Purchased in 2007 w/ 130,000 for $6,000. So far have replaced & spent:
2007 Catalytic converter; fuel pump & sensor & assorted other maintenance $1,200
2008 both lower control arm bushings & sway bar links; air filter, cabin filter, fuel filter, drive belt, idler pully $1,100
2009 automatic climate control panel bulb, oil pressure switch, updated crankcase system kit, a/c line 525
Now has 147,000 miles. Yesterday it just completely lost power on the highway and came to a stop. Prior to that it was driving great. Haven’t even diagnosed the problem yet but my mechanic will probably get to it today. It cranks up but immediately shuts off. For that brief on period you get absolutely nothing upon attempting to rev the engine. Anyway, he’ll diagnose that problem, but my questions are:
1) Was I crazy to buy a Saab with that amount of mileage in the first place and does this level of repair seem about right for the year and amount of milage.
2) How much remaining life would any of you guess I can expect from this vehicle? Whenever there is a problem I always fix.
Thanks in advance to any and all who care to weigh in.
IMHO this level of repair does not sound normal for a vehicle with that amount of mileage. And I’ve owned many vehicles with that amount of mileage.
Some things, like the bushings, the filters, the belts, and the idler pulley, raise no red flags, but others…the cat converter, the oil pressure switch, the cat converter, and the “updated crankcase system kit” (whatever that is) leave me wondering.
Personally, I’d dump it. Others may disagree. This one isn’t a “cut & dry” scenerio.
I don’t know what an ‘updated crankcase system kit’ is, but the rest sounds fairly normal given the age and mileage. I would have been skeptical about buying a 5 year old car with 130,000 miles on it, unless I knew for certain most of the miles (like 80% or better) were highway miles. I mean, that’s almost 30,000 miles a year. If it were mixed driving, 50-50 mix of city and highway, that is a lot of wear-n-tear.