Long story, make it as short as I can -
1994 Bonneville SSEiFor the last 6 months my power windows have been through various states of working and non-working. They'll work as long as the car's been off for a few hours, work long enough for me to roll them down, then when I want to roll them up, nothing.
Skip ahead 5 months, left work one day, stuck the keys in the ignition, tried to fire up the car. It's going, but not turning over. Out of the blue I just can't get the damn thing started. About an hour later I get it started (just tried it, fired right up). Had it running about 3 minutes, went to roll down the windows, engine died. Couldn't get it started again. Left it sit in the parking lot over night. Went to work the next day, after work it fired right up. Drove it around the parking lot for a bit, seemed to be running fine. Went to park it, as soon as I pulled it into the parking spot the engine died, didn't even shift it into park yet. Left it sit in the parking lot over night.
Next day I fired it up and drove it to the bank about 5 minutes away, drove absolutely fine. Left the bank, started up perfectly fine. Parked it in front of the store, absolutely fine. After work I went to start it up again, fired right up, was running fine. Drove it around the parking lot, parked it, all was good. Next day I told my mother to take me to work, I'd be driving the Bonneville home. Called her after work, had her meet me at the store, just to be on the safe side I wanted to take the Bonneville to my mechanic, wanted her to follow me just in case. Got it to within 5 minutes of my mechanic (25 minutes from my store), and the engine died.
Had it towed the rest of the way. Mechanic had it for over 3 weeks, diagnosis didn't turn up anything. The last few times I had the car in there he told me the computer was going bad, I told him to go ahead and replace it this time, which he did.
Got a call last week "I'll be damned, the thing still is just dying off. We can't figure it out." He suggested I take it to the local Chevy/Pontiac dealer's service center. I go up to his garage to pick up the car, look at the gas tank, it's now empty. I asked "When it kept dying on you, did it sound like it was out of gas?" "Oh, well, let's put some gas in it." (mind you, had 1/4 tank when I dropped it off, the reason it was dying on me wasn't because it was out of gas) After putting 1/4 tank into the car it starts and keeps running, so I drive it home, all the while I'm hearing a small tapping in the engine bay (never made this sound before).
I leave it sit for a few days. Friend calls me on Saturday, needed help putting the top half of his Mustang motor back together, so I figure it's a good time to take the Bonne out for a test drive. As I'm driving this tapping in the engine bay keeps getting louder and progressively faster. I pull it to the side of the street, pop the hood, the damn alternator serpentine belt is shredding. I start the car up to try to get it back home, get 50 feet and the engine dies (belt still attached, very shredded though).
Make an appointment at the Chevy/Pontiac dealer. Dropped it off this morning, got a phone call around 4:30 this afternoon. "Well, we looked at your car, it's going to need some serious work." "Ahh shit, how serious are we talking?" "Well, your supercharger is falling apart, it needs to be replaced, your upper intake manifold is leaking" (knew that it was slowly leaking oil) "and both belts and belt tensioners need to be replaced. You're looking at about $3200." "Okay... that's pretty serious. I'll call you tomorrow with what I want to do."
Now, I'm no mechanic. But all the things they're fixing (aside from the belts) don't sound like they're what's causing my original problem. Or perhaps they are.
Experts, what's your take on my situation? Do you think I'm getting screwed pretty hardcore? Could what they're telling me is wrong with the car be the reason why it's randomly dying? When the car's running it's running perfectly fine (as perfectly as it has been the last two years or so), it's just the issue of getting and keeping it running. Think they'll pay off the rest of the $1800 owed on the Bonneville if I buy a new car off the lot?