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Re: A little more advice, please? Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Tue, 25 May 2004 13:56:06
In Reply to: A little more advice, please?, coxsone, Tue, 25 May 2004 10:04:44 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
According to Edmunds, that's a little high. Now, I've got a '92 Base 9000 I've had since new, and it only has 66K (creampuff!). I'd love to get another for under 3K. However, you've got some bargaining points-
Valve cover - yeah, they all do it. New gasket is $25, tube of Locktite 518 is $5. DIY in 1 hour. Tell the guy to knock of $100 for that ($65 labor charge from a dealer, $35 in parts).
A new PS hose is surprisingly expensive. It would be nice to know why it's leaking. You can probably get away with taping it up, but it could run upwards of $300. Use that.
Upper mounts - here's where it gets dicey. I assume that the rubber portion is cracked, and that the aluminum dogbone is still in one piece. If the dogbone is cracked, that's nasty. If the upper mount is cracked, the lower mounts are cracked.
You can DIY the upper mounts for about $75. Bit of a pain. Lower mounts run about $200 for parts for a decent set of hydraulic mounts. I'd avoid the cheaper solid ones. So that's $275 to you, if you DIY. A shop will charge about $450-$500 for the lowers, $200 for the uppers. So tell the guy $800 for mounts. (You only frequent the best shops).
Tune up - I assume we're talking new plugs (no points or wires), new air and fuel filter. Of course, the oil and filter have been changed regularly. That's about $40 in parts, tell the guy $150.
AC lines - yes, the AC may be working, but for how long? Leaking lines are a bad sign, and if you lose freon, you'll trash the compressor. I would go to the mechanic for more info on that. If you need to replace the hoses, it's not too expensive, but you'll need a shop to evacuate and save the freon (it's a older F-12 system).
Not counting the AC, that's $1350. Edmunds for a Creampuff car is $1700, $2500 dealer. Assuming the car is physically in very good shape (no dents, dings, tears), $2500-$1350 is $1150.
If you're willing to do some work on the car and save money, then show the guy the list of problems, and offer him $1000 (remember, the AC is still out there). If he doesn't take it, use your feet. If he's waiting to get his price, leave him your phone number and walk away. He'll either find some sucker, er somebody to pay his full price price, or he won't. If not, you'll get a decent car that needs some work.
Note - make sure that basic stuff has been done - coolant changed every 2-3 years, brake fluid flushed about the same, oil changes, etc. Does the car look taken care of, or does it look like he's ignored it for the past 40K miles? If the car hasn't been taken care of, if the coolant is factory original, or dates back to 1996, if lots of other little things are wrong, then walk away, even for $1. Saabs are long-lived, but only if taken care of. Poor maintenance (like missed oil changes, no brake fluid flushes) don't show up at 40K - they show up at 120-130K. 200K 9000s have one thing in common - they've been taken care of.
posted by 192.249....
, Tue, 25 May 2004 13:56:06 <-- Viewing This Message
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