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I drive a 1988 covertible as my only car Posted by Notnoel [Email] (#23) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Notnoel) on Wed, 31 Jan 2018 07:41:53 In Reply to: Re: DAILY DRIVING a '93 Turbo?!, blacksheep [Profile/Gallery] , Wed, 31 Jan 2018 06:31:56 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
If you are willing to spend a couple of grand to restore critical systems, and view driving and maintaining it as part hobby, it is not difficult at all. My Saab runs like a sewing machine. I have a dedicated search on Ebay I run at the beginning and end of each work day and snag rare NLA parts as they pop up.
I generate long term projects and carry them out (e.g. replace all bushings in the suspension system). At this point, I have about $10-12,000 and 3-4 years invested in this particular car and completely replaced all springs, shocks, 50 % of the bushings, steering rack, rebuilt the engine, replaced all of the electrical components in the fuel injection system, alternator, replaced the radiator and all of the hoses, had the transmission rebuilt, replaced all of the rotors and brake lines, master and slave cylinders, exhausts, tires, leather, dashboard, and rubbed out the paint to a high gloss. I have a 10x10 shed full of spare parts accumulated when a rare part pops up and which contains all of the parts I stripped from my previous 900 when it was wrecked.
If you are going to drive a classic car as a daily driver, it pretty much has to be a hobby. But once you get most of the parts on the same wear and tear schedule, maintenance is pretty simple - it's basically a new car. Find one that is cosmetically nice with little or no rust and go from there. Rehab the thing, don't just repair ad hoc and routine use becomes easy.
At this point, I've gone way beyond restoration. I currently have a set of E-codes waiting to be fit (but have to move my FMIC first). I have a $2000 T5.5 kit from Eeuroparts sitting on the floor of my garage that I'll install this spring. Ive got a box with a used fuel pump assembly and have purchased everything I need to rebuild it waiting. It'll get built and boxed up so that it is ready to install if and when I need it.
All of this sounds excessive, and it is. Nevertheless, it is way cheaper than a new car. I could drive just about any car I want. It's also hobby I enjoy - the fact that it's practical and economical is just icing on the cake.
->Posting last edited on Wed, 31 Jan 2018 11:37:14.
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