looking to buy, a few q's
 

i am looking to get into the world of saab ownership, but i have a few questions....
1) why do these vehicles depreciate soooo rapidly? I know most luxury cars do depreciate quite a bit but the value of these cars seems to drop like a rock.
2) when buying, what do I need to look for with regard to maintanence? I am familiar with bmw's (cooling system, suspension, o2 sensors all need to be replaced before or ~ 100k) but what should I look for in a saab?
3) for repairs, do most need to be done by a shop (and how expensive) or are most DIY

Thanks guys

RE: looking to buy, a few q's
 

1). I don't quite understand why that happens, but I like the fact that I can get a decent 9-3 for around 5K (I now have two).
2). Well there's the front O2 sensor, and everything else is a big may be: CPS, fuel pump, water pump.Make sure you pull the oil pan off and have it cleaned (not at all expensive).
3). I've done 99% of work on both of my 9-3 by diy. Parts are cheap compared to parts of bmw, merc, audi and vw and I actually have most of my parts NEXT DAY...how's that for service from eeuroparts. These cars are fairly simple and if you buy a WIS(workshop information system) it becomes even easier to fix them.

RE: looking to buy, a few q's
 

Saabs depreciate for 2 reasons:
1) They are not consideredtrue european(German - BMW, Porsche, VW,Audi), which is supposed to be superior engineering - not the case I have learned.
2) Saab is owned by GMso a lot of it is image.

I know of no common problems. I own a 2001 9-3 SE Convertible.

Like most cars, once you have some basic understandingon the internal combustion engine, yuou should be able to perform a lot of the services on your own.
I have noticed that changing the lightbulbs is extremely easy, when copared ot my old VW Jetta. Also,adding fluids is easy.

I really like the car.Even though it is a convertible, the chassis is solid and well composed. The acceleration, while not mind blowing is good.The fit and finish is really nice too, with good feeling materials and a rich look.

Getting parts is easy since GM owns SAAB. And any GM dealership should be able to work on these cars, so you don't have to go to a Saab Dealership, like you might with Porsche, BMW or Audi.

RE: looking to buy, a few q's
 

I know of a way to make it even more solid;)