Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003 00:21:48 GMT From: tom reingold <trn244nopsamnline.net> Subject: Re: thinking of getting a Saab
Jules wrote: > Hello, > > a quick word of introduction I suppose, I'm a 24 yr old brit and am thinking > of getting into the world of Saabs... my dad had two in his life, a 900 5dr > Turbo (PLW 454W, owned from 1982 to 1985) and a 9000 SE Turbo (E79 FLX, > owned from 1987 to 1993). Wow do I have some memories of that car, woooeee > it was quick! > > Anyway, my current car is a Peugeot 206 GLX 3Dr, which is cool enough for > city driving but really a bit small, and pretty tiring for long motorway > hauls. I play in a band and really struggle to get all my gear into it! > Anyway, I bought it new (£10.5K) and given the amount of miles I travel (c > 25k per year, mostly motorway but a bit of london driving too) it is costing > too much to run in terms of depreciation etc. Considering I have had it a > year and it has lost 5k off it's value... ouch! > > So, realistically, how expensive would it be for me to run a 9000/CS turbo > of some kind? I haven't made a claim on insurance in the 7 yrs since getting > my license - all insurance quotes all seem to be in the c.£900 p.a. region > which seems about right I guess. > > I have seen a few cars on ebay/exchange and mart for between £1.5k and £3k - > mileages between 125 and 180k - do any of you run similar cars and if so, > what is your typical running cost in terms of servicing etc.? (just a > ballpark figure would be really helpful) I've spent the day reading posts to > this newsgroup and am not sure I would have the technical know-how to do a > lot of the DIY fixing that you guys do. I live in Chertsey so am not a > million miles away from Leatherhead which is where I guess my nearest saab > specialist would be... > > Any help/stories/approximate numbers would be most appreciated! > > Thanks! Jules > > > > > > > I'm in the US, so my perspective may be different than what you know. A pound sterling is worth $1.58 today. I just had a new clutch put in my 1995 9000CS yesterday. It cost me $902. The 9000 takes a lot of labor (five hours) for a clutch because you have to take out the engine and transmission. This car has left me stranded three times in the last three years I've owned it. Once because the idler pulley for the accessory belt went out. Once because the fuel pump died very suddenly, and that was on Christmas Eve. Once this past Saturday, with the clutch failing totally suddenly. The repairs have been expensive. I've owned two Saabs before this one, and the repairs have been frequent and expensive. Having said all that, I am still loyal to Saabs. I just like them and am willing to pay the extra money to keep them running. Compared with the other cars in this price range, the body work is very durable. They are fun to drive. They have lots of room. They are very safe in the case of a collision. Not many big cars in the US market are available with a manual transmission, which I insist on. Most cars in this market have automatics. The hatchback is indispensible. Most cars in this market don't have hatchbacks. I think the American car buying public is really stupid not to see the value in hatchbacks. They are front-wheel drive and handle very well in bad weather. They are very hard for theives to break into. The seats are fantastic. The fuel efficiency is pretty good for a car of this weight. In general, these cars last longer than the average car, even though the average maintenance cost is high. Having said all that about cost of ownership, I think you are mistaken to worry about depreciation. A car is not an investment from which you expect to make money. The most economical way to own a car is to drive it until it has no monetary value. The way to answer the money picture is to figure the purchase cost plus the ownership costs. Take that sum and divide it by the number of years you will keep it. If that number is good, then good. In this market, Saabs depreciate faster than other brands, and that's a GOOD thing for me, because I only buy used cars. Three years ago, I considered buying a Volkswagen Passat station wagon (which you call an estate). The original price of the VW was lower, but a used VW of the same age as the Saab cost MORE. And for what? It didn't feel as sturdy, it has a worse accident track record, and it doesn't have reading lights in the rear seats. Don't laugh. My daughter can't live without reading lights. Yeah, I suppose I could install them if I needed to. Anyway, depreciation is irrelevant. Cost of ownership is key. Saabs aren't the best at that, but they are often a unique blend of attributes not available in other brands, at any price. -- Tom Reingold
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