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Apparently enough Posted by Saana88 [Email]  (#207)  [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Saana88) on Mon, 1 Jan 2007 10:55:29
In Reply to: How much have you spent on your Saab?, Slaterson, Sun, 31 Dec 2006 08:59:02 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
Two cases for me.
1988 900, 8 valve, 5 speed, 213k: around $120 a month in parts, $550 for insurance per year, $75 per year to keep the state happy (inspection/registration), and whatever she takes in fuel (now back to around 30 MPG). This is a keep-it-healthy-until-it-dies-in-another-two-years-or-so-hopefully car. So that averages to around $185 a month plus gas. You can't lease a Chevy Cadaver for that! (plus the 900 won't instantly kill you if you hit something) Purchase price is long gone because I paid around $650 in tax deductions for it in June 2002.
Major repairs along the way: auto-to-manual at 156k (net cost $100) and, um, uhhhh... That's it. The second most expensive repair on this car have been the past three sets of Nokians. (!) I do my own work and can change a caliper in 45 minutes AND get everything right.
Do a search on "200k today" from January 16 of last year for more details. Add on all the parts the car required in the past twelve months ($15 of vacuum hose, oil changes, a right front caliper, fuel injector cleaner, heater valve/water pump/coolant flush, and some gaskets) that's around $250 in the past year for parts. I have reached the post-200K euphoria where all the regular maintenance is up to date (and I know when it is) and you're down to once-in-the-life-of-the-car mechanicals, which are typically one per 10k from 120k until the end of service.
Next story: 1992 S convertible, doing a lot of sitting since the car hasn't been registered since November 2005. I'm using the white car until next summer, I think, when the convertible will be ready to go and I can take some time for overhauls on the white one. Anyway, 126k in storage, and around $1200 in parts over the past year. Yeah, it's a lot, but I like to think I am rebuilding the car since the only original injection bits left under the hood are a junkyard-donor AIC valve, the fuel injectors, and the crank position sensor. (New or rebuilt AMM, TPS, O2 sensor, FPR, all the regular tune-up stuff, vacuum hoses and fittings.)Why? Because I want to keep this car (in great condition) for a very, very long time. I'm wondering if I want to get it repainted. I'm putting a new carpet in indoors and fixing the silly power seats and windows and cruise control. The AC is long gone because I think it's unnecessary. The alarm actually works, and I've cranked down the sensitivity so it doesn't go off when I'm watching trains. The previous owner paid for a rebuilt transmission, and I replaced the entire clutch because they obviously didn't know how to drive a stick. (The clutch first wore out around 87k when I get nearly 200 out of one, the shifter was broken and the dog bone coupling was fried.) They overhauled the top motor, so I'm going to work on the leather. They (threw a timing chain and) replaced all the exhaust valves and the head and head gasket so I'm going to overhaul the cooling system with the right thermostat and the right thermoswitch so the head gasket doesn't die again. I replaced the heat shield (yes, five bolts) and degreased the engine compartment because I want the car to not catch on fire. And there there are the goodies, gauges and a CD/equalizer. I want silvervanes! I know it's kind of a waste to have this cash laying around in parts and a car I haven't used for a while, but barring anything terrible it should pay off beyond 2010. Not to mention this kind of stuff is normal for the beemer crowd, who will find their parts and insurance to be way higher.
Besides, a convertible with a plastic rear window? With hard-as-a-rock seats? That stinks in bad weather? Nah. I'll take my blue beauty getting 34 MPG anyday. It looks better, lasts longer, and costs less. This is why the S convertibles took off as soon as they were introduced. It was a step between a beemer and something by Chrysler or Chevrolet, translated coulda-shoulda-woulda bought a better car.
Anyway, I spend enough to keep the fleet moving and healthy, plus some upgrades for the convertible along the way. I demand safe, reliable transportation that will tolerate bad weather and get around 30 MPG on a yearly average, and that's why I stick with C900s.
, Tue, 2 Jan 2007 08:48:58
, Mon, 1 Jan 2007 20:16:42, Mon, 1 Jan 2007 15:59:08, Mon, 1 Jan 2007 10:55:29 <-- Viewing This Message, Mon, 1 Jan 2007 10:35:47
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