Thanks folks.
I was not aware of the fuel requirement. What does premium equate to in octane levels in this example?
I was aware of the tranny issue. However, my research to date shows that the largest issue was in the automatic transmission. There are indeed some scary stories there. This car is a 5-speed manual.
2001 to 2003 the manual also had problems with the gearing going bad within. However, it could be rebuilt with new gearing for about 2 grand (not at a dealership), a large part of that being labor due to the fact you have to disassemble so much of the car to get it free. In 2004, the gears in the Midland 5-speed were replaced and reported to have the problem solved. In 2005 it changed to a Getrag but I didn't look into it much as it does not apply.
In any case, the 04 manual transmission in this particular car seems to have a relatively good history so hopefully it's a non issue. There is still a known issue with the shift cable detaching, leaving you stuck in whatever gear you were in last, but there is an easy and cheap proactive fix.
Still, I commend you for pointing out the potential issue. It could have been a biggie so thanks.
I think a lot of people with horror stories of pricing fiascos fall into the trap of believing that the dealers are the best place to keep taking your car after the warranty expires. Sure, they know the car inside and out but a dealer, in my experience, will never rebuild something and use no ingenuity at all in parts replacement.
Although, I must say I wasn't able to source individual parts for a recent locker problem on my Jeep and had to buy an entire 1200 housing, I still believe in leaving the dealership as soon as All warranty expires. Their markup on parts alone is enough to make you mad, even if they do sell you the right one.
