is B. I'd have the transmission rebuilt by someone you trust (assuming it does need a full rebuild) and put in a higher stall converter while you're in there. I wouldn't do A and Lord knows I wouldn't do D. If money were tighter, I'd look at C, but preference would be B, with or without the new converter. Question #2 is much easier for me. Again, C isn't even a choice. I'd do B every time. There's something to be said for the OE electronic struts, but the return on your investment, depending on price, isn't there in my opinion. I'm blessed to have original struts on mine that still don't leak and that still give a reasonably controlled ride (for 146k miles). When push comes to shove, I'll buy the Boston Suspension kit, but I'm still very happy with the stock ride...although I'm pretty sure that any effect the active suspension has on this car is long gone by now...considering the age and relative deterioration of the dampers. New passive dampers would provide a tightly controlled ride for much less than the complex electronic units from ACDelco. There're my answers. Did I make the grade? Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevyorange Posted August 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2005 Everyone makes the grade here! I already know what I'm going to do - I'm going to drive it until I can't afford it... or until everything has been replaced!! I was just wondering what others might do. The car is my daily driver, my wife has a car - and she does much more driving that I do... luckily I'm working from home right now and rarely have to commute - crappy run around jobs are done in my wife's car - long trips and weekend visits to friends the STS always rolls. The photo was taken in Federal Way at a park and ride near here... lots of space. And Scotty, I have a feeling you aren't selling your car any time soon!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted August 25, 2005 Report Share Posted August 25, 2005 I am locked in, however I may sell it for an STS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackc Posted August 25, 2005 Report Share Posted August 25, 2005 1. Go to a good transmission shop and have them fix it (easier said than done sometimes. I'm lucky to have an outstanding one close by). 2. First chase down what is causing the service ride message. Could just be 1 sensor or a bad connection. Ask myself how does it ride? Am I ok with it, or am I ready to bite the bullet for struts and shocks? Get passives if I choose to replace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevyorange Posted August 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2005 Scotty, it is pretty safe to say you'll love an STS! Jackc thanks for the input! I'll definitel be referring back to this post someday - hopefully it is a ways off though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stsjoe Posted August 25, 2005 Report Share Posted August 25, 2005 Scotty I think thats an Eldoredo ETC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldgamer Posted August 25, 2005 Report Share Posted August 25, 2005 My car in a pretty same position: 94 STS with 70k. Nothing bad happened with engine yet, but who knows... Just got tranny rebuild wich has now 12m/12,000 warranty. That was $2000. Have practically ALL ORIGINAL parts there, except of computer, ride level compressor and the battery. Rear left shock started to make noise like old sofa What I'm going to do now? I realise, that anytime this beautifull (I really mean it) engine can start to overheat... I don't know if it worth to have engine major repair. May be it's better to sell it while transmission still on a warranty and invest into a bit newer car. So my answer going to be 1b and 2b. "Service Ride Control" light is not related directly to the shocks and it's not a big issue itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevyorange Posted August 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2005 Nice to see another 94 STS out there. Hopefully the fact that I had a "susceptible" engine it will lessen the chance of your 94 Northstar having trouble! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted August 25, 2005 Report Share Posted August 25, 2005 Scotty I think thats an Eldoredo ETC Thanks that is the 'look' I want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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