Date: Thu, 07 Apr 2005 18:23:51 -0400 From: ma_twain <ma_twainnospamo.com> Subject: Re: Any Saab employees here?
ma_twain wrote: > th wrote: > >> Tex wrote: >> >>> "Malt_Hound" <Malt_Houndnospamm*yahoo.com> wrote in message >>> news:tMydna9AXMOul8nfRVn-pAnospamphia.com... >>> >>>> Au contrair, mon amie Tex. All of my cars are older and are highly >>>> reliable. I perform an archaic ritual to keep them running with very >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> Ha! I have to admit, I'm intringued by your "archaic ritual". Please >>> describe. >>> >>> >>>> few breakdowns. It's called "Preventive Maintenance", a relic of a >>>> concept from days gone by. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> Don't be shy...do tell this humble fool the secret recipe for >>> "preventive maintenance" >>> >>> >>>> Compare that to many folks I know who are in and out of their >>>> high-buck service department at the stealership with infantile >>>> failures and other regular repairs. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> What's easy for one is not so easy (nor perhaps feasible) for >>> another. Smart people tend to forget this. IOW, what is easy and >>> simple for you, may not be so for another. So shelling out cash to >>> the mechanic is a fairly easy fix compared with attempting to learn >>> about the technical aspects of cars. As for me, I wouldn't mind >>> learning and working on my own car, but I 1) lack adequate time and >>> 2) currently live in a development where I'm not permitted to work on >>> my car. >>> >>> >>>> Age and mileage does not equate to poor reliability. The original >>>> design has a lot more to do with reliability. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> Neither the statistics, nor the known issues, nor the anecdotal >>> comments I've seen in this group bear this out. I've seen estimates >>> here in this group that the cost of upkeep on an older Saab (say a >>> '93 900) runs beween $900-$2000 USD/annum. >> >> >> >> That is quite exaggerated, the figures more look like the annual >> service/repair costs for a 9-5. All of my older Saabs (99, C900, 9000) >> have easily be maintained below 500 USD per year (excl. tires) in >> average and they have been at ages up to 15 years and mileages up to >> 230000 km. >> > > What Tex also forgets that even if a '93 900 costs $900 a year to > maintain, what is the total cost to drive a year? Let's see, if I buy a > 2005 9-3 Arc, it would cost me $759 a month (5 year loan on $40k cost), > just to buy it, no maintenance cost included. Is $900 a YEAR('93 900) > more expensive than $759 a MONTH (assuming $0 for maintenance)? Plus, if > I sell it in at 3 years, after paying roughly $27,000 (no maintenance > cost included), I will get $15,000 (based on Dealer retail of a 2002 top > of the line 9-3 in absolute mint condition, which would be far from the > truth if I did no maintenance for 3 years). But wait, the original loan > cost including interest is $45,000, so I still owe at least another > $3,000. Again, assuming no maintenance, the cost for driving a 9-3 is > $30,000 for three years. Is this really better than a '93 900 at $1,800 > for three years? Don't forget, I would have paid off the '93 in 1997. > Correction: Is this really better than a '93 900 at $1,800 > for three years? should be: Is this really better than a '93 900 at $2,700 > for three years?
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
