Assistance in Choosing Car

I

InfoSeeker

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Hi All,

I am getting a Saab car in the next couple of weeks and wanted people's advice.

I have read all the threads on this so I know it has an Opel Vectra engine, that the 9-3 1.9i Diesel is a better option with the Fiat engine, etc.

I have 2 choices at the moment & was wondering what people thought would be the best one for me.

Please note that I currently drive a 1.4 litre car which is 12yrs old:(
Therefore the step up to the basic Saab is a big one for me:)
I have very little knowledge on cars but I like the look of the Saab (realise this is a stupid reason to get the car) and it seems to be fairly reliable from my research.

Choices:
(1) 9-3 Saab 1.8 Linear Petrol, 43,000 miles, taxed until July1st (ie worth about 250), has most feature one would expect, ie alloys, etc but no leather interior but this does not bother me at all -> Price is 14,750 euros. Need to drive 3 hrs to meet seller and pay for mechanic/AA to check it out

(2) This option is being imported from the UK.
9-3 Saab 1.8t Arc, petrol, 59,000 miles, had all features you would expect and leather interior though as stated above this is not a major plus for me -> Price = 16,500 euros all in which includes vrt & delivery of car to the door

So can people let me know what they think given my background, ie moving from 1996 1.4litre so both cars are a massive improvement:)

If you need further info to make a more accurate choice then let me know & I will add it.

Also I am checking out the difference in tax & insurance between the cars as option 2 will be more expensive in this regard.

Tks,
InfoSeeker
 
If you tend to be on the rather gullible side, I'd recommend a car salesman - cum granis!
 
IF they were the only two cars available to me then I would pick the one with lower mileage - I don't know about Saab's but in some cars once you hit 70-80k miles you can be looking at timing belt changes which can be pricey, along with the general risk of more things going wrong the more miles a car has done
 
Thanks efm for the response.

The timing belt on the first option was changed at 36,000 miles and was serviced at this point also. This was the car I was going to choose but thought there was no harm in seeking as many opinions as possible.

Simeon -> I trust no one when it comes to cars, just because I cannot take a car apart and put it back together does not mean I will not get a good price:)
 
Hey listen. We are on common ground here. Haven't a clue about under bonnet either. So, best of luck in your choice. Like Dr. Moriarty ...... I was hoping to add gravitas with my Latin!
 
I am a fellow Latin scholar:)
Did it for Inter Cert (ie Junior Cert nowadays) and the Leaving though at this stage I can drop the scholar reference as I must admit I do not know what it means!!
 
If you don't you should take anything that I've said with a pinch (of salt).
 
Petermack said:
36K miles seems very little mileage to warrant a timing belt change. You maybe want to check whether this is the normal interval for a timing belt change.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly! Could it be that they are using a timing belt change as a cover for something else; head gasket maybe?

Then again it may be perfectly reasonable
 
I called the person selling the car last night and told him that I thought the timing belt should be changed at 60k miles and asked why he changed it at 36k.

He said he bought the car when it had 30k miles, then according to the Saab manual that he has it said that it should be changed at 40-45k miles. It needed a service at 36k so he got it changed at this point but not through a Saab dealer as he knows a mechanic and he sourced the parts himself:)

So, ya I am concerned about this and am checking online tonight to see if I can see what is the recommended mileage to change the timing belt though the types of miles one does would probably have an impact, ie he lives in the country.

This is why I want to give it a thorough check before buying it, I am going to use the AA....not sure if anyone else has used them for a car inspection before purchasing on AAM....I will tell them I am concerned about why the timing belt was changed at 36k miles.....no point in asking the seller as he has answered the question already.
 
There are tons of choices out there & I have been looking for over 6months, I will spare you the details but at this point I am happy with option 1 re value.

I have found a mechanic in Tullamore through a friend so all set for the purchase this weekend:)
 
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