Older Car

[ignis]

Wondered if anyone owns or can advise which is best…

1^st on my list is around 1997/8 Saab 900S 2.3 Auto

2^nd is the non turbo 1993/4 Volvo 850 GLE/GLT 2.3 auto

Possible a M.Benz 1988/9 280 S Class Auto

Things change, I bought a new car 4yrs ago, the 1^st year did a little over 10,000km, today the km reads 26,400, I do need a car [have a D-Max also] but have been offered a very good price for my car.. The new Isuzu D-Max is 2 months old today, the old 3yr old D-max had 351,000km when sold.

Petrol is not a issue as only use the car about 6 times a month. I am looking to spend no more than 250k.. there appears to be lots of the above 3 for sale for this price in very good condition.

What is the better buy?

[tracker]

your question cannot be answered without more input. Any car could better than the other just by the state they are in when sold...

and... are you're doing your repair work yourself? older cars need more attention, although they are usually a lot stronger build than the plastic crap of today...

I have a benz 500se (w126) with lpg for 1.5 year now... very happy with it. This statement has no value to you, as you might buy the same car but end up with trouble...

[ignis]

your question cannot be answered without more input. Any car could better than the other just by the state they are in when sold...

and... are you're doing your repair work yourself? older cars need more attention, although they are usually a lot stronger build than the plastic crap of today...

I have a benz 500se (w126) with lpg for 1.5 year now... very happy with it. This statement has no value to you, as you might buy the same car but end up with trouble...

Agreed, I have looked at many cars for the past few weeks.. Some were real crap but looked OK.

As I said 'I am looking to spend no more than 250k.. there appears to be lots of the above 3 for sale for this price in very good condition' Doing no more than 5,00km a year in the car seems silly having a expensive car just sat here in the garage, which is now out of warranty anyway

Yes most things I can do myself

[initiala4]

Pass on the Volvo 850. Especially 1993. Had one...and it wasnt cheap to maintain it.

1. Had to replace a seal between tranny and engine. Part was cheap, but labor was crazy because they have to get the engine and tranny out.

2. Car sometimes shut itself down

3. Tranny was about to die. Almost had to rebuild it.

4. Had electric chair gremlins, but then almost all cars with electric chairs has this problem.

5. Shock mounts had to be replaced because of old age.

6. Had to replace control arms because of poor roads from the past.

[ozsamurai]

Even though I am a Volvo lover I can back up the aversion to the 1993 model.

The first draft of the car, apart from being over powered as it was the first time Volvo attempted a FWD, the bugs are tremendous here and there with all sorts of things esp electrical. As for trannys and mounts, well that just comes with the age, as it will with all older cars, if your like me and want a hobby, don't pick Volvo, unless you are prepared for a challenge. I am, love bricks!

If you want an 850 1994-1996 is the best and still within your budget.

Oz

[Flatouthruthefog]

Pass on the Volvo 850. Especially 1993. Had one...and it wasnt cheap to maintain it.

1. Had to replace a seal between tranny and engine. Part was cheap, but labor was crazy because they have to get the engine and tranny out.

2. Car sometimes shut itself down

3. Tranny was about to die. Almost had to rebuild it.

4. Had electric chair gremlins, but then almost all cars with electric chairs has this problem.

5. Shock mounts had to be replaced because of old age.

6. Had to replace control arms because of poor roads from the past.

Agree. Up here in Chiang Mai we smile at the phrase on Volvo back windows: 'Volvo for Life'. So true. You may be stuck with it for life because no-one wants them second hand. I've heard that even Volvo dealers in Thailand are refusing to take Volvos as trade-ins against new Volvos.

Of course this means that you may be able to drive a very aggressive bargain when buying.

Although I think that the last REAL car made by Volvo was the Amazon, you may at least enjoy driving your bargain buy. The others you mention seem to me to have about as much charisma as used tea bags.

[tracker]

well, they may be trouble, but i see a lot of volvo's on the road. And usually driving too! With so many sold, it might be also easier and cheapier to get your spares.

No experience here, just observation.

[ignis]

I like the 850 GLT. AT, but cannot find much info/parts info here..?

The Saab there appears to be lots of info/parts both new and 2^nd hand and a very good Saab club.. Engine and auto box rebuild prices etc

Another car is possibly a 1996/8 MITSUBISHI ULTIMA GLSi 2.0 V6 24V AT appears to be a number around.. anyone got one? Were they private import? any good?

[nakhonsi sean]

Have a good friendly mechanic who I use and stop by to chat with, a European car specialist. Apparently Volvos are generally pretty expensive to repair, he warned me to stay clear of them. Saabs the same thing. Mercedes W124 E classes are one of the best options, parts are comparable to the Japanese in prices and readily available, very little goes wrong with them. Main thing to watch for are problems in the fuel and electrical systems, they are not cheap to fix. The S class being thinner on the ground and originally a more expensive car is more costly to run and repair.

I run an older W123 300 diesel and so far the parts have been the same or cheaper than Japanese and other Euro car parts, even down here in the South I have never had to wait more than 24 hours for a part that had to be ordered from Bangkok.