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Re: Should I buy my first Saab? Posted by Ari [Email] ![]() ![]() In Reply to: Should I buy my first Saab?, apparitimyon13, Sun, 11 Dec 2005 08:03:33 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
That is really hard to say. It depends on at least three things - how well maintained the car has been, how much work you are willing to do versus have a shop do, and Luck.
A well-maintained car will cost less to keep running than one that hasn't been well maintained. But then again, doing maintenance costs money.
How much are you willing to do yourself? A DIY oil change is cheaper than a quickie place in three ways - (1) less out of pocket, (2) less chance that they'll botch it and damage your car, and (3) you'll get to know the car, and start finding and fixing problems before they start. That's fine for oil changes, but what about brake fluid flushes and coolant flushes? DIY or farm out? Remember, all cars need that sort of work, just like brakes and the like.
I havea '97 that the previous owner spent over $11K on in 55K miles. $4K was bad luck - he bought a car with a sludge problem, and needed a new engine. But the rest - he went to the dealer for everything - he even paid the dealer to replace the batteries in the remote and the dome light bulb.
Another factor is where the car is in the maintenance cycle. If the belts and pulleys are up for replacement, that'll cost more than if they have just been done. Same with the fluids and thermostat.
All cars require regular maintenance, so Saabs aren't more expensive than anything else in that respect. A '96 is a 10 year old car, probably over 100K miles. You'll need to expect to have to replace stuff as it breaks - maybe a blower motor, maybe an alternator. Definately some other random stuff.
Frankly, if you can do the easy stuff work yourself, Saabs aren't that expensive. Expect maybe $500-$750 a year. If that's too much, then don't look at ANY 10 year old car. Buy a 3 year old Toyota or Honda. But you'll pay a few thousand more for one of those - a few thousand buys quite a few years of maintenance and repairs.
Saabs may not be cheap, but think throught the costs of any other car. And there is no guarantee the Toyota or Honda won't break. Less likely, but it still happens. See the Luck part.
posted by 12.76.1...
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