So if I was to happen to decide a 22 year old italian car wasnt such a great daily driver anymore, and I had up to $4500 (although less would be better) to buy a replacement, and I think Saab 9-3s are cool, would buying one be a good idea? And if so, what would I want to look for to make sure i got a good one? Or if buying a saab wouldnt be such a good thing, what about a volvo 850 or 960? Or a c70 if I could find one with a metal top for $5k?
In reply to Travis_K:
For that kind of bread you could find some great ng900s or 9000s, and if you looked hard enough even a 9-3. The auto trans on ng900/9-3 is better than the older model Saabs, but I would still recomend a manual. Also look for a car with as much maitanance history as posible and preferably done by a dealer or Saab indie shop. There is a lot that can be screwed up on these cars by people who don't know how to properly service them, but with proper service (even by a skilled home mechanic) they can be great cars. There is also great on-line support for Saabs: The Saab network, the Saab link, & Saabcentral, just to name a few.
Doubt that you'd find a C70 for that money, although I haven't searched for one in about two years. Probably more reliable htough
my only warning.. working on a NG900 or a 9-3 can be a PIG. Most everything involving the underside of the engine seems to require dropping (or at least seriously loosening) the subframe. I am sick to death of having to do that.
The subframe is a serious piece of alumuminum that is U shaped. It runs across the back of the engine/trans and the open side of the U faces the front of the car with the front bolts under the bumper area.
It's not a BIG job to loosen it up, but it is a pain
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/ctd/1444780241.html http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/1437479201.html http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/cto/1440676903.html
Too bad i dont want a convertable. I just want a car thats still sorta fun to drive but is more reliable. Im tired of spending thousands of dollars on 80s cars to get them in good shape again, then have to sell them for only a little more than i paid for them becasue they have electrical problems i dont know how to fix.
How are volvo 850s as far as being reliable? I dont really care for most japanese cars, and bmws take a bit more maintaince than id want to have to do (and usually seem to need most of it as soon as you get them). Thanks for the info on the Saabs, i guess that one gets taken off of my list of cars id be interested in.
Other than the evap core issue, the things that go wrong with 850s are easy, inexpensive fixes that won't leave you stranded. C70s ARE in that price range, but finding the 5speed coupes in a sea of ragtop slushboxes is the challenge.
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