Im finding out the hard way...

[Black1986Beast]

what it's like to own a car..
As we all know, cars, as we like to say, are "money pits" and I'm now realizing just how true that statement is.
Most of you know of my recent transmission problems. I brought the car to Eric Shertz at dynotech on friday. I was previously told that it would be around $1,200 for a complete rebuild, which I know is not a bad price at all.
I recieved a message on my machine from Eric today as I was at work and I anxiously called him back, wondering what the situation was for my car. Only to find out that the rear end in the damn thing is not even the real one...it's a 7.5'' rear end and the gears are way off, which is the reason for why it seems so sluggish and lazy at first. I was also told this is why my speedometer is so far off. Bottom line is that Eric told me it'll be between $500-$600 to make it into a 3.42 rear..the only "good" news is that it is in fact a posi-rear. Next comes the transmission itself. The rear end is the cause for some of the wacky shifts that I've been getting, but the only smart thing would be to re-build the trans and get a rebuilt converter, just to save myself some trouble in the long run. I never knew how buying a car that you have had a desire to have could so quickly come back and bite you in the ass..the bottom line is that I'm 17 years old..a senior in high school and as of right now I can barely afford this thing.
The only reason I'm keeping this car is because of my love for them, and cars in general. I love these cars and cant get enough of em..Maybe this will all come back and help in the long run.
Sorry, but I just needed to vent.

 

[orion]

don't i know buddy, i've been looking for a GN since high school and finally got one. I bought a beauty for roughly 8,000. with 78,000. Thinking the extra money would be a good investment because the car would last longer...WRONG. The engine went at 83,000 (Rod bearing) which im currently making posts here to try to figure out what to do. Every shop i've taken it to, including a reputable place, recommends i get a new engine, fan-****ing-tastic. what the hell am i supposed to do now, my dads down my throat, i have no transportaion and i've got to try to explain how i wasted 8,000 and decide wether to sell it, or buy a new engine. i guess the moral of the story is, no matter how good it looks, or runs, you never know what your paying for.

 

[Black1986Beast]

Im sorry man, that really sucks.
Im not sure if he's involved in this work, but maybe you could give Eric Shertz a call and he can give ya another opinion if you're interested. He knows these cars inside out and he knows what he's doing so it can't hurt to call him.
his # is (908)-704-8536 -- Dynotech performance they're open Mon-Fri from 9-5 I believe..
If you do give him a call, tell him a current client David Apel reccomended him..maybe that'll improve my situation, heh
But anyway, best of luck to you. By the way, how old are you?

 

[Wes]

its definitely hard to have a relationship with these cars .. i too thought the extra money on my 14000 mile gn would make it last longer .. nope .. bearing went at 15000 ... and i am normally very careful when it comes to this car .... i had motor rebuilt and was thinking the stock tranny would hold up at least during the break in period of my new motor... seeing how it has very very low miles on it ... a week after having my car back .. the tranny goes .. damn .. more saving i have to do .. on top of the debt i owe to ppl from the initial engine rebuild ...

 

[Black1986Beast]

Wow...seems like my problem is rather minor compared to the ones you guys have. Hopefully it'll all get better for us in the long run.
Just curious, how much does it cost for an engine re-build for a TR??

 

[Wes]

my engine rebuild costed ( is that a word?) lol ... anyways .. it cost me 2800+ for boring to .20 over .. pistons, steel mains, and some other stuff .. it was a pretty basic upgrade rebuild.. i pulled the motor with the help of some friends but wasnt about to put it in .. i had jack do it .. thats where it got expensive for me because i had him do a lot of other stuff to it .. plus i was missing mucho parts .. he was good to me tho .. and i wouldnt have had it done any other way because i knew that it would be right the first time

and i needed a new crank .. mine wasnt snapped .. just too scarred to revive ...

 

[Black1986Beast]

Yep, It definately can't hurt to have some friends in the business. Luckily, I do and I've gotten A TON of help from them..if not for them I dunno where I'd be at this point.

 

[azgn]

a 15-16 years old performance car is not a wise choice unless you have some deep pockets....the age alone demands some work, the fact that every TR on the planet has been run hard and put away wet only adds to that bill in expensive ways!

it'll be worth it if you have the $$ (but don't expect to get by cheap...)

 

[orion]

there was one point durring all this where i thought to myself, "rob, it's just a car, it's not worth it." then i opened the garage where i was keeping her at the time, and just looked at it. and realized this is the most badass car in the world. I took it for granted while it was still roadworthy. After driving a lesser car for a few weeks and then getting in the buick i am reminded why i pay for the upkeep.

 

[Black1986Beast]

Originally posted by orion
there was one point durring all this where i thought to myself, "rob, it's just a car, it's not worth it." then i opened the garage where i was keeping her at the time, and just looked at it. and realized this is the most badass car in the world. I took it for granted while it was still roadworthy. After driving a lesser car for a few weeks and then getting in the buick i am reminded why i pay for the upkeep.

Could not have said it better myself...Nowhere can you find a more badass car. Nothin beats the looks it gets every day drivin around..It seems almost once a day I get at least one person that does a full turnaround just to get a better look at it. You cant beat it!

 

[Cleaner13]

Black1986Beast

hey I noticed to live in Jersey too, I am in central Jersey, about 1 mile from Dynotech

Eric is a great guy, I have been going there for awhile since I bought my GN in Sept, by the way I am 19
what I was wondering was, if you have the money you might want to ask him to do a shift kit for you as well, this way you can get 2 things done at once and probably save on the labor

Eric and Jim are the coolest business guys to talk with out of most that I have met. They have totally taken their time out on alot of things to help me with my car, just small tweaks and stuff but its still their time

Black1986Beast you are in totally great hands, when I went there they found lots of small things on the car that I would never have guessed were wrong
broken trans mount (noticed when they did my rear main seal)
one of my studs on the axles broke off so I got it restudded and they noticed my axle seals were warn through so I needed new axle seals and at the sametime got the posi in since I didnt realize I had an open carrier, car is alot better now.

Carl

 

[Black1986Beast]

I've heard alot of great things about Eric and his business..and it's great to hear more.
About the shift kit, I'd love to get it, but I can barely afford the $2000 that all of this is gonna cost, so that's out of the question, heh.

 

[smooth87]

im 17 years old myself.i feel your pain. the engine in my old trans am gave up, and i was driving a grand am for a couple months. thats about the time i noticed a grand national sitting in a showroom in a town about 30 miles away.... i thought it was way to sweet to be affordable.. well, i was right.. but i dished out 7500 bucks for it. it had 99k on the odometer.(the 2nd gear burnout that the owner performed sold me) a few months and a couple thousand miles later i hooked up some drag radials and went to the track.. two weeks later the tranny went.(i twisted the shaft). i was fortunate enough to get a beefy rebuild for about $900 and i bought a 2400 holeshot lockup. im clicking 109k now and she's treating me good. aside from an annoying exhaust leak that i cant seem to get rid of. hang in there guys.. these beauties are worth it

 

[wants a tr]

i feel your pain guys. i''m 18 so i have the same money problems u do. car went and ran a best of 12.9 and the next night. tranny went. man i had a whole list of winter stuff for the car until that happened. 700 bucks later and its on the road, but my wallet is still empty. i know none of us have girlfriends b/c we cant afford a buick and a chic....theres just no way..HAHAHA its all worth it tho. geez i love my buick