1950-1966 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Hi Tom,
Many have written about this before, but here's a few things that I look for.
1. Rust. Being from the northeast salt belt, I always check the rust first. I'd rather have a solid chassis with a blown up motor than a runner that's all rusted to pieces.
2. Transmission. How does it shift? Does it have a pronounced whine? Does the freewheel work? Good transmissions are not so easy to find. Rebuilding one will cost minimum $1000.
3. Engine. Check the balance shaft bearings by grabbing the front pulley and checking for up and down movement.
I'm skipping all the normal stuff when buying a used car- general upkeep, appearance, maintenance records, etc etc.
And remember, these cars are 40 years old. I bought a '68 Deluxe a couple of years ago in quite good condition from an excellent VSaab guy. I use it as a daily driver to work, 4 miles one way. Every month there's something that needs attention. Last was a complete rear brake rebuild when one of the rear brake cylinders threw a piston at a stop sign. They take constant attention and what really helps is to have a good supply of spares built up. In this case, I had everything on the shelf ready to go- new wheel cylinders, shoes, and hardware. Also, you have to work on them yourself. If you have to take them in the shop for every little thing- it's expensive and a pain in the butt. They require alot of attention.
That said, I LOVE driving my VSaab every day. I enjoy it immensely. Not a day goes by that I don't get a comment from someone. It's a trip to drive one of these!
eric in vermont
posted by 68.142.40...
, Sun, 1 Feb 2009 05:01:20
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