I have a 2004 Ralliart and its almost a guarantee that once a month something will need to be fixed or replaced. I have owned it for 8 months and had to put in a timing belt (old one no where near regular replacement) a water pump (same case) multiple sensors, a bolt in the break caliper snapped, entire stereo system went out, brake line, and now I have to bring it back in due to a scratching/ clicking noise in the back end every time I turn. Are these know to have frequent problems or was I just lucky enough to buy it at the wrong time?

 

Sounds like you got one that has been pretty neglected. How many miles has it got? Does it have any mods or is it stock? And if you can get the maintenance and repairs caught up they are actually really nice cars.

 

Another one that comes to tell about problems but not to show off...

It's a ten year old car that clearly was neglected for many of those years ,all the while being in one of the worst cold climates the states have to offer.You shouldn't be all that surprised its wear and tear.

 

Well aware that it is 9 years old. But it only has 100,000 on it with regular maintenance and was previously driven in Florida so the climate is not the major issue. I like the car but I have never had that many problems in that short of amount of time with any other car. May have just been bad timing on the buy.

 

those all seem like pretty minor problems, except the timing belt but you got the car when that was due, so yeah bad timing...lol

pics!

 

Guaranteed to fix or replace something monthly? **** that. Unless you like fixing or replacing **** monthly, it may be time to move on.

This.

Based off of everything you stated in your OP, the car was not regularly maintained. Simply put, it sounds like you got the bad end of the deal.

 

They are minor and not a big deal just annoying to deal with. The only problem with the belt was that it had already been replaced at 75000 so this was the second one. I guess the main concern is if there is going to continue to be problems that could be expensive. Not predictable but hopefully it was just a couple month storm and Ill get lucky.

 

Lol...

 

If the timing belt was done at 75,000, why did it need a second one?

 

yeah weird...a leaky water pump or head gasket or crank seal, as well as improperly set tension could cause premature wear/failure or the timing belt...

 

Don't fret, them's are just the breaks man. This is why many people buy new cars or new used, then sell and buy again when their ride hits 100,000 km. They also have car payments so its the trade off for taking a chance like some of us. I to purchased my RA while it had gone through quite a bit of use. I just had to do my timing belt, replace the rotors and brake pads. It sucks but that's what we gotta do to keep our wheels on the road!

 

werd...

it's a labour of love for me...hell if i posted all the little things that go wrong with mine, i'd have way too many threads, it's funny though cause after i fix it, someone posts about the same problem...our cars are all growing up together

 

Maintenance and wear are part and parcel of machines that have moving parts.

So far I've only started a thread on the worse issue I've had, and then I was obligated to because I got help from the forum. But like Crans said I cant start a thread because my horn rusted through last fall, or cause my power steering cooler is leaking now, or cause my rear right caliper needs a good seeing to, or cause my oil cap needs replacing, or cause when the car is stationary, and I release the clutch , it sounds like a tuk band started playing under the bonnet.

Any time I start taking my car for granted all I need to do is recall the last time I drove another car and my affection is reaffirmed.

 

The relationship with my R//A is sort of love/hate too, but more love. She yells at me (starts shifting hard and ticking) when I take too long to change the oil, spits brake dust all over my freshly washed wheels, had quirks here and there, but when she is running good, it's lovely.

Like any car, things go wrong, but you should always try to get maintenance records/carfax/whatever to make sure it wasn't neglected, especially for 10 years. If things start really falling apart it would be in your best interest to get rid of it unless you like to replace motors too...

 

If/when used car repairs start to top that of a reasonable car payment on a newer, it is time to trade up. Knock on wood my RA has been incredibly reliable so I hope I don't reach that date for a long time.