1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
I first want to thank you ahead of time for any information or advice you can give me!!
My car (a 1986 Subaru wagon) that I adore has just kicked the proverbial bucket... this has been a long time in coming. I am in no place to even think of buying a new car, but the garage that sealed the death warrant on my Surabu just happens to have a 1987 Saab 900s that I have fallen in love with. It is very clean, from what I have seen so far, and it drives like a dream. I obviously will have it checked by another mechanic, but I was hoping to get some advice (support???) from Saab lovers... I have always wanted one, but where I live in Colorado it makes more sense to have 4wd.
Which leads me to my first question. How do they handle in the snow? When I test drove it today it was a little snowy out, and so far so good. Can anyone offer me any more clues as to how it will handle when there are 9 inches of fresh snow on the ground?
Also, the car does have a power steering leak that the mechanic assures me is benign. What should I tell the inspecting garage to check for... i.e. is this possibly indicative of a bigger problem?
OK... price. They are asking $2700, but it needs a $700 brake job. I looked up the bluebook and they list it at $2050. I offered $2000, considerably less than the ticket, but considerably more than it is worth when you consider the money I will have to invest right off the bat. What is a reasonable price to pay for a very clean 14 year old Saab with moderate miles (140,000)? I have no point of reference here... I live in a very small town in Colorado, and I can't really shop around.
Finally, this is a car that I hope to keep for at least another 5 years. I plan to move back East in May, and am hoping this will be a good, dependable car to take me there. I know that it is impossible to make a judgement call if you can't see the car, but in most of your experiences, do they last? I mean really last. My subie has over 200,000 miles, and the car I had before (a '78 Volvo wagon) went through my mother, two older brothers, and then to me. I finally retired it at 278,000 miles. So I can I really drive the heck out of this thing with reasonable maintenance, or should I keep looking for something with less miles?
I hope these aren't too many annoying questions, and once again, thanks in advance.
Liz
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