1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Matt, my friend, I empathize with you! I've got an '87 hatchback.
What's so great about owning a Saab, you ask? For some people, it's having the space to carry two lazyboy recliners back there, if you need to, combined with the ability to go 145 mph if you're ever out on the Utah Salt Flats. Sort of the utility of a pickup truck with the impracticality of a sports car.
I love my Swedish Beastie, MOST of the time. I prefer front wheel drive. I like the seating position, the "feel" of the car, its utility, its maneuverability and agility (one of the smallest turning radiuses in any car you can find), and its fuel economy -- I get around 27 - 28 mpg in combined (mostly highway cruising) driving.
Some of its design quirks I like, such as the ignition key and electric window controls on the center console. Some of the design quirks, I =don't= like, such as having to lean forward to see an overhead traffic light at an intersection. And why doesn't it have VARIABLE intermittent wipers, as even the cheapest Dodges have had for two decades?! Grrrrr!
Saabs last a long time -- I love that. Parts for them cost about 3 to 10 times what they cost on Hondas -- I hate that. Insurance on my 13 year old Beastie is cheap -- I love that. Maintenance accessibility to do even simple repairs is often a cursing, frustrating, infuriating experience -- I hate that. I know the car is designed to protect me in a collision -- I love that. Bending over the side of the engine compartment to reach something in the front or the middle -- I hate that. Turbo -- love. Headliner -- hate. Love, hate, love, hate....
Putting about $1K or more per year into first-class maintenance on my Beastie is preferable to me over making new car payments that would be 3 or 4 times higher. Some years were worse than others, as when my clutch, battery, and tires all needed replacing within 9 months. Other years were better, as when I only did fluid changes. It averages out to around $1K per year, though, over the last 8 years for me. (It was much cheaper the first 5 years.)
I've been doing more work myself, lately, which has been both frustrating and satisfying. (Thank God for this SaabNet BBS!!! The guys and gals on here have been so much help to me.) But I'm happy driving my 13 year old car, which still looks new and runs better than it did originally. The "sweat equity" I have in this investment has been worth it to me. Economically, I can argue the case that keeping this car for 20 years is going to be better than having had 3 or 4 new cars with high reliability and less longevity in its place over the same period. Is the occasional frustration worth the long-term monetary savings? To some people, it isn't.
In the balance, there have been moments when I hated my Beastie... but thousands of hours of rapture with it in compensation. The Love, for me, far outweighs the Hate. I'll be keeping my Saab for as long as I can. I fully understand those who don't.
- = M = -
'87 900T 159K
, Wed, 11 Oct 2000 13:09:32
, Wed, 11 Oct 2000 12:18:05
, Wed, 11 Oct 2000 09:30:26, Wed, 11 Oct 2000 07:20:40
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