Looking to pick up a second car to compliment my main car. I came across a P5 sport wagon with only 171K KM on it (roughly 110K miles) with a lot of recent maintenance done to it. Yes it has rust on the rear wheel wells but it doesnt matter to me since ill be using this as a beater.
I will not be taking care of the P5 wagon near as good as my main car. I test drove it today (02 Sport wagon) and it seemed really good. The car only has 171K km on it (roughly 110K miles) and very well maintained. New brake job, 1 year old tires, set of winters with its own rims, ATF changed, brake flush, coolant flush, new timing belt and water pump and pulley, new serpentine belt.
All bushings and struts are still original.
1) How durable are the auto trannies on these cars? Should I expect it to be able to outlast the car or are they prone to failure? I will only be driving the car for maybe 3-4 years, roughly 20k km a year.
2) Also the hatchback door spring doesnt work. When I lift up the door, it falls and doesnt hold. How is this fixed and is it a pricey repair? What do I need to pick up for parts?
3) Is there anything else you guys want to warn me about on these cars?
4) How long can I expect the engine to last in terms of miles? Will they last as long as a Honda?
5) I hear that the front wheel bearings are prone to fail on these cars early, is that true? How can I test to see if the wheel bearings need to be replaced by just driving it? Any way?
Thanks
Personally dealing with a wheel bearing issue right now and this is the third on in 9 months. However I ran the car for two years before the first arose and put thousands of miles including over the maximum load miles on it. Yes it is a front passenger bearing. The others I am blaming on human error unless it throws another one. I didn't replace the spindle nut I used the old one. Apparently these you are supposed to replace. Also my hub had a little wear on it and I was uncertain if I should get a new one at the time. I am currently replacing the whole assembly. Steeringknuckle bearing, hub and nut. So after that I should be good. But no other issues other than normal wear and tear. I have a 5 speed so I dunno about the automatic transmission. Hatch dampers should be a hard fix or very pricey at all. Couple clips or screws and done. Car is an overall sweet ride and can transport just about anything. I've put about 30k on min and am now at 160k+. Am getting ready to replace a motor that has been knocking for 2 years as well but I blame the "gas milage oil" 0w30 that I tried because when I changed it out it began knocking. Oil was supposed to be a safe replacement for 5w20 and 5w30 but I guess not.