1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Questions like yours get asked by everyone sooner or later - regardless of the cars Marque. What it comes down to is the cost of repairs vs what kind of replacement vehicle you can buy with the money you would have spent fixing the car you have. Usually 'The Devil you Know' is the better bet. This assumes the vehicle in question is generally viable & not afflicted with serious RUST (sometimes hidden - check your doors, rear wheel wells, floor pan & especially the frame where RF lower control arm attaches) or haunted with assorted gremlins (including but not limited to; water leaks, annoying rattles, electrical problems etc...) that make the car unpleasant or unsafe to drive.
Saabs (esp. the c900) tend to attract astute people who appreciate the unique combination of practicality, performance & quirky good looks that no other car can offer...no, I don't work for Saab!...these types of people (you?) usually do a better job with vehicle up keep than most, making for very nice high six figure mileage examples that are absolutely worth keeping!!! There of course are exceptions - I just rescued a good looking rust free 87' 900t 3dr from the boneyard that had been abandoned for scrap due to an easily correctable emissions/FI disorder & a bad exh. header pipe. The orig. owner gave this car what it needed when it needed it (compl. records found inside :) then moved on to a newer car in 03' - the 2nd owner was not so inclined & also had some kind of aversion to vacuuming. Apparently considering the car 'a beater' this shameful excuse for a human let his/her non destructive but hairy dog(s?) funk up the interior for a year (imagine that persons house...yuck!) & since the car was disgusting anyway - in 04' when the AMM, FPR & front pipe all crapped out in succession, the dimwit junked it! Go figure. I paid $500 for the car, $125 for a lapse in judgment driving without tags :[ then invested about $200 in (used) parts + two days of cleaning (so far ;) Sooo, for less than $900 I have a great car worth three times that & a great feeling for having saved the car from an undeserving fate!
Keep in mind that there is no free ride - mechanical things need repair or replacement from time to time. I think the average annual cost to maintain a car (any car) is north of $1200 per year after the first 30k mi (sometimes it starts a lot sooner! - apologies to all the unfortunate owners of 93' to present Volvos ;)...on top of the routine items like gas/tires/oil changes, air fresheners, etc... So add it up - you may be pleasantly surprised at what that car hasn't cost you! It sounds like you have taken pretty good care of that 2.1 - the things the car needs now involve mostly labor, not parts & could be addressed with minimal additional cost if you have them corrected at the same time you get the tranny rebuilt.
Go find a mechanic (not the dufus who muffed up your clutch replacement) who knows the breed & can CORRECTLY rebuild your transaxle, or will install a quality rebuild from a reputable facility like Erikson Turbos (in CT) or ? (search the BB for 'rebuilt tran'). You could get the whole shebang done for around $3000 more or less, depending on whether or not you go for new control arm bushings & a rblt. PS rack (I would...simple to do w/the drive train out - big PITA afterwards) in addition to the CV's.
Ultimately only you can determine when to throw in the towel...if you decide you're done, don't feel bad - someone on TSN will be happy to give your car a good home. :)
posted by 68.99.169...
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