1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
The good ones are out there...if you know how to look for one. They are an excellent choice for a student-age driver because they are so safe. I tell my sons repeatedly that there's no such thing as a good-young-driver. To be good, you have to have tons of experience. You can't get experience except to drive. So safety is a core issue with me in my family.
My '89, with 180,000 miles, was one of those great finds. The P.O. did whatever needed to be done as it needed it. I got it with a trans only 40,000 miles old, a turbo only 30,000 miles old, interior in excellent shape, all of the accessories working except AC, tires only 8,000 miles old and exhaust a year old. $1200.
I had to put in $150 worth of parts - headliner, windshield wipers, 2 bulbs, a turbo bypass valve, PCV check valve and some vacuum hoses. That's it. It runs great now. Something will go wrong I'm sure - about every 60 days probably. eBay so far has everything I need from cars being parts-out.
Personally - I think its smart to put your kid in a Saab if you can. The 900S doesn't go too fast, isn't going to draw a lot of attention like a hopped up japanese street racer with a fart can on the back and neon in the wheel wells, the engines are fabulous and most other stuff is DIY possile with a solid set of tools and the inclination to play with the car.
I may put $1000 in my car one time, but that's it. I figure I can drive a year or two at least, with what I know about my car right now, with less than $1000 in parts. After that, remove what I need for the next one, and parts out the rest for $1000 or so - crush the carcass, done. I'm not going to pour money into it. When it totals itself with repair bills - it's done.
$1200 net plus some putzing time for 2 years of trasportation - can't do that with too many cars. Thirteen or fourteen cents per mile with gas is what that comes to. My truck is more like $.45 per mile with gas and depreciation.
Worth noting - though my Saab is my daily driver, I have a very new very big HD pickup that is my tow vehicle. If my Saab gets troublesome, or a repair takes me more than one night - I can just jump in my truck and not care. That may be a big enough difference between me and a college student that it's a deal breaker. I have the Saab simply because the 9-10mpg rate my truck drinks gas - it's no fun to drive.
posted by 12.155.24...
, Fri, 26 Nov 2004 19:08:56
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