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VERY long reply Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Thu, 24 Jun 2004 06:50:41
In Reply to: 1995 9000 CSE Question..., Go, Thu, 24 Jun 2004 00:11:28 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
Don't worry about questions on this board. It is refreshingly free of flamers. There are no stupid questions. Well, yes, there are stupid questions, but they usually run along the lines of "is it OK to use butter instead of engine oil?" Yours are perfectly good questions.
If someone told me a car was out of coolant, I would turn and walk away. That would destroy the engine in short order. This isn't like driving around with not enough windshield washer spray. No coolant means that the engine is toast. Also, coolant just doesn't go away by itself - if it's low, then it went somewhere. The best case is a hose leak. The worst case is a bad head gasket. Of course, if he/she/it has been driving the car with low coolant levels, the head gasket (and head) are shot.
Now, there is a Check Coolant light on the dash, which indicates low coolant levels. Usually it's a bad sensor, but it's easy to check - open the hood and see what the coolant level is in the overflow tank. If there is no coolant, leave. Don't even bother to close the hood.
If it is truly the Check Engine light, that isn't due to low coolant. That is due to some other issue. The CE light is a catch-all for the engine control to indicate that it needs something fixed - it could be as simple as a bad sensor or loose connection, all the way up to Very, Very Bad. Water pumps have three modes of operation - working great, working great but leaking, and dead in pieces. The usual bad water pump is one that works, but is leaking. That could explain where the coolant went, but one could ask why the owner hasn't added coolant? Has he been driving it that way? It also begs the question - if they've been driving around with the CE light on and no coolant, what other maintenance have they missed? It's tought to assume that they were meticulous about all the maintenance, but that coolant thing just slipped their mind.
I always assume the person selling the car knows stuff about the car, and that playing dumb is a sales ploy. They may very well not know about the car, but assuming evil when it comes to buying a car is safer. OK, not evil, just hard bargaining. My approach when buying a car is that if I can't verify it with my own eyes or good documentation, I assume nothing, and take nothing the seller says as true. Again, just playing safe - you're looking to spend money here, not gain a new friend. That's why it's never good to buy a car from someone you find attractive.
In your case, I would find a good independent mechanic in the area that knows Saabs. Look for a shop with Saabs in the lot, or ask friends with Saabs. Then when you find a car you're interested in, have the mechanic check it out. It'll cost you a few bucks ($75 is typical), but that will save you $$$ many times over. Accept the fact that you don't know all the tricks - pay someone that does. They'll probably do a good job, because they'll want your business. Yes, they could make money in the short term by tricking you into a lemon, but that's why it's good to ask around.
What you want in a car, any car, Saab or not, is one that has a fanatical owner, someone that has followed all the maintenance requirements to the letter, maybe even more than required. AND has the documentation to prove it. Just saying that they've done all the work is not enough - remember that first rule - they're lying unless you can verify it. No documentation of maintenance, then unless you really, really, really know what you're doing, walk away. And if you really know what you're doing, you'll walk away.
All car require maintenance, and Saabs require a bit more than other brands, such as a Honda or Toyota. Pretty similar to other competing types, like Audi, Mercedes, etc. Saabs last a long time IF they are properly maintained. Yes, a Saab will require an expensive part at 120K miles where a Toyota won't, but that's because the Toyota is ready for the junkyard. And it's cheaper to drop $300 on some work for the Saab at 120K than to pay $28K for a new car.
100-120K miles is a time when many cars, including Saabs, require work. Water pumps wear out, pulleys reach the end of life, and cooling system hoses get tired. If the car is sound, replacing them is not cheap, but much better a deal than a new car, where you'll see a depreciation drop of a few thousand $$ driving it off the lot. That pays for a few years of maintenance.
That's where records come in - how a car does at 120K depends on how it was treated at 30K. Nothing you can do at 120K will make up for a bad childhood. Make sure the brake fluid has been flushed every 2-3 years; same for coolant. Make sure the oil and filter has been changed regularly and often. Make sure the plugs have been replaced or at least checked.
Saabs are great cars - safe, haul a lot, go fast (right models), great to drive. They are relatively cheap for what you get, because many folks are scared of the maintenance costs. You can learn to do a bunch yourself, and save a ton of money. That doesn't mean you need to rebuild engines - just doing simple stuff like brake pads will save you $$. And troubleshooting the simple stuff will save you tons.
My recommendation - if you're new to Saabs, don't buy a car with warning lights on and moths flying out of the radiator. Used Saabs aren't uncommon. Check out a few of them. If a good one gets away, another one will come along. It's better to miss a good one than to buy a bad one. After you've seen a few, you'll start to lean some stuff. And find yourself a good mechanic to check it out before you buy. If the seller won't let you have it checked out, then that tells you that you don't want the car. Untill you become a Saab guru, you'll need the help of a good mechanic.
Good luck!
posted by 192.249....
, Thu, 24 Jun 2004 06:50:41 <-- Viewing This Message
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