On Mon, 21 Aug 2006 02:01:28 GMT, SnoMan > wrote:

>While it is true that it has a chain, they can indeed wear out and/or
>have tensioners go bad and if it does it is a interferance engine and
>you will have a very bad day when it fails. No proble with one at 23K
>but with 140K, I would at least inspect it soon.
>-----------------
>TheSnoMan.com

True, I didn't mean the chain would last forever, just a lot longer
than a belt. Thats one of the reasons I chose the Saturn over Toyota
or Nissan.

I'm at a quandry now on the '96 coming up on 150K. The car is worth
maybe a grand and a half at best, even though it runs great. I
wonder if I should just keed doing my oil changes and nothing else
until something major lets go, and then scrap it.

If I spend a hundred here and a few hundred there for things like
timing chain inspection, I wonder if the extra miles it may get me
would be worth it. If my luck holds out, I may get 200K without any
expense other than basic maint.

.. At this point, I'm not going to do any major work myself. I'll
change a radiator, water pump, or alternator, but not a clutch or
timing chain.

With what shops charge for work and parts now, I could see a repair
costing half the value of the car, and with no guarentee something
else won't let go soon after that.

Damn, and they don't make new ones like this
anymore.......................................