Keep and invest my beater or move on?

[Alfisti]

Struggling with my decision so thought i'd gather the thoughts of the many highly intelligent and unbiased individuals on this forum

FACTS:

Wife's Mobile: 2019 Stelvio, 6,000 miles. Near new still, she absolutely LOVES it. Lease ends end of 2023, buy back will be HALF of what it is worth right now so only sensible decision, if if values drop, is to buy it out. Car is perfect for 2 kid family except for once or twice a yr at most and home depot runs as the trunk is very small.

Toy Car: 2009 - 997.2 "S" Cab, 40K miles. Let's assume I keep it long term.

Daily Beater: 2008 9-3 wagon, 2T, 83K miles. Owned from 33K miles since 2010. Lives outside all year, no mercy from minus 35 to plus 35. I expect to put about 5,000 miles a yr on the car moving forward.

The Saab is starting to show signs she needs a commitment or for me to walk away. We have tried cheap fixes but there is a persistent cold start idle issue, she is stalling unless I give it a boot full of gas. Exhaust needs repair, aircon makes an evil noise (though still works), it's losing coolant veeeeery slowly but i need to top it up every 4 to 5 months and in general she is looking a bit tatty and beat up.

Replacement used, reliable vehicle with sub 30K miles is at least $20K or if new about $450 a month. I could drop that to about $325 a month but that would be a smaller vehicle without the same utility (Nissan Kicks).

So at those prices, do I just commit to the Saab wagon??? I am not mechanically inclined so what do you guys think of this list?

- Plugs
- Shocks
- All filters
- Coolant flush
- AT Tranny flush
- Other suspension components?
- Hoses, belts and rubber parts
- Fittings, nuts, bolts, brackets that have rusted out in engine bay and under the car
- Water pump
- Coils

Brakes were done not long ago.

Engine runs super strong outside of idle issue and transmission feels brand new. Concerned about the rusted parts, not the panels but the fittings etc, especially in the engine bay where it's looking really beat to ****.

Engine is the GM B207R 2T.

This link seems to show i need a new throttle body (idle) and water pump (coolant leak, though i never see coolant on the driveway)

https://eeuroparts.com/blog/10-saab-...mmon-problems/

Do you think it is worth the hassle given the lack of rust on the panels, the engine and tranny seem to be have a lot of life left and she is burning absolutely zero oil?? Where do you think the tipping point is if replacement is $20K? $5K? $7? $10K?

Value of the car is irrelevant here, what's important is replacement cost.

Thoughts, feelings, emotions?

[freakystyly]

IMO the Saab's body will rust out before it becomes a financial burden vs. a newer model... such is life in Ontario.

[Our03z4]

I always love the comfort of knowing how a car has been taken care of. I typically keep my cars into the 200k miles plus range for this reason. Cars are becoming more and more complicated. My 2019 F250s parts are 5 times more expensive than my 2003 model was. I plan on dumping it when it goes out of warranty. Keep the old car if you like it. Older cars are cheap to keep going.

[bucketfoot]

I'm a big fan of keeping a car you are happy with. At the same time, while car prices are currently elevated, your Saab is probably valued as high as it will be for the rest of its life right now.

Personally if you like the car (and from your posts you certainly seem to) I would keep it. It will likely cost far less to put in some upfront money to keep it running for the next 5 years or so.

[e61it]

if you can find a good independent who works on Saab's they should be able to tell you if any of the rust issues are potentially dangerous and if they are fixable for a reasonable cost. Let's say it cost $5-6000 to fix it so it would run well for another 5 years could you drive it that long without wanting something newer?? Also, you didn't mention brakes but I would have the entire lot looked at for repair estimates going forward. Good luck with whatever decision you make.

[chassis]

What do you want to do? Which option seems best?

[tdott]

I don't see a BMW on that list. 🧐

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by Our03z4

I always love the comfort of knowing how a car has been taken care of. Keep the old car if you like it. Older cars are cheap to keep going.

You'd think so but man with labour rates what they are, it adds up really, really fast.

Originally Posted by e61it

if you can find a good independent who works on Saab's they should be able to tell you if any of the rust issues are potentially dangerous and if they are fixable for a reasonable cost. Let's say it cost $5-6000 to fix it so it would run well for another 5 years could you drive it that long without wanting something newer?? Also, you didn't mention brakes but I would have the entire lot looked at for repair estimates going forward. Good luck with whatever decision you make.

I have always used a Saab specialist indy, he is very good, has a whack of them out back. The rust is not on the panels, it's nuts, screws, clams... stuff like that.

Originally Posted by chassis

What do you want to do? Which option seems best?

I like the car, modern cars tend to upset me with their beeping and alarms and beeping and warnings and did I mention the beeping??? Form factor works for me and it'd be nice to hand it to my oldest in 6 years so he can drive the car that brought him home from hospital when he was born.

I am prepared to drop the 5 to 6K, i guess my fear is I do that and shit still goes wrong.

[kyriian]

Rising interest rate is not going to help with any new vehicle, you will be waiting a while for that new car and god forbid things go wrong in that time to your current car, you'd still be paying to fix them, and used vehicle market is all kinds of fucked right now.

And a Nissan kicks? I'd sooner take a risk and be stabbed on a TTC bus.

Fix it and drive it, none of the current factors suggest you should change your car now.

[///MPhatic]

IMO Saab is not a great choice for a car to keep really long-term, which is what you want for a daily beater. What you need is top rung Japanese tech: Honda/Toyota.

I have an RDX that we bought new in 2015 as my beater. It sleeps outside, sees all 4 seasons, but I maintain it impeccably. It has 125K on the clock and looks/drives like it's brand new. I did just buy OEM brakes and shocks (for when I need to change them), and had the timing service done, but that's it. Maintenance costs are a joke.

With my annual mileage being around 13K, the car will outlast my use for it, and will have made me money every single mile.

IMHO, get rid of the Saab and get yourself a Honda/Toyota beater.

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by ///MPhatic

IMHO, get rid of the Saab and get yourself a Honda/Toyota beater.

I am open to this idea, i guess i baulk paying 10 to 12K for a beater with 30K more miles than the car I already have. Will sniff around, see if i can find an old lady driven car for comparison. I looked at Honda CRV, need about $12K for one with similar miles to the Saab.

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by kyriian

And a Nissan kicks? I'd sooner take a risk and be stabbed on a TTC bus.

Using that as an example as it is the cheapest new car lease with 5 doors.

[///MPhatic]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

I am open to this idea, i guess i baulk paying 10 to 12K for a beater with 30K more miles than the car I already have. Will sniff around, see if i can find an old lady driven car for comparison. I looked at Honda CRV, need about $12K for one with similar miles to the Saab.

Join a Saab board, see what happens when those cars get older.

You're paying money to avoid that scenario.

You want your window regulator go to out at 150K, not your drivetrain.

[Alfisti]

Drivetrain is not a concern, it's solid. More worried about electronics, suspension parts etc.

[WolfGTI]

We had a 2008 Saab 9-3 wagon 6speed (until it got sandwiched between 2 SUVs) as the family hauler, we bought it brand new as it was one of the few wagons that had a 6 speed option. It had approx 120,000 miles at that time, and gave us no issues other than regular maintenance items. I see nothing on your list that is out of ordinary maintenance other than the nuts / bolts. I'd keep the car personally if you like it. It's a GM so parts are very cheap should you need them, and you know the service history of the car.

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Struggling with my decision so thought i'd gather the thoughts of the many highly intelligent and unbiased individuals on this forum

So at those prices, do I just commit to the Saab wagon??? I am not mechanically inclined so what do you guys think of this list?

- Plugs
- Shocks
- All filters
- Coolant flush
- AT Tranny flush
- Other suspension components?
- Hoses, belts and rubber parts
- Fittings, nuts, bolts, brackets that have rusted out in engine bay and under the car
- Water pump
- Coils

Brakes were done not long ago.

Engine runs super strong outside of idle issue and transmission feels brand new. Concerned about the rusted parts, not the panels but the fittings etc, especially in the engine bay where it's looking really beat to ****.

Engine is the GM B207R 2T.

This link seems to show i need a new throttle body (idle) and water pump (coolant leak, though i never see coolant on the driveway)

https://eeuroparts.com/blog/10-saab-...mmon-problems/

Do you think it is worth the hassle given the lack of rust on the panels, the engine and tranny seem to be have a lot of life left and she is burning absolutely zero oil?? Where do you think the tipping point is if replacement is $20K? $5K? $7? $10K?

Value of the car is irrelevant here, what's important is replacement cost.

Thoughts, feelings, emotions?

[StradaRedlands]

Keep. You say it's a beater, and by definition beaters shouldn't be something new/nice. Those are commuters and a different category. Fix/update everything you mentioned and drive it another five years at a minimum. As a bonus, everything you mentioned can be done in a garage/driveway by you if you are so inclined. Working on cars is fun and will drop that $6k of repairs you are looking down by at least half. But even if you have a shop do it, that is relatively nothing compared to a new car.

[mecheng77]

Keep it, it's good to have a simple car not worth much.

We had a Volvo 850, no rust at all, despite being exposed to lots of salt. The Japanese cars I owned all rusted heavily. If the Saab is anything like Volvo in that they are made for Swedish winters, then keep it

[Alfisti]

Thought you guys may lean this way, i cannot do the work myself so yeah will need to factor in labour costs. I searched long and wide for a boring, reliable vehicle with under 100km on it and you want about $20k for a 1 or 2 owner, clean vehicle about 8 yrs old. It's cheaper to keep her.

[c1pher]

I'm not one to keep cars too long so would say in this case to buy a comparable Toyota or Subaru that will last you another 10-15 years plus.

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I'll preface this with the average age of my fleet of four cars (3 are BMWs) is 17 years old and the average mileage is 205,000. So a 14 year old car with just 83,000 miles that gets driven just 5,000 miles a year, I'd call a "car" and not a beater.

To clarify, i agree with your statement but this car lives outside, 24/7, in really harsh weather so despite my efforts to keep it looking and feeling ok, it's just gotten beaten about a bit.

[W///]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Thought you guys may lean this way, i cannot do the work myself so yeah will need to factor in labour costs. I searched long and wide for a boring, reliable vehicle with under 100km on it and you want about $20k for a 1 or 2 owner, clean vehicle about 8 yrs old. It's cheaper to keep her.

I don't see anything on the to do list that would terrify me to be honest. Yes, rusted bolts would be a pain to deal with, but that's not your problem if you're paying for a mechanic anyway (assuming they do book time).

Cars are so expensive now that a Japanese car with 100k+ miles is no longer peanuts (ie sub 10k). I honestly don't see $6k worth of work, unless you want to start dealing with making the car look aesthetically nice again.

So if I were in your shoes, I'd just repair it and drive it to the ground.

[Alfisti]

I just checked on Outback pricing, you know, wagon for wagon. Anything under 100,000KM is $20K.

Seriously???