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When your Saab was put on the market new, I was looking at an old, neglected, dirty, 89 900 with an auto tranny sitting at the back of a used car lot. A 13 yo car, yet I seen it as a jewel even after driving it knowing it needed a tranny rebuild. At the time I didn't know anything about Saabnet, otherwise I would have converted to a manual.
For $900 I had it. The auto tranny rebuild cost $3000 in 2001. After the rebuild it went to a foreign mechanic, shade tree if you will, not a Saab dealer. I used the shotgun approach and bought through Jim at Saabstory a new exhaust, all the sensors, distributor, ignition wires, shocks, rotors, brake lines, well, you get the idea. About $1500 or so in parts. I told my mechanic to install these as you find time, and while the car was in his shop, had a locksmith install a new ignition switch, as well as have the headliner replaced. My not-so-known mechanic charged my $300 labor to install Jim's parts over the course of a couple of weeks, since he could work on it WHEN he could. The only thing left was a new set of tires for about $400.
$900 + $3000 + $1500 + $300 + $400 = $6100. The locksmith & headliner charges were $300. Total of about $6500. The Saab was basically a new car, especially after the louvers, and vent covers and a thourough wax job. Oh, while the engine was seperated from the tranny during rebuild, a new alternator, belts, water pump, motor mounts, were installed.
A year later, 2002, I had my "shade tree", install a new radiator; and gave him hell since he didn't remind me to do it a year earlier. All the parts he replaced shotgun style, were put in a box which I have in the garage.
Fast forward to 2008, almost 2009. In 7 years through daily short distance commutes to work, I've had to basically do nothing to the Saab. Other than routine fluid changes; you can do the math. Maybe I had a lucky Saab, but it was almost like I knew in 2001 that the engine had MUCH more to give, and this Saab was still a jewel.
I would find a small shop mechanic who could work on it at his leisure, and buy all the parts needed, and then some from Eeuroparts. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the cost of parts from Eeuro and the cost of labor for a good mechanic to install them. $1000 for a fuel pump sounds outrageous.
Damn it, I need a new set of tires again.
posted by 63.19.2...
, Thu, 4 Dec 2008 05:24:13
, Wed, 3 Dec 2008 13:48:55, Wed, 3 Dec 2008 13:51:40
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