The Ash family budget has been balanced and we're comfortably in the black now, so thoughts have turned to replacing the Saab we bough about a year ago, intending to use it as a stop gap for a few months. We've several options: -
Keep the Saab. Probably the cheapest option, although it's starting to look a bit tired and there may be bills to come, and I do like driving it.
Replace the Saab with an Espace as we meant to originally. However, we've managed perfectly well with one 7 seater for the last year and our oldest two at 12 and 13 are showing less interest in doing family things.
Replace the Saab with something else. Possibly a 9-3 or a 9000, but I've seen a couple of Alfa 156s within budget (~£700 + whatever we'd get for the Saab) and I'm open to alternative suggestions. Fuel consumption / insurance costs aren't a major issue - my daily commute is less than 20 miles now, and I don't go in every day.
Any advice welcome - I'm sure it's pretty transparent what my preferred option is but I do have an open mind :)
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>> Replace the Saab with an Espace as we meant to originally.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
you will be blighted with the anti Christ of cars. It so horrifically unreliable it will suck all your money from every available source.
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>> Replace the Saab with an Espace
I'm sure DP would have few words to say about that idea, and not complimentary.
What about a Volvo S60 T5 or D5? It's about the only car that will equal the Saab seats, and their pretty rapid. You'll need to budget for ongoing maintenance if you get a 156 - wishbone bushes are prone to wearing and they're expensive to replace.
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Our other Espace is still going strong on 180k now - saying that has probably put the kiss of death on it course :)
A Volvo's not a bad idea - I tried a couple of 960s a few years ago when we were first looking for a 7 seater and was very impressed. The 70 mile commute I was doing back then meant it was a non starter unfortunately.
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Keep the Saab, wait for the big bills, then get rid.
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>> Keep the Saab, wait for the big bills, then get rid.
>>
+1.
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+2 before Humph gets here with his "what about a Mondeo ?" or starts singing the praises of the Espace :-)
S60 won't get a D5 in budget and AshT will feel like he's paying BA or Virgins fuel bills running a T5.
Last edited by: gmac on Fri 4 Nov 11 at 20:37
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>> S60 won't get a D5 in budget and AshT will feel like he's paying BA
>> or Virgins fuel bills running a T5.
You're right gmac. Didn't see the budget, so for that sort of money, deffo keep the Saab, then when it is dead, pull the seats out and make them into office chairs, and scrap the rest.
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>> deffo keep
>> the Saab, then when it is dead, pull the seats out and make them into
>> office chairs, and scrap the rest.
>>
:-) I'd be tempted to do something with the dash too. I had an SE model with wood veneer finish. I usually do not like wood in a car as it never looks like wood (for the budget that I can afford) but those SAAB dashboards looked very nice. Maybe a bookshelf with build in stereo and transformer hidden behind it.
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>> I'm sure DP would have few words to say about that idea, and not complimentary.
- Get into excessive debt
- Cheat on someone
- Work in telesales
- Own an out of warranty Renault.
The four worst things I've done in my life, and which I would never repeat.
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>> The four worst things I've done in my life, and which I would never repeat.
I knew I could rely on you :)
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>> I knew I could rely on you :)
:-)
Easy to get suckered in on a test drive though. They are nice cars.
The Volvo S60 I would recommend to anyone. If mine hadn't been costing me £100 a week to fuel, I'd still have it without any shadow of a doubt.
Last edited by: DP on Sat 5 Nov 11 at 20:22
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Not sure how old the Saab is and thus what you're adding £700 to - but if you're after something cheap, condition is more important than make and model. I agre with keeping the Saab till a big repair is needed, but when that happens see what's available in the size of car you wat in your price range.
Go for a petrol given your budget and annual mileage: ageing diesels can be liable to major and expensive failure.
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AshT, tell us a bit more about your Saab - model, age, mileage, condition - to help us!
FWIW my 8-year old 9-5 Aero automatic estate at 166,000 miles has hit me with no big bills and no breakdowns in the 4 and a half years I've had it. Much of it is DIY-able, and with a bit of mechanical nouse it should be easy to keep on the road for a while. There are mutual help forums available as well - invaluable sometimes!
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£700 + trade-in - it is not a lot of money in car buying terms.
I would like to suggest you treat the £700 as a basis of a rainy day car repair fund.
Build the fund up and one day the £700 might have turned into a few thousand - then maybe you have a car buying fund to buy a reasonably newer car and not just buying someone else's cast off & problems.
You are often better off with the devil you know..............
This applies to many things in life...........your job, your wife/husband.............
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100% agree with Falkirk B.
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>> 100% agree with Falkirk B.
>>
:-) Now, what about a Mondeo ?
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>> :-) Now, what about a Mondeo ?
Mondeos are indeed fine cars, but now then, yer Merc, class act those...( Stuuuuuuuupid handbrakes mind )
Fickle? Moi?
:-0
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Did you have an Alfa in a previous life ?
The only people who can use that park brake in a Merc as a handbrake are a little more hirsute than most. :-P
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Daren't use it for an hour after food that's for sure.
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>> You are often better off with the devil you know..............
>>
>>
>> This applies to many things in life...........your job, your wife/husband.............
Hills, HILLS I say, always so much greener!
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Thanks for the feedback so far everyone - just to answer some of your questions
MikeH - it's a 900 2.0i, 1996 3 door. Current mileage is ~170k. It's been very reliable so far but the coolant had a bit of an oily sheen to it the other day while I was topping it up which is why I'm a bit concerned about impending bills. No emulsion, and it'll probably go for another 20k, but....
Falkirk B - I was intending to sell the Saab rather than part exchange it; I suspect I'd be lucky to get £100 as a trade in, and could get £250 as a private sale. We can mange for a week or so with one car, although it'd be a bit of an inconvenience. £700 isn't a definite budget, we could add another couple of hundred, but at this end of the market I don't think it'll make much difference.
As I've said petrol consumption isn't an issue - I rarely do much more than 500 miles a month now in the Saab, and I'm at an age where insurance has become affordable, so a T5 is a possibility. Looking around, a Volvo S80 is affordable - any opinions on these?
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>> As I've said petrol consumption isn't an issue - I rarely do much more than
>> 500 miles a month now in the Saab, and I'm at an age where insurance
>> has become affordable, so a T5 is a possibility. Looking around, a Volvo S80 is
>> affordable - any opinions on these?
>>
Reckon on two 15.4 gallon tanks per month for that mileage and you won't be disappointed with a T5. You'll probably get more but if you exercise the engine then it will have a drink.
S80 for your budget will be the pre-2007 model. Softer than the S60 and the onboard systems could have more error codes than a Microsoft logfile. You might get a good 'un if you take someone along with you who knows their S80's but if you get a bad 'un; $$$$$'s.
Last edited by: gmac on Sat 5 Nov 11 at 16:51
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Just an update on this, I've kept the idea of a new car on the back burner for the last couple of months, but saw a Saab 9-5 at an unrefusable price a week ago. Going on Mike H's comments above and the opinion of a colleague at work who runs one I made an offer which was refused, so agreed on the asking price of £400. It looks very good for the money - oil looks ok, no blue smoke or odd noises, gearbox working fine (it's an auto), paperwork, service history, and an owner who seems honest - met at his home address, all keys and documents in place.
Anyhow, picking it up tonight - hopefully it'll do as well as its predecessor. Anyone want to buy a 900? :)
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Can't go wrong at that price if it has a ticket on it, can you? Even if parts availability becomes an issue.
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Congrats. Enjoy. And report back, buying old cars is so much more interesting than newer stuff!
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Thanks Stu. Just got the car back from Devon, car behaved perfectly on the way back. Very pleasant place to sit, effortless cruising up the M5, and trip computer showed 41mpg even though progress was being made at times :)
Probably a good time to buy a Saab - a lot of people I suspect are being put off by the future of the company but I think problems with parts supply will not happen for a year or so.
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>> Probably a good time to buy a Saab - a lot of people I suspect
>> are being put off by the future of the company but I think problems with
>> parts supply will not happen for a year or so.
Thjere is little in there that is unique to SAAB. mostly standard GM.
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Other than body panels and perhaps certain pieces of glass I'd imagine SAAB's suppliers will be more than happy to continue to make/stock parts for the next decade or so, similar to availability of Rover parts.
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Sounds good Ash. Hope it behaves itself for you. There is something quite pleasing about old Saabs and Volvos I always think. Can't begin to define what I mean.
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And the sandals .. and the unwashed look... :-)
Last edited by: madf on Wed 28 Dec 11 at 10:49
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Sounding ever more attractive. If I'm ever in a position to retire ( ha ha ) I'll get one. I rather fancy embracing my alter ego. Edinburgh Woollen Mill here I come...There must be something in those beige fleeces...
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Which 9-5 did you get Ash?
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Well done, you've satisfied the fancy a change urge for very little money.
A few hundred in hand for repairs, and your old Saab must make something.
Agree with the others about parts, glass/panels might become a problem, but service items won't be for years.
And if it needs a panel or two, it will be written off anyway.
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Thanks all - very pleased with car, been out today and have covered over 150 miles already. For what it's worth I shaved this morning, and don't own a single sandal :)
It's the 2.0T SE Ecopower Mike - I thought it might be a bit gutless but it's definitely not that.
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>> It's the 2.0T SE Ecopower Mike - I thought it might be a bit gutless
>> but it's definitely not that.
Best not try the Aero then ;-) - one of the cars that found favour with Mr. Clarkson!
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New car - talk me out of / into it - Zero
