Replacement Thoughts

thumper_svx · #1 11-11-2005, 10:08 PM

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

Landshark · #2 11-11-2005, 10:22 PM

'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.

thumper_svx · #3 11-12-2005, 10:22 AM

<grin> Oh believe me, I'd thought about that. They're expensive around this area though, and tough to find.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Landshark

'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.

#4 11-12-2005, 10:46 AM

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.

Andy · #5 11-12-2005, 11:02 AM

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.

Andy · #6 11-12-2005, 11:06 AM

Volvo S60...............36th
Subaru Forester.......10th
Subaru Legacy..........8th

benebob · #7 11-12-2005, 11:47 AM

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.

Andy · #8 11-12-2005, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by benebob

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.

Who are you kidding

Chiketkd · #9 11-12-2005, 04:46 PM

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

benebob · #10 11-12-2005, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chiketkd

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.

-Chike

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.

Chiketkd · #11 11-12-2005, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by benebob

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.

But the 2.0L WRXs have more performance parts available for them than any other Subaru...

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

benebob · #12 11-12-2005, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chiketkd

But the 2.0L WRXs have more performance parts available for them than any other Subaru...

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

Yeah, so is a neon

Mr. Pockets · #13 11-13-2005, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thumper_svx

A friend of mine has a 2000 S80 and he loves it to death... swears blind he can't kill the thing.

So what? Ask him in another ten years and then we'll see if he's saying the same thing. I'm not saying Volvos aren't fine cars, I just don't think that somebody saying their five-year-old car is reliable is any big deal.

ensteele · #14 11-13-2005, 12:27 PM

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.

thumper_svx · #15 11-14-2005, 03:16 PM

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.