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THE HCP

THE HCP

NorthEastPortland'sFinest
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I'm hoping some of you might be able to help me out. Lease on my VW Passat wagon ran out in June. My parents had VW's and Audi's growing up, so I am a german car guy. I've had everything from a 1983 VW GTI to a 1996 Audi A6. Am about to buy a new (used) car, and was wondering if anybody has had any experience with SAAB. I am not going to spend more then 12K. I've narrowed my picks down to these-

http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/ctd/1335953778.html

http://freemanmotor.com/portland/vehicle.php?vid=5308&recs=,4896,5297,5397,5033,5308,5238,5328,5173


http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/ctd/1335550919.html

I know that one has pretty high miles, but I've checked them all out, and they are in great condition inside and out. I only put about 6,000 miles a year on my vehicles, so the milage doesn't worry me that much. Thought you guys might give me some opinions. If you are a FORD truck drivin redneck, keep your Euro car jokes to yourself! Love-HCP
 
For that price range and the type of cars you like I'd look for a 2005/2006 Volvo S40 T5.

22526630002_large.jpg


Btw, my brother has the Saab Turbo X and had a 2005 9-3. They both drive great.
 
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When my brother was looking at getting a newer car, he thought he wanted a BMW. But the more he looked at them, and looked up info on them, he found out they have little problems with them, and usually they're a little more worn down than they appear. Nice cars, but there was always something a little odd about them.

So he decided to look into getting a Mercedes instead. I don't know the model type, etc, so I can't tell you much about it. But it's a really nice car (and it was 9 years old) and it was a lot better than the comparable BMW's he looked at.

Although I'm not sure this is what he bought, here is one.

http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/ctd/1342510738.html

(my only complaint is that from the back, it looks like a Honda).
 
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Fez said:
For that price range and the type of cars you like I'd look for a 2005/2006 Volvo S40 T5.

22526630002_large.jpg


Btw, my brother has the Saab Turbo X and had a 2005 9-3. They both drive great.
Click to expand...

never had a Volvo, but I know they last forever.
 
MrSelfDestruct said:
My best friend's parents have had nothing but SAABs for most of his life, and they swear by them as well FWIW.

From what I understand they suck to work on and parts are expensive.
Click to expand...

Isn't that pretty much true of every car made after the year 2000?
 
euro-cars = bad idea used, esp. high mileage....after warranty, its kind of a crapshoot.

repairs, if anything goes wrong with them, are going to be extremely expensive.

I'd go with the Bimmer though.
 
There's a big difference in Saab's pre- and post-GM. Pre-GM, they were quirky, but overengineered. Post-GM, they were crap. I grew up with Audi's too and love them. As you know, electronics are the real problem on any Audi, especially after 50K. However, a well-cared for Audi engine can last you 175-200K.
 
maxiep said:
There's a big difference in Saab's pre- and post-GM. Pre-GM, they were quirky, but overengineered. Post-GM, they were crap. I grew up with Audi's too and love them. As you know, electronics are the real problem on any Audi, especially after 50K. However, a well-cared for Audi engine can last you 175-200K.
Click to expand...


Yeah, he should get one of those rebadged Trailblazers they stuck Saab badges on. YUK.

What he should get is one of these...take your pick.


http://portland.craigslist.org/search/cta?query=jetta+tdi&catAbbreviation=cta&minAsk=min&maxAsk=max
 
I've heard that Saabs in the last 5-6 years are okay. Anything before that was crap. I have a friend who has owned Saabs for quite awhile. Drives a Saab SUV thing now, used to drive their little 4-door.

Out of curiosity, HCP, since I've always thought about the Passat - how often would it break down?

My dream car is the A6 but I'll be lucky if I ever have that kind of money.
 
I've got a line on a 1990 Toyota 4x4 Pickup for sale for $2k...
 
yakbladder said:
I've heard that Saabs in the last 5-6 years are okay. Anything before that was crap. I have a friend who has owned Saabs for quite awhile. Drives a Saab SUV thing now, used to drive their little 4-door.

Out of curiosity, HCP, since I've always thought about the Passat - how often would it break down?

My dream car is the A6 but I'll be lucky if I ever have that kind of money.
Click to expand...

I had a 05 Passat wagon and loved it. Not one problem ever. I just returned it. It also only had 24,000 miles, so it was just warming up.
 
My father is a fan of Saabs - but only the old ones, not the new ones. I also heard strange things about the Freeman guys - so I would be careful buying there. If they allow you to have the car inspected by a proper mechanic - you should be fine, if they do not... I would look elsewhere, just my opinion.

Personally, I find most modern cars too complicated - but as far as driving experience - I prefer the BMWs to the Audis - the Audis are usually very nose-heavy and scary expensive when things get wrong, especially the turbo-charged motors. The E39 BMW you linked to is a fantastic car - but they, too, can get really expensive when things go wrong. If memory serves, they had stupid plastic radiators on them - so when you get one, usually upgrading to an aftermarket steel one solves a lot of the issues.

Also - the link you provided was for the 6 cylinder engine in the BMW - these are the right engines for these cars, do not be tempted by the bigger engine V8s - they are a lot more complicated to service.
 
I would go with the 2003 Saab 9-5 over everything else.
 
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