Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2004 13:16:21 GMT From: Bob <uctraingNOSPAMnospamanet.com> Subject: Re: 9-3 Dilemma
On Sun, 25 Apr 2004 22:45:46 -0400, ma_twain <ma_twainnospamo.com> wrote: >I am the opposite. I hate paying for that depreciation as soon as you >drive it off the lot. Saabs do not hold their value, so they make great >used cars. I buy mine previously owned. I got my 1990 900S for under >$3,000 (that was over 4 years ago). It is a fun car in the winter and >on wet roads. When it gets dinged in the parking lots - I don't get >upset. If it gets coated with salt in the winter - I don't care. This >would not be the case if I bought a new 9-3 . . . I feel the same way about depreciation. However, I don't have the patience for an older car as you do and I'm more particular about appearance. I prefer to buy "off lease" cars that are two years old with one or more years left on the factory warranty as a safety cushion (two years with Saab, of course). Saves me a good $10K and all I've missed is the "new car smell" (aka hazardous out-gassing of plastics :-) But, back to the original post: Drive the Acura... then buy the Saab. The Acura line is way too "cushy", IMHO. I tried a few. I felt like I was driving Dad's Buick. Also, while my Saab seems to become more stable the faster I go, my experience with Japanese cars is the opposite: they feel less stable as speeds increase. YMMV.