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Re: Any tips for someone in the market for an older 900? Posted by Justin VanAbrahams [Email]  (#32) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Justin VanAbrahams) on Fri, 26 Jul 2002 18:49:33
In Reply to: Any tips for someone in the market for an older 900?, Slavi, Thu, 25 Jul 2002 21:27:14 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
As a buyer of way too many Saabs, I have one question: How much do you have to spend?
Assuming it isn't much - say under $5k, my personal advice, right in the face of everyone here, is buy the oldest Saab that meets your criteria. Aim for '86 or '87. Spend $2k on it, tops. Try and find one with a dead transmission, pay under $1k for it. Then drive it straight over to a local qualified independant shop, and dump $3000 worth of repairs into it. Get a new tranny, replace all the hoses, new water pump, timing chain, bushings, shocks, gaskets, seals. Maybe use the opportunity to install some lowering springs or a new exhaust or something. Expect to wait two weeks or a month while they do the work, offer to leave it with them longer if they'll cut you a discount on labor rates. Drive away in a $5000 car worth $2000, that will last 100k before it has any trouble.
What I can advise you NOT to do is buy a car that's at the end of your means. Expect to keep $1k to $2k in the bank. Keep in these, invest it, whatever, until something breaks or goes terribly awry, or that problem the previous owner forgot to mention surfaces. You'll hate the car, and regret the decision to buy it. Keep the money safe and as liquid as possible and be prepared to spend it when the car asks.
I've done both methods, repeatedly. Not surprisingly, my $600 900S and my $800 9000T are daily drivers ($3200 later apiece), while the "expensive" '90 SPG spent a lot of time in the driveway waiting until I could fix it. In the case of the drivers, each has done well over 40k with nary a hiccup or problem, and no evidence of one on the horizon.
My $0.02....
-Justin
http://www.sacsaabs.org
posted by 64.166.4...
, Fri, 26 Jul 2002 18:49:33 <-- Viewing This Message
, Thu, 25 Jul 2002 22:06:22
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