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Replacement Thoughts
You know, if you've seen my posts elsewhere the last few days, you'll know that I'm considering getting rid of my 96 LSi. She's a damned fine car, and she's been a great ride... but at this point in my life I need a sedan (kids, wife going back to work, all that jazz) and I just can't bring myself to spend time maintaining three cars (hers, the SVX and "the replacement").
So, I am posting to this club simply because I've grown to respect and admire a lot of people here, especially when it comes to cars. I've been looking around the last couple of days... and while I'm obviously not the type of person to drive a Ford Focus (hey, I drive an SVX today... I like my creature comforts) I still have budgetary constraints. At the moment I'm looking in the 2001 timeframe, relatively low mileage... and two cars have really got my attention. 1) 2001 Saab 9-3. Nice little car, blue. I used to own a 1996 900 SE which was a damned fine piece of Swedish engineering. I know them well, but my experience told me that longevity might be in question, particularly the way I drive. Nothing was cheap when it broke either. This isn't the SE, so everything in it is base. 2) 2001 Volvo S60. Bigger, plusher, slower. This isn't the turbo version, it's the basic 5-banger. As basic an S60 as you can get with the addition of power heated seats. No real fancy options, but a nice car. A little more expensive than the Saab, slightly higher mileage. Now, as I said I owned a Saab once, but I've always had a real soft spot for Volvos. I know, very suburbanite of me... but hey... I'm a suburbanite. A friend of mine has a 2000 S80 and he loves it to death... swears blind he can't kill the thing. So I would just like to ask anyone for advice. Any experience with these cars, any thoughts? Any idea about longevity on the Volvo? If you were in my situation, which would you pick? Primary mission for the car will be mostly winter driving... probably about 8000 miles a year or so. It'll be my commuting car during the months and miscellaneous days I can't ride my bike... and a family hauler on weekends on occasion. I like the cargo capability of the Saab... and the performance is nice... but the ride in the Volvo is nice as are the plethora of airbags (been in one too many wrecks in my life thank you). Thoughts? All thoughts welcome |
#2
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'02/'03 WRX/WRX wagon? seats 4, fast, fun, better in the snow and rain than the other two, Subaru reliablility, very safe (built like a tank).
consider an early 2000-ish Legacy, too. not as fun, but a little more room and refinement.
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Alan 1987 928 S4 (Black) SOLD! 1997 SVX LSi (Ebony) SOLD! 2005 Legacy GT (Silver) [Cobb Stg 2+] SOLD! 1987 928 S4 (Black) SOLD! 2005 Forester XT Premium (Crystal Gray Metallic) SOLD! 2008 Lancer Evolution X MR (Apex Silver) [Cobb Stg 1+] 2015 Outlander Sport 2.4GT AWD (Mercury Gray) 2013 G37xS (Obsidian Black) |
#3
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<grin> Oh believe me, I'd thought about that. They're expensive around this area though, and tough to find.
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#4
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im kind of in the same spot i want to sell my ride but i just cant do it. i really want a smoother highway car like a new maxima. the svx is the only car me and my wife got now. traveling from sedelia mo to kc every weekend. and if i got the max and kept the svx i will not be able to afford a bike for next summer and i really want a bike. plus i have put allot of cash in my car. its tough to get rid of something u worked on for so long with the time invested.
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#5
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How about a Forester. Great in the slippery stuff, ultra reliable, very safe and very practical.
Try the Top Gear reliability survey to see who to avoid.
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Andy ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If I would be a young man again and had to decide how to make my living, I would not try to become a scientist or scholar or teacher. I would rather choose to be a plumber or a peddler in the hope to find that modest degree of independence still available under present circumstances. -- Albert Einstein, The Reporter, November 18 1954 |
#6
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Volvo S60...............36th
Subaru Forester.......10th Subaru Legacy..........8th
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Andy ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If I would be a young man again and had to decide how to make my living, I would not try to become a scientist or scholar or teacher. I would rather choose to be a plumber or a peddler in the hope to find that modest degree of independence still available under present circumstances. -- Albert Einstein, The Reporter, November 18 1954 |
#7
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Get a Legacy GT but I still don't get why you needed to get a 240 beater. Why not ditch that and keep the SVX and find a 5 year old GT for daily driving. Personally, I'd stay away from the Forester and OB lines just as you're considering sportier vehicles which these two definately aren't.
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British vehicles are my last ditch attempt to keep the nasty Italian thoughts in my mind at bay. So far its working. |
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Andy ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If I would be a young man again and had to decide how to make my living, I would not try to become a scientist or scholar or teacher. I would rather choose to be a plumber or a peddler in the hope to find that modest degree of independence still available under present circumstances. -- Albert Einstein, The Reporter, November 18 1954 |
#9
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I'd have to agree with Ben. The Forester XT, which I personally admire greatly, is extremely fast in a straight line but just not as fun in the turns as say a WRX wagon/sedan.
Thumper, what's your price range? That can help us give you better suggestions... -Chike
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something." - Plato 2013 Cosmic Blue 5spd Evo X GSR 2006 Galaxy Gray 6MT RX-8 (sold) 2006 Steel Gray WRX TR (sold) 1996 Brilliant Red SVX L (sold) |
#10
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Which in turn will be outhandled by an early GT or a standard Impreza sedan with a bar on it. If the other cars thumper listed were breeder buggies like the Forester then yeah it will out handle most of them but the fun factor and forester only share an F.
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British vehicles are my last ditch attempt to keep the nasty Italian thoughts in my mind at bay. So far its working. |
#11
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They were decent handlers from the factory, and I never heard of any magazine praising the handling of the early Legacies or base Impreza's over the WRX. For a car that costs 24K brand new, they're still quite a bargain. -Chike
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something." - Plato 2013 Cosmic Blue 5spd Evo X GSR 2006 Galaxy Gray 6MT RX-8 (sold) 2006 Steel Gray WRX TR (sold) 1996 Brilliant Red SVX L (sold) |
#12
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British vehicles are my last ditch attempt to keep the nasty Italian thoughts in my mind at bay. So far its working. |
#13
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2005 RX-8 Grand Touring 2005 Outback 2002 Mercedes-Benz E320 wagon END OF LINE |
#14
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I went to an outback for my utility car and it drives and handles very good. I love it for the utility and it is fun to drive. It has many of the same controls as the SVX.
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. Earl .... ... .... ><SVX(*> Subaru Ambassador [COLOR=”silver”]1992 Tri Color L[/COLOR] ~45K (06/91) #2430 1992 Dark Teal LS-L ~184K (05/91) #0739 1992 Claret LS-L ~196K (05/91) #0831 1992 Pearl LS-L ~103K (06/91) #1680 1992 Pearl LS-L ~151K (06/91) #2229 1992 Dark Teal LS ~150K (07/91) #3098 (parts car) 1992 White LS-L ~139K (08/92) #6913 1993 25th AE ~98K (02/93) #164 1993 25th AE ~58K (02/93) #176 1993 25th AE ~107K (02/93) #215 1993 25th AE ~162K (02/93) #223 1994 Laguna Blue Pearl LSi ~124K (1/94) #2408 1994 Laguna Blue Pearl LSi ~144K (10/93) #1484 1994 Laguna Blue Pearl LSi ~68K (10/93) #1525 1994 Barcelona Red LSi ~46K (02/94) #2624 1994 Pearl LSi ~41K (12/93) #1961 1995 Bordeaux Pearl LSi ~70K (02/95) #855 1996 Polo Green LSi ~95K (03/96) #872 1997 Bordeaux Pearl LSi ~55K (08/96) #097 2003 Brilliant Red LS1 Convertible ~29K (04/03) #8951 1999 Magnetic Red LS1 Coupe ~33K (04/99) #6420 My Email | Old Locker | New Locker | Picture of 15 of the 19 |
#15
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Well, thanks all for the input. In the end I pulled the trigger on the Volvo today. Damned nice car, some nice features and seems like it'll do superbly well in my chosen mission (about 8-10 thousand miles per year, mostly winter and ferrying the munchkins around).
I considered a newer Subaru, but quite frankly they were kind of expensive. I was trying to stay with a car $15K or below... nothing new really caught my fancy, at least not in that price range... and used I couldn't seem to get anything REALLY decent for that price that I would happily ferry my kids around in. I've always had a soft spot for Swedish cars... I loved my old Saab... and since Volvo did their change of image around 2000, they've been producing some nice looking and well engineered vehicles. I think the Volvo will do me a trick for the next couple of years... I almost hate to get into another car payment but the time has come that I need a reliable car that I can just get places in. My SVX is a great and pretty reliable car, but I always end up having to tinker or tweak something. All my Subarus have been the same... and while I enjoy that too I just don't have that kind of time any more. Still, I'll stick around the club... if someone here doesn't want to buy my car I might even keep her and store her for a while until I can afford to really work on her. I haven't truly decided on that yet. |
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