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I will not be passed by a Japanese Egg



stealthee said:
Its funny how he calls the 3.8 "bulletproof"

Foreign cars, especially Japanese ones are of MUCH higher quality than 99% of American cars. Its just a fact.
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look at how most of the 3800s on here are treated, you keep up on its LIM gaskets, coolant elbows and UIM and dont drive it like you stole it then you about as close to bulletproof as you can make some rotating as much as 6k plus rpms, when it comes down to it all cars have their issues idk about you but id rather do a LIM gasket job once every 120k miles then do a timing belt and water pump every 60-90k miles, and every jap car company just loves those F@*%ing timing belts and if they let go bend over there's no going to a junk yard and paying $500 for one of those little ****s

when it comes down to it foreign cars tend to have a bit higher quality parts, but is it worth a 10k premium at the dealer? im convinced that alot of those toyotas/hondas running forever are due to simple engine design perfected as well as the people willing to pay that premium price are more likely to perform simple maintenance on the car from day one, makes sense to me

in the end of the day show me a foreign car (non diesel) that has earned this bulletproof name you joke of
 
NR92, I agree. There are a lot of supercharged 3800s running around with 100 and 200K miles on them that's never had the heads or base off them.
 
im at 214k in my '04. I do drive reasonably, i dont redline it, corner hard or any of that. I had my mechanic look at it a few months back, his words are that a properly maintained 3.8 is bulletproof. He says that I should have no problem getting 300-350k out of this car.

By contrast, my mother has a 2002 Kia with 126k and it is held together by bondo, gasket gunk, and prayers.
 


my 2 cents: foreign cars are bulletproof because not following maintenance schedules voids warranties. so owners actually have regular oil changes and inspections, coolant/trans fluid flushes, tire rotations, that sort of thing, wich is an occurance a GM car can only dream of. and as we all know, maintenance will make a car last forever. and to whoever said that a 1.4 cruze will beat a 3800... do you count your 1-2 shift with a watch or a sundial? lol
 
NR92 said:
in the end of the day show me a foreign car (non diesel) that has earned this bulletproof name you joke of
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22RE. They outlast the vehicles they are put in. My dad had a Yota with 318,000 miles on.

GM quality is an oxymoron
 
Poil336 said:
my 2 cents: foreign cars are bulletproof because not following maintenance schedules voids warranties. so owners actually have regular oil changes and inspections, coolant/trans fluid flushes, tire rotations, that sort of thing, wich is an occurance a GM car can only dream of.
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I count myself very lucky that the previous owner (who had it from mile 1) was meticulous about maintenance. When i bought it the only thing it needed done was the intake plenum.
 
Not a cruze, it's a sonic. XD

Point being, after spending years with the 3.8, and seeing how many people are parting out/ replacing engine (including myself) I was joking that the sonic would still be ticking while the 3.8 was shot. And yes, it is slow, but the trifecta tune and a 6speed make it so much fun.

That aside, if you take care of the car, it will take care of you for the most part.

No engine is bulletproof, they all have the inherent flaw of being a machine with moving parts. They will at some point fail.
 


stealthee said:
22RE. They outlast the vehicles they are put in. My dad had a Yota with 318,000 miles on.
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thats because toyotas rust apart like its a competition, here in iowa cars rust out but toyotas are known for having serious frame/rust safety concerns, i mean normal cars rust around wheel wells and rocker panels sometimes even by the fuel door but Jesus Christ i often see yotas from the 80s-90s (same era as that motor) that scare you, there is more rust then paint or even sometimes metal on the body


and well gee cut the weight the 3800 is tugging around in half and de-tune it to 140hp i bet the 3800 would run forever too, i was kinda referring to a motor made this century but no biggie question is if the motor is so great why dont you have one of these in your car, is safety, power, leather, HUD, the ability to enter a highway from an on ramp at speed, as well as over all aesthetics more important, IMHO you get a motor that has no problems running into 250-300k as long as its maintained and not abused, a ton of options, a decent/sporty looking car

on another note, a friend of mines mother had a buick with a series 2 in it with almost 400k miles, never had a major issue and the only reason it was taken off the road was because a hit &run driver rear ended the car so hard it pushed the rear end into the concrete

you should know its not uncommon to see people post here with 300k on there s/c or n/a car, 318k is impressive and all but nothing my motor couldn't do



Edit: a little bit from wiki about the 22r series, apparently they couldn't gt the timing chain right

Toyota swapped the dual row timing chain used in older engines for a single row chain with plastic guides in 1983. This system reduced drag on the engine, but was occasionally problematic. Every 80,000 to 140,000 miles the chain would sometimes stretch to the point that the hydraulic-operated chain tensioner can not take up any more slack. When this happens, the timing chain impacts the driver's side chain guide, breaking the plastic within a few hundred miles of driving and creating a noticeable chattering sound in the front of the engine, especially when cold. If the engine continues to be operated after the guide breaks the chain will stretch rapidly (an unfortunate characteristic of single row chains). The loose chain causes inaccurate ignition timing which usually results in noticeable rough running. In continued operation, the chain can jump a tooth on the drive sprocket or break entirely, with either case resulting in engine damage from valve-piston collisions. Also, the stretched chain will slap against the side of the timing cover due to the broken guide, and can wear through the cover and into the coolant passage behind the water pump. This will cause coolant to drain in to the crankcase / oil pan, possibly causing damage to internal engine components such as the bearings, crankshaft, camshaft as well as damage caused by overheating due to the lack of coolant (since it has drained into the engine oil).
 
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Lets play a game called "which brand is still in business".

Toyota, Still in business making prii

Pontiac... Where'd you go Pontiac? Rest in peace sweet prince.

GM, You're still there for me right? You'll never let me down! Keep pushing out those bulletproof 3800s! What? You aren't making them anymore? Bankruptcy you say... That's odd, I never heard of Holden needing a bailout.
 


thats because toyotas rust apart like its a competition, here in iowa cars rust out but toyotas are known for having serious frame/rust safety concerns, i mean normal cars rust around wheel wells and rocker panels sometimes even by the fuel door but Jesus Christ i often see yotas from the 80s-90s (same era as that motor) that scare you, there is more rust then paint or even sometimes metal on the body
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and gp's rust out by the rear strut mounts, making them just as bad.
 
machinegunsquid said:
Not a cruze, it's a sonic. XD

Point being, after spending years with the 3.8, and seeing how many people are parting out/ replacing engine (including myself) I was joking that the sonic would still be ticking while the 3.8 was shot. And yes, it is slow, but the trifecta tune and a 6speed make it so much fun.

That aside, if you take care of the car, it will take care of you for the most part.

No engine is bulletproof, they all have the inherent flaw of being a machine with moving parts. They will at some point fail.
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lol i'm just messin man. you get what you pay for with the auto market, but GM's transmissions have been pissing me off lately. especially the ones in the cruzes and sonics. with yours being a manual you won't deal with it (although i got used to a getrag trans in the cobalt and can't stand the softer clutch pedal) but the automatics are never happy. it probably takes longer to shift into second gear than the car is actually in first gear. and god forbid you're cruising in sixth and decide you need to go WOT
 
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